OnlineBookClub.org

Graverobber wrote:

I always thought Bunnicula was cute

-- 09 Oct 2015, 22:38 --

A good example of an implied, yet never (really) seen threat, in my opinion, is in The Shining, when Danny's on the playground.

That scene was very well done

Tstrickland84 wrote:Stephen King has great ideas, but doesn't really know how to end his stories. "It" is a classic though. Strongly suggest that one.

hsimone wrote:So, The Shining is good then? Maybe I'll add this to my list.

kio wrote:You're lucky @GraveRobber. I'm ok with most fictional fear until it deals with ghosts and apparently, zombies

ryanj1 wrote:The Shining by Stephen King.

I enjoyed this book and I ended up giving it 3 stars. It's much more psychologically based than many of his novels and the threats in the books mostly depend on the character's perception of various situations in states of anxiety. The threat is from within and Jack -- the protagonist -- struggles to overcome his feelings of inadequacy which give him an intense rage and which ultimately makes him a threat to the other characters in various forms. His painful associations with the abuse of his father and his own over his son creates a sense that horror is unavoidable and omniscient. Certain parts, for example, make us question whether there is any threat at all, which is undoubtedly a metafictional comment on the genre: there is a threat if you believe there is a threat. Ultimately, however, its Jack's inability to recognize his inner turmoil and propensity to externalize it that blinds him to his inevitable fall into madness.

The Monk by Matthew Lewis.

An early novel and one which is considered Gothic, which of course predates our own "horror" genre. The novel switches between several characters and the various ways in which they meet and interact. Here, the horror is also within: sexual desire. Ambrosio as a monk is the perfect figure to demonstrate the incredible power that desire can wield and the novel traces his fall from grace into which he is plunged when he carries a lust for the beautiful Antonia. What follows is a plot involving murder, rape, decomposing babies and fulfilled sexual desires uncommonly captured within the period. The story is a religious fable, however, so much of this internal struggle is linked exclusively to either God or Satan and not simply displayed as simple desires found within us all. Complex and well-crafted, I gave it 4 stars.

hsimone wrote:Hm...all this talk about horror makes me want to dive a little more into it. Honestly, I never would have thought that one day I would say this, but here I am saying it

I'll definitely add The Shining to my to-read list, I'm not sure about The Monk. But, thank you, ryanj1, for taking the time to write about each. It helps to see what I'm willing to try!