Wagner List of Horror Books Part Deux

[OSJ]

Okay, I'm not going to go through the whole introduction again, what we have here are Karl's selections for best Non-Supernatural Horror with my nit-picking where I deemed appropriate. Since the other category is "Science Fictional Horror" it gets sort of dicey as to what ought to go where. For example, there's nothing supernatural about James Herbert's The Rats or Dick Laymon's The Cellar; but it doesn't feel quite right calling them either one. I guess I'll figure it out as I go along...Anyway, without further ado...

 

1. The Deadly Percheron - John Franklin Bardin (Karl really loved this book, I didn't. I thought it much more just weird than horrifying, however anything Bardin wrote under his own name or that of "Gregory Tree" is worth reading. However, I don't feel this belongs on the list, let alone on top of it so I'm going to suggest the long-banned and recently reprinted Twisted Clay by Frank Walford. Get a copy, you will not regret doing so.

 

2. Psycho - Robert Bloch

 

3. Here Comes a Candle - Fredric Brown (A true classic, Brown uses a variety of techniques to tell the story and makes it work.)

 

4. The Screaming Mimi - Fredric Brown (Also good, but in the interest of variety, let's replace with Jack Ketchum's The Girl Next Door.)

 

5. The Fire Spirits - Paul Busson (Unavailable right now unless you are rich. However, I'm writing the intro to a new edition that will be out before the end of the year.)

 

6.The Crooked Hinge - John Dickson Carr (Carr is great, he's also represented elsewhere and I need to make room for The Cellar by Richard Laymon. So there!

 

7. The Sorcerer's Apprentice - Hanns Heinz Ewers (Okay, let's consider the trilogy one work and that will leave room for two other books. Since Alraune is on the first list, let us insert Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy, with the understanding that it can be considered supernatural (I don't think so, but others would disagree).

 

8. Vampire - Hanns Heinz Ewers - (And this one is replaced by Johnny Got His Gun by Dalton Trumbo.)

 

9. Fully Dressed and in His Right Mind- Michael Fessier

 

10. The Shadow on the House - Mark Hansom (I'm the biggest Hansom mark in the world, but this is actually his weakest novel. A perfect spot to put James Herbert's The Rats.)

 

11. Torture Garden - Octave Mirabeau (I'm pretty liberal in my definition of "horror", but this ain't it. Weird? Yes. Exotic? Yes? Horrific? Not really. Good book, but doesn't really belong here. How about Sharp Practice by John Farris instead since I stupidly left off All Heads Turn When the Hunt Goes By on the supernatural list (see what I did there?)

 

12. Master of the Day of Judgment - Leo Perutz (all of his books are worth seeking out and you can usually get 'em cheap)

 

13. The Subjugated Beast - R.R. Ryan (The funny thing is No Escape (also by Ryan)  is better still. Ryan didn't write many novels, but the following are excellent: No Escape, The Subjugated Beast, Freak Museum, and Echo of a Curse. Devil's Shelter and Death of a Sadist are merely very good. The Right to Kill sucks all manner of things. A pretty good hit rate all things considered.) Okay, back later with the third and final list.

[JRGoldman]

Thanks for doing this, John. I find it really interesting, because aside from the heavy hitters, it's a genre I have always felt as though I am not as versed in. Do you think it would be possible for you to put together a list of must reads and best examples by decade (or at least by period?) It seems like there have been some major stylistic shifts over the years, and I'd love to be able to go to the library and read through things chronologically, if that makes sense. 

[OSJ]

JR:

 

Well, if I may be allowed to shamelessly self-promote, there is that two-volume anthology called The Century's Best Horror wherein I selected my pick for best story of the year from 1901-2000. The ground rules were that no author could be represented more than once, anything up to and including novella length was fair game. Looking back on the list, I'm still pretty pleased with it, the project took three years of life to do, but I think I did a good job of it. I was also trying to show a variety, one can definitely see the trend toward SF-nal horror in the 1950s. The one area I'd like to revisit is the 1930s; probably the toughest decade and I failed to provide an example of the weird menace genre. Of course, when you have the likes of Lovecraft, Smith, Howard, Moore, etc. at the top of their game, it does make it tough... But anyway, enough of that... So a list of must reads by decade or period? Let's give it a go... I'll be back shortly...