Summer Thrills and Chills

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: It’s been hot here in New York City — probably where you are, too. (We know it is in Texas for Debs, but at least she has her inflatable tub!) August generally is a long, hot, sticky month and, for some reason, I associate it with the thrills and chills of horror novels.

Well, maybe the association isn’t so random. I remember staying at a friend’s cottage one summer when I was twelve or so and discovering a shelf of well-thumbed paperbacks, mostly Stephen King — Cujo (why I was afraid of dogs for so long), Christine, Pet Cemetery, etc. You know, old-school Stephen King. I remember reading on the porch at night, cooled by breezes from Lake Erie and a glass of iced tea, scared out of my pre-teen mind.

This summer, as I work on THE QUEEN’S CONSPIRATOR, about a 1942 Blackout Jack the Ripper, I’ve been rereading a lot of classic horror for inspiration — Bram Stoker’s Dracula, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein, Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. It’s been all kinds of creepy shivery fun.

I don’t think of myself as a horror fan per se, but as I look through books that I’ve absolutely loved — Donna Tart’s The Secret History, Sarah Water’s The Little Stranger, Alice Hoffman’s The River King — there’s often a supernatural element.

And then there are the TV shows. I’m a fan of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, True Blood, Hannibal (will Hulu pretty please pick it up for season four?), and, most recently — and thanks to Kristopher of Bolo Books —Penny Dreadful. Love Penny Dreadful.


Reds and lovely readers, do you think horror chills help beat the summer heat. Is it a genre you read or watch? And, if so, what are your favorites?


HALLIE EPHRON: I do like a dab of supernatural, anything that makes that Twilight Zone music go off in my head (love Alice Hoffman and Jennifer McMahon).  

But horror, not so much. Stephen King is another category entirely. He's just a great writer and I'll read anything (or almost anything) he writes.


HANK PHILLIPPI RYAN:  Oh well, Stephen King. Of course. I stayed home from work in 1980 — I mean, called in sick when I wasn't sick! — to read The Stand. (At the Edgars, I told that story to Stephen King — I was quivering with starstruckness the entire time. He said: Good for you!)  I am a huge Twilight Zone fan--it's all about the writing, right? And as for the X-Files, well, I just wrote an X-Files short story that'll be included in Jonathan Maberry's coming authorized anthology! SO that's cool.... 
I guess... I don't like gruesome. Just suspense. (And we are watching The Whispers, I'll admit. But no more Strain. 

I have to say, we read Dracula when I was in college. I clearly remember thinking--how scary can anything like this be? It's just a BOOK. Wrongo. I slept with my arms crossed across my chest--figuring the vampire would be put off by the "cross"--for weeks. I was beyond terrified.


JULIA SPENCER-FLEMING: I can't watch viscerally graphic films and I hate what my family calls "pop-ups" - the sudden jolt when the bad guy/innocent person/dead body jumps into view, so I prefer subtle movie scariness. I adored CONTAGION, and went around for a week afterwards with a gallon of Purell in my purse! Loved the X Files, and the first season of THE WALKING DEAD. I haven't seen anything in the past couple of years and would love some recommendations! Anything with that creeping sense of something wrong will capture me as an audience member. 

Books: THE STAND, of course, which I read as a college freshman while my roommate and I both had bad colds (we were sure it was Captain Trips.) SALEM'S LOT - good think I met Ross many years after reading this, or I never would have agreed to move to Maine! THE HAUNTING OF HILL HOUSE  and WE HAVE ALWAYS LIVED IN THE CASTLE, two delicately creepy masterpieces by Shirley Jackson. Oh, and the horrifying/funny/scathing/haunting WORLD WAR Z (which has nothing in common with the movie except for the name.) It's been nine years, and I don't think he's really published anything since then, but Max Brooks will be a horror giant based on that one work alone.

LUCY BURDETTE: I can't do horror--too easily scared! though I really must read THE STAND, and I too love Jennifer McMahon's books — they're a little creepy, but not enough to keep me up nights...

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: Yes, Stephen King's The Stand!  I remember working for King's editor at Viking/Penguin in the early 90s when the miniseries came out and he treated us all to a screening — soda, popcorn, candy and everything. No work! We all that that was pretty darned terrific. (I once fetched him a BLT sandwich, too....)

Of course, Hubby would say: "Oh right, the book where all of humanity is wiped out except a few straight white people — and two 'mystical negroes' who are too old to reproduce?" (He kinda has a point there...)

And in recently rereading Dracula I find myself laughing at unexpected places — for instance: "Note to self: must get chicken paprika recipe for Mina."

DEBORAH CROMBIE: I am loathe to admit this, but I've never read a Stephen King novel. I have tried, really, I have. But I just couldn't get going on them. I have promised my self that I will read The Stand, since everyone I know loves it.

There's a very fine line between horror and supernatural, isn't there? And is there a distinction between supernatural and paranormal? I could never watch straight "horror" movies. The only one I can think of that I not only sat through but liked was John Carpenter's The Thing. And not the remake--the 1982 original with Kurt Russell. And absolutely no slasher movies for me. Ugh. 

But, like Susan, I loved Buffy and Angel (will watch anything written by Joss Whedon--can we talk about Firefly sometime?) I liked True Blood but didn't keep up, I'm afraid. I was a HUGE X-Files fan (Hank, so cool!!!) I loved an odd UK series called Being Human (starring Aidan Turner who you now see galloping across your screens as Poldark). Now I'm going to look up Penny Dreadful.

Books. I LOVE Jim Butcher's Harry Dresden novels. LOVE Ben Aaronovitch's Rivers of London series, and have just read a terrific YA series called The Shades of London by Maureen Johnson. The first book is called The Name of Star, and Susan, it's a very interesting contemporary take on the Ripper. You should read it! 

SUSAN ELIA MACNEAL: I will! And, Debs, I'd love to talk Firefly with you any time — and please let me know what you think of Penny Dreadful (it took me a few episodes to get into it). Lovely readers, do you cross genres to read horror? If no, why not? And if so, what are your favorites? Please tell us in the comments!

Allison Brennan on Storytelling

I love dark, epic storytelling with happy endings.

 

It probably started when I was thirteen and read THE STAND by Stephen King. After 99% of the world is killed by a deadly virus, our survivors are faced with an even deadlier battle, in the name of evil Randall Flagg. Most of the people we grew to love and hate in the 1200 page tome (yes, I read the unabridged version) also die. The ending is happy(ish.) Bittersweet, but Stu and Frannie (and Frannie’s baby) survive. They defeat evil and begin to rebuild. 

Hugely satisfying.

 
Epic storytelling generally involves high fantasy, but after reading the Lord of the Rings trilogy in high school, I haven’t been a fan of fantasy. I loved the story, but there was a lot of other stuff that made me skim lots and lots of pages. My 17 year old daughter read the first two books of the Game of Thrones series and she enjoyed them, but said she was finding herself skimming a lot as well, even though she was worried she’d miss something. So we are watching the Games of Throne series this summer to get caught up because from what my daughter has heard, it’s as good as the books without the boring parts.

I understand the need for storytellers who have to build a world to incorporate scenes, chapters and even hundreds of pages of histories and events, and there is a large groups of readers who love that level of detail.

I’m not one of them.

Epic storytelling works amazingly in film, especially when there’s a franchise and storytellers can world build over time, adding layers with each movie while still making each movie a solid story. 

STAR WARS came out when I was eight. I saw it in the theater and was completely in awe. This was 1977, and we hadn’t seen anything as vivid and epic and fast-paced as STAR WARS. It opened my mind to possibilities I hadn’t even known existed, let alone thought about. Not just the world of science fiction, fantasy, or alternative worlds, but the breadth of storytelling. When I was eight, I was reading Trixie Belden and Nancy Drew. STAR WARS blew me away. 

Even though George Lucas always said he had seven stories planned for the Star Wars franchise, I was disappointed when he sold the rights to Disney. I was disappointed in the second trilogy because they didn’t hold true to some of the details in the original trilogy which, to me, is perfect storytelling. The second trilogy was less than perfect. I didn’t buy into some of the characters actions and decisions. The only thing I really loved about the second trilogy was Yoda and Obi-Wan Kenobi. (But who doesn’t love Yoda?)

 Yet … JJ Abrams is set to direct the seventh Star Wars movie, and I am cautiously optimistic. It’s like when I know Joss Whedon is involved in a project, I am already on board because he’s an amazing storyteller. And in the end, it’s always about the story.

One of the reasons I’m cautiously optimistic is because JJ Abrams directed the reboot of the STAR TREK franchise. (Okay, yes, I’m a nerd. Kind of obvious, isn’t it?) The first movie was good, but INTO THE DARKNESS was amazing. It was the exact kind of epic storytelling I love—action, suspense, battles (both internal and external), moral conflict, and a multi-dimensional villain. (And I didn’t love it just because Benedict Cumberbatch was the villain. Though I loved him, too!)

Much of great epic storytelling is dependent on the actors being IN character, and I think Abrams brought in an amazing cast (particularly Zachary Quinto who plays Spock—I love him in everything he does.) But because the story was there, and the actors became the characters, and I went along with the ride. J

Epic storytelling isn’t just on the big screen; quieter versions exist in television. The first season of HEROES, for example, was an epic storyline that, like King’s THE STAND, brought together disparate characters in a final battle where some became heroes, and some became villains.

I also consider the recently completed first season of THE FOLLOWING starring starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy to be an epic storyline. I think it was one of the best written shows on television this year—dark, suspenseful, and very well-written. There is a happy(ish) ending to the season, but then wham! The writers give us a twist. This isn’t a series you can watch just one episode—you have to go from beginning to end. It’s an over-arcing epic story told for the small screen. It gives you the depth of character that you rarely get in two hour movies – the same depth of character I see in novels like THE STAND.

 

What do you think? Is there a different formula for epic storytelling in books than in the movies? Do you like all the high-level detail in fantasy novels, or prefer the movies? Did you see Star Trek? Iron Man? The Avengers? Or are these high-speed adventures not your cup of tea?

New York Times and USA Today bestseller Allison Brennan is the author of twenty novels and several short stories. A former consultant in the California State Legislature, she lives in Northern California with her husband Dan and their five children. Allison's latest Lucy Kincaid thriller, STOLEN, will be out this coming Tuesday, June 4th. You can find out more about her books, and get a printable list of her series, at her website.