Peter Straub may not be a name the masses recognize, but fans of horror literature know him as one the current masters. He was first published in the mid 1970's with some success and continues going strong to today.
He's won numerous awards for novels, shorts, and anthologies. Two of his novels have been made into films. Julia (made into The Haunting of Julia) and Ghost Story. Though The Tailisman is in production as a mini-series.
My first introduction to Mr. Straub was Ghost Story. The tale of The Chowder Society sent the hairs on my arms raising to full attention. It's a masterpiece. The Talisman and Black House followed a few years later. These were very different reads as the explore fantasy more than horror and directly ties in with Stephen King's Dark Tower series. I have what's known as The Blue Rose trilogy and two other loosely connected books in a stack at home waiting to be read.
If you want good writing with strong characters and incredible story telling abilities, look no further than Peter Straub.
Notable Horor Books by Peter Straub (not a complete list)
If You Could See Me Now (1977)
Ghost Story (1979)
Shadowland (1980)
The Talisman (1984) co-authored with Stephen King
Koko (1988); Winner of World Fantasy Award (1989)
Mystery (1990)
The Throat (1993); Winner of Bram Stoker Award (1993)
Mr. X (1999); Winner of Bram Stoker Award (1999)
Magic Terror (2000)
Black House (2001) co-authored with Stephen King
Lost Boy, Lost Girl (2003); Winner of Bram Stoker Award (2003)
In The Night Room (2004); Winner of Bram Stoker Award (2004)
5 Stories (2007); Winner of Bram Stoker Award (2007)
3 comments:
"Ghost Story" is on my short list of my all time favorite horror novels - GREAT recommendation!
Ghost Story is flat out my favorite book, any genre. And you're right, Straub is completely underrated.
Is Straub underrated? I guess maybe his day has come and gone but back in the '80s he was a bestselling author.
Post a Comment