CityView Magazine

62 | October 2020 GOOD READS Oh, the Horror of It By Diane Parfitt W e all have our favorite genres of books and mine are British detective novels. I've not been a big fan of horror books, but I wanted to find out a bit more about this genre, since it's so popular and has many devoted fans. One of the most interesting things I discovered is that there are many sub-genres – horror/comedy, thrillers, cosmic horror, sci-fi horror and Gothic. I realized I had read and enjoyed some of these, specifically Gothic novels and thrillers. So, I went about researching the broader genre of "horror fiction" and what makes it popular. For one thing, fiction can help us escape f rom the of ten-dark realities of our world today. I've of ten thought the best way to escape is to bur y myself in the pages of one of my murder mysteries. A lso, reading about fictional characters and feeling what they are going through gives us streng th to cope w ith what we are going through in real life. One of the most impor tant lessons reading horror stories is that ever y thing is surmountable and sur v ivable. Yes, sometimes the protagonists die – in which case I'm mad at the author – but in more cases than not, they make it through. These stories can help you understand why something is scar y when you see the monster for what it tru ly is. Scar y book s can expose the threats and show us what we are real ly af raid of, whether it is external forces, or our ow n potential for ev i l, or something else. A nd in some cases, the stor y seems too much li ke real life! But doesn't that, in fact, help us face real life w ith perspective? Even if your favorite books are more along the lines of light reading or romance novels, try a little horror fiction, because you will never know until you step over to the dark side! You might find you like it, or at least you might find yourself a little braver or a bit less spooked. Go ahead, take a chance! "The Living Dead" by George A. Romero and Daniel Kraus George A. Romero invented the modern zombie movies with "Night of the Living Dead." Because his movies were limited by the constraints of film-making, Romero began writing stories. Unfortunately, he died before he could finish his first book. His wife asked writer Daniel Kraus to complete "e Living Dead." e story begins with one body and spreads quickly. When a pair of medical examiners find themselves confronted with a dead man who won't stay dead, we are well into the story. People everywhere are targeted by the living and the dead. For followers of zombie stories, you think you know how this ends, right? Well, you could be wrong! "The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires: A Novel" by Grady Hendrix Described as "Steel Magnolias meets Dracula" this story has all the elements I love: women in a book club, a handsome stranger coming to town, people going missing and an amateur sleuth stepping up to solve the mystery and save the day. Anyone who loves Stephen King will enjoy this, and it's a great way to ease into the horror genre! "Then She Was Gone: A Novel" by Lisa Jewell If you think you can guess the ending of this book, you are one smart reader! Ten years aer her daughter Ellie went missing, Laurel is still struggling. Her marriage has ended, her other children hardly speak to her, and she imagines she sees her missing daughter in the faces of every young woman she encounters. Enter a mysterious stranger in town with a daughter who seems to have a connection to Ellie. What's going on? "The Deep" by Alma Katsu As if the tales of the sinkings of RMS Titanic and HMHS Britannic were not bad enough, here is a historical reimagining laced with magic and mystery. Titanic survivors recall sensing an eerie, haunted atmosphere while mysterious disappearances and sudden deaths occurred even before the sinking. When they find themselves aboard the ill-fated HMHD Britannic, they are again sensing impending disaster. Alma Katsu adds a sweeping love story and a ghostly tale of revenge to these maritime tragedies to tell a story that is haunting, thrilling and utterly original. "John Dies at the End" by David Wong is is the first of a three-book series about John, who dies in the first book, but doesn't stay dead. Does he die at the end? John and his friend David are two slackers who try to thwart some alien invaders. Lowbrow comedy/horror that works for those who love horror combined with the absurd.

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