When people talk about
horror fiction, they might let out an involuntary shudder. However, horror
fiction isn’t just about the gruesome. It’s not just about the supernatural,
ghosts, goblins, ghouls, gremlins, etc. No, it’s really about what we fear,
what we dread most. These things may be ordinary, like a pit bull off the leash
running toward us, or extraordinary, like meeting a vampire in a neighborhood
bar at midnight . We have fears that are both usual and the
unusual.
Horror fiction will not be
going away any time soon because it is human nature to feel fear as an emotion.
Horror fiction helps us handle these feelings, helps us confront our terrors,
those within us and those in the environment around us. I have read Dean Koontz
and Stephen King, Anna Rice and many writers of occult mystery and romance
fiction with interest.
My
latest adult novel DARK MOON RISING is a Gothic romance that features female
ghosts from different centuries who haunt male members of an aristocratic
Southern family. The novel combines romance, mystery, suspense and paranormal
horror.
There
has always been a fascination with magical worlds. Many of the readers and
writers of fantasy escape the negativity of the real world through fantasy
worlds which are often more satisfying. Reality is readjusted. Lev Grossman in
his excellent Time Magazine essay observed: “Fantasy holds out the possibility
that there’s another way to live.” Certainly there are many fans of C.S. Lewis,
T.H. White, J.RR. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin—just to name a few of the popular
fantasy writers.
Much
fantasy world has a sense of times past. THE DEVIL AND DANNA WEBSTER, a fantasy
romance published by Clean Reads is set in 1985 and has a Faustian theme.
THE
BAD WIFE, 4th and final mystery novel in the Kim Reynolds series,
also has a paranormal edge. Kim, an academic librarian, is a reluctant
clairvoyant who has visions which cause her to both solve and prevent crime.
Fantasy
as part of our poetry literature is not at all new. Remember ”Kubla Khan” a poem written by Samuel Taylor Coleridge? How about
his “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner “?
Science
fiction continues to have a strong appeal. Merriam-Webster’s Dictionary defines
this type of literature as: “dealing
principally with the impact of actual or imagined science on society or
individuals or having a scientific factor as an essential orienting component.”
Fantasy deals with imagination, unreal worlds,
and magical realms. Some of these bear similarities to past societies such as medieval
times. Science fiction, on the other hand, looks to developments in science or
imaginative notions of future worlds. However, all embrace aspects of the
speculative or paranormal.
For one of my science fiction poems that can be
read for free on the internet, you can go to Kansas University
Are
there any authors of horror, fantasy or
science fiction that you particularly admire or enjoy reading? Ray Bradbury
remains one of my favorites. Are you a fan of the Harry Potter series? Have you read Ursula K. Le Guin or Octavia E.
Butler? What about fantasy/paranormal romances such as those written by Jayne
Ann Krentz/Jayne Castle? Are there new
writers of horror, fantasy or sci-fi that excite your interest? Please share
with us.
I've read many of the authors you mentioned, Jacqueline. I've always been a fan of speculative fiction, although I've never tried writing much of it until recently. I have to say that it's a nice change from some of the more cozy stories I've written. First, the ghost crept in, then I wrote a little alien story, then I wrote a science fiction story for an anthology. LOL. I'm glad to see more crossovers these days in books and stories. I am partial to gothic fiction, though.
ReplyDeleteHi, Bobbi,
DeleteI like you enjoy writing in diverse genres and that includes speculative fiction. I also like to read a variety of writers.
I haven't read much speculative fiction until recently, but I greatly admire Ray Bradbury, Ursula LeGuin, and, surprise surprise, a dystopian novel by Paul Auster. I enjoyed the Harry Potter series and some other YA books as well. When i wonder about the appeal of such fiction, I think of the point you made at the outset. It's human nature to want a thrill, a bit of excitement without the ugly consequences.
ReplyDeleteHi, Susan,
ReplyDeleteDystopian novels remain very popular both with teens and adults. I think they reflect current negative views on our society and help people deal with them through literature.
So interesting how these things come about.
ReplyDeleteGood luck and God's Blessings.
pamT
Thanks, Pam.
ReplyDeleteAnother good post, Jacquie.I'm not a horror or vampire fan, but I did enjoy your Gothic romance. And I do like good science fiction (Ursula LeGuin and Ray Bradbury. Mostly, I admit, I prefer realistic historical fiction--but also a bit of magic realism (Gabriel Marquez in particular.)
ReplyDeleteHi, Nancy,
DeleteI'm glad you enjoyed DARK MOON RISING. I do write women's fiction and so my horror lit will be more erotic or romantic than gruesome. I read and write a limited amount of science fiction and fantasy but I do enjoy both genres.
Hi, gal ! I'm a day late...sorry, life rang up, and I had to answer ;) I wanted to dart in and have a read though, as horror and thriller was always my first choice, for years :) Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Anne Rice were always my "go to" authors :) I think people enjoy this type of read much the same as they enjoy roller coaster rides...we like to feel the shiver, at the same time knowing we're "safe". This was an excellent read, so timely for Halloween! :)
ReplyDeleteHi, Loretta,
DeleteI love your explanation and analysis of why we enjoy reading horror fiction.
Egads! I commented before signing in as Google and "poof" away my magic words went. I did put in a plug for my newspaper editor colleague's book Bitter Secrets by Patty Brant. I don't read or watch frightening books or movies as they haunt me later in my dreams. Bitter Secrets sort of evolved into a haunting with such vivid characters in this little town I know along the river that I was pulled into the story until the last page. Fortunately, no bad dreams yet.
ReplyDeleteGlad there were no bad dreams!
DeleteOops - more of my comment that went "poof." My novel, Ghost Orchid, does have a touch of the spiritual or paranormal, depending on the reader's point of view - and the cool wind, and indicator of spirits of some nature, was felt both in the novel and walking the walk of the characters in real life at Blair Audubon Corkscrew Swamp Sanctuary in Naples, Fl. Swamps are great settings for ghostly experiences.
ReplyDeleteI enjoyed reading Ghost Orchid, D.K. I liked the clever use of a ghost. And white orchids do in fact have a ghost face in them. I know because I own such a plant and love it.
DeleteConfessing my ignorance here, I was glad to see exactly what constitutes "speculative literature," a term that stumped me. For some reason, I thought it meant steampunk, a genre I've found fun to read. I also LOVE Jim Butler's Harry Dresden series about a wizard in Chicago.
ReplyDeleteHi, Kathy,
ReplyDeleteSpeculative lit embraces science fiction (any form), horror, and fantasy. There are a lot of subdivisions and hybrids. You can write a mashup of sci-fi and horror for instance which I've done myself.