Winter Haunting is cool although I think he could have been more straight forward in it's telling.Originally Posted by CyberGhostface
I loved Carrion Comfort, it has the most evil character in a book that I've ever read.
Winter Haunting is cool although I think he could have been more straight forward in it's telling.
I loved Carrion Comfort, it has the most evil character in a book that I've ever read.
Hyperion is a masterpiece. Even if you don't love sci-fi you will love this book. Crook Factory is also a great read if you like spy novels. Last one for me is The Hollow Men. I don't remember the story anymore but recall loving it - time for a re-read maybe.
I loved winter haunting myself. Very cool.
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Insomnia #459
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Song of Kali or the collection Prayers to Broken Stones.
The thing with Simmons is he challenges himself to do something different each time out. I'm with the above comment on Hyperion--it's a masterpiece, one of the greatest books I've ever read, and under no circumstance should you miss it. Carrion Comfort is also excellent. But the guy's got a literary style that can be an acquired taste, so it's arguably best to give yourself time to acclimate with his faster-paced material.
“Reality is a nice place to visit, but you wouldn’t want to live there.”
-John Barth
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If you haven't done so read Banished Dreams (excised material from the original SON manuscript that was published as a chapbook) as well as Watching The Presidential Debates in Elm Haven parts 1 & 2 in the October and November 2008 Message from Dan section on his website. A very nice coda to the novel.
Other DS novels to consider:
A Winter Haunting
Darwin's Blade (A SON character plays a supporting role)
Children Of The Night (Another SON character prominently featured)
Phases of Gravity (SON characters in a very minor roles)
The Hollow Man
Hardcase, Hard Freeze and Hard As Nails (Joe Kurtz series)
The Fifth Heart
Drood
The Crook Factory
I know each persons opinion on this question will be different, but I need some help...
If I was only able to read one of the two below books, which would I be better off going with?
The Terror or Summer of Night?
TERROR
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Thanks for the suggestions everyone. I'll definitely try checking out some of these.
Is 'Banished Dreams' only available as a chapbook via secondhand sources at this point?
Have only read 'Summer of Night' but it's very good IMO. It's very similar to 'It' without feeling like a ripoff if that makes sense.
A hound will die for you, but never lie to you. And he'll look you straight in the face.
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That's a tough one as those are his two best books. Guess it all depends if you want a coming-of-age horror tale aka IT or a claustrophobic Arctic chiller. All else being equal, though, I'd probably go with SUMMER OF NIGHT. I think it's a richer and more intimate and nuanced story.
Without a doubt, Summer of Night is the guarantee read. It's phenomenal horror tale. I enjoyed The Terror very much. A bit more literary in it's approach. Not for everyone.
As far as I know, Banished Dreams is only a chapbook. There's one up on eBay for $29.99 B/O.
Summer of Night is way more entertaining and easier to slip into. I am not a historical fiction fan and I found The Terror to be overall a good book but a complete slog at some points. There's large chunks where they talk about what route they're going to take and how they break ice and how much tobacco they have. So would you rather read about kids coming home from a drive in chased by a monster or how some dude found an island that may or may not take them out of the ice.
Granted when the monster did show up in The Terror it was awesome.
I definitely like Carrion Comfort better than both books though haha.
Yeah, I found The Terror slow going, but I zipped through The Abominable and The Fifth Heart.
Author of The Road to the Dark Tower, Stephen King: A Complete Exploration of His Work, Life, and Influences and The Dark Tower Companion. Co-editor with Stephen King of the anthology Flight or Fright.
Wow.. taste is so different from person to person. See I ran out and bought Abominable right after Terror thinking I would get that same "feel" of dread/cold/not really sure... but I didn't. I thought the Terror was miles ahead!
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Insomnia #459
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I am with you on Carrion Comfort - Simmons' best book outside of the Hyperion saga. It was my first Simmons experience and I never turned back.Summer of Night is way more entertaining and easier to slip into. I am not a historical fiction fan and I found The Terror to be overall a good book but a complete slog at some points. There's large chunks where they talk about what route they're going to take and how they break ice and how much tobacco they have. So would you rather read about kids coming home from a drive in chased by a monster or how some dude found an island that may or may not take them out of the ice.
Granted when the monster did show up in The Terror it was awesome.
I definitely like Carrion Comfort better than both books though haha.
+1. I couldn't even get halfway through THE ABOMINABLE with its overt case of researchus elephantitis, but really enjoyed THE TERROR.Wow.. taste is so different from person to person. See I ran out and bought Abominable right after Terror thinking I would get that same "feel" of dread/cold/not really sure... but I didn't. I thought the Terror was miles ahead!
I enjoyed The Terror although it was a dense sort of read. I didn't fly through it. Haven't read The Abominable yet.
Abominable is awful. It would be easier to climb Mt. Everest than finish that one. The plot was also absurd. I also finished Flashback which was pretty bad. The only amusing part was all the right wing politics which I'm sure irritated a lot of folks. Simmons is often best in small doses. I read a few pages and take a break. Other than Summer of Night I could never read one of his books twice. There was a great novel buried somewhere in Drood. That one was about 200 pages longer than necessary.+1. I couldn't even get halfway through THE ABOMINABLE with its overt case of researchus elephantitis, but really enjoyed THE TERROR.Wow.. taste is so different from person to person. See I ran out and bought Abominable right after Terror thinking I would get that same "feel" of dread/cold/not really sure... but I didn't. I thought the Terror was miles ahead!
Summer Of Night
While I generally liked DROOD, I would readily agree that it felt padded and went into surrealist'ish vibe toward the end that felt tacked on and unnecessary.There was a great novel buried somewhere in Drood. That one was about 200 pages longer than necessary.+1. I couldn't even get halfway through THE ABOMINABLE with its overt case of researchus elephantitis, but really enjoyed THE TERROR.Wow.. taste is so different from person to person. See I ran out and bought Abominable right after Terror thinking I would get that same "feel" of dread/cold/not really sure... but I didn't. I thought the Terror was miles ahead!
While Simmons was an early favorite, his recent doorstop works like BLACK HILLS, FLASHBACK, THE ABOMINABLE, and THE FIFTH HEART have left me cold (admission: didn't even try BLACK HILLS or THE FIFTH HEART...sometimes you can just tell)...THE TERROR was the exception of this latter group, and it was quite the exception...I thought it was very good.
Song of Kali is a very nasty little gem.
Agree entirely with this assessment.While I generally liked DROOD, I would readily agree that it felt padded and went into surrealist'ish vibe toward the end that felt tacked on and unnecessary.There was a great novel buried somewhere in Drood. That one was about 200 pages longer than necessary.+1. I couldn't even get halfway through THE ABOMINABLE with its overt case of researchus elephantitis, but really enjoyed THE TERROR.Wow.. taste is so different from person to person. See I ran out and bought Abominable right after Terror thinking I would get that same "feel" of dread/cold/not really sure... but I didn't. I thought the Terror was miles ahead!
While Simmons was an early favorite, his recent doorstop works like BLACK HILLS, FLASHBACK, THE ABOMINABLE, and THE FIFTH HEART have left me cold (admission: didn't even try BLACK HILLS or THE FIFTH HEART...sometimes you can just tell)...THE TERROR was the exception of this latter group, and it was quite the exception...I thought it was very good.
I agree as well. I really wanted to like Flashback, but it just didn't payoff in the end. I love early Simmons the best. The Crook Factory is a bit of a gem as well.Agree entirely with this assessment.While I generally liked DROOD, I would readily agree that it felt padded and went into surrealist'ish vibe toward the end that felt tacked on and unnecessary.There was a great novel buried somewhere in Drood. That one was about 200 pages longer than necessary.+1. I couldn't even get halfway through THE ABOMINABLE with its overt case of researchus elephantitis, but really enjoyed THE TERROR.Wow.. taste is so different from person to person. See I ran out and bought Abominable right after Terror thinking I would get that same "feel" of dread/cold/not really sure... but I didn't. I thought the Terror was miles ahead!
While Simmons was an early favorite, his recent doorstop works like BLACK HILLS, FLASHBACK, THE ABOMINABLE, and THE FIFTH HEART have left me cold (admission: didn't even try BLACK HILLS or THE FIFTH HEART...sometimes you can just tell)...THE TERROR was the exception of this latter group, and it was quite the exception...I thought it was very good.
Simmons definitely makes the reader work. Sometimes the payoff is there, sometimes it isn't.
Anyone read his novella masterpiece, "Muse of Fire"? I loved it. Admittedly, I am an English teacher who loves Shakespeare, but it was really special.
Just finished reading "Watching the Presidential Debates in Elm Haven". I'll admit some of it was off-putting. One thing that confused me was what happens with Mike O'Rourke. Spoilers:
Spoiler:
A hound will die for you, but never lie to you. And he'll look you straight in the face.
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