In a
previous post, I mentioned that as the nights grow darker, so does my
taste in books. On those dark and stormy nights, I have a yarning to
read something a bit gothic or books such as “Wuthering Heights” or “Jane
Eyre”. Anything featuring wind-whipped moors or a dark, mysterious
mansion seems suddenly tempting. Do autumn and the approaching
Halloween affect your reading preferences? Do you have a favourite
horror (or any other dark) novel or perhaps a favourite author whose
work would be perfect for this time of year? In the spirit of Halloween, here's a little look of some of my favourite spooky, dark and mysterious reads.
I have
never been a big fan of horror, although I did experience a brief
eerie period in my teens when I read all the spooky books I could
locate in the library of a small village. My favourite was Bram
Stoker’s “Dracula” – and while it might not appear so very
frightening to a modern reader, it is, after all, a classic and holds
a special place in the dark corner of my heart.
Another
classic that I’m fascinated by is Shakespeare’s “Macbeth”,
which, with its witches and obscure prophesies, bloody murder and
mist-shrouded castles seems like a perfect Halloween treat. Double,
double toil and trouble; Fire burn, and cauldron bubble!
In this
context, I must mention Robert R. McCammon and his excellent werewolf
books, “The Wolf’s Hour” and “The Hunter from the Woods” (a
collection of short stories/novellas rather than a novel) which may
not be strictly horror, but work with historical fiction and
lycanthrope lore to weave together stories that are a fascinating
combination of adventure, action and even a bit of romance. They are
gory and bloody but also rather dark and thoughtful. I’ve previously reviewed “The Wolf’s Hour”.
Another favourite of mine are the novels by Phil Rickman, whose work falls somewhere
between mystery, horror and crime; in many of them, contemporary
mysteries intertwine with mystical, mythological and historical
elements. The writing creates an atmosphere that is hauntingly
beautiful – and a bit creepy. His John Dee series is not contemporary but historical fiction steeped in mystery (my review of "The Bones of Avalon" here.)
A childhood
favourite of mine, simply perfect for this time of year, is a series
by an Estonian author Aino Pervik (illustrations by E. Walter). These books feature a witch,
Emmeline, who lives alone on a rocky island, makes potions and
gathers herbs, until she meets a sea captain called Trummi. I fear that
even back when my parents read me these stories, I felt a certain
affinity with the hermit witch... look, she even lives in a tree!
Last but
not least – I used to love “The Witch’s Handbook” by Malcolm
Bird when I was a child. Now this has become one of my daughter’s
favourites, and our yearly tradition is to read it around Halloween.
This is the book my daughter prefers over playing and other activities! Packed with hilarious illustrations and clever advice, this book is a
must-have for anyone inspiring to become a witch.
This year, I’m
also reading “Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban” to my
daughter – and it happens to be quite appropriate (just look at the cover)!
As horror
isn’t generally my preferred genre, I’ve written few horror
stories. There are, however, a couple that come close. Almost exactly a year ago now, the weird tale
“Entombed” I wrote with my DH appeared in the “666” horror anthology (also recommended Halloween reading material) - and quite recently, our werewolf novella, “Musta Susi” (“Black Wolf”), was published in the Finnish science fiction and
fantasy magazine Portti. Since it sort of fits the theme of this
post, here's the title page of our story. The illustrations are by Kari T. Leppänen, and I have to say I love them; they capture the mood of the story - and look at the detail on that ship!
