Modern Fiction
Imajica by Clive Barker - An entire universe brought to you courtesy of Clive Barker, the modern master of the fantasic-horrific-erotic. This is a long book, but very engrossing. The plot details the quest to reconcile the five dominions of the universe, of which Earth is the wayward lost fifth.
Weaveworld by Clive Barker - Inspirational. There is no way I can possibly do this book justice. Yes, it's long, and some of the prose is dense, but this is without question the very best book I've ever read. A world of supreme magic and wonder has been woven into a carpet for safekeeping, and now two humans of the mundane world must try to protect the carpet from its mystical foes....
Phantom by Susan Kay - Ms. Kay takes on the question of the Phantom of the Opera's life history. While this book was clearly written with the mainstream in mind it is both literate and reasonably plausible in its explanation of how Erik came by his wide-ranging skills and psychosises. Will appeal to the romantic sap in anyone.
The Eyes of the Dragon by Stephen King - King takes a very basic fantasy/fairy tale plot (good brother, bad brother, battle for the kingdom) and gives us a good solid retelling with a few new ideas. Not a breakthrough in literature by any means, but quite entertaining. IMHO, better than most of King's work.
It by Stephen King - This obese, meandering, at times utterly confusing book has only one good quality, but what a good quality; it really addresses the plight of the ignored, outcast, and/or abused child that most of us once were without being directly dogmatic. At least for me, it didn't scare as much as it disturbed.
Cold Fires by Dean Koontz - The last Koontz book I read before experiencing Dean Koontz burnout. Not his best, as I found the ending a bit weak, but it has a decent share of scares along the way.
Dark Rivers of the Heart by Dean Koontz - An interesting departure for Koontz. No psychic powers, no crawling aliens. Just Big Bad Big Brother in the form of the creepiest government do-gooder you ever did see (Koontz's conservative leanings are front and center here, in a rare display of political honesty) and a nice gross serial killer/rapist in the best American tradition. Not genius, but definitely entertainment.
Dragon Tears by Dean Koontz - The best, and least cliche-laden, of Koontz's work (at least so far as I've read.) The dog's narration alone is worth the price of admission, and Koontz disses ravers during one of the chase scenes.
The Crow by James O'Barr - You know how the book is always better than the movie? Well, this is no exception, so you can just imagine how fantastic the book is. Warning: You will cry.
Interview With the Vampire by Anne Rice - Sometimes you know someone who is just so pretentious you want to have her beaten. But when you look back to when you first knew her you realize that once upon a time she was actually somewhat pleasant company, and you spend a long minute pondering "How did this happen? Could it happen to me?" Compare this book to Rice's recent efforts (like Violin) to experience a similar effect. Though wordy and excessively philosophical in places, Interview actually provides enough in the way of entertainment to keep you wading along. Read it if you want to get other Goth's in-jokes.
Children of the Night by Dan Simmons - A truly different vampire novel for once. An American doctor adopts Dracula's infant son from a Romanian orphanage, and things proceed to get violently fucked up. A four-star read.
Johnny the Homicidal Maniac (Director's Cut) by Jhonen Vasquez - The classic disturbed loner does his thing with brilliance and wit. Not for the easily upset.
Companions of the Night by Vivian Vande Velde - A romantic vampire tale set in my native Western New York. Nothing amazing, but a fine example of the genre. Officially "Young Adult" but it held my attention for the few hours it took to read.
Dragon's Bait by Vivian Vande Velde - Alys is falsely convicted of witchcraft and sentenced to be eaten by a dragon. Instead, she and the dragon form an alliance. The emotional subtext is similar to Companions of the Night, so take your choice of Byronic, vaguely threatening romantic interest... vampire or dragon.
The Ultimate Dracula - A collection of short stories from both name brand authors (Rice, Simmons) and relative unknowns. The quality is uneven but several of the stories are quite good. I particularly recommend "Much at Stake" by Kevin J Anderson despite the 'cute' title.
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