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Old-School (as in actually old) science fiction and horror

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  • Old-School (as in actually old) science fiction and horror

    Not that I need more in my reading list, but I've discovered that there is no school like the old school. Some stuff that I've read and really enjoyed:

    Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
    Bram Stoker's Dracula
    HG Wells' The War of the Worlds
    Wells' The Island of Dr Moreau
    Lovecraft, of course
    Robert E Howard's original Conan stories
    William Hope Hodgson's The House on the Borderland
    Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis and The Trial (the latter isn't really sci-fi, but is definitely weird enough)
    Fritz Leiber's The Dealings of Daniel Kesserich (wonderfully weird)
    William Sloane's To Walk the Night and Edge of Running Water (these were fabulous IMO)
    a smattering of short stories, such as "Lot No. 249" by Arthur Conan Doyle

    I'm currently reading A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, and have a couple others of his on my list.

    Suggestions, anyone? The weirder and older the better.
    I DENOUNCE DONALD J. TRUMP AND ALL HIS IMMORAL ACTS.

  • #2
    A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum
    The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison (high fantasy, but weird)
    A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay
    Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

    Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
    sigpic
    I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

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    • #3
      Originally posted by One Bad Pig View Post
      A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum
      The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison (high fantasy, but weird)
      A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay
      The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson (inspiration for Lovecraft)
      I'm only familiar with The Night Land. These sound very promising...thanks!
      I DENOUNCE DONALD J. TRUMP AND ALL HIS IMMORAL ACTS.

      Comment


      • #4
        Originally posted by One Bad Pig View Post
        A Martian Odyssey by Stanley G. Weinbaum
        The Worm Ouroboros by E. R. Eddison (high fantasy, but weird)
        A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay
        It was pretty good but could spend two pages describing what the main characters were all wearing at an event.

        I'm always still in trouble again

        "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
        "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
        "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

        Comment


        • #5
          I always enjoyed Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom novels.

          And the old Heinlein novels (before he turned into a raging free love hippy)
          Asimov. Clarke. Larry Niven (although he is more 80's)

          Comment


          • #6
            Originally posted by Sparko View Post
            I always enjoyed Edgar Rice Burrough's Barsoom novels.

            And the old Heinlein novels (before he turned into a raging free love hippy)
            Asimov. Clarke. Larry Niven (although he is more 80's)
            Starship Troopers is a good one...haven't read any other Heinlein yet.
            I DENOUNCE DONALD J. TRUMP AND ALL HIS IMMORAL ACTS.

            Comment


            • #7
              Originally posted by Zymologist View Post
              Starship Troopers is a good one...haven't read any other Heinlein yet.
              some other good old school sci-fi authors: Keith Laumer (time travel novels and stories about robot armies), John Campbell (space opera), Philip K. Dick (a ton of his stories have been made into movies, like Blade Runner, Total Recall, Minority Report, etc), Philip José Farmer (Riverworld series)


              I am reading an old book right now, called "2020 Vision" an anthology written in the 70's about the far off future of the year 2020!

              https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/397657.2020_Vision

              I remember reading it back in the 80s and decided since it is nearly 2020, to find it again and reread it. Pretty interesting. Mostly wrong, but they do get some stuff right.

              Comment


              • #8
                Originally posted by Zymologist View Post
                Starship Troopers is a good one...haven't read any other Heinlein yet.
                You should try The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, Stranger in a Strange Land (trippy), and I Will Fear No Evil (this one sort of falls into the "raging free love hippy" phase, though - man's brain gets transplanted into a woman's body)
                Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

                Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
                sigpic
                I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

                Comment


                • #9
                  Originally posted by Zymologist View Post
                  Not that I need more in my reading list, but I've discovered that there is no school like the old school. Some stuff that I've read and really enjoyed:

                  Mary Shelley's Frankenstein
                  Bram Stoker's Dracula
                  HG Wells' The War of the Worlds
                  Wells' The Island of Dr Moreau
                  Lovecraft, of course
                  Robert E Howard's original Conan stories
                  William Hope Hodgson's The House on the Borderland
                  Franz Kafka's The Metamorphosis and The Trial (the latter isn't really sci-fi, but is definitely weird enough)
                  Fritz Leiber's The Dealings of Daniel Kesserich (wonderfully weird)
                  William Sloane's To Walk the Night and Edge of Running Water (these were fabulous IMO)
                  a smattering of short stories, such as "Lot No. 249" by Arthur Conan Doyle

                  I'm currently reading A Journey to the Center of the Earth by Jules Verne, and have a couple others of his on my list.

                  Suggestions, anyone? The weirder and older the better.
                  Anything by Arthur Machen (1863-1947)

                  The Three Impostors (first published 1895) is not for the squeamish.
                  Neither is The Great God Pan (1894)
                  Nor is The White People (1904)

                  They are all very eerie and unsettling.

                  Also anything by Clark Ashton Smith. A lot of his stories can be read here. Both Machen and CAS are IMO far better writers and story-tellers than Lovecraft.
                  Last edited by Rushing Jaws; 06-01-2018, 08:02 PM.

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                  • #10
                    The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

                    The Willows (short story) by Algernon Blackwood

                    If you like The House on the Borderland you might also like some of Hodgson's short fiction; I'd recommend his "Carnacki the ghost finder" stories, especially Gateway of the Monster, the Whistling Room, and the Hog.

                    I'd also recommend the "Silver John" stories by Manly Wade Wellman. Although Wellman may not be as "old school" as Hodgson or Lovecraft, his work still has that classic "weird fiction" feel to it.

                    Comment


                    • #11
                      For real early Sci-fi there is Frankenstein by Shelley (nothing like the movies) and from even earlier Swift's Gulliver's Travels. From Jules Verne A Journey to the Center of the Earth is good but don't forget Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island and from H.G. Wells The Time Machine.

                      And if your gonna read Howard's Conan stories may I also suggest Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser

                      I'm always still in trouble again

                      "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                      "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                      "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                      Comment


                      • #12
                        Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                        For real early Sci-fi there is Frankenstein by Shelley (nothing like the movies) and from even earlier Swift's Gulliver's Travels. From Jules Verne A Journey to the Center of the Earth is good but don't forget Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island and from H.G. Wells The Time Machine.

                        And if your gonna read Howard's Conan stories may I also suggest Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser
                        I read The Mysterious Island several times in high school. Unfortunately, the school library's copy was missing about 20 consecutive pages.
                        Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

                        Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
                        sigpic
                        I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

                        Comment


                        • #13
                          Originally posted by I am Ivo, hear me roar View Post
                          The King in Yellow by Robert W. Chambers

                          The Willows (short story) by Algernon Blackwood

                          If you like The House on the Borderland you might also like some of Hodgson's short fiction; I'd recommend his "Carnacki the ghost finder" stories, especially Gateway of the Monster, the Whistling Room, and the Hog.

                          I'd also recommend the "Silver John" stories by Manly Wade Wellman. Although Wellman may not be as "old school" as Hodgson or Lovecraft, his work still has that classic "weird fiction" feel to it.
                          "Carnacki the Ghost Finder" are good, I have a collection of those. I'm not familiar with Wellman, so I'll check that out. Thanks!
                          I DENOUNCE DONALD J. TRUMP AND ALL HIS IMMORAL ACTS.

                          Comment


                          • #14
                            Originally posted by One Bad Pig View Post
                            I read The Mysterious Island several times in high school. Unfortunately, the school library's copy was missing about 20 consecutive pages.
                            No copies in the public library?

                            I'm always still in trouble again

                            "You're by far the worst poster on TWeb" and "TWeb's biggest liar" --starlight (the guy who says Stalin was a right-winger)
                            "Overall I would rate the withdrawal from Afghanistan as by far the best thing Biden's done" --Starlight
                            "Of course, human life begins at fertilization that’s not the argument." --Tassman

                            Comment


                            • #15
                              Originally posted by rogue06 View Post
                              No copies in the public library?
                              No idea why I never thought to check. It wasn't all that close (I grew up in the sticks), and I rarely visited it.
                              Enter the Church and wash away your sins. For here there is a hospital and not a court of law. Do not be ashamed to enter the Church; be ashamed when you sin, but not when you repent. – St. John Chrysostom

                              Veritas vos Liberabit<>< Learn Greek <>< Look here for an Orthodox Church in America<><Ancient Faith Radio
                              sigpic
                              I recommend you do not try too hard and ...research as little as possible. Such weighty things give me a headache. - Shunyadragon, Baha'i apologist

                              Comment

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