It doesnt have to be a book you've completed by that author, but if you think there bad enough, do tell.

Ruby Jean Jenson was pretty awful, but I only managed about ten pages, so who knows...

I want to say Dean Koontz. I've read a couple of his books and his writing always irritates me. He has terrific sounding story ideas, but reading his prose grates on my nerves.

The worst horror novel I've read was called Tower of Evil by James Kisner, but since as far as I can tell that is the only book he has published it wouldn't be fair to call him the worst author. (Strike that. He's had at least two other books published.)

Missatge modificat pel seu autor, oct. 10, 2009, 2:59am.

I've got a candidate. A fanatasy writer named Orson Scott Card. Some of his non fantasy books are called "horror" but trust me, they are far from that, I read lost boys, a four hundred page book, I read three hundred and fifty pages, and shall I tell you what had happened so far? I'll tell you NOTHING HORROR RELATED WHATSOEVER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

All the book was was some crap book about a mormon family that tells you their religon is right and everyone elses is evil beyond all comprehenson, and that is the type of stuff in horror fiction that I absolutely hate, because I for one, dont buy horror books to be religously preached at and forced to accept that there religon is good and everyone elses is evil. Ridiclous, pathetic and infurating is what sums Lost Boys up for me. Avoid like you would avoid a chronic bout of diarrhea (although even that is probably prefable to reading that book!)

jseger9000, youll probably remember me ranting on about that book on a diffrent thread.

#3 I'll say it for you, then. Dean Koontz

#4> It sounds like the horror is the book itself and not it's contents!

I've got to say my least favorite has been Richard Laymon. Each book seems to be pretty much the same. Someone or group of people is killing others, someone narrowly survives and is on the run for the rest of the book and usually is running naked and both killer and victims have time for some occasional sex. Seems every book I've read of his follows pretty much the same pattern.

I really liked Dean Koontz when I was, like, 13, and I didn't like Stephen King. Primarily this was because in Dean Koontz books the good guys always fell in love and had tame, yet still completely gratuitous, sex, before utterly destroying the bad guys, and of course the good guys were very very good and the bad guys were very very bad. In Stephen King books the good guys frequently aren't that great and some of them always die.

Of course this is the exact reason why my opinions of the two subsequently reversed.

#7 oh god I so agree with you, I absolutely hate Richar Laymons books. All of it is just the same repetive nonsense over and over and over... you get it, it pretty much every single book. It reads like a cheesy 80's indie B movie like NIGHTMARE CITY or something along those lines.

All that basically happens is there is a group of horny teenagers who are getting effed up by this serial killer who always relies on sexual assualts and eveantully they kill the serial killer and all the characters who you hate live happily ever after...hooray (NOT!)

Why on earth a writer like stephen king said his work was a MUST READ is beyond me.

I'm guessing SK said that either because he was being paid a hefty bung to say it or because he knows the guy. Hey, good for him, I don't have any complaints about anythng King does but I'm 100% behind the nomination. In fact, I'm beginning to remember why I stopped reading all horror (with the sole exception of King) years ago. A great shame because when you get an occasional goodie it is a wonderful genre - just so much crap there too.

clearly Dean R. Koontz... he is the Barbara Cartland of horror... his books are a kind of telefilms... I particularly dislike Tic Tac or something like that is more a romatic comedy than a horror book...

No way! I would highly recommend Richard Laymon. Sure, his books have a B-movie outlook, but you can't deny the fun factor behind them. I grew up reading Laymon and I don't regret one single second that I dedicated to his novels. Other than Robert R. McCammon and Stephen King, Richard Laymon had probably the most influence in making me a die hard reader of the genre for decades.

Missatge modificat pel seu autor, oct. 17, 2009, 3:41am.

As a reply to the actual subject of this thread, I would have to say my least favorite author in the horror genre would have to be John Saul. They are very tame and read more like YA books than horror.

I have to say I really liked Lost Boys. If you got 350 pages into and didn't notice anything horror-like, then I can only say you were missing some stuff. The Mormon material is there, but not too big a deal. The family in the book is Mormon after all, but the stuff about the religion makes it seem like being a Mormon is a giant pain in the ass.

#12 I have to say, his first two books like midnights lair and the stake were fun but I quickly disliked them because like I said, its just really the same thing recycled over and over like that serial killer who nearly always sexually assualts people.

Oh and his boob fixation, please dont get me started on that (shudder)

I think that people praise his work because it ranks in the so bad its good factor.

#14 I know there was some horror related stuff like the swarm of insects and his imaginary freinds not being like they appear to be, etc etc.

But when it happened I was left feeling confused as (Ive recentley read to the end of the book) no explanation for how these paticular things happened (apart from the stuff about the imaginary freinds of course.) Also, what really ruined the book for me was the pacing, Ive read stephen king and I know it takes a while for things to happen in his books but in a four hundred page book at least he would have drawn me into it and have something very horrific happen halfway through the book but with that one most of the book just seemed like everyday life in a morman house hold and half of the unneccasary back stoury given has no relevance to the main plot whatsoever.

#13, oh god yes John Saul is bloody awful on the horror novel, I read one of his books and it shall not ever be named by me again plainly because if you get intrested and buy the book I just wont be able to stomach the thought of you or anyone else waisting their time reading that bloody load of crap, it was that bad!

16: I think part of it is that the book isn't supposed to be a straight horror novel. It is more "semi-autobiographical novel with some supernatural horror thrown in".

I do disagree that the Mormon element wasn't necessary to the plot. Without that grounding, then the narrator's son wouldn't have been alienated and basically friendless, and the kid's choice at the end wouldn't have had context.

#18 you know I have to say that if there were any supernatrual elements I dont really believe they were used effectively enough, also I think what made this book a major let down was the marketing on the cover. The blurb as well as all the glowing reviews made it sound like it was a horror novel that would really appealed to me so thus I was very dissapointed when I discovered what it was actually like, also with the religon element, I understand he needed to include that but did I really need to be taught and preached the entire religon? And also I think another way in which I do not like that book was because I personnally dislike the author. I read some of his nonfiction colums and he came across as a right homophobic jerk.

19: Well, he comes off as an orthodox Mormon, which is pretty much what I'd expect out of a guy who is, after all, an orthodox Mormon. Oddly, for someone who holds the public stances he holds, he has a fair number of sympathetic gay characters in his books.

I've never understood disliking an author's work because of their personality or personal views. If their fiction is good, then it is good. If it isn't, then it isn't. I'm not going to read someone just because they have an affable personality, and I'm not going to not read someone just because he's a dick.

Missatge modificat pel seu autor, oct. 17, 2009, 4:35pm.

#20 - I've never understood disliking an author's work because of their personality or personal views... I'm not going to not read someone just because he's a dick.

Oh man, I SOOOO know you are correct. That is the correct, intelligent and liberal way to be. Unfortunately I made the mistake of reading a couple of Mr. Card's opinion pieces and I have to agree with cujo9, Orson came off as a homophobic jerk.

I know, know, know I shouldn't judge his work by his personality, but Ieven as I say that Ender's Game sits unread on my bookshelf.

I'm being a hypocrite to my own beliefs and I know it, but nonetheless, when I look at one of his books that little commentator in my head whispers 'what a prick' and I don't buy them.

It's funny because I think Heinlein was a disagreeable guy too, but I will read his books. Maybe it's because he's dead, I don't know.

Anyway, I've learned to avoid opinion pieces by authors I enjoy. (I've been lucky enough to agree with Stephen King's politics, because his opinion pieces seem to pop up all over the place.)

Missatge modificat pel seu autor, oct. 18, 2009, 3:04am.

Read Ender's Game. Its probably his best book, and its his most readable, IMHO. You won't regret it. Of anybody I've read other than King he's the master of writing believable child characters.

#20 yeah I guess you have a point, I will pick up some of his fantasy stuff sooner or later, but like jeseger9000 here whenever I see his books on the book store shelf I keep getting a voice in my head that says "what a homophobic twat, why on earth would I want to give a single penny to him?"

Well its fortunate for me that my dad has lots of his books in the study downstairs nad before I read lost boys I did read his fantasy novel A planet called treason which I throughly enjoyed. So yeah, maybe I am being a bit to judgemental, but I think it was the way it was marketed which made it a huge letdown for me because, like I said, the blurb and glowing reviews led me to think it was going to be another horror novel, so you can probably understand why I was so dissapointed whn I finally read it.

hey stormraven, jesger9000 and anyone else, one you posy your replies I suggest we get off this subject as we are straying quite far from the subject matter of this thread.

#21 Being dead does help. For me it's a question of who gets the money. There are certain authors whose wealth I just don't want to contribute to.

#24 That's what happens in conversations. Anyone who wants to post messages directly relating to the OP can do so any time they wish.

Orson Scott Card has an interesting horror tale in an anthology by Terry Carr... Eumenides in the fourth floor lavatory...
ehem... Ender's game was a bit boring for me...

If you dislike an author but like their writing, get their books from the library or buy used. That way you can still enjoy the books, yet they don't get any of your money. There are several authors I do this with.

23: Used book sales will help you avoid that problem.

22: Of anybody I've read other than King he's the master of writing believable child characters.

If that's the case, he must have had an off week when he wrote the one (fiction) piece of his that I've read. It was a short story set in a post-apocalyptic Salt Lake City, in Wastelands.

The main character is a teenaged boy who looks down on the uptight vestiges of observant Mormonism. And yet, when he swears, it's stuff in the same vein as poopyhead and dillweed.

Every time that kid opened his mouth, my eyes rolled and I wanted to scream. Show me a teenager who looks down on religion and propriety, and I'll show you a teenager who can swear properly. Wasn't a believable character at all.

#29: What was the name of the story? Is it in Just After Sunset? I'm curious to read it now. I can say the one Mormon girl I know does swear funny like that.

If you want to read something of Stephen King's with believable child characters, I'd recommend The Shining. He may slip now and again, but I do think Stephen King is much better at believable kids than most authors.

29: The story you are thinking of appeared in The Folk of the Fringe as well. In Fringe it is made pretty clear that the Mormon community in Utah has become a fairly oppressive Mormon theocratic regime, where swearing is not merely an impolite expression, but a minor crime as well.

30: It wasn't a King story, it was 'Salvage' by Orson Scott Card. Wastelands is a multi-author anthology that for some reason or another is listed as if it were solely by King.

31: Hm, the criminality of swearing and the oppressive theocracy didn't really come across in the story itself, when isolated from the others.

Missatge modificat pel seu autor, oct. 19, 2009, 2:19pm.

gee, how ironic, we were just discussing Orson Scott Card.

Hello people this is cujo9 here (Why am I saying this even though it shows my username above?) Well it finally happened, I have been post traumatically traumitised by the book that I have just read, a book so bad, so bloody awful, that my doctor tells me I may never be able to read again.

I know this book does not classify as horror, but thought what the hell? I have to get this off my chest, I am sure you all know that bloody awful writer known as Stephenie Myers? A horrible author who keeps writing crappy book after crappy book, and yet somehow keeps making money. I recentely was drawn into and read her most famous book, twilight, and am now paying the consequences.

This is the plot:

Bella Swan leaves Arizona to live with her Father in Forks Washington, she procceds to bitch about it. Then she meets Edward Cullen, a pussy vampire whose only talent seems to be sparkling in the sunlight, and stephenie myer says that he is vegerterian even though he drinks animal blood! oh theyve fallen in love! Oh no! The evil Vampire Jake has kidnapped her for no reason whatsoever! And now he wants to drink her blood! OMG!!!!! AGH!! He's bitten bella! Phew! Edward has come to rescue Bella and got rid of the vamprire poison in her body (WHatever the hell that is?) and now Bella has become Edwards sex slave for all eternity the end...

(Trust me, that is only the tip of the iceberg as to how fucking dire that book was, the writing style could have been written better than a three year old, so many plotholes that I cant count, thats how many there are! Oh and the character of Edward and Bella...Good greif dont get me started, never before in a book have I wanted to see two characters get bumped off in such a nasty fashion!)

I have no strong opinions on Twilight. I'm not interested in reading it or watching the movies.

I do have to say that anything that can get teens interested in reading is a good thing.

But when Stephen King gave those books a (fairly gentle) smack-down, I figured they must be pretty bad. I really don't remember his tearing down a contemporary author before (except for John Saul and he deserves it).

#35 LOL re: Saul.

I've been a little interested in the Twilight books -- just enough to make me recognize them. However, each time I see one of the books for sale or a movie for rent, I pass them by.

Several of my friends on Facebook rave about Twilight. I think Meyers just may be an author I never read. Like that Eragon writer.

I read Eragon. it wasn't good enough to make me really want to read the later books in the series. I might someday get around to reading them but I'm not in any real hurry to sample some more highly derivative adolescent fiction.

Every time I think about getting Twilight just to say I've read it, I think about the dozens of other books I'd like to read first, and put them on the back burner. Way, way on the back burner.

# 37 - I read Eragon. it wasn't good enough to make me really want to read the later books in the series. I might someday get around to reading them but I'm not in any real hurry to sample some more highly derivative... fiction.

I felt the same way about The Traveler and its sequels.