Best Paranormal Fiction (not Stephen King)

Avi · July 31, 2011, 05:13:14 PM

My nominees:

1) Tropic of Night by Michael Gruber - This novel actually changed the way I think about the nature of reality. Ostensibly, it's a mystery which involves an African witch doctor, but the writing is amazing.

2) All the Bells on Earth by James Blaylock - A funny tale about a man who discovers the Bluebird of Happiness. Features every trope of noir film and the plays on words are hilarious.

BobGrau · August 01, 2011, 04:46:57 AM

The Invisibles by Grant Morrison.

Yes, it's a comic. Sorry bout that.

Frys Girl · August 01, 2011, 06:59:50 PM

Angel by Nicole "Coco" Marrow. It's a paranormal novel about a woman who shape shifts to solve mysteries.

George Drooly · August 02, 2011, 04:23:57 AM

Dan Simmons

Avi · August 02, 2011, 12:13:53 PM

I'm on vacation, so I'm going to give all these a go. Thanks!

Angel will be released in the USA on 13 September, according to Amazon, so I'll have to wait, but I ordered the first paperback compilation of The Invisibles. With Dan Simmons, should I just start at the beginning?

BobGrau · August 02, 2011, 01:20:16 PM

Quote from: Avi on August 02, 2011, 12:13:53 PM
I'm on vacation, so I'm going to give all these a go. Thanks!

Angel will be released in the USA on 13 September, according to Amazon, so I'll have to wait, but I ordered the first paperback compilation of The Invisibles. With Dan Simmons, should I just start at the beginning?

Oops. I really hope you don't end up feeling you've wasted your money. The first volume in particular is... difficult.
Basically the whole story is about a time travel experiment and its effects on various sections of 'the space-time supersolid'. Some of the stuff in the first volume makes no sense till much later on.
...and some of it makes no sense whatsoever, period.

The above applies also to the Illuminatus! trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson and Robert Shea, but that is in novel form and doesn't require such an investment of time and money.

Both works could be described as densely gaseous revolving spirals of infinetely recursive bullshit which will boggle the mind and tickle the funny bone. In particular, once you read the invisibles you find it lurking in anything else you read, see or hear.

enjoy!

Avi · August 02, 2011, 02:21:50 PM

No worries. I paid 7.40 for it from the Amazon evil empire, which hath destroyeth all worthy, independent bookstores. Shee-oot, that's cheaper than a plain ol' paperback these days. If I find it too dense, I'll sell it to Half-Price Books.