Not necessarily Horror unless it's a REALLY good one but anything that can be catagorized as tragedy, cynical, and/or dark humor, or at least has many cynical charactars.
One that is not a children's book, please.
And i'v read most of Shakespeare so none of him either.
Thanks
2007-07-29 06:19:58 · 9 answers · asked by Anonymous in Arts & Humanities ➔ Books & Authors
so many to choose from, but heres a few modern(ish) classics...
(Also I'm not sure how old you are, so be warned, some of these are extremely dark and disturbing)
The Wasp Factory by Ian Banks is an enjoyably dark and twisted tale
Anything by Irvine Welsh, although he's not my favourite author he certainly does dark and cynical characters well.
Ian McEwans earlier work
J G Ballards more recent work
Anything by Brett Easton Ellis. American Psycho is one of the most unpleasant and darkly satirical books i've read, but believe me when i say that the murder/torture scenes are deeply disturbing. As are the descriptions of his record collection!... therein lies the genius.
William Burroughs - weird, hallucinatory satire
Hubert Selby Jr - as above
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess - one of the best future dystopian novels ever written, funny, unsettling and innovative
Catch 22 by Joseph Heller. the madness of war in all its nonesensical glory
Anything by Will Self
most Kurt Vonnegut but Slaughterhouse 5 is highly recommended
Paul Auster - Music of Chance, New York trilogy - dark games that go from bad to worse
that should keep you going for a while - happy reading!
2007-07-29 07:55:19 · answer #1 · answered by R Mutt 3 · 0⤊ 0⤋
I have to agree with Cherriebomb; Richard Matheson's I Am Legend is a amazing book and well ahead of its time (1954).
In 1964 it was made into a film "The Last Man on Earth" starring Vincent Price when he was still considered a serious actor. The main character's trapped interactions with the zombie like vampires predates the Dawn of Dead by more than a decade.
Matheson has written several other dark novels that have been made into movies and TV including but not limited to: What Dreams May Come, Stir of Echoes, Bid Time Return (as Somewhere in Time), and Hell House (as The Legend of Hell House).
2007-07-29 08:01:48 · answer #2 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson.
It's about the last man left in the world after everyone else has turned into vampires. One of the best dark stories ever told!
2007-07-29 06:27:23 · answer #3 · answered by cherriebomb 3 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Here's my favorite tragic comedy: "Cyrano de Bergerac" by the french playwright Edmond Rostand. Try to buy the english translation by Brian H0oker, it's the best translation I've read so far.
2007-07-29 06:29:20 · answer #4 · answered by Shienaran 7 · 0⤊ 0⤋
P.D. James "Children of Men" is one of the best I've ever read.
Other super ones are:
Evelyn Waugh "The Loved One"
John Wyndham "The Midwich Cuckoos"
2007-07-29 06:28:54 · answer #5 · answered by papyrusbtl 6 · 1⤊ 0⤋
Any poetry or short stories by Edgar Allen Poe, the Tell-Tale Heart is my favorite.
2007-07-29 06:27:47 · answer #6 · answered by juli_r 2 · 1⤊ 0⤋
"The Eyes of the Dragon" by Stephen King. Different than anything else he'd done at the time.
2007-07-29 06:29:39 · answer #7 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 0⤋
It's not a book... but if you're interested in something dark, look up DEATH NOTE
2007-07-29 06:24:04 · answer #8 · answered by Wired 1 · 0⤊ 0⤋
romeo and juliet
not that dark
what about harry potter?
2007-07-29 06:22:44 · answer #9 · answered by Anonymous · 0⤊ 2⤋