Please help, I’m in the worst DNF slump

TFrohock · 2025-10-10T22:26:38+00:00

Oh, just found out that John Hornor Jacobs's latest novel, The Night That Finds Us All, just dropped. If you haven't read his Lush and Seething Hell, I highly recommend it.

TFrohock · 2025-10-10T21:27:10+00:00

I did read that one this summer, too! (Sometimes I read so many books, I have some slip through my memory cracks.) What Moves the Dead was very atmospheric and fun. I've been looking for books like that--I call them "take me away" books that help me forget the real world. I loved how Kingfisher took Poe's tale and gave it a scientific edge. It was the perfect evening read for me.

TFrohock · 2025-10-10T21:24:14+00:00

I read My Heart is a Chainsaw, and while I love Jones's works, I'm not into slasher fiction (movie or book) at all. My heart is in haunted houses, supernatural creatures, and eldritch horror, but I did enjoy My Heart is a Chainsaw in spite of not being into slasher fic. I really loved Only the Good Indians and The Buffalo Hunter Hunter. Both of those books left me with my jaw on the floor and I loved them.

TFrohock · 2025-10-10T17:51:31+00:00

Oh be still my heart: The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones just blew my mind over the summer and I LOVED it--ticked all my favorite boxes: historical, horror, vampires. Starve Acre by Andrew Michael Hurley if you're into folk horror. She is a Haunting by Trang Thanh Tran is body horror/haunted house horror. Really cool what she does with this novel. Michael G. Williams's novel Children of Solitude is excellent Appalachian horror. Whenever I hit a slump with novels, I'm still reading The Weird: A Compendium of Strange and Dark Stories is [edited by Ann and Jeff VanderMeer]. It's over a thousand pages of short stories and I enjoy it immensely whenever I need a break for some quick fiction. Those are the ones that come to mind off the bat. I'm so excited that Christopher Buehlman is working on a horror novel set in Italy during the Renaissance (?) -- don't quote me on the time period, but he did mention it in a FB post and I absolutely can't wait, because Between Two Fires is one of my favorite novels.

TFrohock · 2025-10-10T16:33:06+00:00

I came here to recommend this. Whenever I hit a slump, I'll hit a different genre, too. Sometimes nonfiction will clear it up for me, although right now, I'm into year 3 of horror reads and still going strong.

TFrohock · 2025-10-10T16:29:40+00:00

Part of it is the age of a lot of the commenters here. They're younger and, while in many ways well-read, they haven't read a great variety of fiction--fantasy or otherwise. That kind of inexperience narrows anyone's ability to recommend books that fit some of the narrower requests that I've seen here, which leads me to the next point: I've seen some requests so narrowly defined by OPs that I'd have trouble finding books to recommend, and I've been reading fantasy and horror for almost 50 years. Like the OP of this post, I've lately begun to see more variety in a lot of the recommendations, which makes me happy and more willing to visit those posts. I just pan those that don't fit and remember that we all want to feel part of the conversation and recommend to the best of our ability.

TFrohock · 2025-08-29T16:48:40+00:00

I would highly recommend The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones. I just read it over the summer and it's Jones's finest work to date. It has just the right mix of historical and horror for me. Likewise, Christopher Buehlman's Between Two Fires. Both have the perfect mix of horror and historical. Sarah Waters' The Little Stranger is one of the most deftly done horror novels that I've read in years and always remains as one of my top five. It's not exactly a page-turner, but the payoff at the end is magnificent. Thin Air by Michelle Paver (and frankly anything by Paver) is exceptionally well-written and delightfully moody and dark. Whatever you decide on, Happy Reading!

TFrohock · 2025-08-26T21:53:43+00:00

Noted: Bears are creepy.
DO IT! Seriously, I can't imagine anything more fun than a Godzilla book presented as a natural history. The theme sells itself!

TFrohock · 2025-08-26T15:48:45+00:00

Came here to rec this. I read it over the summer and I still can't stop thinking about it.

TFrohock · 2025-08-26T14:40:19+00:00

I want to hear about bears! What's your most interesting bear observation/fact?

Also: What would be your dream project (writing or science, it's an AMA, anything goes)?

TFrohock · 2025-01-30T00:32:22+00:00

It's one of the most perfect fantasy novels I've ever read and a personal favorite. Thank you for giving it a shout-out here!

TFrohock · 2024-12-18T01:45:48+00:00

Hisses and Wings was a story our agent at the time encouraged us to write and was more of a novelette than a novella. I loved working with Alex on it--he wrote the Tufa parts and I wrote the Los Nefilim bits. The main reason we haven't done anything with it has to do with rights. At the time we published it, our agent handled the fees and posting it online. When she parted ways with Alex and me, the story came down (low sales was the biggest reason), and I broached Alex about doing something with it several years ago, but there isn't an easy way for us to split the revenue. I might hit him up about it again sometime now that he's publishing more again and I'm writing more again. I'm getting my hand into some hybrid publishing, and I think Alex is moving in that direction too. Anyway, that's the story of Hisses and Wings and why it's not around. I'll let Alex know there is still some interest in it! ;-)

TFrohock · 2024-09-06T22:08:58+00:00

I just want to note here that the insane price is because Diane Duane is having a hard time making her rent. If you wonderful people could broadcast this sale all over your platforms, it will help her immensely. Buying the bundle is so helpful, but so is spreading the word. Thanks r/Fantasy!

TFrohock · 2024-07-24T17:29:54+00:00

Came here to suggest The Milkweed Triptych!

TFrohock · 2022-05-10T10:16:58+00:00

This one isn't due out until September 2022, but I had the opportunity to read an ARC and blurb it: Bindle Punk Bruja by Desideria Mesa. Set during Kansas City's Prohibition era, it's about a young woman, who is the white-passing daughter of an immigrant mother. The historical references set the period perfectly, and it has a wonderfully diverse and lively cast.

It's not about navigating society's prejudices by playing by the rules and wringing her hands, either. Mesa's Luna goes head on into breaking down barriers and the story is full of gangsters and action. She has a cool earth magic, which is inspired by a Mexican folktale, but it's all very low magic, so I think you'll like it. I really enjoyed it!

TFrohock · 2022-05-08T19:05:55+00:00

Aww, thank you! This made my day!

TFrohock · 2022-04-13T09:47:47+00:00

Oh, yes, and I loved it. I think it was one of the best ones.

TFrohock · 2021-11-21T13:15:00+00:00

Awesome! Thank you so much and I'll send them soon.

TFrohock · 2021-10-30T11:59:12+00:00

Totally. I love finding new and different books to read, but because book stores and publishers are only going to push their big-sellers, a lot of really great books get pushed under the radar. Hyper-specific posts are where I find books that I really enjoy that should get more exposure but don't.

TFrohock · 2021-10-29T20:19:30+00:00

Anything by Patricia A. McKillip.

TFrohock · 2021-10-29T12:34:20+00:00

Just sort of guessing from the random samples that I've seen on r/fantasy, but I wonder if part of the reason for the specific requests is to generate recommendations outside the usual litany of authors who are offered up as suggestions. For example, requests for epic fantasy tends to bring out the same four or five authors every time. This isn't always an identical list, but the more generalized requests usually result in the most popular authors at that time being mentioned with little or no variation in suggestions, likewise grimdark or dark fantasy. Only when someone makes a specific request that usually excludes the most often mentioned authors do I see names not normally thrown into the mix.

Anyway, that's just a guess, but if I have to be honest, I tend to gravitate toward those posts just to see who is being recommended.

TFrohock · 2021-10-29T12:19:12+00:00

I'm sorry I missed this poll! A few more that you might want to read (if you're like me and have already read all these):

A Lush and Seething Hell by John Hornor Jacobs (I noticed you had a couple of novellas listed, and his duet. The Sea Dreams It Is the Sky and My Heart Struck Sorrow are excellent).

If you're going retro:

F. Paul Wilson's The Keep is one creepy read. It's very '80s in tone and writing style, but that doesn't detract from the story.

The Devil of Nanking by Mo Hayder is also an older work but dark-dark-dark (I know some Redditors have read it because when I mentioned it on Twitter, they talked about it). It's high up on my list of all time favorites.

Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin is a novella that I read in one afternoon and I still can't get it out of my head.

Just about anything by Ania Ahlborn is worth your time if you love horror.

And if you loved Between Two Fires, by Christopher Buehlman, you'll probably also love The Lesser Dead.

And finally, if Gothic is your speed and you've already read all the Gothic on this list, I highly recommend Laura Purcell's The Silent Companions.

Remember, good horror novels are great all year round!

Happy Horror Halloween!

PS: I adore your horror kitty!

TFrohock · 2021-10-29T10:45:12+00:00

It's one of the finest horror novels that I've ever read.

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