FREE/BARGAIN - Horror/Supernatural

[Kieran Seymour]

This could probably equally validly go in the more general Fiction thread, but as it was the basis for the 1968 English folk horror classic of the same name starring Vincent Price, the Horror/Supernatural thread seems more appropriate.

Witchfinder General - Ronald Bassett
Currently free at Amazon UK.

1643. England is at war with itself.

While bitter battles rage between King and Parliament, local magistrates have more power, and less accountability, than ever before.

Taking advantage of the tense atmosphere and lax prosecution procedures, Matthew Hopkins, an insignificant lawyer and self-appointed Witchfinder General, travels across East Anglia accusing the aged, the confused and the poor of satanic crimes against their neighbours.

With every innocent death, his purse grows heavier, as he satisfies his lust for power.

But his dealings with one particular young woman make him a powerful enemy in the form of Ralph Margery – a captain in Cromwell’s army who is determined to put a stop to Hopkins’ reign of terror.

In this tense and chilling novel Ronald Basset brings to life the nightmarish figure of Matthew Hopkins, a man responsible for the deaths of more than 300 women and who, almost single-handedly, caused more people to be hanged for witchcraft in two years than in the whole of the previous century.

‘Witchfinder General’ is a gripping historical thriller set during the massively tumultuous period of the English Civil War.

‘A catalogue of horror’ Eastern Daily Press

‘There is a degree of authenticity that makes the blood run cold’ Cambridge News

[TrevorViking]

^ US too
https://www.amazon.com/Witchfinder-G...al-text&sr=1-2

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Kieran Seymour

This could probably equally validly go in the more general Fiction thread, but as it was the basis for the 1968 English folk horror classic of the same name starring Vincent Price, the Horror/Supernatural thread seems more appropriate.

Witchfinder General - Ronald Bassett
Currently free at Amazon UK.

Originally Posted by TrevorViking

^ US too
https://www.amazon.com/Witchfinder-G...al-text&sr=1-2

Thanks guys!

[radbaddude]

Practitioners by Matt Hayward and Patrick Lacey $0.99

Dreams aren’t just for the sleeping.

After the murder of his wife, Officer Henry Stapleton struggles to move on. He begins experiencing nightmares that seem more like reality. Far beyond simple grieving. Looking for answers, he visits a mysterious new healing center, owned by real estate mogul Paul White. There’s just one problem. The man doesn’t exist. Though his name appears on his properties, there is no evidence of White’s birth, no social security number, no means of tracing whatsoever. Henry begins to believe White is to blame for these visions. And they’re spreading to others.

Joined by his partner George Patrick, the two travel deeper into the collective nightmare infecting Bellview, a once quiet town now in the grasps of unknown evil.

Reality may not be as concrete as Henry Stapleton once thought…

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by radbaddude

Practitioners by Matt Hayward and Patrick Lacey $0.99

Dreams aren’t just for the sleeping.

Hey, that sounds pretty interesting. Thanks!

[ZodWallop]

Ghost Story by Peter Straub is $1.99 at Amazon.

If you haven't yet tried it, Ghost Story is one of the absolute best horror stories I've ever read.

What was the worst thing you’ve ever done?

In the sleepy town of Milburn, New York, four old men gather to tell each other stories—some true, some made-up, all of them frightening. A simple pastime to divert themselves from their quiet lives.

But one story is coming back to haunt them and their small town. A tale of something they did long ago. A wicked mistake. A horrifying accident. And they are about to learn that no one can bury the past forever...

[FulciLives]

"The Cleanup" by John Skipp & Craig Spector is $0.99 at Amazon

His name is Bily Rowe. Yesterday, he was just another tragically talented loser that the city had chewed up and spat back down on the streets - a failed musician, failed lover, failed friend. But that was before a young woman was brutally murdered before his eyes. That was before the hideous creatures crawled out of the shadows to call him by name. That was before Billy Rowe discovered the Power. And with it, his mission...

The Cleanup.

Billy Rowe is cleaning up the streets. Now, you have nothing left to fear. Nothing but Billy Rowe.

"These guys are amongst the frontfunners of modern horror. Skipp and Spector take you to the limits...then one step more." -- Clive Barker

I read the paperback of this back in the 1980s when it was a new book. I really enjoyed but I was a teenager and that was a long time ago. My memory of it is fuzzy now other than I really enjoyed it and I look forward to reading it again as I had to buy the eBook for such a cheap price.

I only read one other book by these authors called "The Light At The End" and it was also good but I enjoyed "The Cleanup" much more.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by FulciLives

"The Cleanup" by John Skipp & Craig Spector is $0.99 at Amazon

I read the paperback of this back in the 1980s when it was a new book. I really enjoyed but I was a teenager and that was a long time ago. My memory of it is fuzzy now other than I really enjoyed it and I look forward to reading it again as I had to buy the eBook for such a cheap price.

I only read one other book by these authors called "The Light At The End" and it was also good but I enjoyed "The Cleanup" much more.

I've got several Skipp and Spector ebooks. They were a big deal for a while.

I haven't read any yet, though I did read Jake's Wake by Skipp and Goodfellow and wasn't crazy about it. Have you read it? How do the two compare?

Originally Posted by FulciLives

...I look forward to reading it again as I had to buy the eBook for such a cheap price.

Welcome to ebooks my friend! Many of the books I buy I already have in paper. But I just can't pass them up for a buck or two.

Have you already discovered ereaderiq? You enter a book or author and tell it to email you when the book hits whatever price you think it is worth.

[FulciLives]

I'm new to the world of eBooks and I did not know about ereaderiq. Thanks for the tip!

As for Skipp & Spector, the two books I mentioned reading by them were the only things I've read BUT they were behind two anthologies called BOOK OF THE DEAD and BOOK OF THE DEAD 2 and I believe they also contributed a story or two but it's been forever since I had those books. Alas, I lost them in my college days of moving in and out of various places. A shame because the books go for ridiculous prices now and I couldn't find eBook versions on Amazon. However, if you are into short stories about zombies they were damn good (various authors).

Now that I think about it... I did have a book by them called THE SCREAM and I tried to read it but I found it very hard to read. They were going for some kind of weird funky lingo for the characters' dialog and I found it hard to understand. I never got very far into it.

I never read anything they did separately so I cannot compare the two you mentioned to THE CLEANUP ... sorry!

[Dr. Drib]

Back in its time, Skipp and Spector took the 'Stephen King Style of Storytelling' of using multiple voices and internal italicized thoughts and injected a kind of hip-jive lingo into the narrative, then added blood, sex, and rock 'n' roll into the mess. In the process, they gave us Splatterpunk (seen also in Clive Barker's early work). It was right for the times. [The above is my take on all this.]

They broke up in 1993, I think, over 'creative differences'; but probably - like most boy groups - they more than likely grew up and saw the world in different ways and wanted to express their individual creative uniqueness.

Spector is currently dealing with his stage four cancer.

[vivafriend5]

Thor by Wayne Smith is Free at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Thor-Wayne-Sm.../dp/B004NIFTII It was made into the 1996 movie Bad Moon.

[Dr. Drib]

^ Got it.

Thank you.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by vivafriend5

Thor by Wayne Smith is Free at Amazon. https://www.amazon.com/Thor-Wayne-Sm.../dp/B004NIFTII It was made into the 1996 movie Bad Moon.

Bad Moon is also available 'free' on Prime Video. Watched it a few weeks ago. it's low budget, but I thought it was pretty good.

[ZodWallop]

Originally Posted by Dr. Drib

Back in its time, Skipp and Spector took the 'Stephen King Style of Storytelling' of using multiple voices and internal italicized thoughts and injected a kind of hip-jive lingo into the narrative, then added blood, sex, and rock 'n' roll into the mess. In the process, they gave us Splatterpunk (seen also in Clive Barker's early work). It was right for the times. [The above is my take on all this.]

They broke up in 1993, I think, over 'creative differences'; but probably - like most boy groups - they more than likely grew up and saw the world in different ways and wanted to express their individual creative uniqueness.

Spector is currently dealing with his stage four cancer.

Thanks for the info. I've only read some splatterpunk. Jake's Wake by Skipp and Goodfellow didn't quite connect with me (though I'd try another book by them) and Ed Lee was both good (The Backwoods) and Godawful (Notes Torn From A Travel Journal).

But to me, Barker's Books of Blood stories were some of the best horror ever written.

[Dr. Drib]

^ I totally agree with you about Barker's Books of Blood. I wouldn't at all call them Splatterpunk (which I probably implied). In my opinion, he forever changed the importance of the short story form in the genre of Horror.

His Hellraiser stuff, [novella: The Hellbound Heart; film: Hellraiser], however, is 'Splatterpunkery' in my opinion.