Monday, June 10, 2013

Fun, Smart Summer Reading: "Monsters"

Vortex is a non-fiction book, and it is Dunbar's personal exploration of the roots of many of contemporary horror's best known beasts, plus a few lesser known ones as well. From the Jersey Devil to vampires, from sirens and mermaids to were-creatures of all kinds, Dunbar examines the roots behind these legends - how the stories have changed over time, and how they have remained the same. There are also some chapters on film, the most interesting being the one about the theme of 'the other' in horror movies - which groups society marks out as its 'monsters'.

Regular readers will know that Dunbar is one of the favourite horror authors I've discovered in recent years, so I wasn't surprised to discover how well written Vortex is. However, the tone is very different to his dense, thoughtful fiction, being a witty and frequently self-mocking read. It's certainly no dry-as-dust academic piece;


James Everington - Scattershot Writing: Vortex by Robert Dunbar

7 comments:

Reader Wil said...

In the real world, all "monsters" are human. They look normal but their real personality is sometimes so well hidden that they always surprise you when you are not prepared and don't expect it.
Thank you Cloudia for sharing and visiting.

Small Kucing said...

Okie..will look out for yths book. You know am a fan of reading

Charles Gramlich said...

I have seen this. I will have to look around for a copy for myself.

Cloudia said...

Each of you'd thanks! :-)

Elephant's Child said...

Drat you. I need more books to add to my piles like I need an additional hole in my head. You have tempted me though...

Kay said...

This sounds like a very interesting book, Cloudia. Thank you for the recommendation.

21 Wits said...

Sadly Reader Wil is so right on. It's doubly sad when we happen upon it. Thankfully for the most part, they are small in number. On your description of this, I'm going to get this book!