Can you recommend some of the best weird novels?
Well, 'We Have Always Lived in the Castle' by Shirley Jackson is a great weird novel. It tells the story of the Blackwood sisters who live in isolation, and there's a sense of unease and mystery throughout. 'Slaughterhouse - Five' by Kurt Vonnegut can also be considered in this category. Its non - linear time structure and the alien abduction elements make it a really strange yet profound read. And 'The Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka is a classic of the weird. The very idea of Gregor Samsa waking up as a giant insect is both absurd and deeply disturbing.
Sure. 'At the Mountains of Madness' by H.P. Lovecraft is among the best weird novels. Lovecraft creates a terrifying and otherworldly setting in Antarctica, with ancient and unknowable horrors. Then there's 'The King in Yellow' by Robert W. Chambers. It has a really strange and dream - like quality, with the play within the book that seems to drive people mad. Also, 'The Third Policeman' by Flann O'Brien is a very odd novel. It has a surreal and absurdist plot that involves a man's journey through a very strange afterlife and his encounters with some really weird characters.
Can you recommend the best weird novels for beginners?
For beginners, 'The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde' by Robert Louis Stevenson is a great start. It's a short and well - known story that has the classic element of a man with two very different personalities, which is both strange and engaging. Another good one is 'The Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka. The idea of a man waking up as a giant insect is really weird and can be easily grasped. And 'The Lottery' by Shirley Jackson is also suitable. It has a shockingly unexpected ending that makes it a very unique read.
Can you recommend the best weird horror novels?
Sure. 'The Exorcist' by William Peter Blatty. It's a classic that delves deep into the concept of demonic possession. The descriptions of the possessed girl's actions and the battle between good and evil are both terrifying and thought - provoking.
Can you recommend the best weird fiction novels?
China Miéville's 'Perdido Street Station' is another top choice. It's set in a vivid and grotesque city called New Crobuzon. There are all kinds of strange races and creatures, and the magic system is really out there. It's a long and immersive read that takes you deep into a world that's both familiar and extremely weird.
Can you recommend some of the best new weird fantasy novels?
I'd also recommend 'The Ten Thousand Doors of January' by Alix E. Harrow. It has a beautiful and strange concept of doors leading to different worlds. The protagonist, January, is on a journey to discover the truth about these doors and her own past. The writing is very lyrical and the world - building is top - notch.
Can you recommend best weird fantasy novels for beginners?
For beginners, 'Alice's Adventures in Wonderland' is a great start. It's a well - known and relatively easy - to - read story with lots of weird elements like shrinking and growing. Another good one is 'The Neverending Story'. It has a simple yet engaging plot with strange creatures and magical worlds that are easy to get into. And 'The Phantom Tollbooth' is also suitable. It has a lot of wordplay and strange lands that can introduce readers to the concept of weird fantasy.
Can you recommend any best new weird novels?
Sure. 'The Fisherman' by John Langan is a great new weird novel. It combines elements of horror, the supernatural, and a sense of the uncanny. The story is about two men who go fishing in a place with a dark and strange history, and things start to get really weird from there.
Can you recommend some of the best weird short stories?
One great weird short story is 'The Yellow Wallpaper' by Charlotte Perkins Gilman. It's about a woman's descent into madness while being confined to a room with yellow wallpaper. The story is filled with psychological horror and strange observations. Another is 'The Tell - Tale Heart' by Edgar Allan Poe. The narrator's obsession with an old man's 'evil eye' and his subsequent actions are both eerie and fascinating. And then there's 'The Metamorphosis' by Franz Kafka, where a man wakes up one day transformed into a giant insect, exploring themes of alienation and the human condition in a truly strange way.
Can you recommend some weird Japanese novels?
One of the rather strange Japanese novels is 'Kafka on the Shore' by Haruki Murakami. It has surreal elements like talking cats and fish raining from the sky. Another is 'The Tale of Genji', which is old but has some really unique and complex relationships and cultural oddities described. And 'Uzumaki' by Junji Ito is a horror - based novel that has a very weird and disturbing take on spirals and the town that gets obsessed with them.
Can you recommend some new weird novels?
China Miéville's 'Perdido Street Station' is a great example. It has a richly detailed and strange cityscape filled with all kinds of bizarre creatures.
Can you recommend some weird mystery novels?
One great weird mystery novel is 'House of Leaves' by Mark Z. Danielewski. It has a really strange and complex structure that adds to the mystery. The story plays with the idea of a house that is larger on the inside than the outside, and the narrative is presented in a very unconventional way.