1 The Midnight Society Kaitlin Conner Readers Advisory Librarian, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

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1 The Midnight Society Kaitlin Conner Readers Advisory Librarian, - - PowerPoint PPT Presentation

Aug 22, 2022 119 likes •674 views

1 The Midnight Society Kaitlin Conner Readers Advisory Librarian, NoveList Gregg Winsor Reference Librarian, Johnson County Library, Kansas Autumn Winters Recommendations Lead, NoveList 2 libraryreads.org 3 Speculative Fiction

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The Midnight Society

Kaitlin Conner

Readers’ Advisory Librarian, NoveList

Gregg Winsor

Reference Librarian, Johnson County Library, Kansas

Autumn Winters

Recommendations Lead, NoveList

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libraryreads.org

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Speculative Fiction

Science Fiction Fantasy Horror What if our scientific theories are real? What if magic or magical creatures exist? What if our nightmares are real?

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The Pull of the Grave

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“It shows us that the control we believe we have is purely illusory, and that every moment we teeter

  • n chaos and oblivion.”
  • Clive Barker

Introduction to “Scared Stiff: Tales of Sex and Death” by Ramsey Campbell, 1987.

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‘Visceral’ Fiction

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History of the Genre

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Gothic Horror in the 18th Century

A significant amount of horror fiction of this era was marketed towards a female audience, a typical scenario being a resourceful female menaced in a gloomy castle. 1764 1796 1797

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19th Century Horror

The gothic tradition turns to the genre modern readers call horror and many foundational characters are born. 1818 1839 1886 1897

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Early 20th Century Pulp Fiction

Pulp magazines emerged to give more genre writers an outlet. H.P. Lovecraft, Ray Bradbury, and Robert Bloch, among many others, published stories in magazines. 1928 1931 1937

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Pre-Modern Era

The real-life horrors of World War II and the looming paranoia and menace of the Cold War usher in a new generation as horror novels gain mainstream acceptability. 1954 1959 1967 1974

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NoveList Appeals and Themes

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Gruesome Creepy Compelling Moody Violent Menacing Suspenseful Bleak Atmospheric Flawed Flawed Strong female Disturbing Intensifying Brooding Menacing Darkly humorous

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P l

  • t

Cursed! Possessed! Trapped! Childhood trauma Don’t go in there! Evil transformations Witchcraft and the occult Zombie apocalypse

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Trapped!

Think isolated cabins, Arctic research bases, submarines, graves, or elevators.

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C h a r a c t e r s

Band of survivors Creature feature Evil animals Final girls Real life monsters Vampire menace Werewolves among us Creepy clowns and bad seeds

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Creepy Clowns and Bad Seeds

Menace lurks behind things that seem innocent.

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S t y l e

Body horror Found footage Lovecraftian horror Monster mashups

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Found Footage

Framing devices (such as letters or diaries) highlight the horror in real time.

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Subgenres and Trends

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Subgenres

Historical horror Gothic fiction Ghost stories

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More Subgenres!

Supernatural mysteries Psychological suspense Weird Westerns

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Socially Conscious Horror

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(Deconstructing) Lovecraftian Horror

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Folk Horror

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Books as Hooks

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Anthologies

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Horror in Translation

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Nonfiction

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Conversations with the Dead

(or, questions to ask horror fans.)

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“What’s your scare level?”

Atmospheric dread Intense terror and gore

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“What horror movies/podcasts/shows do you like?”

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“What’s your monster?”

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Horror Starter Pack

Representative of genre Well-reviewed Wide appeal Stand-alone or series starter

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My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix (2016)

Darkly humorous Strong female friendship Nostalgic (1980s music playlists) Meticulous attention to period detail Possessed!

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White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi (2009)

Gothic Creepy British manor house Atmospheric Ghosts! Maybe! Nonlinear Under 250 pages

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John Dies at the End by David Wong (2007)

Jokes jokes jokes Gross-out body horror So meta Fast-paced Well-developed characters, in spite of it all

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The Passage by Justin Cronin (2010)

Band of survivors Vampire menace First in a trilogy Sweeping epic Bleak Menacing

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Her Body and Other Parties

by Carmen Maria Machado (2017)

Short stories Queer feminist take on body horror and fantasy Creepy and surreal Thought-provoking Multiple award winner In development as an FX anthology series

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Resources

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Indie Publishers

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Awards

The Bram Stoker Award is awarded by the Horror Writers Association for “superior achievement” in horror writing. thebramstokerawards.com The Shirley Jackson Award is for outstanding achievement in horror, the dark fantastic, and psychological suspense. shirleyjacksonawards.org

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2018 Bram Stoker Shortlist

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NoveList Resources

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Genre outlines Keeping up pages

Recommended reads lists

Haunted!

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Genre browse

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Books we can’t wait to read

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Questions?

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Thank you

Learn more at

ebscohost.com/novelist & libraryreads.org

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Finding Horror in NoveList