When I speak to book groups and the like, I often mention that some book markets are fading.  The two that come to mind are Westerns and Horror.  (Science Fiction is another.)  Well, I’ll have to change the spiel.  Horror is back with new voices.  How do I know?  Because my co-moderators on Books!  tell me so.   And they are happy, happy, happy.  They like that stuff. 

  Two books they are excited about are THE RUINS by author Scott Smith and INFECTED by Scott Sigler.  Kelly said when she was done reading INFECTED she “itched”, something she actually liked about the book.  

  THE RUINS has been made into a motion picture that Mark went to see over the weekend.  Kelly asked if the one character screamed through the whole movie the way he did in the book.  Mark happily said, “Yeah!”  Scott Smith did write another book that I liked very much titled A SIMPLE PLAN.  Now, that’s my kind of horror–the stuff that probably has happened before.  A SIMPLE PLAN was also made into a movie.  (Smith is doing something right.)

   Back to Kelly and Mark–it really bothers me to see these people that I like and admire so much enjoy human misery, but then such is the nature of the true horror fan.  It’s the old “what if” with a twist.  If you are the sort to enjoy reading while your guts are knotted with apprehension, here’s two reads that will bring joy to your heart. 

  Meanwhile, I’m going to do everything I can to stay on Kelly and Mark’s good sides.   

THE RUINS  by Scott Smith    ISBN 0-312-95271-6

INFECTED by Scott Sigler      ISBN 0-307-40610-5