Winter Horror
Thursday, Jan. 17, 2019, 2:14 p.m.Staff PicksWoodridge Library
Winter Horror
Spooky things hide in the snow.
The snow makes it seem peaceful and quiet… almost too quiet. Weird things abound in the coldness outside. What’s out there? I think I see something in the distance, but the snow is too thick. Is there something moving out there? You go check. I’m going to stay inside by the fire, and drink my hot cocoa.
All is quiet. Nothing is moving. What’s scarier than that?
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
A classic, to be sure. It's been adapted as multiple movies and graphic novels, as well as several retellings. Most people remember that a man created a monster, then hunted the monster. Many forget that the monster was rejected, then came after his creator. After which he fled to the North Pole with his creator in pursuit. The novel begins and ends on ice.
At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
A geologist is hoping to prevent an upcoming expedition to the South Pole by telling the story of his own failed expedition. This geologist led a team of scholars to a site where they discovered some ancient ruins. The team had split up, and the geologist and a grad student arrived later to find everyone else dead. They have to piece together what happened, and the only conclusion they can come up with is something at the site woke up and killed everyone.
Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr.
Found in the collection The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume Two A, this novella was turned into the movie The Thing by John Carpenter. It follows a group of researchers isolated at the South Pole, who discover an alien spacecraft that’s been buried for 20 million years in the ice. When they uncover it and thaw it out, they discover a lifeform that’s still alive -- and not super friendly. To make matters worse, it has the ability to take on the shape and memories of anyone it devours.
The Terror by Dan Simmons
This novel is a fictionalized account of an actual attempt to find the Northwest Passage by Captain John Franklin from 1845 to 1848. Many of the characters in the novel are actual crew members from the expedition. The expedition disappeared without a trace, and here Dan Simmons gives us an interesting what if story. As if starvation, illness, mutiny, and cannibalism aren’t enough to deal with, Dan has decided they also need a monster while stuck on the ice.
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
Miranda develops a rare eating disorder at a young age. It causes her to crave nonedible substances. The death of her mother several years later makes the condition worse, and soon nothing will satisfy her hunger. She learns that the hunger is passed down through the women in her family. Also, the family home seems to be openly hostile towards outsiders, which is problematic since the house was converted into a bed and breakfast. The house, eventually pushed to its limit by all the visitors, finally decides to act.
All is quiet. Nothing is moving. What’s scarier than that?
Frankenstein by Mary Shelley
A classic, to be sure. It's been adapted as multiple movies and graphic novels, as well as several retellings. Most people remember that a man created a monster, then hunted the monster. Many forget that the monster was rejected, then came after his creator. After which he fled to the North Pole with his creator in pursuit. The novel begins and ends on ice.
At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft
A geologist is hoping to prevent an upcoming expedition to the South Pole by telling the story of his own failed expedition. This geologist led a team of scholars to a site where they discovered some ancient ruins. The team had split up, and the geologist and a grad student arrived later to find everyone else dead. They have to piece together what happened, and the only conclusion they can come up with is something at the site woke up and killed everyone.
Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell Jr.
Found in the collection The Science Fiction Hall of Fame: Volume Two A, this novella was turned into the movie The Thing by John Carpenter. It follows a group of researchers isolated at the South Pole, who discover an alien spacecraft that’s been buried for 20 million years in the ice. When they uncover it and thaw it out, they discover a lifeform that’s still alive -- and not super friendly. To make matters worse, it has the ability to take on the shape and memories of anyone it devours.
The Terror by Dan Simmons
This novel is a fictionalized account of an actual attempt to find the Northwest Passage by Captain John Franklin from 1845 to 1848. Many of the characters in the novel are actual crew members from the expedition. The expedition disappeared without a trace, and here Dan Simmons gives us an interesting what if story. As if starvation, illness, mutiny, and cannibalism aren’t enough to deal with, Dan has decided they also need a monster while stuck on the ice.
White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
Miranda develops a rare eating disorder at a young age. It causes her to crave nonedible substances. The death of her mother several years later makes the condition worse, and soon nothing will satisfy her hunger. She learns that the hunger is passed down through the women in her family. Also, the family home seems to be openly hostile towards outsiders, which is problematic since the house was converted into a bed and breakfast. The house, eventually pushed to its limit by all the visitors, finally decides to act.
