Actually, I was referring to A FINE DARK LINE by Joe R. Lansdale. I screwed up the title -- I sincerely apologize for the confusion (especially considering how pathetic it was for me to do this, as Lansdale is my favorite author!).

I do have a Hoag book on my shelf waiting to be read, though. I'll have to check it out next, on your recommendation.


Take care,



James N.
http://members.tripod.com/~NEWMANATOR/index.html

A few recommendations
 

Some of these have been mentioned already, so forgive my reiteration:

Stephen King - Night Shift, Skeleton Crew, Nightmares and Dreamscapes, Everything's Eventual, etc.

Clive Barker - Books of Blood vols.1-5(4&5 being known as The Inhuman Condition & In the Flesh ). Didn't care for #6 (Cabal), but perhaps that's just me.

Edgar Allan Poe - complete works. What can be said: he is the master, the originator.

H.P. Lovecraft - same as above. There are various collections of his stories floating around; Tales of H.P. Lovecraft edited by Joyce Carol Oates is as good a place to start as any.

Richard Matheson - another must-read. Again, there are various collections of his stories out there, you just have to look.

Fredric Brown - one of the best short story writers of all time.

Charles Beaumont - another great one, and like Matheson, wrote some of the best Twilight Zone episodes.

Karl Edward Wagner - Why Not You and I?
Exorcisms and Ecstacies

Joe R. Lansdale - Anything you can get our hands on by this guy. One of my favorites (as my s/n would indicate).

Robert Aickman - Cold Hand in Mine
Painted Devils

Ramsey Campbell - This guy's got quite a few collections of short stories, and they are all good.

David J. Schow - Seeing Red
Lost Angels

Shirley Jackson - The Lottery and other stories

Robert Bloch - another master storyteller. Various collections of his stories around.

You might also want to check out some short story collections of a couple masters of the ghosts story, Algernon Blackwood and Ambrose Bierce.

The following are a few anthologies I've come across that might be worth your time:

Midnight Graffiti edited by Jessie Horsting & James Van Hise - contains one of my favorite short stories ever, Emerald City Blues by Stephen R. Boyett.

Prime Evil edited by Douglas E. Winter

Cutting Edge edited by Dennis Etchison

Year's Best Fantasy and Horror edited by Ellen Datlow and Terry Windling. This series is still ongoing, but you can find older editions in used bookstores.


Well, I'm sure I've forgotten many, but this would be a good start.:D