Tough call here. It's easier for me to go by genre, so here we go.

Horror: anything by Thomas Ligotti. Songs of a Dead Dreamer is probably his strongest collection. Another favorite would be The Parasite by Ramsey Campbell.

SF: The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. Leguin and Hot Sky at Midnight by Robert Silverberg.

Other: Crash and The Atrocity Exhibition by J.G. Ballard.

The Shining- Stephen King

Fav books
 

I Am LEGEND by Richard Matheson...

Harlan Ellison's Edge in My Voice...

Also, just started god's 15 minutes by Clifford Meth (got it from Shocklines). Very cool collection. The best I've read in years.

EarthCore
 

EarthCore is a great book, it's by Scott Sigler. He's new and seems to be really good. I found his podcast website where he did the reading of his book in chapters for free. If you like listening to a good book that would be one to try.

Anything by Poppy Z Brite, Edward Lee and Wrath James White.. Will do. Poisong Eros is probably my fav. It is sick and twisted. if you get a chance please check out Wraths website http://www.wrathjameswhite.com/main.htm ... read his short stories on the fiction link this will give you a taste of Wraths demented mind.


Please let me know what you think about his stuff..negative or positive.. They are short reads ...do yourself a favor!

I'll try and find those. My favorite book of all time is "Geek Love" by Katherine Dunn. It's a beautiful disturbing book about love and family among circus freakshow. That doesn't even really do it justice but it's the quickest way to describe it.
As far as straight up horror goes Joe R. Lansdale is the absolute best for me. He wrote the original short story that became Bubba Ho-tep but his really great stuff is "the Drive-in", "High Cotton", "the Nightrunners", and any of his graphic novels particularly"God of the Razor"

I don't know how I managed to neglect Harlan Ellison from my list. The Essential Ellison is a monumental volume, plain and simple. A must for any fan of fantastic (in both senses of the word) fiction.

The Damnation Game : Clive Barker

"Salem's Lot" and "Wizard and Glass" (Dark Tower IV ) : S. King

Lovecraft: all