Apparently horror is going to be the big literary trend for 2007. One highlight to look out for is Heart Shaped Box by Stephen King’s son Joe Hill out next month (and, boy, is he going to be sick of that tag in a few months time – no wonder he kept it a secret for ten years). Great writer, and I have to say, a thoroughly nice bloke.
Lots of other names coming through too, from most of the major publishing houses. The genre has been moribund in the UK for going on ten years now so it’s about time for a resurgence.
Interesting to read the various theories as to the reason for the sudden upsurge in interest… what’s your take on it?
More than any other genre, horror has to be contemporary because what we’re scared of is tied in to the way we see the world. For too long, authors were influenced by the horror boom of the 80s, re-writing what was scary then, long after society had moved on.
Now we’re starting to get a new crop of writers coming through who once again are plugging into the zeitgeist.
I also think publishers are very good at making money out of spotting a gap in the market… ;-)