There’s a certain inevitability for any avid reader, of which we meet various books that simply don’t hold our interest for one reason or another, and we’ll regretfully put them down, perhaps never to pick up again. There’s no shame in not finishing a book, even if it’s from a favorite author, and with any luck being the avid reader that you are, you’ll already have another volume lined up.
For me, whenever I am feeling some disappointment and doubt from an abandoned novel that lost my attention and seeking a “pallet cleanser”, I am invariably drawn back to the weird, twisted, satirical and often dangerous works of horror author Bentley Little. While Little is far from a household name, he has been championed by Dean Koontz, while Stephen King calls him: “The Horror Poet Laureate.”
Aside from the fact that Bentley Little won a Bram Stoker Award for best new author in 1990 on his first book, THE REVELATION, and that he’s written nearly a book a year for the past three decades, virtually nothing is known about the author’s personal life beyond the fact that he was born in Arizona in 1960. He’s an enigma of horror literature who doesn’t promote and rarely does interviews.
Despite mainstream obscurity, or perhaps due in part, the author has put out some excellent books such as THE STORE (1998), THE HOUSE (1999), THE TOWN (2000), THE COLLECTION 1 & 2 (2002), DISPATCH (2005), THE BURNING (2006), THE HAUNTED from 2012, and another dozen notable works. Though most of his titles use the noun “The”, it somehow only adds to the general peculiarity.
Dark, unsettling, strange, perverse, and sometimes even downright raunchy, Bentley Little has managed to carve out a distinctive niche in an overpopulated landscape of horror novels. His is a unique voice that always manages to create a foreboding, and often supernatural tension, under the most mundane of circumstances (as his latest novel, DMV from 2023, can attest to).
Little’s world is one of bizarre and fevered nightmares veiled just beneath the shadows of every day life. No one is safe; men, women, children and beloved pets alike are all fair game for whatever diabolical menace lurks between the pages. While some might see his books as being a little formulaic, it is, for the most part, a formula that continues to work and serves as his bread and butter.
From angels, demons, possessions, curses, haunted houses that exist beyond time and space, and evil corporate entities such as THE STORE, one of the best ways to describe his horror would be that it is “out of left field” and hits when you least expect it. His works serve as an ominously dark cloud on a sunny day, taking on the shape of a grotesque face peering down, momentarily blocking out the light.
Speaking of “hits when you least expect it”, it was his book THE HOUSE , that famed novelist Stephen King was reading on that fateful day when he was struck and nearly killed by a van back in 1999. The fact was mentioned in USA TODAY and sales of THE HOUSE took off, marking it as, to this day, Little’s most popular and enduring novel.
While some readers might be turned off by his gritty and outlandish style of weird fiction, descriptive acts of violence, and explicit sex scenes (all three of which are often merged, burning themselves into your memory, and in need of a shower), his talent and mastery for using the strange and unusual as a plot device is undeniable. Likewise, realistic characters and settings only add to the mounting terror.
For the record, Bentley considers himself a straight forward “horror writer”, and despite the lack of publicity, appearances, website or social media presence, doesn’t see himself as a “recluse”. There ARE a few interviews floating around out there, as well as photos which prove he exists. He states that it’s not his job to promote or kiss ass in order to sell more books; that’s the publisher’s job.
So, next time you’re feeling a bit of “reader’s fatigue”, particularly of the horror and dark fantasy genre, why not try out one of the multitude of works by Bentley Little? While I’ve never been disappointed, if I had to recommend a favorite it would be THE DISPATCH from 2005, which provides a very unique and engaging plot centered around a secret society of letter writers.
I’ve read a dozen of his books, and have another dozen yet to explore, based on the merit of the works alone and not a marketing strategy. No movie tie-ins and convention tours necessary. No PR campaigns and autograph signings. No podcasts and newsletters. Just a dedicated horror author writing horror books for horror fans, letting his works speak for him. Sounds like a dream job.
======
Michael A. Dyer is the host of the HORROR TO CULTURE podcast and website.
