Dennis Etchison
Dennis Etchison is an American writer and editor best known for his work in the field of fantasy and horror fiction. While his greatest success has come within the short story format, he has also written a number of novels (including several under various pen names) and screenplays. Etchison refers to his own work as “rather dark, depressing, almost pathologically inward fiction about the individual in relation to the world.”
Stephen King has called Dennis Etchison “one hell of a fiction writer,” while the Viking-Penguin Encyclopedia lists him as “the most original living horror writer in America.” A winner of multiple World Fantasy and British Fantasy awards, Dennis Etchison’s work has been hailed by Publishers Weekly as “the state of the art in modern horror.”
Dennis Etchison - Early Years
The author was born Dennis William Etchison on March 30th, 1943 in Stockton, California. An only child, the earliest years of his life were spent growing up in a household devoid of men (World War II was still raging across the globe).
Dennis Etchison has remarked that he was greatly spoiled during his early years and largely isolated from other children. This sense of isolation and need to interact with society would later form the themes to many of his works.
In his early years, Dennis Etchison also became an avid wrestling fan. Fascinated by the interplay between good and evil, he would regularly attend shows at the Olympic Auditorium with his father. His passion for the sport continues to this day, and he often writes under the pen name “The Pro” for the wrestling publication known asRampage.
Dennis Etchison Becomes a Writer
In junior high and high school, Dennis Etchison wrote for the school paper and won numerous essay contests. He discovered Ray Bradbury during this time and emulated him before developing his own style.
On the last day of his junior year in high school, Dennis Etchison began writing his first short story. Entitled “Odd Boy Out,” it involved a group of teenagers in the woods. He began submitting it to numerous science-fiction magazines but received rejection slips each time.
He then remembered Ray Bradbury once suggesting that a writer should start by submitting their work to the least likely market. So he submitted his short story to a gentlemen’s magazine calledEscapade, and, a few weeks later, he received their acceptance and a check for $125. The young Dennis Etchison was becoming a professional writer.
By 1976, Dennis Etchison was writing for a living. He published his first collection of short stories, The Dark Country, in 1982, and it was quickly embraced by fans and critics alike. It won both the World Fantasy Award and the British Fantasy Award, becoming the first work to do so.
In the early 80s, he also wrote the novelizations for several horror films, including The Fog, Halloween, Halloween II, Halloween III and Videodrome. He then branched out into novels with all-original material and also served as an editor on a number of projects.
Besides novels and short stories, Dennis Etchison also works as a screenwriter, having written scripts for John Carpenter, Dario Argento and Ray Bradbury. He has worked for HBO and also adapted original Twilight Zonescripts for the radio. From 1992 until 1994, he served as the president of the Horror Writers Association.
Considered by many to be the finest horror writer alive today, Dennis Etchison has not enjoyed the mainstream success of a Stephen King or Peter Straub. Still, he keeps working, producing high-quality horror which continues to delight both the critics and his dedicated fanbase.
Dennis Etchison Books List
The following list details the various books of Dennis Etchison, both as a writer and an editor.
- Stud Row - 1969 (novel written under the name “H.L. Mensch”)
- Loves & Intrigues of Damon D-J - 1969 (novel written under the name “Ben Dover”)
- Halloween - 1979 (novel written under the name “Curtis Richards”)
- The Fog - 1980 (novel)
- Halloween II - 1981 (novel written under the name “Jack Martin”)
- Halloween III - 1982 (novel written under the name “Jack Martin”)
- "The Dark Country" - 1982 (short story)
- Videodrome - 1983 (novel written under the name “Jack Martin”)
- "Red Dreams" - 1984 (short story)
- Cutting Edge - 1986 (as editor)
- Masters of Darkness - 1986 (as editor)
- Darkside - 1986 (novel)
- The Blood Kiss - 1987 (short story)
- Masters of Darkness II - 1988 (as editor)
- Lord John Ten - 1988 (as editor)
- The Complete Masters of Darkness - 1991 (as editor)
- Masters of Darkness III - 1991 (as editor)
- MetaHorror - 1992 (as editor)
- Shadowman - 1994 (novel)
- California Gothic - 1995 (novel)
- Double Edge - 1997 (novel)
- All of Us Are Dying: And Other Stories - 1999 (collection)
- The Death Artist - 2000 (novel)
- The Museum of Horrors - 2001 (as editor)
- Talking in the Dark - 2001 (retrospective)
- Gathering the Bones - 2003 (as editor)
- Fine Cuts - 2004 (retrospective)
- Got to Kill Them All & Other Stories - 2008 (retrospective)
- The Book of Lists: Horror - 2008 (contributor)
More Horror Writers
- Clive Barker
- Dennis Etchison
- Douglass Clegg
- H.P. Lovecraft
- Joe R. Lansdale
- Peter Straub
- Robert Bloch
- Robert R. McCammon
- Stephenie Meyer (author of Twilight books)
- Theodore Sturgeon