Grim Readers Trivia Game - First Lines and Fun Facts | Literary Terms & Quotes

Quiz Answer Key and Fun Facts

1. "It was a dark and soundless day near the end of the year, and clouds were hanging low in the heavens." -- Edgar Allan Poe Family life can get so dramatic. When Madeline dies, her brother and his childhood friend entomb her on site in the family mansion to protect her from graverobbers. What Gothic horror short story by Edgar Allan Poe, first published in 1839, is this?

Answer: The Fall of the House of Usher

"The Fall of the House of Usher" is a short story about a nameless narrator visiting his old friend Roderick Usher in an old decaying mansion on its last legs. The house itself feels alive (if just barely) the family is down to two fragile siblings, and the description is so bleak, you can almost smell the decay and the mildew on the walls through the page.

It's a story of isolation, creeping dread, and very bad decisions. And that's just the beginning. It was first published in 1839 in Burton's Gentleman's Magazine in the United States and would go on to become one of Poe's signature works.

2. "Louis Creed, who had lost his father at three and who had never known a grandfather, never expected to find a father as he entered his middle age, but that was exactly what happened . . ." - Stephen King Well, there's heavy tractor trailer traffic on the road running through the front yard, that creepy guy across the street giving off ominous vibes, and of course the magical Indian burial grounds in the woods, but it IS such a lovely house. What horror novel by Stephen King and first published in 1983 tells the story of Dr. Louis Creed and his family as they move to rural Maine?

Answer: Pet Semetary

"Pet Sematary", published in 1983, is one of Stephen King's bleakest horror novels, and the one the author admitted scared him the most. It follows the Creed family as they move to a seemingly peaceful town in Maine. Their new home comes with a pet cemetery nearby (that's kind of interesting), and beyond it, something very much darker (more interesting, less fun).

The main theme is one that pops up in literature a lot: trying to cheat death can only lead to Very Bad Things or as the weird neighbor puts it, "sometimes dead is better".

3. "Tyler gets me a job as a waiter, after that Tyler's pushing a gun in my mouth and saying, the first step to eternal life is you have to die." -- Chuck Palahniuk What transgressive fiction novel by Chuck Palahniuk, published in 1996, follows an unnamed narrator struggling with insomnia and general disillusionment, who becomes entangled with the delightfully charismatic Tyler Durden who helps him understand who he really is?

Answer: Fight Club

1996's "Fight Club" is Chuck Palahniuk's debut novel about a man stuck in a rut of insomnia and consumerism. While travelling, he meets the charming and charismatic Tyler Durden, a soap salesman, and they instantly hit it off. After a conflagratory misfortune of sorts, the narrator eventually moves in with Tyler, and they're just like two peas in a pod in Tyler's dilapidated house, which he may or may not own. Together they start an underground fight club as a kind of therapy for modern male malaise. Eventually, all that testosterone and disillusionment lead to Project Mayhem, and their happy lives together take a darker turn.

David Fincher's 1999 film adaptation, which actually flopped at the box office, became a major hit on video and streaming services over the years until eventually everyone on the planet knew the first rule of Fight Club, including - strangely enough - my mom.

4. "I am behind bars." -- Kurt Vonnegut Be careful who you pretend to be. What dark satirical 1961 novel by Kurt Vonnegut reveals the story of Howard W. Campbell Jr., an American playwright who becomes a Nazi propagandist during World War II while secretly working as a spy for the Allies?

Answer: Mother Night

"Mother Night" is a Kurt Vonnegut's novel about Howard W. Campbell Jr., an American playwright who ends up broadcasting Nazi propaganda during World War II while secretly working as a spy for the Allies. While his work is helping the allies, it is also severely damaging to the lives of others. The book is Campbell's memoir written from an Israeli prison after the war.

The book didn't make much of a splash when it first came out. Vonnegut was not yet the household name he would become after "Slaughterhouse-Five" (which briefly features Campbell trying to recruit American POWs to the German cause). Later, it was heavily praised for its moral ambiguity and biting satire, and Vonnegut himself considered it one of his better works.

5. "ABANDON ALL HOPE YE WHO ENTER HERE is scrawled in blood red lettering in the side of the Chemical Bank near the corner of Eleventh and First and is in print large enough to be seen from the backseat of the cab as it lurches forward...." - Bret Easton Ellis Everyone felt a little lost in the 1980s, but there's really no need to get all stabby. What 1991 satirical horror novel by Bret Easton Ellis tells the story of Patrick Bateman, who is either a deranged serial killer, a man losing his mind, or both?

Answer: American Psycho

"American Psycho" is that famous and infamous novel about Patrick Bateman, a wealthy Wall Street investment banker in 1980s Manhattan who hides a violent, psychopathic side beneath his ever-so-polished exterior. We learn about his daily routines of consumer excess, shallow social life, beauty tips, and musical tastes all while he commits increasingly disturbing acts of violence. The catch? The narrator is insane and we're never quite sure what's actually happening.

It's not for the squeamish.

Lots of controversy surrounds this book. It was initially dropped by the original publisher due to its graphic violence and sexual content, before it was finally released by Vintage Books. Critics didn't know what to think. Some called it brilliant social satire, and others considered it self-indulgent and morally bankrupt garbage. Maybe it's both. (Maybe it's neither.) The novel was banned in several countries and sold shrink-wrapped in others, which of course only fueled interest in it.

Despite the outrage, it developed a cult following and was later adapted into a 2000 film starring Christian Bale, which ACTUALLY toned down some of the book's extremes and made Bateman a pop culture icon. Patrick Bateman would make an appearance of sorts in "Lunar Park", a later book satirizing fame, fortune, family, and Elis himself.

6. "I had been making the rounds of the Sacrifice Poles the day we heard my brother had escaped. I already knew something was going to happen..." -- Iain Banks Sure, 17-year-old Frank may have killed a few people in some interesting ways in the past, but that's all behind him... now he just tortures and kills animals on and around his father's island property. What Gothic 1984 horror novel by Iain Banks tells the story of dark family secrets while filling the reader with the madness of Frank's world with every page?

Answer: The Wasp Factory

"The Wasp Factory" is Iain Banks's debut novel, and it's bleak. It's a dark and twisted story about Frank Cauldhame, a 17-year-old living on a remote Scottish island with his... er, eccentric father. Frank spends his days constructing bizarre rituals, killing small animals, and tinkering with his homemade contraption called the Wasp Factory. Prepare to be immersed in Frank's very disturbing day-to-day activities.

The book was originally published in 1984 and immediately stirred up controversy for its graphic and unsettling content. However, despite the outrage (or perhaps because of it), it sold well and is now considered an important work of Scottish literature.

7. "Once a guy stood all day shaking bugs from his hair. The doctor told him there were no bugs in his hair. After he had taken a shower for eight hours, standing under hot water hour after hour suffering the pain of the bugs, he got out and dried himself, and he still had bugs in his hair; in fact, he had bugs all over him. A month later he had bugs in his lungs." - P. K. Dick Drugs are bad. This science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick was first published in 1977 and follows Bob Arctor, an undercover narcotics agent in a near-future California. In what novel does the protagonist become addicted to a powerful drug called Substance D while surveilling his own friends?

Answer: A Scanner Darkly

1977's "A Scanner Darkly" is one of Philip K. Dick's later novels about an undercover narcotics agent who infiltrates a drug culture obsessed with a hallucinogen called Substance D. If you're paying attention to the quiz, you'll know the 'D' stands for 'death'.

The catch here is that Arctor himself becomes addicted, and his identity begins to become split as he works to distinguish between his real self and his undercover persona. It's a paranoid, surreal story that mixes science fiction and psychological horror. It relies heavily on Dick's own experiences with drug use and the counterculture of the 1960s and 1970s.

8. "My name is Q__ P__ & I am thirty-one years old, three months." - Joyce Carol Oates Making friends can be hard. What psychological horror novel by Joyce Carol Oates, first published in 1995 tells the story of Quentin P., a deeply disturbed man who seeks to create his own special companion through some rather unorthodox means?

Answer: Zombie

Welcome to the mad mind of Quentin P., a socially awkward, sexually obsessed narrator who attempts to create a "zombie" companion by abducting, mutilating, and attempting crude brain surgery on young men. So, maybe not something for the weekly book club.

The horror of the story comes less from cheap scares and more from being trapped inside a calmly monstrous mind as it plots, rationalizes, and matter-of-factly describes the events of the novel. It won the 1995 Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel, despite a mixed critical reaction.

9. "There's only two place anyone can find peace - the woods and the grave." - Kristopher Triana It's so hard to find a good man, am I right, ladies? This horror-thriller by Kristopher Triana, first published in 2020, tells the story of Lori, who is having just such a problem. What novel tells the story of Lori, a waitress with an obsessive attraction to an imprisoned serial killer, who sends her on a very special errand?

Answer: Gone to See the River Man

Kristopher Triana's "Gone to See the River Man" follows Lori, a woman obsessed with a convicted serial killer, who agrees to do his bidding. That bidding involves retrieving a key from a remote cabin and delivering it to a mysterious figure known only as the River Man.

She brings her disabled sister along for the ride, and what starts as a creepy errand becomes a slow, surreal descent into gore, folklore, and serious psychological horror. We are inundated with atmosphere and escalating dread as the journey progresses and we learn more and more about Lori's very troubling past.

10. "A few miles south of Soledad, the Salinas River drops in close to the hillside bank and runs deep and green." - John Steinbeck Friendships can be complicated. What John Steinbeck novella was originally published in 1937 and focuses on the story of George Milton and Lennie Small, two transient ranch workers in California during the Great Depression, who dream of owning their own land someday... and maybe even some rabbits?

Answer: Of Mice and Men

"Of Mice and Men" tells the story of two traveling ranch hands, George Milton and Lennie Small, as they drift through Depression-era California chasing a simple dream... a patch of land they can call their own. George is sharp and practical while Lennie is physically strong but mentally childlike, which makes their partnership both touching and a bit precarious at times.

The book became a bestseller and was adapted for the stage and screen soon after its publication in 1937.

Source: Author JJHorner

This quiz was reviewed by FunTrivia editor looney_tunes before going online.
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Grim Readers Trivia Quiz

First Lines and Fun Facts

If you seek happy endings, you've turned onto the wrong haunted forest road. There are none to be found here. You will find first lines and tidbits to help you guess the grim stories within. King, Steinbeck, Poe, Ellis, Palahniuk, Oates, and more. Enjoy!

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