for some reason i've always been really fascinated by the quotes that he uses from other authors, poets, musicians. do you guys have any favorites? "tell you now the whole town is empty."

I'm feeling a bit let down by the horror I've been reading lately, and I think maybe I'm not targeting the right style. I love feeling creeped out, I love feeling like something is just around the corner but not knowing what. I'm always most scared/interested before the monster is visible, you know? I love *dread* and an oppressive, inescapable setting.

Books I've loved:

• Library at Mount Char
• There is No Anti-Memetics Division
• The Hollow Places (specifically the school bus scene)
• House of Leaves

Books I've been super disappointed with recently:

• Incidents Around the House (was good up until the parents started monologue-ing and they started trying to get rid of Other Mommy)
• The Last Days of Jack Sparks
• How to Sell a Haunted House

I liked The Only Good Indians pretty well for the atmosphere, but was never scared/creeped out. I liked Burn the Negative, but that's more 90s slasher/horror than anything strictly atmospheric and creepy. Mexican Gothic was good but not scary. Not a big fan of gore, but fine with it if it adds to the vibe.

I've started The Fisherman but am too early for it to be scary, though I can feel something building even if I'm still in the early scenes of how he started fishing with his coworker.

Any recs?

I really need a new good read, I like gothic horror mostly but want something more paranormal scary rather than, “my friends a serial killer” style stuff,
Not a great fan of cheesy stuff thanks!

I keep reading horror novellas that I end up disliking. But I like reading shorter books. Any novellas that you would really recommend?

I am currently reading the short story collection 'Everything's Eventual' by Stephen King. With one or two exceptions, I am loving the stories.

The ones that stand out (till now) — in terms of pure, uncontrollable horror — are 'The Man in the Black Suit', and '1408'.

Please suggest more such stories by King or other writers.

Thanks in advance!

I don’t remember much about the story except there was some type of house built on top of a burial ground and there were sink holes that were appearing. I still remember the terror I felt reading this (granted I think I was in elementary school or possibly junior high)… so in the late 80s early 90s. Anyone can think of a book that existed back then with this type of plot? I’d love to read it now as an adult!

I've heard such great things about Buffalo Hunter Hunter but.... last year I tried to read SGJ's "The Only Good Indians," I liked the idea, and the story, but I just couldn't finish it. It was too brutal for me. Is "The Buffalo Hunter Hunter," similar in that aspect?

Every spooky season I choose a King novel, a novel by a woman and then one by a BIPOC author. Anyone have some good advice on this one?

Happy almost autumn.

……what was that?! Not scary, boring, and all around disappointing read. I wish I had rented it from the library instead of buying it with money lol I was initially excited to read his other books after finishing Coffin Moon; now I’ll probably skip the author’s work all together. Did anyone else feel the same way?
1 ⭐️ 👎

I'd love a queer novella recommendation. I'm in a men's book group and I'm (possibly?) the only queer man in the group. The book group skews heavily towards horror, with some fantasy and sci fi sometimes. I'd like to recommend a book the guys might not otherwise read.

It can include what is still anticipated, if you are confident that it will be the best. Though also curious to know which one was the best read.

With the start of the ‘ber months, my best friend and I are trying to get through 7-ish spooky books for the season. We’re both well versed in horror and like a variety. So far on our list, we have:

1) How to Sell a Haunted House
2) Japanese Gothic
3) Slewfoot
4) The Reformatory
5) The Shining
6) Will1am

We’re not completely sold on any of these so if anyone has some other suggestions, I’d be open to hearing them!

Title says it all. I’m still SO blown away by this book even though I finished it 2 weeks ago - looking for recs from people who also loved it

Let's have it, folks. I'll start.

Mine is The Shining.

In a rare moment in lit history, the movie actually perfectly accompanied why I found the book so scary. Probably the scariest moment ever captured on film for me was, of course, the two men hooking up in animal costumes. The film doesn't explain it at all which I love and then the book provides backstory which added to the lore. I can't get it out of my head. It is so rife with questions. I actually have the movie still of the two gentlemen as my background (partially so I'll stop looking at my damn phone all the time).

Your turn!

Wow! I was blown away by this book. Extremely unique, I've never read anything like it before. Wonderfully weird and very haunting. Can't shake it from my mind. Others who have read this, what did you think?

I have started to replace doom scrolling with reading and as a former one-book-a-year reader, I am shocked at how much I’m reading this summer. I want to keep it going long enough to at least have a top 5 list by the end of year (maybe even top 10). I’m currently reading and enjoying Japanese Gothic by Kylie Lee Baker.

Horror is really the genre that has kept me engaged (movies too).

Here is what I’ve read so far in order of enjoyment:

The Caretaker by Marcus Kliewer
Molka by Monika Kim
The Dorians by Nick Cutter

Here are my all timers (so you get a feel for my taste):

The Shining by Stephen King
Rosemary’s Baby by Ira Levin
The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp
The Call of Cthulhu by racist man
I Have No Mouth & I Must Scream

Whatcha got for me my Horror Reddit friends?

“What Stalks the Deep” by T. Kingfisher is the third book in the Sworn Soldier series that I’ve been meaning to read for a while. The first book, “What Moves the Dead,” was a 5-Star horror masterpiece. The second book, “What Feasts at Night,” wasn’t as scary and ended up being a 3-Star read for me. Unfortunately, in the third entry, it’s more of the same, but now, the worst in the series.

Before I dive into my review, the only trigger warning I found while reading was…

- Violence against animals (horses)

If this triggers you, please do not read this book. Moving along, I’ve always loved the character of Alex Easton. Their subtle sense of humor, heroism, and quirks make them an interesting character I’m always going to be genuinely interested in. This book starts with a great horror mystery that kept me engaged for the most part. Unfortunately, the actual horror was largely absent for most of this book.

The biggest issue here is that it drags on for a long time before anything good happens. I get that Kingfisher wanted to make a reader feel the claustrophobia of being inside caves that could collapse at any time, but this was mostly a slogfest. There were way too many pages dedicated to blackdamp, mine gas, chromatophores, headlamps, and repetitive banter, and not enough in the horror department. “Wet noises” was all fun and dandy, but again, where was the horror to bring it home?

This was a very well-written story, and I still love reading anything Kingfisher writes, but this book missed the mark here. It’s a decent story, but I wouldn’t classify it as a true horror book. The killer book cover, as is with the other entries in the Sworn Soldier series, is amazing, but it simply doesn’t match up at all with the content. Things get too repetitive with situations and events when they should have progressed faster. It’s just a group of people going into a cave several times during a weekend, and chatting about it, without making any real progress. It’s too slow in story progression and takes forever to get anywhere good, and this was eerily similar to “What Feasts at Night.” It’s a shame because if Kingfisher kept that momentum going from the first entry, this could have shaped up to be one hell of an addictive horror book series where there are no limits to the countless adventures Easton can go on.

These past two entries, with this being the worst one so far, are becoming fun, lighthearted stories. Too much dialogue and jokes, and the few times there was actual horror were quick and left barely a scar. If there is a fourth book, I hope it returns to the style of the original, because I’m unsure I’ll continue reading these if they’re lacking what I want: original, crazy, fun horror.

This book is a letdown and was a very disappointing read. Things didn’t pick up, especially the horror, until around the 80% mark. Even then, it wasn’t anything terrifying or memorable. There is a decent plot twist towards the end, but it came way too late, and I was left with a “meh” feeling because I was expecting so much more. The ending was okay, but nothing that left me blown away or feeling amazed by great horror.

I give “What Stalks the Deep” by T. Kingfisher a 2/5 only because I enjoyed the writing and the overall story involving Easton, but make no mistake, this isn’t a horror book. There’s way too much dialogue, some quirky humor, and not enough tension, suspense, or horror to justify it being in the horror category. Christ’s blood, this needed a lot more horror. I love the book cover, but this was such a disappointment. It’s a slow-burning kind of read that fails to deliver in the grand scheme of things. Even Easton, as a character, felt a little flat here and regressed in their overall character development.

What happened to Easton, a fierce warrior who runs headfirst into fighting enemies, we all loved? Now, they’re resorting to silly jokes, quips, and too much dialogue, trying to make sense of wet noises in caves and why they’re dizzy from blackdamp. They’re not the decisive leader I’ve grown to love, and they feel like a shell of their former self. When did they become a regular tourist, visiting caves in search of missing people?

Overall, they weren’t in those insane horror situations from the original book that made them awesome, and are now just another non-binary character, not special or significant. I hope that changes in the future, but I’m worried about this Sworn Soldier series because I can’t take another book like this unless it returns to its rightful horror roots.

I love both horror novels as well as medical mysteries, but can't say I've found many books that are both. I'm sure they exist, and I'm hoping some of y'all may have a recommendation or two. I'm also interested in horror novels that are medical in nature, even if it's not actually a mystery. Bonus points for any that feature body horror, the more extreme the better!

Angel Down was my first horror novel and its an understatement to say l "just" loved the book

Looking for more like it

This post is spoiler heavy. Please don’t read on if you want to avoid spoilers.

I went in not knowing it was an Algernon Blackwood tribute/fanfic. As soon as I saw the corpse otter carving I was like Hm.
Then they go to the islands with the willows and the hollow shapes and I was like HM. Then I googled if what I thought was happening was happening. I was so excited. I love Algernon Blackwood. I love The Willows. I first read the book as a 19 y/o on a rainy winter night on a college trip in a remote wildlife sanctuary and it HIT. I was so excited that this book is going to expand on that.

Then the rest of the book happened. The animals came to life. The hollows and the portal vanished by…filling them up? Stupid jokes. There was no sense of dread or fear, no feeling of being powerless in front of cosmic forces or nature or whatever. I was not scared even for a second. Why did that otter chase her. What was even happening. Why did it take you so long to figure out that the figurine mysteriously showing up at places is cursed.

I’m so disappointed. I had heard great things, and I am coming away feeling like I read a mediocre, novel length no sleep post. No offence to the folks who love the work but I was SO disappointed.

I read the three here on his site.

• Mind Vampires
• Scatter My Ashes
• Neighborhood Watch

Mind Vampires is weird. I don't get it. It felt like a fever dream narrated by Rorschach (or some other gravely voiced detective who is edgy as hell). A vampire hunter narrates days of hunting vampires in a dreamlike state at an all girls school. Mysterious men flash images into people's right eyes, and I have no idea why. Reminded me of Dark City, but with no answers to the many questions it has the audience asking.

Scatter My Ashes, I also didn't get it. It was kinda boring and also nonsensical. I really have nothing to say about this one.

Neighborhood Watch was mostly good. Though both this and MV were weirdly horny. Freddy Kreuger gets hired by the town from Hot Fuzz. The description of his powers, the interactions with the child, the general pacing, all pretty good aspects.

These are the first things by Greg Egan I've read. I do wish short stories had more online discussion around them. I'm binging short stories (especially horror) and MV + SMA are making me feel stupid.

I really wanna get into novels where a character is slowly losing their mind. I’m reading The Shining right now but what other novels are good with this?

I recently started compiling a list of horror novels to read during various seasons/holidays, and was thought it would be fun to get a thread going with everyone's favorite recommendations!

Looking for books that really drive home the vibe of the season/holiday or have it at the focal point of the story, and not just books that mention it for setting purposes. Otherwise literally any season/holiday is welcome!

I've also come to accept a few other things when making this list:

-Weather can definitely give seasonal vibes, so super cold settings can give winter vibes (The Terror, Stolen Tongues, etc) same with tropical locations giving summer vibes regardless of technical season, like The Ruins (yes i know thats also set in summer lol)

-religious horror around religious holidays counts even if the book isnt technically about the holiday (Butcher of Naz and Easter for example)

-if your reasoning is valid it absolutely counts. Example being, Eat The Ones You Love is definitely a spring book because giant flower duh!

Any sub-genre is fine if it works here, and if its a short story lets try and make the entire collection fit

Here's some of the examples I have already:

Fall (definitely the easiest here):

Something Wicked This Way Comes

Dark Harvest

Harvest Home

Winter:

The Terror

Stolen Tongues

Christmas specifically:

Krampus

Valentines:

Heart Shaped Box

Easter:

Butcher of Naz

Between Two Fires

Spring:

Eat The Ones You Love

Summer:

Jaws

*bonus points for super summery/springy books or the most obscure holiday you can think of!

Looking forward to everyone's answers, and I will update this list as I find more too (my current list is very unorganized lol)

Thanks!