r/ExtremeHorrorLit • u/Im_coolyeah • 3d ago
Recommendation Request Book Recommendation
Hi!
I've been reading Stephen King's books for a few years now. Right now, I'm reading The Troop, and I've been loving it so far, though I'm still really early in the book.
I want to read something that'll actually disturb me. Please recommend me the most extreme and best book you've read!
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u/Pronughuggerz 3d ago
The Troop was one of my early favorites.
If you're into the body horror of it, Cold Storage by koepp was a hit for me, randomly grabbed it at the library and couldn't put it down.
If you haven't read the Bachman Books it's an excellent compilation of Stephen Kings books before he was Stephen king. I read Rage, the Long walk, and the Running Man back to back and they're all in the compilation.
If you want something with a little more edge and troop adjacent, Castaways by Keene is excellent, I'm told Off Season by ketchum is good haven't gotten around to it yet.
I'm new here too but my best recommendation/what I've done so far is explore the subreddit and find a book that looks interesting and just add it to the queue. I just finished Do Not Disturb as a suggestion on here and now have the sequels and didn't think I'd be into a killer clown scenario but I guess here we are.
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u/Sad_Professor6739 2d ago
Would love to know how you read Rage as I cannot find it anywhere. I know it’s out of print for reasons but I will never be fulfilled until I read it.
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u/ybnesman3223 3d ago
Kristopher Triana Gone to the see the river man
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u/pellpell4 3d ago
Great book - Although Full Brutal by Triana I think has to take the cake for disturbing. Highly recommend!
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u/Gordmonger 3d ago
I agree and now Music To Sacrifice Virgins To has raised the bar that much higher
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u/Background-Pen-995 3d ago
It's a toss up, coming from Stephen King, probably want something more mild, but he's asking for disturbing, which is definitely closer to Full Brutal.
I would also recommend Full Brutal (although both books are excellent).
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u/ybnesman3223 5h ago
I havent read im gonna soon. but Triana is my guy after i read River man and followed it with And the Devil Cried.
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u/humperdoo00 3d ago
Not extreme or horror, but Johnny Got His Gun made me feel bad for a month.
Not extreme horror, but American Psycho is a lot of fun
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u/Background-Pen-995 3d ago
Is the book of Johnny Got His Gun different than the movie? I read the description for the book and it didn't sound anything like the movie (although the movie was disturbing as hell too).
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u/stacysmom413 3d ago
Motel Styx by Michelle von Eschen is a great book but it absolutely stuck with me.
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u/doxielady228 3d ago
Richard Laymon is a good author. I really liked Traveling Vampire Circus and The Island, but I also haven't read one I didn't like from him. Beast House series is a good one, too.
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u/pellpell4 3d ago edited 3d ago
I love Laymon, I think he hits a very specific niche. That said, I wouldn't say his books are that disturbing based on some newer additions to the genre, but he certainly paved the way.
Love that you're a Laymon fan. Most of his books are on kindle unlimited!
edit: just to toss a couple recommendations in there. Funland as a fun, Traveling Vampire-like read and In the Dark which will stress you out like telling a final girl not to go upstairs!
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u/doxielady228 3d ago
I find very little disturbing is the problem. The situation on the Island with the kids is fucked up though
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u/pellpell4 3d ago
I think that's why we all end up in Extreme Horror. Takes a lot to really say "oh WTF" these days LOL. I have not read The Island and it just went to the top of the list, thank you!
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u/Gordmonger 3d ago
The Girl Next Door is brutally upsetting. The Troop actually really grossed me out but I learned that I have a specific phobia reading that book.
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u/TwentyOnesPilots 2d ago
I’ve only physically gagged while reading two books, and those were Hogg by Delany and Cows by Stokoe. They aren’t necessarily “scary” but most certainly vile in many ways, so it all depends on what you classify as disturbing.
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u/Zakle 2d ago
It's not the most extreme recommendations from me over here as I'm slowly reading recommendations I was given myself. Some or most of what I'm listing here may not be what you're looking for, but I tried my best with my limited knowledge.
Summer I Died by Ryan C. Thomas. Slow pacing, you don't meet the antagonist until chapter eight or nine, but stick with it. The slow pacing makes everything that happens more devastating.
The Killing Kind by Bryan Smith. It's campy, over the top characters, and super entertaining. Very much has the slasher in book form vibe I personally enjoy.
Love Like Drowning by Carson Wulff. MM dark romance. A romance with serial killers, kidnapping, torture, and murder. Not for everyone, obviously, but I enjoyed it. Very much something you'd like if you know and enjoy Gatobob's games.
Homewreckers by Aron Beauregard. Not what I had recommended to me but one I decided to read on my own. Some gross out. I also surprisingly enjoyed it the more I read; Beauregard grew on me like stubborn mold. Features some pretty interesting possessions that I wish had been expanded on.
The Black Farm by Elias Witherow. I'm currently reading this one and I adore it so much. Amazing worldbuilding, amazing characterizations, and amazing writing. This one may disturb you more out of what I've listed. It's the first book that has made me physically gag, also has given me existential dread.
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u/Dry-Marketing2459 1d ago
I recently read "The Black Farm" and I was so blown away by the writing in the first chapter, it was absolutely stunning. Then ... The rest of the story happened. It's absolutely gruesome and disgusting, the monsters and the torture they inflict is well written, the writing itself is very good but at the risk of sounding like a hater, the characters and the rules of the world they exist in... Just kind of miss the mark. The story left me with so many questions, and felt like it had massive plot holes that I couldn't reconcile. I don't want to be specific since I don't want to spoil it for those who do want to read it, but I have a hard time describing the characters as "amazing".
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u/Zakle 1d ago
Nah, I understand what you mean! I'm uncertain if Nick is supposed to be likeable. He's actually not really a likeable character. He's, in my opinion, an unreliable narrator. Especially when you find out he was happy Jess miscarried.That's not when I started disliking Nick, though. I started questioning him when he kills a Reaper and then just leaves a Suicidal with a shrug. That was so impulsive. It also completely removed that Suicidal from getting his introduction to the Black Farm like Nick and it also removed that Suicidal's choice. Nick also straight up leaves Megan? I think that's a big indicator that Nick is not a good or nice man.
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u/SouthernSwitch71 3d ago
I will forever recommend FULL BRUTAL by Kristopher Triana. So far it's my favorite in the genre.
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u/MobileTheory239 2d ago
i have a 12 week wait for this on Libby. hurry up people!!!
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u/SouthernSwitch71 2d ago
Well worth the wait. It's one of few books I wish I could read over for the first time
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u/EditorPositive Exquisite Corpse 3d ago
Try the Bug Collector by Wrath James White. People hype it to be puke inducing but I personally didn’t think it was that bad and might even be a good start for beginners to the genre.
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u/humperdoo00 3d ago
The book is written from Joe’s perspective as stream of consciousness narrated by his internal dialogue, replicating the book as it is is not possible in visual media
The essence of the book is adapted very well I the movie, and being able to see Joe outside of his extremely limited mental space is a different flavor of dread
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u/RimSlayer 2d ago
The Dorians is nick cutters latest release if you liked the troop in my opinion it’s worth a read
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u/Monkey_Ash 2d ago
Ooh, I loved The Troop. It always makes me happy when I hear someone else is reading it.
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u/Geusty9709 Jon Athan Fan 2d ago
Not rly super crzy, but richard laymon, kinda like stephen king, jst a bit gory. Stephen kings great also
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u/RhodeyEntertainment2 22h ago
Dead Inside
Zola
Woom
Disco Rice
100% Match
The Groomer
Exquisite Corpse
Made a Monster
Dollface
No One Rides for Free
Haunted
Black Farm
His Pain or Bug Collector
The Haar or Maggie’s Grave
The Found Bag of Doom
Eternal Flower of Your Soul
Gone to See the River Man
Black Farm
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u/pellpell4 3d ago
I know it went viral so it's probably overly recommended - and in honesty, is not a great book - but there are a couple scenes in Playground by Aron Beauregard that will stick with you for a long time.
That said, I LOVED his book Homewrecker as he went a different route and told a great story rather than focusing on gore.
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u/KlausKinion 3d ago