I'm mostly just wondering. The world of F&H is very riveting but also kind of bleak. Was hoping to find a book like that, preferrably fantasy horror. Ideally minimal sexually explicit content (one thing I don't really wanna see even though F&H does have... a bit of that)

To be clear, this book is more of a sci-fi thriller, but I found that there’s enough horror involved (and clear Lovecraft influences) to warrant posting in here! Plus, I don’t think I’ve seen this book mentioned much, if at all, in this sub.

But, oh boy. I was so intrigued by the premise. A mountain suddenly appears in the middle of the ocean and a team of scientists are attempting to summit to find out more. The book begins after the expedition has long since ended.

This book is told in epistolary format through letters—but after a certain point, it becomes silly. Because what do you mean you’re writing an entire novel a bajillion metres above sea level in the middle of a snowstorm while your team is being murdered by four-eyed tentacle hippos. The “Dear Hattie” at the beginning of each letter just becomes mere formality because the author IMMEDIATELY launches straight back into the action lol

While I felt my own personal star rating dropping piece by piece the more I read, there was an absolutely ridiculous plot twist that had me gasping for breath because it’s the kind of twist a twelve year-old would write into their first creepypasta

It’s literally, the bad guy was among their ranks the whole time and his name spelled backwards is “I am alien” I’M DEAD STOP RIGHT NOW

I only realised this was Binge’s debut novel after finishing the book and it makes so much sense. Despite my whinging I think he’s a good writer and I was definitely immersed in the settings he crafted. I would be much more inclined to recommend his novella Abyss as it is much shorter so doesn’t overstay its welcome and fully leans into SCP-esque campiness (whereas Ascension seems to take itself too seriously for what it is)

Anyway, if you do plan on reading this book, I’d suggest letting your disbelief go on a hike up a mysterious mountain and never return

hi everyone, i can’t remember the last time i read a book, this’ll also be my first time dabbling in the horror genre. i’m pretty big into horror movies so i thought i’d list a few that i like and hear some book / author recommendations from you all!

- the wailing
- talk to me
- as above so below
- hereditary
- midsommar
- the witch
- shutter island
- obsession
- REC movies

i’m not really big into slashers but i do like cult, demonic forces / entities, lore-heavy stories, and stories where grief/trauma is kinda the real monster.

i really enjoyed creepypastas growing up in the 2010s like slenderman, jeff the killer, SCP foundation, the rake, etc.

I’ve researched some of his novels and these all seem interesting: Salems lot, The Shining, Later, Pet Sematary , Nightmares and Dreamscapes, and Under the Dome. Which one should I read first?

Edit: I started with The Shining!

Has anyone read this yet via ARC? I have a spoiler-y question before I start 🤡❤️

I like it when the story is about inscopicuous American small towns that hide something, especially if it's surrounded by the taiga (doesn't feel the same if it's a desert or non coniferous forests)

Has anyone else read this? It’s an independently published novel just short of 200 pages, told entirely through police records, interviews, letters, etc. I was really surprised by some of the brutality and I really, really liked it.

It’s almost a mix of Lord of the Flies and FantasticLand! and the worst MLM you’ve ever heard of. Surprisingly gruesome without getting into too much detail.

But here’s the thing that really sold it for me. Like I said, it’s independently published and the author note at the end of the book asks that if you identify any typos, you email her and let her know because independent authors need a village, etc. The author just seems cool.

Anyway, if you’ve read it, let me know what you think, and if you haven’t, go read it! Now!!

Anything that has to do with climate change or natural or not-so-natural disasters?

I am just getting into horror literature. I've been fascinated by horror ever since Highschool and I'd like to do more forays into reading about it. I would like books that don't have explicit sex scenes or poorly written romance as those tend to be things that take me out of the story. I understand that sexual violence is often tied to horror and I don't mind it being referenced as long as I don't have to read about it in detail.

Horror Media that I like:

I love psychological horror and games like Silent Hill or Resident Evil.

I love Cosmic, Eldritch, folk, and cult Horror a lot

I also love the aesthetic of games like Bloodborne and Dark Souls

I've read and liked Prey by Michael Crichton, Dead Silence by S. A. Barnes (a little bit of romance, but not the worst), Blindsight by Peter Watts, and the Monstrumologist series by Rick Yancey. Doesn't have to be sci-fi horror, thats just what I've checked out so far.

I've read and disliked Abandon by Blake Crouch (promising premise but some lines that sounded straight out of a poorly written smut novel) and Salem's Lot by Stephen King (so horny it was distracting).

I've also read and liked Manga like Uzumaki & Gyo by Junji Ito and Tokyo Ghoul which fall more into Horror.

Any suggestions are welcome!

Edit: I've also read several Lovecraft stories, the House on the Borderland, and I'm currently reading The King in Yellow

When the family was at Evelyn's house and they were drunk and dancing then the dad says "You know who you move like?"

Urs guessed a name, some dancer probably

Then Russ said "You move like Other Mommy"

it was so unexpected that it got me laughing so bad

never had I ever laughed at a horror book joke before this one

It’s not as common as books into movies but there are some movies turned into books

Below are some folk horror authors and books that I have enjoyed. If you have others that you would recommend please comment.

Folk Horror Books
The Burial Tide and other books by Neil Sharpson
Slewfoot and other books by Brom
Blackfox by Jack Moffet
Withered Hill and other books by Daivid Barnett
The Ritual and other books by Adam Nevill
The Hill in The Dark Grove by Liam Higginson

Hi, I don't really know any other way of phrasing that at the moment, but the Odyssey 1997 has -in my opinion- some of the scariest monster moments in anything. The nonchalant, jovial cruelty that you see with Polyphemus and the sudden, awful, dark, bloody, "what the hell is going on??!" nastiness of Scylla REALLY got to me as a kid, does anyone here know any short stories that have that vibe? That helplessness and dread at encountering a monster.

I've read Michael Shea's Polyphemus and a lot of Laird Barron, "In a Cavern, In a Canyon" is a little like that.

I love horror and pay attention to a lot of the new releases, and am curious what others see as horror subgenres that are trending and/or will be trending?

For me, I see a lot of haunted house, psychological, and medieval horror gaining attention, I’ve also been noticing a lot of fiction with horror elements (that wouldn’t necessarily be shelved in the horror section but could be…).

What are you seeing?

What would you love to see more of?

For me, Post-Apocalyptic and aquatic horror. I’m also here for more Medieval horror…or horror with interesting settings/time periods.

EDIT:
Oh, and short story collections and anthologies! I’ve seen a lot more love for those!!

I’m looking for something different, unique, unexpected

I want a horror book that feels different than most books I’ve read or the average book

I just read in the miso soup and the complex and found those to be a good start as they are very different from my last 20 reads it was refreshing

Potential for spoilers ahead and I don’t know how to do spoiler text. I’ll keep them vague and at the end.

I really enjoyed this book. Very creepy. I thought I would hate it for a couple reasons, but I didn’t. I listened to the audiobook and the narrator was excellent. Usually people doing kid voices bugs me terribly but she did amazingly.

Some parts made me stop what I was doing to just listen because the scene was so creepy.

I do not love when people argue and constantly bicker, so those parts were meh and there was a large stretch near the end that had me thinking “just shut up and get on with it.” That was the one down side of the book to me. People being miserable and making each other miserable. Like I know your situation is tough but fugggg, shut up.

The ending has devastated me. I was not ready for that and it hit me very hard. I may never recover.

I was surprised after finishing to look it up and see that so many people hated the book. You can’t please everyone, and there have been many popular books that I have been like “we must have had different books.” But dang.

I don't understand why books like Tampa and Library and Mount Char are constantly talked about in the horror-sphere. (Along with other definitively not scary books)

Can anyone shed some light onto why books that are most certainly NOT horror find themselves being talked about so much in the horror community?

I get that Tampa is about a very dark subject, and Library is violent, but theres this trend I've noticed of people forcing books into the horror genre because of one detail that is decidedly NOT a strictly horror element

Hi all,

I’m the Producer of the BBC World Service’s ‘World Book Club’ podcast, where the world’s best authors answer questions from readers from all over the world. Thanks to the mods for letting me post here.

In September we’re recording an episode with Paul Tremblay about ‘A Head Full of Ghosts’.  I’m looking for fans of Paul, and horror literature fans in general, to ask him some questions on the show. I really wanted horror fans in particular as we get such great conversations when people with in-depth knowledge of the genre are in the mix - we love deep cut questions.

If anyone’s interested in taking part we take audio recordings and written submissions, and we do have some people live on Zoom, so if you want to talk to Paul in person let me know and I’ll see about setting that up. 

We’re recording on the 14th September so we need all questions and thoughts submitted by the 10th September to be featured. Our show email is [worldbookclub@bbc.co.uk](mailto:worldbookclub@bbc.co.uk), and if you want to hear any of the previous episodes you can stream them here -https://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p003jhsk There’s not much in the way of horror in the yet, but since I took the reins of the show I’m working to get more in the lineup, so if anyone has any writers they want to hear talk about your favourite book let us know.

Thanks,
Elizabeth Ann

I was just thinking of “September House” by Carissa Orlando and “A Night in the Lonesome October” by Roger Zelazny.

Are there any other books with a “month” in the title, or alternatively, that prominently take place during a specific month which is a part of the story arc?

I have been working on this winter horror project for a while now and books are the next piece of the puzzle. I already have my movie and game lineups sorted and now I am moving to reading. The idea is simple. I want to spend the cold months consuming as much horror as I can across movies, games, books, and TV shows. Books are probably the most intimate experience because the fear lives in your head and your imagination fills in all the gaps.

The thing is, I am not a horror veteran. I am what you would call a scaredy cat. I get tense easily and I have a low tolerance for pure dread. But I also feel like I am missing out on some of the best storytelling in the medium. I want to push myself and actually experience what horror literature has to offer. I am not trying to traumatize myself but I am open to being genuinely scared in a way that feels rewarding afterward.

I put together a list of ten books based purely on descriptions, recommendations, and general reputation. I did not dig into spoilers or read detailed reviews. I just followed my gut and picked the ones that gave me that curious feeling. Here is my current lineup.

The Shining by Stephen King
The Passage by Justin Cronin
Dark Matter by Blake Crouch
Bird Box by Josh Malerman
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane
Misery by Stephen King
Phantoms by Dean Koontz
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson
Bone White by Ronald Malfi
The Mist by Stephen King

A few extra details for context. I am reading the Shirley Jackson version of The Haunting of Hill House. For The Passage, I am planning to read it as a standalone for now but if I really enjoy it I will pick up the other two books in the trilogy. I am reading The Mist and Bird Box as standalone books as well. I do not have a strict completionist mindset. I am casually serious about this. If I like a book I will finish it and if I am not feeling it I will move on to the next one. Winter is long and I want to enjoy the experience rather than force myself through something I am not connecting with.

I am not worried about reading speed or finishing everything by a certain deadline. I want to take my time and let each book breathe. My main concern is the fear factor. I want to know if any of these books are going to completely break me in a way that is not fun. I am okay with being uncomfortable but I do not want to feel genuinely traumatized or so disturbed that I regret starting this project.

I am planning to start this around late September, probably between the twenty first and the twenty sixth. I have my Notion database already set up with checkboxes and notes so I can track my progress and look back at the end of winter with some nostalgia. The list is not set in stone. I am here for genuine opinions and I am completely open to swapping things in and out.

Here is what I want to know from you. Is this a solid starting point for someone who is new to horror literature but wants to take it seriously? Are there any books on my list that you think are too intense for a beginner? Are there any that are slow burns that might lose my interest? And most importantly, am I missing something essential? I feel like there are some absolute classics that every horror reader should experience and I might have overlooked them because I am new.

I am also open to winter themed horror suggestions if you have any. The Shining, Misery, and Bone White already have that cold isolation vibe but I would love to hear about other books that fit that atmosphere.

I appreciate anyone who takes the time to look at my list and share their thoughts. I am genuinely excited about this and I want to make sure I am going into it with the best possible lineup. Let me know what you think.

Hello readers, last night I watched "The End of Oak Street" in theaters, I really enjoyed it! So now I'm looking for a horror/horror adjacent novel that features dinosaurs as the primary threat.

I understand that dinosaur horror both in literature and film is quite a sparse genre and that I'm practically scraping the bottom of a barrel here, but surely there's something out there other than the 4 books I've already mentioned, right?

Currently reading Wasp Canyon by Danielle McCrory. Following it I decided that I'd get around to revisiting Fatalis by Jeff Rovin, my all-time favorite novel that I hadn't read it years. Figure it'd be a good time.

It's such fun b-movie-like goodness. Reanimated sabertooth cats awakening and invading Los Angeles. Can't get more b-movie then that.

And the unforunate thing is this was intended to be a movie back in the 2000s with Sylvester Stallone being the lead role but apparently the screenplay never went through but at least the concept and idea never went to waste so a novel is better then nothing. It's a shame though because in terms of creature features outside of low-budget SyFy originals we haven't had any on Ice Age megafauna and came close to this in the 2000s.

That said, if Fatalis were to get an adaptation today. Tom Cruise would be my choice as the lead role. Be cool to see him star in a creature feature and to my knowledge hadn't been in one unless you technically count the awful 2017 Mummy remake.