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The Year's Top Horror Authors Recommend Seriously Scary Books
When you want a book recommendation for a scary story, you’re better off going right to the source: authors of scary stories.
As part of our Horror Month celebration of all things scary, we asked some of the genre’s leading writers to recommend four horror books that, well, scared the hell out of them. (It’s industry jargon.) We also asked a simple question: “What makes a book frightening to you?” The answers, and the recommended books, are presented below.
It’s pretty fascinating, actually. You’ll find plenty of good novels in the mix, but also lots of short story collections, anthologies, and flash fiction. Here you’ll find notes on existential dread from Alexis Henderson (House of Hunger) and the value of atmosphere from Isabel Cañas (The Hacienda). Also, a word from Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians) about Carlsbad Caverns. Plus Alma Katsu! Paul Tremblay! T. Kingfisher!
Feel free to continue the discussion in the comments section, and add any tempting recommendations to your Want to Read shelf.
As part of our Horror Month celebration of all things scary, we asked some of the genre’s leading writers to recommend four horror books that, well, scared the hell out of them. (It’s industry jargon.) We also asked a simple question: “What makes a book frightening to you?” The answers, and the recommended books, are presented below.
It’s pretty fascinating, actually. You’ll find plenty of good novels in the mix, but also lots of short story collections, anthologies, and flash fiction. Here you’ll find notes on existential dread from Alexis Henderson (House of Hunger) and the value of atmosphere from Isabel Cañas (The Hacienda). Also, a word from Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians) about Carlsbad Caverns. Plus Alma Katsu! Paul Tremblay! T. Kingfisher!
Feel free to continue the discussion in the comments section, and add any tempting recommendations to your Want to Read shelf.
"In order to be truly frightening, a book must confront the convenient lies we tell ourselves to make the world bearable. Many of us move through life with a firm belief that the animal selves we contain are buried deep beneath the surface—but in a moment of real and honest fear, we discover that the self is an animal and that animal wants nothing more or less than to live. Only by stripping away the artifices of social contract and reason can a book tap into the profound terror that comes with having to survive in an unknowable reality."
"A book is frightening to me when it makes me feel unsettled. Fear, both real and supernatural, is very personal, and I enjoy a mix of both. For some, fear can come in the shape of a vampire, alien, werewolf, demon, or ghost, while for others it can be human depravity, systemic racism, or illness, to name a few. Any narrative that can make me feel unsettled or disturbed because of its proximity to real life while also making me feel empathy for its characters is a frightening book because it shows things I’m afraid of on multiple levels."
"I’m three years old at Carlsbad Caverns, where they turn the lights off at the bottom so you can appreciate that inky, pure darkness. When those lights come on, though? I’ve slipped past the velvet ropes. I bring this up because I prefer my horror to be beyond the 'safe' places as well. Call it 'off the rails,' 'down the rabbit hole'—I like to suspect my fiction’s been written by someone I should probably be careful about trusting. I think I got that darkness at the bottom of the cave in me, I mean. So, more like these, please…"
"It’s not surprising that, in a time filled with fresh horrors daily, that people are turning to horror novels for reassurance and even comfort: to be told that the terrors will pass, that there will be a dawn no matter how dark the night. To me, the best horror novels are personal. They strike at a terror we hold (or perhaps have hidden) close to our hearts. The best horror hits us where we live."
"What frightens me most in a book are the creatures with motivations I cannot understand. I live in fear of bug-eyed aliens and Mothman because I don't know what they want. At least with a serial killer or a rabid St. Bernard, I know what's going on, even if I can't actually stop it. But the thing that comes at you that you cannot fight off or negotiate with or even fully comprehend…brrr. Gets me every time."
"To me, a book that is truly frightening is one that evokes the senses and explores the complexity of fear. If a book can make me feel not just afraid—but disgusted, dread-filled, shocked, psychologically, or even existentially disturbed—that makes it all the more frightening. That’s a book that will get under my skin and haunt me long after I’ve finished reading."
"The big, pyrotechnic, loud-scare set pieces generally are enjoyable/exciting in a Fun House way, but the moments that burrow deep down inside me are the quieter, uncanny, unexpected glimpses into the inexplicable, the unnameable; things, to paraphrase Mariana Enriquez, that can only be explained or communicated in the language of horror. Those are the moments that take over my brain, make me run up the dark basement stairs quicker, make me afraid of what I might see when the lights go off or when I close my eyes."
"For me, execution trumps premise in spinning a horror tale that keeps me up at night. Like a movie's flickering lighting or spooky soundtrack, tense, vivid prose that oozes dread can turn any setting into nightmare material. Short-form horror is especially good at this: Short stories place voice and atmosphere front and center, setting the mood and weaving suspense in ways that can scare me silly. Pair that with the pull-no-punches endings of flash fiction, and I guarantee you will find a tale (or two) among these masterful stories that will make you leave the lights on."
"There are certain books that pull you in so effortlessly that it’s actually hard to stop your skin from crawling. For me, I’m sucked in by detail—not the quantity of detail but the quality. When a writer describes a gymnasium, for example, by focusing on the smell of its mats, I’m immediately in that gym, terrified of whatever evil lurks there (e.g., exercise). The Ruins by Scott Smith, The Grip of It by Jac Jemc, A Kiss Before Dying by Ira Levin, and The Good House by Tananarive Due are four books that, in my opinion, do this very well. And therefore, scared the hell out of me."
Have a great horror novel recommendation? Let's talk books in the comments!
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The Good House is a great one. I also just finished Daphne by Josh Malerman and that was terrifying.
The Elementals by Michael McDowell; Sacrifice by Sharon Bolton; The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher; The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon
Stephen Graham Jones is an amazing author with impeccable taste.
Amy wrote: "The Elementals by Michael McDowell; Sacrifice by Sharon Bolton; The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher; The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon"The Winter People by Jennifer McMahon is excellent.
I’m so glad ‘tender is the flesh’ Is included. Possibly the most terrifying book I’ve ever read
Love recommendation lists like this !! Keep ‘em coming
Excited to check these out! I’m currently already reading What Moves the Dead
Interesting. Out of the various author's recommendation lists, I would have to say that Kingfisher's picks align the most closely with my tastes in horror (I'm really into the whole 'fear of the unknown' school of horror writing, and tend to find it to be the most effective mode), while Gailey's are the furthest from my particular interests (they appear to lean too far into thriller territory for my tastes; indeed, I've only ever heard of one of the books she chose).
I've read three of Kingfisher's recommendations and the fourth was already on my To Read list. Guess I should read Kingfisher.
The Return is a good one-a different take on the vampire horror novel. Many are good recommendations. I also recommend The Haunting of Hill House as this still is the only book that scared me during the daytime in a classroom of 8th graders. Others had to do it while I was alone in my bedroom, reading in bed at night. Shirley Jackson is the one who pointed me to write horror. Her We Have Always Lived in the Castle is another goodie.
Mandy wrote: "The Good House is a great one. I also just finished Daphne by Josh Malerman and that was terrifying."
Same!
Great! Now I have 15 more to buy before Halloween!
Werefox by moonlight: wrote: "Interesting. Out of the various author's recommendation lists, I would have to say that Kingfisher's picks align the most closely with my tastes in horror (I'm really into the whole 'fear of the un..."I agree with this!! I love the whole fear of the unknown vibe, if you haven't already checked out House of Leaves, I think it checks that box and then some. Definitely one of the better "wtf is going on/disorienting/makes me afraid to walk down my own hallway in the middle of the night" reads. :) Admittedly, took me a couple of tries to get into, just because the book literally jerks you around with all the footnotes/turning the book sideways to read, but well worth the ride.
Peter Lancett, 'The Ravenmocker'Christopher Golden, 'Road of Bones'
Ronald Malfi, 'Come With Me
Jonathan Maberry, INK
All excellently written and very scary -- I highly recommend these books -- enjoy
Dracul by Dacre Stoker & J.D. BarkerHex by Thomas Olde Heuvelt
Later by Stephen King
Such Sharp Teeth by Rachel Harrison
Just a few of my top scary reads!
Great list! Thank you for all the recommendations. More like this with different genres please 🧡
The Shining literally had me jumping at shadows when I read that. Truly creepy and frightening read.
Don't ever stop with content like this! 🙌
Ordinary Horror and Last Things by David Searcy are well written and creep up in your brain over time.Lost Echoes by Joe Lansdale is Horror on the Ray Bradbury level of small town childhood.
Reader's writers.
Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell, Intercepts by T J Payne, The Silent Companions & The Corset by Laura Purcell, Insomnia & Behind her eyes by Sarah Pinborough, I am thinking of ending things by Iain Reid and The Sun Down Motel by St Simon James.Enjoy!!!
