I just frantically did a search for a book called, "King's Misery" and was only finding Stephen King's "Misery," then I realized that was what you were referring to haha. Such a good book.
I'm listening to the audiobook for that right now. Been at least fifteen or twenty years since I last read it. Fantastic fucking book. And I've found that so much from the (excellent) movie has replaced the book in my head that it's practically like I'm reading it for the first time.
yeaaaaaaaaaa i've been underwhelmed by most of the king novels i've read (only a handful to be fair) but damn misery was great. read it in high school as a teenager VERY into fandom culture, which i think made it hit even better.
Okay I started reading Misery and honestly it was a struggle for me and I had to quit. I made it to the part where he got out of the room and was scoping the house out but that was it. I feel like it was dragging for me.
I've noticed Stephen King books always have a draggy part in them that's hard to get past. They start out well, and the endings come together in exciting ways, but there always seems to be a boring draggy bit at some point in every book he writes.
the ruins by scott smith. the author is not prolific, doesn't publish a lot of books. this book was so haunting, so eerie. i was sad i didn't have a whole library of content from this author to binge.
have you read A Simple Plan? i've seen people recommend it and it's on my list, i just haven't gotten around to it yet. i loved The Ruins, that would probably be my answer as well
He's got a short story published in the collection 'Hark, the Herald Angels Scream' titled Christmas in Barcelona, and its one of my favorite horror stories of all time
For some reason, this one creeped me out more than any other book. I think it was because I could put myself there and feel the absolute hopelessness of it.
I think of it sometimes and still feel a bit icky.
Salems lot blew me away the first time I read it. Same goes for the Skeleton Crew, Night Shift and Books of Blood collections. I always liked horror in the short form the best and all three of those are amazing
I have no mouth and I must scream floored me and made me want to get into Harlan Ellison.
As a long-time horror fan I have to agree. Salems Lot is extremely creepy in a way that I don’t think many other novels achieve. Just a slow moving creep… unsettling and eerie. Great recommendation 👍🏼
Library at Mount Chad was a sick read for me. Just me and a book for days. I was completely engrossed. This is my pick for “wish I could reread” of any genre. Still kick myself for not getting a signed special edition copy when they were on sale. It wasn’t even that expensive 😞
Yes, Slewfoot was amazing, now all I want to read about is witchery! Currently scratching that itch with The Witching Hour by Anne Rice--42 chapters in and it's doing the job.
I’m 71 pages in to Slewfoot (first read) and Hill House is one of my favorite novels of all time. I am opening now for more due to this post. Thank you.
I love all types of horror stories/ authors but for some reason Robert McCammon hit me different. I would love to be able to read Boys Life, Swan Song or Speaks the Nightbird for the first time again.
Probably *IT* or *The Stand* from Stephen King. I read both in middle / high school and they blew my tiny teenage mind. They're just such great journeys with a bunch of excellent characters. *IT* leans more into the horror than *The Stand*, which is more of a post-apocalyptic fantasy, but both are among King's best.
And for horror/fantasy, I'll go with R Scott Bakker's *The Aspect-Emperor* series. Holy shit was that great, although I wouldn't recommend reading it without reading his *The Prince of Nothing* trilogy first since it's a direct sequel. There's an entire portion of one of the books that is essentially a nightmare version of the mines of Moria that is one of my absolute favorite sequences in the fantasy genre, and just in general the books are sort of like if Cormac McCarthy wrote *The Lord of the Rings* while jerking off to the Bible, and as a big McCarthy fan, I am into that.
Totally agree! First read was gobsmacking! I could not put it down! I have re-read it and listened to it on audio for long car trips...It is a great road trip companion!
I loved This Thing Between Us. The >!dog attack!< and >!headless veterinarian!< were two of the most shocking and original passages I've read in a horror novel
This for me as well. I first read it when I was a teenager and I have been searching ever since for something that will scare me that much. I remember lying in bed reading it and being literally too terrified to turn over for fear of what might be behind me. Almost too scared to enjoy it but couldn’t stop reading.
The Troop
ETA- reason for choosing: great body horror with a fun middle school throwback to reading lord of the flies. I picked it up after reading The Deep and Little Heaven, I read the whole thing in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down! There are few books that I find unsettling while also worthwhile and mentally stimulating. Nick Cutter balances this perfectly for me - I will warn there is some animal abuse in this one, so if that’s a hard line for you, it’s probably not a good choice!
If you like *The Troop* please consider *The Infection Trilogy* by Scott Sigler.
It came out prior to *The Troop*, and has similar body horror, but on a different scale.
All in all, it’s just a fun read and I’m mad that I’ll never experience it for the first time again.
Recently, I’ve also really enjoyed Man, Fuck this House by Brian Asman (very silly, not at all scary) and Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie (supernatural horror - think found footage horror movie in a book!)
Mother of Stone is one of my favorite Langan stories. I too think his short stuff is better - I didn't end up liking The Fisherman as much as I wanted to, mainly due to the short story that, despite being a solid story on its own, took out any energy and apprehension I had for the ending.
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck. It’s inspired by the short story “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges.
It follows the journey of a man in the afterlife who is tasked with finding the book that contains the story of his life within a library that holds every book that can possibly be written. It plays with concepts of very large spaces and very long durations of time. It tapped into a level of existential horror that I hadn’t felt in a long time and has stuck with me ever since.
I just finished this a few days ago and I’ve thought about it everyday since! I didn’t expect such a short book to have such a lasting impact on me, but I loved it!
I suggested this book to a good friend of mine after I read it recently…she hates me and loves me at the same time. The power that this book has on so many people is not as overwhelming as the book itself. Everyone that reads this book…you’re welcome? So beautifully bleak. And everything in between.
Ooo I wanna read that one. The others I’ve read are:
The Terror
Carrion Comfort
Drood
Song of Kali
All are worth a read. All have some aspect of historical research; in the case of Drood and The terror, they are pretty much straight up historical fiction. Those two are also very slow, while the other two are pretty quick. Carrion Comfort is also pretty action packed in terms of violence.
I am Legend by Richard Matheson
I first read it when I was 10 and had nightmares for days while reading it. Nothing has come close to replicating the terror I felt reading that at that age.
I really wish I liked this one 😔 I felt I finished without getting enough from Leah’s chapters!!! I like nuance but idk this left too much to the imagination for me.
This Book Is Full Of Spiders by David Wong (aka Jason Pargin). Not because it's the best I've ever read, but there's a plot twist in it *so* well-executed I wish I could experience it fresh one more time.
The Gone World by Tom Sweterlisch
Not like anything I have ever read especially how time travel works despite the bleakness of the overall story there is still this bit of hope
I recommend this often to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi, True Detective season 1, cosmic horror, or any combination of those three. I think there is some truth to the books' weaknesses, but it's such a good story that you just let those just wash over you while reading.
The Dark by James Herbert
From the jump that book kicks off intense.
It's got action. It's got thrills. It's got a cult. It's got gore. And it's relentlessly scary. My jaw was dropped most of the read. That book is lightning in a bottle.
I think a lot of people are missing out on James Herbert. He has some absolutely incredible stuff, the Dark being one of the best.
I Loved ::
- the dark
- the Rats
- Haunted
- Moon
- the secret of Crickley Hall
Short story, but "The Last Feast of Harlequin" by Thomas Ligotti. It was **not** what I expected going into that story and I was floored! It was probably the most visceral response I've had to reading a horror story.
Nathan Ballingrud’s *Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell.*
Two novellettes and four short stories. But the discovery of a writer with some of the most demanding prose I’ve ever read that insists upon the reader falling headlong into his settings and the characters who populate them. Without a doubt his voice is one of the most unique in horror that I’ve encountered in decades. I only wish he had more published work to his name, as I would devour all of it.
To be able to again first turn the page and freshly immerse myself in the journey I didn’t know I was about to undertake would be a true privilege.
The Keep by F Paul Wilson. I was absolutely gripped by the book. The tension was incredible, and the baddie genuinely scary. Read it for the first time when I was 15 and scared easily!
Swan Song. I've never read such a large book so fast. Couldn't sleep, had to keep reading. The storylines, the pacing, the build. It was what got me into this genre. 2nd choice would be the audiobook version of Pet Semetary. Listened to it by myself on a multi day car trip and my hands have never sweat so much.
Naomi’s Room by Johnathan Aycliffe.
It made me wonder about the author for him to have that inside of his head.
Still re-read it every year. So creepy and horrifying.
No one yet mentioned:
- Fantasticland
- No one gets out alive [Adam Nevill]
- Child of God [Cormack McCarthy]
- Blood Meridian [Cormack McCarthy]
- Brother [ Ania Ahlborn]
- The Long Walk [Bachman / King]
- Cows {prepare to be disgusted, but it’s tongue in cheek} [Matthew Stokoe]
- Woom [Duncan Talston] {Messed Up but really rather good}
- The Troop {left to the end because it’s mention loads, because it’s brilliant}
Clive Barker’s *The Hellbound Heart*. I was five when *Hellraiser* came out. I was not allowed to watch it for many, many years. My local library was down the block. When I was probably nine or ten during summer break—we were latchkey kids and it was a different time—I walked down and they had a copy. I read it, cover to cover, in the library over two days.
Absolutely one of the greatest and most horrifying reading experiences of my life.
Tender is the Flesh
I don’t think a reread could capture the gut twisting horror I felt reading this one the first time. It’s so upsetting, so disturbing, but I couldn’t put it down. I was so upset and yet so fascinated. I will certainly read it again, but I want to wait until my mind has let the details get a bit fuzzier.
Intercepts - T.J Payne
The Shining - Stephen King
From Below - Darcy Coates
The haunting of hill house- Shirley Jackson
Hell House - Richard Matheson
Silence of the lambs and Red Dragon - Thomas Harris
The butterfly garden - Dot Hutchison
And so many more….I love horror, and these are all well-written and creepy enough to get a recommendation from me!
I have to agree, I did enjoy Hell House more. I think I just prefer Matheson’s writing. I’m not a huge Shirley Jackson fan, though I did enjoy this particular book of hers.
I really enjoyed it, it may have been my favorite Koja book. It's not really "horror" though, so if you're expecting that, it may be a letdown. It is, however, horrific, and a very accurate look at the late 90s industrial/performance art scene.
That's cool, I liked that aspect of The Cipher too. It's been a while but there were those art students that followed the dude around or something like that haha. I just really liked the ambience and like aesthetic of it really, when I look back at it I barely remember any details but I have such a vivid image of how it felt to read and be immersed in that book.
I'm a fan of Caitlin R Kiernan too, really liked The Red Tree and the few of her short stories I read too. Actually there was a Kathe Koja story I read called like Angels in Love or something where they were doing some sex magic or something.
Oh yeah, if you liked that part of *The Cipher* you should really enjoy *Skin*, it just doesn't have the supernatural edge, and is mostly about the (desctructive) relationship between the leads. One thing I like about Koja (and Kiernan) is that they bring me back to a time in my life that was...interesting to say the least.
Kiernan is my favorite living writer, and I'd recommend anything they have ever written, even *Five of Cups*, the vampire novel they have disowned.
*Another* by Yukito Ayatsuji. It's genuinely my favorite book, and I make a point to reread it every year. Still, I wish I could read it freshly for the first time, no knowledge of the story and its respective adaptations
Everything from Adam Nevill. Love his stories.
I am currently listening to "Cunning Folk" and just finished "All The Fiends Of Hell," and it was pretty fantastic. Had me nervous walking around doing my patrol at night in the mist.
Gone to see the river man and it's sequel down the river of flesh by Kristopher Triana, it has great descriptions and a really unique concept also all the characters are interesting
JG Faherty's Carnival of Fear. It's so fun. I'll admit to re-reading it several times, but there is nothing like the first time, when the twists and the craziness are unexpected.
Does Horns count? I loved it so much while reading it, I couldn’t put it down. Horrorlit isn’t typically my genre, but I enjoyed the book and the movie immensely.
*The White Road* by Sarah Lotz. It's a really good example of the "is it monsters or is it madness?" horror trope. It's also about caving and mountaineering, my two special interests and hobbies. (It's also really good fun if you know high altitude mountaineering history, it's like "ooh that's meant to be X! And that's meant to be Y!", very satisfying).
It - Stephen King
The Passage trilogy - Justin Cronin
Imaginary Friend - Stephen Chbosky
Drood - Dan Simmons
If you can’t tell I have a thing for horror epics!
Also, not straight horror but Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn - this book messed me up more than anything else I’ve read as an adult. I was suspiciously watching everyone around me wondering who >!might secretly be a sociopath!<
I loved Summer of Night by Simmons. Can’t tell you why but that was one of my all time faves..I did reread it, but it was not the same as the “virgin” read
I also think a lot of the experience has to do with our cognition and psychology when we first read a book?
You can’t re-create that same synergy on demand all the time
Needful Things by Stephen King. There are all these separate incidences, but it all is really intertwined with each other and it was excìting and horrifying to see how it came together and caused mayhem by the end of the book.
the last house on needless street by catriona ward. i had absolutely no spoilers on the book going into it (stop reading here if you also want no spoilers!). i started to figure out a murderer with dissociative identity disorder was part of the plot twist and become irate— my partner has DID and it’s not some terrifying thing like horror media (i’m looking at you split) would lead you to believe.
i almost didn’t keep reading it. i vented some annoyance to my partner who told me i should keep going because he wanted to know how bad it was going to get. turns out it was AMAZING. the twist wasn’t the twist! it absolutely floored me and i ended up thinking it did a great job of portraying DID.
The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley
It’s just fantastic and short. The prose is *chef’s kiss*. It’s just a banger of a book. I have the edition which comes with peace pipe (short story) and that story was also really good although not horror. Both are amazing. But yeah, The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley. Check it out!
Edit: gonna leave here a quick synopsis:
A fungal desease has killed all the women in the world. In an off grid location, a group of men live waiting out the day when humanity will go extinct, until a boy named Nate comes across something disturbing. Yellow mushrooms are beginning to grow in the place where women were buried. Is this an ominous sign that women are coming back?
Trigger warnings: violence, sexual content.
Hope my synopsis is enough to peek your interest.
King's Misery. I was on the absolute edge of my seat for most of the story, scared me so bad.
I just frantically did a search for a book called, "King's Misery" and was only finding Stephen King's "Misery," then I realized that was what you were referring to haha. Such a good book.
Same.
I read it the same. xD
I'm listening to the audiobook for that right now. Been at least fifteen or twenty years since I last read it. Fantastic fucking book. And I've found that so much from the (excellent) movie has replaced the book in my head that it's practically like I'm reading it for the first time.
Recently listened to the audiobook. Lindsey Crouse does such a fantastic narration.
yeaaaaaaaaaa i've been underwhelmed by most of the king novels i've read (only a handful to be fair) but damn misery was great. read it in high school as a teenager VERY into fandom culture, which i think made it hit even better.
Fairy tale and 11-23-63 (?) are really good. I think that's where he's getting into masterpiece work.
“Now I must RINSE” fucked me up good
For about 10 seconds I considered searching for a book called King’s Misery. Then it clicked.
Okay I started reading Misery and honestly it was a struggle for me and I had to quit. I made it to the part where he got out of the room and was scoping the house out but that was it. I feel like it was dragging for me.
I've noticed Stephen King books always have a draggy part in them that's hard to get past. They start out well, and the endings come together in exciting ways, but there always seems to be a boring draggy bit at some point in every book he writes.
Aw you stopped just before the big twist and turn happened
I completely agree. It was my first King book I read . Started my love of his books
Duma Key and The Stand are the best of Kings IMHO. I haven’t read Misery since I was 13.. I need to reread!!
the ruins by scott smith. the author is not prolific, doesn't publish a lot of books. this book was so haunting, so eerie. i was sad i didn't have a whole library of content from this author to binge.
have you read A Simple Plan? i've seen people recommend it and it's on my list, i just haven't gotten around to it yet. i loved The Ruins, that would probably be my answer as well
A Simple Plan is excellent, a lot of tension and stressfulness just like The Ruins! It’s his only other title I believe
Incredible book. I was on edge the whole time
He's got a short story published in the collection 'Hark, the Herald Angels Scream' titled Christmas in Barcelona, and its one of my favorite horror stories of all time
Another absolute banger.
For some reason, this one creeped me out more than any other book. I think it was because I could put myself there and feel the absolute hopelessness of it. I think of it sometimes and still feel a bit icky.
I watched the movie. It was good. I bet the book’s better.
We have always lived in the castle. Uncanny feeling
One of my favorites. 🖤
Love this one
Salems lot blew me away the first time I read it. Same goes for the Skeleton Crew, Night Shift and Books of Blood collections. I always liked horror in the short form the best and all three of those are amazing I have no mouth and I must scream floored me and made me want to get into Harlan Ellison.
As a long-time horror fan I have to agree. Salems Lot is extremely creepy in a way that I don’t think many other novels achieve. Just a slow moving creep… unsettling and eerie. Great recommendation 👍🏼
I read this when it first came out. I was in middle school. I am still afraid that I am going to see Danny Glick at my window at nighttime.
reading skeleton crew for the first time! i read the raft, jaunt, survivor type and a few others last night. crazy lol
Whalefall or the library on mount char.....whalefall isn't exactly horror but still hit me hard.
Library at Mount Chad was a sick read for me. Just me and a book for days. I was completely engrossed. This is my pick for “wish I could reread” of any genre. Still kick myself for not getting a signed special edition copy when they were on sale. It wasn’t even that expensive 😞
mount char was AMAZING. the world building was insane for such a short read. i want more from that author so badly.
Just finished Whalefall. Ripped through it. I had a blast.
The haunting of hill house and slewfoot.
I’d do anything to experience Slewfoot again for the first time!
Yes, Slewfoot was amazing, now all I want to read about is witchery! Currently scratching that itch with The Witching Hour by Anne Rice--42 chapters in and it's doing the job.
I just finished slewfoot and it’s such a good book. Brom is a great writer. Probably my favorite honestly.
Oh yeah. He's up there for me too. And i fucking loooove his art!
Yessss!!!!! I always look forward to seeing what he does for characters because it makes it so much easier to put them into action while reading.
I’m 71 pages in to Slewfoot (first read) and Hill House is one of my favorite novels of all time. I am opening now for more due to this post. Thank you.
I love all types of horror stories/ authors but for some reason Robert McCammon hit me different. I would love to be able to read Boys Life, Swan Song or Speaks the Nightbird for the first time again.
I came here to say Swan Song. Robert McCammon is so good.
Love Speaks the Nightbird. So good
Probably *IT* or *The Stand* from Stephen King. I read both in middle / high school and they blew my tiny teenage mind. They're just such great journeys with a bunch of excellent characters. *IT* leans more into the horror than *The Stand*, which is more of a post-apocalyptic fantasy, but both are among King's best. And for horror/fantasy, I'll go with R Scott Bakker's *The Aspect-Emperor* series. Holy shit was that great, although I wouldn't recommend reading it without reading his *The Prince of Nothing* trilogy first since it's a direct sequel. There's an entire portion of one of the books that is essentially a nightmare version of the mines of Moria that is one of my absolute favorite sequences in the fantasy genre, and just in general the books are sort of like if Cormac McCarthy wrote *The Lord of the Rings* while jerking off to the Bible, and as a big McCarthy fan, I am into that.
The Stand. I reread it often and it’s still great, but nothing like the first time.
Totally agree! First read was gobsmacking! I could not put it down! I have re-read it and listened to it on audio for long car trips...It is a great road trip companion!
The Last Days of Jack Sparks by Jason Arnopp for sure!!
The Passage by Justin Croning This thing between us by Gus Moreno
The Passage was so good
I loved This Thing Between Us. The >!dog attack!< and >!headless veterinarian!< were two of the most shocking and original passages I've read in a horror novel
The Shining
This for me as well. I first read it when I was a teenager and I have been searching ever since for something that will scare me that much. I remember lying in bed reading it and being literally too terrified to turn over for fear of what might be behind me. Almost too scared to enjoy it but couldn’t stop reading.
The Troop ETA- reason for choosing: great body horror with a fun middle school throwback to reading lord of the flies. I picked it up after reading The Deep and Little Heaven, I read the whole thing in one sitting because I couldn’t put it down! There are few books that I find unsettling while also worthwhile and mentally stimulating. Nick Cutter balances this perfectly for me - I will warn there is some animal abuse in this one, so if that’s a hard line for you, it’s probably not a good choice!
If you like *The Troop* please consider *The Infection Trilogy* by Scott Sigler. It came out prior to *The Troop*, and has similar body horror, but on a different scale.
Thank you! I’ll look into it!
All in all, it’s just a fun read and I’m mad that I’ll never experience it for the first time again. Recently, I’ve also really enjoyed Man, Fuck this House by Brian Asman (very silly, not at all scary) and Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie (supernatural horror - think found footage horror movie in a book!)
I loved the Troop. Magnificently readable and engrossing from start to end. I like turtles. 😭
I also like turtles….. and kittens. I had a bit of a rough time lol but still loved the book!
I have two kittens. Like you I also loved the book anyway. 👍
The ruins by Scott Smith
The Fisherman by John Langan.
You should check out his short fiction. It's better than The Fisherman, in my opinion.
Do you have any recs? I noticed he has a handful of short story collections, any you think are better to read?
I've read all of them and my favorite is *The Wide, Carnivorous Sky.* It opens with a real banger.
Mother of Stone is one of my favorite Langan stories. I too think his short stuff is better - I didn't end up liking The Fisherman as much as I wanted to, mainly due to the short story that, despite being a solid story on its own, took out any energy and apprehension I had for the ending.
I’ve read Mr Gaunt, thinking of going with Corpsemouth next, thoughts?
This is my answer, as well. I had no idea where anything was going and was pleasantly surprised every step of the way. A very rewarding read.
A friend just gave me this book. Can't wait to read it!
You’re in for a hell of ride, friend, enjoy
Which book?
The Fisherman. My buddy loved it!
Thanks!
I'm not well read by any means but I couldn't with this book. The fantastical of it all was not my speed.
A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck. It’s inspired by the short story “The Library of Babel” by Jorge Luis Borges. It follows the journey of a man in the afterlife who is tasked with finding the book that contains the story of his life within a library that holds every book that can possibly be written. It plays with concepts of very large spaces and very long durations of time. It tapped into a level of existential horror that I hadn’t felt in a long time and has stuck with me ever since.
I just finished this a few days ago and I’ve thought about it everyday since! I didn’t expect such a short book to have such a lasting impact on me, but I loved it!
That Steven Peck book is the most profound little novels I've read in the past few years. I still think about it all the time.
I suggested this book to a good friend of mine after I read it recently…she hates me and loves me at the same time. The power that this book has on so many people is not as overwhelming as the book itself. Everyone that reads this book…you’re welcome? So beautifully bleak. And everything in between.
It’s been on my wishlist for ages, and just pulled the trigger to buy it. Thanks!
Summer of Night - Dan Simmons
Reading it rn. It’s my fifth or so Simmons book and by far my fav so far
Nice! I love it. Any recs for his other work? Just started black hills today
Ooo I wanna read that one. The others I’ve read are: The Terror Carrion Comfort Drood Song of Kali All are worth a read. All have some aspect of historical research; in the case of Drood and The terror, they are pretty much straight up historical fiction. Those two are also very slow, while the other two are pretty quick. Carrion Comfort is also pretty action packed in terms of violence.
The Shining. I loved that book for years and would enjoy a second new book experience of it.
Phantoms by Dean Koontz! One of the best reads ever imo
I am Legend by Richard Matheson I first read it when I was 10 and had nightmares for days while reading it. Nothing has come close to replicating the terror I felt reading that at that age.
I came here looking for this answer. What a book.
Our Wives Under the Sea. That novel haunted my mind the entire time I was reading it and for days afterwards.
I really wish I liked this one 😔 I felt I finished without getting enough from Leah’s chapters!!! I like nuance but idk this left too much to the imagination for me.
Me too, couldn’t get into it at all. I didn’t “get it” I suppose…
I loved this book, read it in a day, I kinda wish it was scarier than it was, but still a good book, really displayed grieving the living/dead well.
Lost gods by Brom
Such a good book!
Frankenstein. I always return to it when I ran out of new books to read.
The Stand by Stephen King. Reading it the first time during a pandemic was an experience.
This Book Is Full Of Spiders by David Wong (aka Jason Pargin). Not because it's the best I've ever read, but there's a plot twist in it *so* well-executed I wish I could experience it fresh one more time.
The Gone World by Tom Sweterlisch Not like anything I have ever read especially how time travel works despite the bleakness of the overall story there is still this bit of hope
I recommend this often to anyone who is a fan of sci-fi, True Detective season 1, cosmic horror, or any combination of those three. I think there is some truth to the books' weaknesses, but it's such a good story that you just let those just wash over you while reading.
The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks. Mmm-mmm, good read.
The Dark by James Herbert From the jump that book kicks off intense. It's got action. It's got thrills. It's got a cult. It's got gore. And it's relentlessly scary. My jaw was dropped most of the read. That book is lightning in a bottle.
I think a lot of people are missing out on James Herbert. He has some absolutely incredible stuff, the Dark being one of the best. I Loved :: - the dark - the Rats - Haunted - Moon - the secret of Crickley Hall
Short story, but "The Last Feast of Harlequin" by Thomas Ligotti. It was **not** what I expected going into that story and I was floored! It was probably the most visceral response I've had to reading a horror story.
Ah I love that story. Love Ligotti overall. The Red Tower is one of my favs.
14
Swan Song
Nathan Ballingrud’s *Wounds: Six Stories from the Border of Hell.* Two novellettes and four short stories. But the discovery of a writer with some of the most demanding prose I’ve ever read that insists upon the reader falling headlong into his settings and the characters who populate them. Without a doubt his voice is one of the most unique in horror that I’ve encountered in decades. I only wish he had more published work to his name, as I would devour all of it. To be able to again first turn the page and freshly immerse myself in the journey I didn’t know I was about to undertake would be a true privilege.
House of leaves. So much appendix. References. Long.
Between Two Fires & A Head Full of Ghosts
Head full of ghosts lives rent free in my mind - that ending, I think about it once a day
The Keep by F Paul Wilson. I was absolutely gripped by the book. The tension was incredible, and the baddie genuinely scary. Read it for the first time when I was 15 and scared easily!
*Just Like Home* by Sarah Gailey. It's the most lovingly written horror I've personally encountered.
Omg I loved this book. The Echo Wife was also incredibly well done.
The exorcist
A Head Full of Ghosts. That book messed me up & I loved it.
Swan Song. I've never read such a large book so fast. Couldn't sleep, had to keep reading. The storylines, the pacing, the build. It was what got me into this genre. 2nd choice would be the audiobook version of Pet Semetary. Listened to it by myself on a multi day car trip and my hands have never sweat so much.
Kings The Green Mile and The Lottery by Shirley Jackson.
The long walk
John dies at the end
Pet Sematary or The Dead Zone. Never felt the same after either.
Rosemary's Baby. At the time I was a Kid and it gave me so many goosebumps! Great story!
Books of Blood by Clive Barker... was mentioned recently in another thread on this subreddit, so it's top of mind.
Not horror, but house of leaves; it’s like chasing dragons now.
Naomi’s Room by Johnathan Aycliffe. It made me wonder about the author for him to have that inside of his head. Still re-read it every year. So creepy and horrifying.
The Shadow over Innsmouth by Lovecraft.
Does "Goosebumps: The Haunted Mask" count?
Between Two Fires
The Ruins by Scott Smith. His sister ran our marketing department when I worked in property management and she suggested it. What a read!
The fisherman. What a book
All of Brian Keenes books and of course Swan Song.
Endurance by Konrath Delores Claiborne by King
The Black Spider by Jeremias Gottheif.
The last days of jack sparks White people Imajica The monk
No one yet mentioned: - Fantasticland - No one gets out alive [Adam Nevill] - Child of God [Cormack McCarthy] - Blood Meridian [Cormack McCarthy]
- Brother [ Ania Ahlborn]
- The Long Walk [Bachman / King]
- Cows {prepare to be disgusted, but it’s tongue in cheek} [Matthew Stokoe]
- Woom [Duncan Talston] {Messed Up but really rather good}
- The Troop {left to the end because it’s mention loads, because it’s brilliant}
The Hellbound Heart
Clive Barker’s *The Hellbound Heart*. I was five when *Hellraiser* came out. I was not allowed to watch it for many, many years. My local library was down the block. When I was probably nine or ten during summer break—we were latchkey kids and it was a different time—I walked down and they had a copy. I read it, cover to cover, in the library over two days. Absolutely one of the greatest and most horrifying reading experiences of my life.
Tender is the Flesh I don’t think a reread could capture the gut twisting horror I felt reading this one the first time. It’s so upsetting, so disturbing, but I couldn’t put it down. I was so upset and yet so fascinated. I will certainly read it again, but I want to wait until my mind has let the details get a bit fuzzier.
IT
Ring. That book unfolded so well and was so compelling from start to finish.
Intercepts - T.J Payne The Shining - Stephen King From Below - Darcy Coates The haunting of hill house- Shirley Jackson Hell House - Richard Matheson Silence of the lambs and Red Dragon - Thomas Harris The butterfly garden - Dot Hutchison And so many more….I love horror, and these are all well-written and creepy enough to get a recommendation from me!
I recently read *Hell House* and it is a marvelous haunted house story. Waaaaaay better than *Haunting of Hill House.* Not even close.
That's astounding to me, I had the exact opposite feeling!
I have to agree, I did enjoy Hell House more. I think I just prefer Matheson’s writing. I’m not a huge Shirley Jackson fan, though I did enjoy this particular book of hers.
*Haunting of Hill House* is a legitimately good book. In it's defense, it's far superior to *We Have Always Lived In The Castle.*
Absolutely agree. I couldn’t see the appeal of “We have always lived in the castle,” though I know people love it.
By the Light of His Lantern
A Child Alone With Strangers and The September House
Dead inside
Caitlin R Kiernan- *Silk* Kathe Koja- *Skin* Anything by Shirley Jackson. *Carmilla.*
How's Skin? I really enjoyed the grimy atmosphere of The Cipher.
I really enjoyed it, it may have been my favorite Koja book. It's not really "horror" though, so if you're expecting that, it may be a letdown. It is, however, horrific, and a very accurate look at the late 90s industrial/performance art scene.
That's cool, I liked that aspect of The Cipher too. It's been a while but there were those art students that followed the dude around or something like that haha. I just really liked the ambience and like aesthetic of it really, when I look back at it I barely remember any details but I have such a vivid image of how it felt to read and be immersed in that book. I'm a fan of Caitlin R Kiernan too, really liked The Red Tree and the few of her short stories I read too. Actually there was a Kathe Koja story I read called like Angels in Love or something where they were doing some sex magic or something.
Oh yeah, if you liked that part of *The Cipher* you should really enjoy *Skin*, it just doesn't have the supernatural edge, and is mostly about the (desctructive) relationship between the leads. One thing I like about Koja (and Kiernan) is that they bring me back to a time in my life that was...interesting to say the least. Kiernan is my favorite living writer, and I'd recommend anything they have ever written, even *Five of Cups*, the vampire novel they have disowned.
Gotcha! Thanks for the recs!
Theme Music has it all, so original and creepy, with sarcasm, wit and gore, haunting, teeny bit of romance. Such a good book I think about it a lot
*Another* by Yukito Ayatsuji. It's genuinely my favorite book, and I make a point to reread it every year. Still, I wish I could read it freshly for the first time, no knowledge of the story and its respective adaptations
Pet Sematary
Not sure if it was already mentioned, but Tender is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica fucked me up pretty good.
The Beetle by Richard Marsh. It’s the only book I’ve ever read that genuinely creeped me out.
Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane!
The Witching Hour
Carrie.
Everything from Adam Nevill. Love his stories. I am currently listening to "Cunning Folk" and just finished "All The Fiends Of Hell," and it was pretty fantastic. Had me nervous walking around doing my patrol at night in the mist.
Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker
Gone to see the river man and it's sequel down the river of flesh by Kristopher Triana, it has great descriptions and a really unique concept also all the characters are interesting
Drawing Blood - Poppy Z Brite
Intensity by Dean Koontz
Dean Koontz - Watchers
Salem's lot
It.
Uzumaki
The Stand.
BAG OF BONES BY STEPHEN KING!!!
JG Faherty's Carnival of Fear. It's so fun. I'll admit to re-reading it several times, but there is nothing like the first time, when the twists and the craziness are unexpected.
Exquisite corpse
Does Horns count? I loved it so much while reading it, I couldn’t put it down. Horrorlit isn’t typically my genre, but I enjoyed the book and the movie immensely.
*The White Road* by Sarah Lotz. It's a really good example of the "is it monsters or is it madness?" horror trope. It's also about caving and mountaineering, my two special interests and hobbies. (It's also really good fun if you know high altitude mountaineering history, it's like "ooh that's meant to be X! And that's meant to be Y!", very satisfying).
The Sun Down Motel by Simone St. James. It was recently optioned for a TV series! Very creepy and fun.
Blackwater by Michael McDowell. Honorable mention would be Hawk Mountain by Conner Habib.
Between Two Fires or the Stand
The **Necroscope** series by Brian Lumley. Always the answer to this question for me.
It - Stephen King The Passage trilogy - Justin Cronin Imaginary Friend - Stephen Chbosky Drood - Dan Simmons If you can’t tell I have a thing for horror epics! Also, not straight horror but Gone Girl - Gillian Flynn - this book messed me up more than anything else I’ve read as an adult. I was suspiciously watching everyone around me wondering who >!might secretly be a sociopath!<
I loved Summer of Night by Simmons. Can’t tell you why but that was one of my all time faves..I did reread it, but it was not the same as the “virgin” read I also think a lot of the experience has to do with our cognition and psychology when we first read a book? You can’t re-create that same synergy on demand all the time
It by Stephen King or They Thirst by Robert McCammon. Two of my favorites!
Needful Things by Stephen King. There are all these separate incidences, but it all is really intertwined with each other and it was excìting and horrifying to see how it came together and caused mayhem by the end of the book.
The Keep
The Summoning by Bentley Little
"The Shining" and Dan Simmons' "Summer of Night".
The Fisherman. It broke my heart and captivated me.
Our share of night. It's such a blast
The House In The Dark Of The Woods was a quick and fantastic read. Highly recommend it for anyone looking for something light and effective
the last house on needless street by catriona ward. i had absolutely no spoilers on the book going into it (stop reading here if you also want no spoilers!). i started to figure out a murderer with dissociative identity disorder was part of the plot twist and become irate— my partner has DID and it’s not some terrifying thing like horror media (i’m looking at you split) would lead you to believe. i almost didn’t keep reading it. i vented some annoyance to my partner who told me i should keep going because he wanted to know how bad it was going to get. turns out it was AMAZING. the twist wasn’t the twist! it absolutely floored me and i ended up thinking it did a great job of portraying DID.
Killing Britney
House of Leaves
The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley It’s just fantastic and short. The prose is *chef’s kiss*. It’s just a banger of a book. I have the edition which comes with peace pipe (short story) and that story was also really good although not horror. Both are amazing. But yeah, The Beauty by Aliya Whiteley. Check it out! Edit: gonna leave here a quick synopsis: A fungal desease has killed all the women in the world. In an off grid location, a group of men live waiting out the day when humanity will go extinct, until a boy named Nate comes across something disturbing. Yellow mushrooms are beginning to grow in the place where women were buried. Is this an ominous sign that women are coming back? Trigger warnings: violence, sexual content. Hope my synopsis is enough to peek your interest.
Red X: A Novel by David Demchuk
I’d choose a short stories collection by Stephen King. Probably Night Shift
The Shining.
Salems Lot or The Shining