Is it even considered horror? I just finished A Short Stay in Hell by Steven Peck and I am looking for something different next.

Hex 7/10

Very unique play on folk horror with a modern spin. Overall an enjoyable read.

Bedfellow 6/10

Interesting concept, but they could have leaned further into it.

The Reddening 7/10

Overall an incredibly solid read as I am a sucker for good folk horror and cults. Adam Nevill’s incredibly long, repetitive landscape descriptions border on trolling.

Gone to See the River Man 8/10

This one was DARK! Very solid character development over the course of the book.

Briardark 2/10

I have so many gripes with this book, that two sentences is not enough. In short, this is a sci-fi story with light horror elements that leads to the reader being required to read the sequel to get any closure.

The September House 5/10

It was a little campy and the characters didn't seem entirely authentic in their actions. I wasn't upset that I read it, but wouldn't recommend it.

Tender is the Flesh 8/10

Incredible concept, super dark, well executed. Not much more I can say for this other than I was actually slightly repulsed reading this before I settled in.

Negative Space 7/10

Loved the esoteric magick troupes. Definitely captured the feeling of being a teenage in a dead end town.

A Short Stay in Hell 9/10

I recommend this book to anyone that reads, even non-horror fans. Such solid philosophical overtones, the only bad part is I wish it was longer.

A God in the Shed 7/10

I’m normally not a fan of lovecraftian, cosmic horror but this book did it well. I wish it was more conclusive, as I’m not a big sequel fan or when books set up for sequels but it was solid.

Lost Boy 9/10

Horror Peter Pan. Absolute Masterpiece.

The Haar 8/10

Loved the Folk Horror overlay from the view of an atypical protagonist. Pacing was great

The Troop 8/10

LOVED the pacing of this book. Creature feature is not my normal go to but was a solid recommendation.

A few others I’ve read to help with recommendations.

The Fiend in the Furrows Folk Horror Anthologies.

All the Stephen King Classics and Anthologies.

I tend to gravitate towards folksy horror, occult and witchy stuff. But I’m not opposed to stepping out of those lanes of the pacing is good and the story is worth it.

Let me know what you think! I will be downloading a recommendation here today.

Do you recommend it?

Like I wanna read something which actually have some consequences on the characters....recently read a darcy coates novel while it was good the ending kinda ruined it for me.....so please suggest something creepy and scary.....

my thoughts are still mine.,,m.. I think. No doppelgangers or captain Howards until now.,.,...

Wanted to discuss this horror anthology book which I just can't stop thinking about. Did any of you read it? What did you think of it?

I am starting to realize I loved it. Some really dark stories in there. I really liked the one with the teenager remembering... a creepy neighbor. And Bone Animals.

Can highly recommend it!

Hey, r/horrorlit!

If someone wanted to complete a Thomas Ligotti collection, would they come pretty close to doing so with these books?

Song For A Dead Dreamer and Grimscribe (this looks easy to obtain)

Noctuary (this looks harder to obtain)

Teatro Grottesco (own it)

My Work Is Not Yet Done (own it)

Conspiracy Against The Human Race (own it)

I’ve been doing some research, it seems like the then-new stories in The Nightmare Factory were later collected in Teatro Grottesco. I also have to look a little further into that new novella or collection, if memory serves it was called Michigan Basement…

Thanks in advance for any help with this project!

I just started reading this thanks to all the recommendations on here. As soon as any cat (or dog) gets introduced in a horror book or movie, I get anxious that something horrible is going to happen to them. DoesTheDogDie doesn't have a listing for this book, so I'm hoping someone here can warn me or reassure me on how the cats fare in Diavola, please. Thanks in advance!

Welcome to r/HorrorLit's weekly "What Are You Reading?" thread.

​

So... what are you reading?

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Community rules apply as always. No abuse. No spam. Keep self-promotion to the monthly thread.

​

Do you have a work of horror lit being published this year?

in 2024 r/HorrorLit will be trying a new upcoming release master list and it will be open to community members as well as professional publishers. Everything from novels, short stories, poems, and collections will be welcome. To be featured please message me (u/HorrorIsLiterature) privately with the publishing date, author name, title, publisher, and format.

The release list can be found here.

Do you have a work of horror lit being published this year?

in 2024 r/HorrorLit will be trying a new upcoming release master list and it will be open to community members as well as professional publishers. Everything from novels, short stories, poems, and collections will be welcome. To be featured please message me (u/HorrorIsLiterature) privately with the publishing date, author name, title, publisher, and format.

The release list can before here.

ORIGINAL WORKS & NETWORKING

Due to the popularity and expanded growth of this community the Original Work & Networking Thread (AKA the "Self-Promo" thread) is now monthly! The post will occur on the 1st day of each month.

Community members may share original works and links to their own personal or promotional sites. This includes reviews, blogs, YouTube, amazon links, etc. The purpose of this thread is to help upcoming creators network and establish themselves. For example connecting authors to cover illustrators or reviewers to authors etc. Anything is subject to the mods approval or removal. Some rules:

1. Must be On Topic for the community. If your work is determined to have nothing to do with r/HorrorLit it will be removed.
2. No spam. This includes users who post the same links to multiple threads without ever participating in those communities. Please only make one post per artist, so if you have multiple books, works of art, blogs, etc. just include all of them in one post.
3. No fan-fic. Original creations and IP only. Exceptions being works featuring works from the public domain, i.e. Dracula.
4. Plagiarism will be met with a permanent ban. Yes, this includes claiming artwork you did not create as your own. All links must be accredited.
5. r/HorrorLit is not a business. We are not business advisors, lawyers, agents, editors, etc. We are a web forum. If you choose to share your own work that is your own choice, we do not and cannot guarantee protection from intellectual theft . If you choose to network with someone it falls upon you to do your due diligence in all professional and business matters.

We encourage you to visit our sister community: r/HorrorProfessionals to network, share your work, discuss with colleagues, and view submission opportunities.

That's all have fun and may the odds be ever in your favor!

PS: Our spam filter can be a little overzealous. If you notice that your post has been removed or is not appearing just send a brief message to the mods and we'll do what we can.

Do you have a work of horror lit being published this year?

in 2024 r/HorrorLit will be trying a new upcoming release master list and it will be open to community members as well as professional publishers. Everything from novels, short stories, poems, and collections will be welcome. To be featured please message me (u/HorrorIsLiterature) privately with the publishing date, author name, title, publisher, and format.

The release list can before here.

Has anyone read this book? It’s so beyond boring and I can hardly follow what’s going on. I need other opinions.

Just read Such Lovely Skin by Tatiana Schlote-Bonne.

I always listen to audiobooks on Libby at work. I work nights alone. I love to freak myself out and listen to scary books.

Would love more horror lit recommendations about mimics. Those give me the chilly Willy’s.

Podcast work as well.

Thank you.

I want so badly to enjoy Dracula but I’m starting to fear this book just is not for me. It’s not that I can’t handle literary horror. Frankenstein is an easy 10/10 and I was never bored with it. But despite being almost a century newer, Dracula feels like the literary equivalent of Ambien.

It took me a week to make it through the first section of the novel, which is abnormal for me. I can read huge books in a week or two if I’m into them enough. Now Lucy and Mina are exchanging letters where they’re trying to outdo one another in banality. I have no idea what I’m supposed to be getting out of this. I am somehow only 15% of the way through and I have read 500 page novels in the time it has taken me to get this far. This is the second time I’ve tried and the furthest I’ve gotten lol.

Anyway, I know it’s perfectly fine to DNF books but this is one I really want to read simply because I love vampire-related media. But I genuinely don’t know if I can do it lol. Can anyone assure me that it gets better or that it’s somehow worth it?

i’ve had a problem with many horror books where i’ve dnf’d them because they took an insane amount of time to really get started. looking for something super super fast-paced and hard to put down to get me out of this reading slump. i mainly like slashers but i’m open to anything.

I’m looking for zombie books that start from day 1 and continue on. I have read World War Z, but I’m looking for zombie stuff like Dawn of the Dead movie. I want to see people survive and change the world. I am a huge fan of the Walking Dead Comics so anything like that would be amazing.

I am looking for novels like Shirley Jackson, wonderfully crafted and almost-melodic in sound. Though, I know no one will ever be like her, I am hoping there are similar styles.

Have previously read Tampa and loved it. No triggers. Thanks everyone!

A meme? I kept trying to get it on audible? But it won't download.

The last house on the needless street in one single word?🫶🏼

This might be a silly one, I recently watched Tucker and Dale vs Evil and I loved it, it had me in stitches, are there books out here with a similar vibe you can recommend?

I'm getting back into reading and would love to hear your recommendations. I need books that keep me awake, because I'm chronically tired, so it should be a book that I don't want to put down.

I really enjoy books by Grady Hendrix, Rachel Harrison, Lucy Foley. I just finished The September House.

Any recommendations for my next book?

I have read many horror books in the past years: laird Barron, Nathan ballingrud, John Langan and so many other cosmic horror writers. I also grew up reading Straub, Barker, and King. I never read Ghost Story by Straub. Is it worth it? Was it just great for its time? I have stacks and stacks of horror books and don't want to waste my time.

I’m looking for some books that are preferably historical fiction mixed with vampires, horror, and/or romance. I’ve been searching high and low for books that are like this, but need some help - drop some recommendations below! 💜

This book is wild. Just reading the back cover, I knew I was in for something crazy, but Outer Dark surpassed even my wildest expectations.

Outer Dark back cover:

"A woman bears her brother's child, a boy; he leaves the baby in the woods and tells her he died of natural causes. Discovering her brother's lie, she sets forth alone to find her son. Both brother and sister wander separately through a countryside being scourged by three terrifying and elusive strangers, headlong toward an eerie, apocalyptic resolution."

This is an extremely dark read, but I loved every word McCarthy wrote. It was fantastic.

As I mentioned in my review of All the Pretty Horses, Cormac McCarthy is probably my favourite author. Outer Dark continues to reinforce that belief.

Interestingly, as I started reading Outer Dark, a Vanity Fair article surfaced claiming that Cormac McCarthy had a 16-year-old muse late in his life. While I haven’t been able to access the full article due to subscription barriers, the excerpts and discussions I’ve encountered paint the piece as overly stylized, almost as if the author is attempting to mimic McCarthy’s own prose. This stylistic choice, combined with the extraordinary claims made, makes the story feel exaggerated, if not dubious. I’m not dismissing the possibility that some of it might be true—if it is, it’s deeply troubling—but the lack of concrete evidence and the outlandish nature of certain allegations leave me skeptical. It’s also worth noting that McCarthy is no longer alive to respond or clarify these claims. While the article has sparked debates about separating art from the artist, I believe McCarthy’s literary contributions remain vital. His works deserve to be read and analyzed, even as we remain mindful of the complexities surrounding his personal life.

Now, back to Outer Dark.

This is an amazing piece of fiction. From the very beginning, the book is relentlessly dark. Set in Appalachia, McCarthy creates an eerie, almost fantastical world that feels alive in its desolation. The brother and sister live in an isolated shack deep in the woods, and when they venture out on their separate journeys, they encounter a cast of vivid and unforgettable characters. Some of these figures are helpful, while others are downright malevolent. These secondary characters breathe so much life—and death—into the story, amplifying its intensity.

The first time Culla Holme, the brother, meets the three elusive strangers face-to-face, right after his ride on the ferry, is one of the creepiest scenes I’ve ever read. The way McCarthy describes the shadows moving in the clearing and the strangers’ unsettling mannerisms—how they move, stare, laugh, and speak—is masterful. The tension is almost unbearable.

You know they’ll return, and when they do, McCarthy doesn’t disappoint.

"Well, I see ye didn't have no trouble findin us.
I wasn't huntin ye.
You got here all right for somebody bound elsewhere.
I wasn't bound nowheres. I just seen the fire.
I like to keep a good fire. A man never knows what all might chance along. Does he?
No.
No. Anything's liable to warsh up. From nowheres nowhere bound.
Where are you bound? Holme said.
I ain't, the man said. By nothin. He looked up at Holme. We ain't hard to find. Oncet you've found us."

This scene is haunting, and when the strangers appear again—with the one-eyed baby and the tinker in the tree—the atmosphere is downright terrifying. I’m not sure if Outer Dark is officially considered a horror novel, but it’s probably the scariest book I’ve ever read.

I’m not a big horror reader. People rave about Stephen King, but I haven’t been impressed. I’ve read The Dead Zone and The Shining, and neither really did it for me. I actually prefer Kubrick’s adaptation of The Shining because it improved on the source material in tone and execution. That said, I love Dan Simmons, I mostly know him as a science fiction author, however, I read Drood and loved it, though it wasn’t the horror elements that hooked me. If you have horror recommendations, I’d love to explore more.

But Outer Dark? It qualifies as horror in my book.

Religious themes also run deep in this story, coming to the forefront in the latter half. One of the most memorable scenes is when Holme meets the hog drovers. After one of their brothers dies and Holme gets blamed, a preacher shows up, declaring his guilt without any knowledge of the situation. The absurdity of this preacher, casually pronouncing judgment, is both comical and thought-provoking—a sharp critique of blind religious authority.

Rinthy Holme, Culla’s sister, has her own strange and fascinating encounters, though none are as grotesque as her brother’s.

This was an incredible read. Any Cormac McCarthy fan needs to pick up Outer Dark. Being one of his earlier works, it’s not as widely discussed as some of his other novels, but it deserves to be. It’s right up there with the rest of his literature in my opinion. I wouldn’t necessarily recommend Outer Dark as a starting point for McCarthy newcomers, but for fans, it’s an absolute must-read.

I've always loved the trope of creepy therapists and psychs, how they can know everything about you while harboring their own secrets, etc etc, but I've never actually read a scary book with this trope. Does anyone have any suggestions? Psychological thrillers, horrors? Thank you :)

And some other books/novels that a 11th grader must read and know about.

I recently watched the horror movie The Coffee Table/La mesita del comedor and loved the idea of horror based around one or two characters desperately trying to hide something from the other characters. The slowly building dread as you wait for the other shoe to drop is something I'm always on the hunt for in horror. I think the book I've read that comes closest is A Simple Plan by Scott Smith. Any other books that fit this vibe? Thanks in advance!

I commute 3 hours total (there and back), four days each week, for nursing school. As much as I LOVE music, and in spite of my hundreds of hours worth of playlists, I’m starting to get really, really bored. I’ve never been an audiobook or podcast person, but I recently downloaded Audible out of desperation. My problem is that every time I find a title that sounds remotely interesting, I’d just rather read it than listen. When I find a title I’m really interested in, I feel like I’d be cheating myself out of an awesome reading experience if I don’t save it.

So my question is- do you have any recs for books you felt were really well suited to the audiobook format? Where I’d be getting more out of the story by listening vs. reading?

I’m open to any type of story, but I’ll just throw out some of my favorite themes as a starting point. I absolutely love rage virus stories, apocalypse vibes, and demons and ghosts. I also like books that have a bit of humor to them. Grady Hendrix is one of my favorite authors. Also, one of the first horror books I ever read was The Loop by Jeremy Robert Johnson and I loved it SO much and haven’t really gotten over it, lol.

I’d sooo appreciate any tips! Thanks!

holy shit. I’m only about halfway through this book but it’s jump scared me multiple times? I had chills reading it alone last night. I slept with the light on. no spoilers please but I’d like to hear y’all’s experience with it.

A brief summary; after a Florida storm hits an amusement park, young adults and employees are trapped with no means of help from the outside world. Over the course of five weeks, hell takes over as some fight for territory in the parks many themed areas, try to escape through hotels and flooded waters, or die trying.

The book itself is done in different POV style interviews, with each chapter changing perspectives and characters, all while progressing the story.

It’s very unique, and I’ve been dying to find something else similar to it ever since. I really enjoyed this book when I first picked it up, and I’m surprised it isn’t on more people’s radar. It’s not the bloodiest or scariest book out there, but definitely a fun weekend read. I’s been out since 2016, but sadly the writer hasn’t returned to horror since. Sucks since they’ve got a knack for it, and I could def see them thriving in the horror genre.

Has anyone else read through it? What was their favorite/least favorite scene?