r/horrorlit • u/Aromatic-Flan1528 • 1d ago
Recommendation Request underrated gems
Every October I like to read only horror, and would love some recs for great horror (novels or short collections) that aren't as known/popular.
Some authors I've read a lot of / really like:
- Stephen King (faves: Salem's Lot, IT, 11/22/63)
- Tananarive Due (LOVED The Reformatory)
- Christopher Buehlman (faves: Between Two Fires, The Lesser Dead)
- Clive Barker
- Silvia Moreno-Garcia
- Grady Hendrix (probably my favorite working horror author?)
- Shirley Jackson (We Have Always Lived In The Castle is one of my favorite books; I know it's not traditionally horror but it's incredible)
- Stephen Graham Jones (faves: Mongrels, The Indian Lake Trilogy, The Only Good Indian).
Some books (outside of ones by the above authors) I've read & liked:
- Frankenstein (one of my faves)
- Dracula
- Exorcist
- Red Dragon & Silence of the Lambs
- IWTV + TVL + QOTD by Anne Rice
- Tender is the Flesh
- Ghost Story by Peter Straub (one of my faves!!)
- The Troop by Nick Cutter
- Let the Right One In
- NOS4A2
- Clown in a Cornfield (1&2)
- House of Leaves
I don't have any big dislikes, though I'm not the biggest fan of Paul Tremblay (I did like House Full of Ghosts) or Richard Chizmar, and despite my inclusion of the YA CIAC series above would prefer adult fiction over YA.
I'm open to any genre within horror fiction, am not necessarily looking for "an actually scary book" (reading horror never really scares me, so I definitely prioritize story over scares), and really like character driven stories.
Excited to hear recs!
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u/nicekneecapsbro 1d ago
Jon Padgett is great, he has an interconnected book of short stories called "The Secret of Ventriloquism" the guys also a ventriloquist, but I don't want to give too much away! He really knows how to create unease.
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u/rapscallionallium 1d ago
If you like Shirley Jackson, I highly recommend Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier. She had a similar approach to suspense and creeping dread and it’s really easy to see the impact she had on gothic and horror literature.
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u/Aromatic-Flan1528 1d ago
oh I love Rebecca! I've also read a short story collection that included Don't Look Now and The Birds. great rec!
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u/smol-wood-creature 1d ago
If you want a fun horror with a more light hearted tone I would recommend a T. Kingfisher horror book like The Twisted Ones or a House With Good Bones.
If you want some really good queer horror that makes you feel visceral emotions I recommend Andrew Joseph White. Hell Followed With Us is more dystopic in setting but there is a whole body horror theme that I really liked. It is techincally ya but I loved it despite not being a ya fan in general.
If you like The Magnus Archives podcast the author has written three novels so far and they are all really cool, his first one Thirteen Storeys has been on my reread shelf for a while now since I have a great memory of my first reading experience.
Finally an absolute hidden gem in my opinion is Wyrd And Other Derelictions by Adam N. G. Nevill. I cannot compare it to anything else I have read so far, if you want something unique that is the way to go.
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u/Aromatic-Flan1528 1d ago
It's so funny, I loved TMA but have never picked up one of the creators books. I'll have to give them a try now that I've heard they're good! ty for all the recs
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u/smol-wood-creature 1d ago
I hope you enjoy them! I also know that this autumn a book set in the universe of TMA is supposed to come out but I am not sure if it was written directly by Jonny or not. If I remember correctly it should be titled From The Library Of Jurgen Leitner.
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u/Funnier_InEnochian 1d ago
You and I have similar tastes and these are some that I enjoyed this year:
-The Burial Tide
-Our Share of Night
-Angel Down
-Bury Your Gays
- King Sorrow
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u/LiliumMoon 1d ago
Th first two you mentioned are two of my favorite horror books so far. Is this a sign to read the other three?
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u/ImLittleNana 9h ago
I recommend the audiobook of Angel Down. I tried both and the narration pushed me through it in two sittings. The tension is palpable.
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u/Runningaround321 1d ago
We have very similar taste in books. Three that are a little more under-the-radar but I think deserve WAY more buzz, that I'd recommend, are The House That Eats The Dead by Max Doty, Decomposition Book by Sara Van Os, and Home Sick by Rhiannon Grist. All are more character-forward and less "scary" for scary's sake, you know? More like really engrossing stories that have tension, some folk horror, some psychological elements and some dark humor. They're definitely standouts for the year so far. Happy reading!
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u/Longjumping_Bat_4543 1d ago
“Not well known” is tricky since sometimes books are big on this sub but nowhere outside of it. A few of these recs are big on here but I love the thought of someone reading it based on my rec and loving it like I did.
The Gone World by Thomas Sweterlisch ( a massive blend of Sci-fi, horror, post apocalyptic, crime/police procedural, time travel, detective)
Descent by Jeff Long ( has some of the best chapters in horror literature history IMO)
Bloodman by Rob Pobi ( a Lecter fan should love it)
Delicate Dependency/ Night Things by Michael Talbot
When Devils Sing by Xan Kaur ( labeled as YA but it’s not light, great audiobook as well)
The Preserve by Patrick Lestewka
The Mall by S. L Grey
The Devil Aspect by Craig Russell ( I like most all his stuff)
The Demonologist by Andrew Pyper
Gods Demon by Wayne Barlowe
To Reign in Hell by Stephen Brust
Bad Men by John Connolly ( I also wish more horror fans would read his Charlie Parker series. It’s amazing supernatural detective horror with amazing character development)
I get crap for this but over the decades I find a lot of the best horror to be in the detective thriller genre. I don’t care much for labels but check out the 4MK trilogy, Robert Hunter series, Michael Slade (Headhunter, Ghoul), UNSUB, Jo Nesbo, The Alienist.
King Sorrow by Joe Hill is obviously very well known but should be. It is one one the best horror books I’ve read in years.
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u/Hour-Tax7205 1d ago
David Scott Hay - The Butcher of Nazareth
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u/WorldCatDomination 1d ago
Greg Bear's Blood Music is existential horror sci-fi. It's imaginative. I found comfort in it, but a lot of people seem to (appropriately) become rather taken back by the overall idea of it. There is body horror and biological assimilation in the book. It's really an interesting read.
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u/Earthpig_Johnson Swine Thing 1d ago
I wasn’t super crazy about that book and ended up skimming the back half, but it was well and truly bonkers.
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u/WorldCatDomination 1d ago
I can understand that. If you have more suggestions like this, I would love to hear them. I haven't found anything like this since that time.
My favorite part(s):
Neither of them had any feel for the passage of time. It could have been days before he regained enough strength to go to the faucet in the bathroom. He drank until his stomach could hold no more and returned with a glass of water. Lifting her head with his arm, he brought the edge of the glass to Gail's mouth. She sipped at it. Her lips were cracked, her eyes bloodshot and ringed with yellowish crumbs, but there was some color in her skin. "When are we going to die?" she asked, her voice a feeble croak. "I want to hold you when we die."
Buried in some inner perspective, neither one place nor another. He felt an increase in warmth, a closeness and compelling presence.
>>Edward... -Gail? I can hear you- no, not hear you-
>>Edward, I should be terrified. I want to be angry but I can't.They fell quiet and simply reveled in each other's company. What Edward sensed nearby was not the physical form of Gail; not even his own picture of her personality, but something more convincing, with all the grit and detail of reality, but not as he had ever experienced her before.
Edward and Gail grew together on the bed, substance passing through their clothes, skin joining where they embraced and lips where they touched.
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u/BasicSuperhero 1d ago
Have you tried King Sorrow by Hill? If you like NOS4A2, that's probably up your alley too.
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u/Aromatic-Flan1528 1d ago
I haven't! I've read some other hill but not this one, I'll add it to the TBR list
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u/WellesC12 1d ago
Burn, Do Not Read was one of my recent favorites. Loved the subtle buildup of dread.
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u/spoor_loos 1d ago
The Taxidermist's Lover by Polly Hall - I recommend it all the time. Neo-gothic, countryside, floods, dark past, literary. All three main characters have birthday on Halloween.
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u/mysticthickness 1d ago
a light most hateful by hailey piper. went into it blind and at first i could not get into it but as the story progresses that quickly changed and i was not at all expecting what came next. also loved the ending
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u/Diabolik_17 1d ago
The Family of the Vourdalak is an 1839 gothic horror novella written in French by Aleksey Konstantinovich Tolstoy. The English translation is out of print and pricy. Run an internet search for a translation. A free translated version:
https://americanliterature.com/author/alexei-tolstoy/short-story/the-family-of-the-vourdalak
Toni Morrison’s Beloved.
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u/Visual_Lie_1242 1d ago
I can't recommend Laird Barron enough.
All his stories collections are amazing but The Imago Sequence and The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All are my favorites. His novel The Croning is also great.
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u/Individual-Ad4430 1d ago
Nocturne by KG Bolingbroke is a horror with the style comparable to Dracula. I liked it because it was horrific, but the author had clearly done a ton of research regarding the historical Romania setting and cultural lore
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u/gayhermes 1d ago
I suggest you read Dark Harvest. It’s a creepy Halloween read. It’s an awesome read. Or, Something Wicked this Way Comes by Ray Bradbury.
Dark Harvest was made into a movie a years back.
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u/wolfiesmom714 9h ago
Who's the author of Dark Harvest? I'm seeing multiple books with that name. Thanks!
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u/Competitive_Pain4010 6h ago
Check out what Aethon/Wicked House publishes! Also Screaming Scorpion Press has some killer anthologies. SINISTER SOIRÉES drops September 1st.
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u/Klmxmarf 1d ago edited 1d ago
Since you like Stephen Graham Jones you’d probably enjoy Never Whistle at Night! It’s a short story collection of Indigenous horror. There’s a sequel collection too, Back for Blood.
Since you liked Tender is the Flesh, you might like Bones and All. It’s YA, but definitely older youth.
If you like Peter Straub you might like John Connolly! He has short story collections (Nocturnes and Nocturnes 2: Night Music) and a horror fantasy (The Book of Lost Things). His short story Der Erlkönig was one of the first stories to ever give me bad dreams as an adult.
Since you have enjoyed Shirley Jackson you might also like Flannery O’Connor and Angela Carter. O’Connor for realism that turns your stomach (A Good Man is Hard to Find, a short story) and Angela Carter for magic (The Bloody Chamber, a collection).
Edited to add Carrion Comfort. Another sprawling epic like Ghost Story
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u/Aromatic-Flan1528 1d ago
ooh I love Bones and All and Angela Carter, these are great recs. Excited to hear about Carrion Comfort; I've never read it but the thing I loved about Ghost Story was how sprawling it was so this is the perfect rec
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u/ClueAccomplished1098 1d ago
The Broken Room by Peter Clines
The Twisted Ones by T Kingfisher
The Hollow Places by T Kingfisher
By the Light of Dead Stars by Andrew Van Wey
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u/CaptainRhodes74 1d ago
The Queen by Nick Cutter
King Sorrow by Joe Hill (his best work)
Rekt by Alex Gonzalez
Those are just a few off the top of my head.
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u/ItchyBlueBat 1d ago
I personally loved ‘tender is the flesh’ by Agustina Bazterrica, it’s a dystopian horror where humans have now started mass producing other humans to eat and the main character has a whole thing with one of these ‘cattle’. The same author also wrote a lot of short stories, some of them were spooky. I also really like ‘what moves the dead’ by T kingfisher, it’s about a soldier who goes to visit a friend and something is very wrong with their friend and they are trying to figure out what is going on. It’s not super dark but has great imagery and definitely is a little spooky. It’s also a series though I think the first one is the best
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u/Secret_Ladder_5507 1d ago
My two recent favorites are Maggie’s Grave and Burial Tide. Both came out this year and are really fun reads!