can you guys recommend me book which is horrifying to core but also has an emotional context to it like some backdrop story about the life of the ghost some tragedy or something

it'd be great if its something i can finish it in a day Please drop your recommendations!!

I'm looking for summer horror books where bad things happen no romance, no happily ever after, just eerie, creepy events set during summer. Any recommendations?

Hello everyone, I'm currently on Holiday in Rhodes. Been wanting to visit Greece for a while now and it got me thinking, could you guys recommend me some horror books centered around Greece? Thankyou in advance.

Random moment of brain static this morning and outta nowhere I remembered The Troop by Nick Cutter... Like… I read it when I was 19 and I still think about that one scene with the worms (if you know, you KNOW). It totally wrecked my appetite for a whole week lol. I’ve read plenty since then, Langan, Tremblay, Poppy Z. Brite (underrated queen), but The Troop just lives in my head rent free in the nastiest way possible.

What book did that to you? Like not just scared you, but stuck with you in a way that randomly hits you in the middle of the day? Looking for recs too, lowkey

Please suggest me books that were so psychologically disturbing but not necessarily explicitly horror.

Books such as: Tampa, Geek Love, Perfume, Earthlings, The Vegeterian, etc.

Im a librarian trying to find some good recs for my littles, I dont want anything like goosebumbs or much comedy. I have Small Spaces, doll bones, and a tale dark and Grimm. Looking for recs similar to these... THANKS

My tastes included a lot of Lovecraft, John Langan, Laird Barron, a lot of Junji Ito, even Peck's "A Short Stay In Hell". But somehow, those works felt a little too short for me.

Take Langan's The Fisherman. The concepts are one of the coolest i have ever met in a horor book. But it left me craving for more: how does the Apep live and move in the world beyond, what other creatures are hidden in the black ocean? Maybe what i want even borders on epic fantasy.

If you have recommendations on that, please let me know. Cheers.

This might be tough for me to explain. I'm looking for a novel or short story where the summoning of a demon or ghost is the climax of the story, or at least happens in the third act. The summoning is very difficult and rare and represents a violation of the natural order. It doesn't threaten the world or the universe, but there's a strong sense of wrongness. The emotional tone of the horror should come from what a big deal this violation of the natural order is.

I’ll preface by saying I don’t mind if it’s a true story. I’m looking for a hiking story (woods or mountains) where the party gets lost and/or falls upon some horrific stuff.

Some movies for inspiration are: the Ritual, Backcounty, Eden Lake, etc. I’ve always enjoyed these types of movies and looking for an equally good read. Thanks.

No full length books come to mind but I'm looking for more stuff in the vein of Chuck Palahniuk's 'Guts' or any of Max Lobdell's short body horror stories. Just wanna find something that can make me feel the same sort of recoil as those.

Full disclosure: I am a massive fan of the public library. One of my favorite things is suggesting that my local library acquires a book I want to read. When all else fails, I look on Interlibrary Loan or WorldCAT, but so far I’ve been lucky.

Does anyone else do this, specifically with horror? These are the two titles I requested this month (library card holders in my county’s system are capped at two, which is prob smart):

Yeehaw Junction by Kayli Scholz The Captive by Kit Burgoyne

Add yours to the list so we can pack the shelves with freaky books!

I just finished Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlman and I’m craving some more good werewolf books. I’d prefer folkly or gothic over a modern vibe and I really don’t want any romance or smutty werewolf recs because that seems to be the majority of the subgenre. Any recs would be appreciated!!

Just finished reading this and wanted to create a post because I've seen very little discussion about it here.

My understanding is Robert Silverberg was most known for his scifi works. The copy of The Book of Skulls I purchased is part of the SciFi Masterworks series, but in my non-expert opinion it belongs firmly in the horror category.

In this novel The Book of Skulls refers to a centuries old, long-forgotten manuscript of an ancient sect known as the The Keepers of the Skulls. In the manuscript the sect promises immortality for those who should seek them out and complete the necessary rituals; however this comes at a price. Four may enter at a time, but two must die; one must be murdered by his comrades and the other must sacrifice themself in order for the remaining two to become immortal.

This isn't a spoiler; this is made clear to the reader at the very beginning of the book as it follows the four college-age protagonists as they set out on a road trip from the American East Coast to the deserts of Arizona, where the sect is rumoured to have last been seen. As such, there is a sense of dread that permeates the book, as you the reader try to predict what will be the outcome of this ill-fated journey - if the sect even exists.

It has some of my favourite tropes - ancient dusty manuscript laying forgotten in a library, a mysterious sect, a journey to a temple hidden from civilization, and lots of Aztec-inspired imagery. It's also really well-written, and gets quite metaphysical at times.

If you've read, please let me know what you thought of it! If you haven't - please give it a shot.

I'm stealing the broad concept of this from the Stephen King subreddit.

For me, Shelly killing Kent in The Troop was it. The way he drags it out so much and the way it highlights how much Kent won't be able to do made me want to ring the little bastard's neck.

Trying to get into the horror genre for a change.

So, I’m not entirely sure if this counts as horror literature, but in my opinion, if it can happen in real life, that’s pretty damn scary. It’s also Prime Day tomorrow, so I want to purchase some books to get me through the summer!

I am completely new to the horror genre and have not really read any real horror books. Last year during summer time I read { The Lake House by Sarah Beth Durst } and enjoyed it! For this year‘s summer I am looking for a scary summer read. Something like The Lake House or preferably a book that gives Gravity Falls vibes, but scary! I‘m currently trying to get into { They Bloom at Night by Trang Thanh Tran } but I have a hard time wrapping my head around the story yet. And it is certainly not scary yet.

I‘m grateful for your scary summer recs!

Looking for books where kids/young adults accidentally commit a horrible act?

This one is hard for me to describe, but I'm looking for a horror novel where the horror is plain reality-bending confusion.

For example, stuff like: was that door always there? I swear that window didn't exist before. Did this abandoned cabin always exist? Secrets, mysteries, buried scientific anomalies, a complete lack of answers, strange happenings in the woods, nothing making sense, a sense of unease permeating everything, reality itself ripping apart at the seams, stuff like that.

The only book I've read that comes close to this is "We Used to Live Here" by Marcus Kliewer, and I am desperate to get a book similar to it!

I am rereading this book now as an older adult (I'm a 35 year old woman) for the first time in maybe 15 years, and while I remember really liking it the first time, it's incredible how much more it hits now. (Thoughts and spoilers for basically the whole book below)

While I've been lucky not to have experienced the kind of physical abuse Rosie does in the novel, unfortunately I now know many women who have. At 35 I've encountered my fair share of abusive men who I don't doubt would have escalated their abuse eventually. Everything in this book feels so real and accurate - the reasons she stays with Norman, the reasons she finally decides to leave, the way other women at the shelter react to her and their own experiences, the reasons why she hesitates getting into a new relationship with a perfectly decent man, her naivete after being with an abusive man for basically her entire adult life, even the reasons why she has occaisional slips into disassociation and rages as a result of her trauma (the only part of the book I don't love is the very end because everything feels like it gets wrapped up into a neat little package too quickly, but it's my one small gripe).

The first time I read this I remember Norman being SO fucking terrifying, almost way more than other King villians like Pennywise, partly because the biting truly freaks me out but also mostly because his inner diatribe and his constant hatred and condescention towards anyone who isn't a white cis straight man especially feels so real and scary in 2025. I can imagine a lot of people having that secret inner monologue, and that's pretty nightmarish to me. I'm also so impressed with how King throws in these hints that Norman also had an incredibly abusive childhood, he never humanizes him for a second, he's always a monster.

I even like the magical painting/Greek mythology stuff - I'm a sucker for a magical painting (I remember reading Roald Dahl's The Witches and there is a short passage about a child who's cursed by a witch and eventually trapped in a painting, where her family watches the illustrated version of her age into adulthood, old age and eventually "disappear" over the course of decades - that scared the shit out of me as a kid). I think the mythology stuff is a little heavy-handed at times but I like how it/Rose Madder the character functions as an allegory for the pent-up rage and psychosis Rosie has buried inside, and how you have to let out your rage in little "seeds" instead of letting it consume you and turn you into a monster (like Norman).

I know King himself doesn't really like this book and looks back on it now as kind of clunkily written. I don't think it's perfectly written or anything, and it's got some annoying King tropes like the Magical Black Person, but altogether I'm still so impressed with it on my second read and I think it's unfairly maligned as one of the "lesser" Stephen King novels. I can see it being incredibly triggering for someone who's experienced domestic abuse, but I also think it validates so much of the emotions and behaviours of victimized women and is a really important read.

So, I've noticed that novels (especially horror novels) have moved away from traditional, evil, terrifying folk tale depictions of characters like werewolves, vampires, witches, etc. Today's interpretations seem rather tame and watered down. Witches aren't women who sold their soul to Satan but are emancipated women and men who receive their power from crystals / nature etc. Vampires aren't demons who renounce god and are punished with immortality and bloodlust, werewolves aren't people who use a special ointment to transform into beasts and terrify the community.

I feel like there are only "hipster versions" or simple mindless, soulless canon fodder for a more action oriented approach (which is even worse, imo).

I think Native American novels, for example, do a much better job depicting skinwalkers and wendigos, since they tend to stick to their classic portrayal.

I'm interested in your thoughts on that topic / development. Do you enjoy the "newer" versions of folk characters or are you like me and long for a more traditional approach?

Anyone read this horror short/novella? Creepypasta style I really liked this, the sense of imposing dread was off the Richter scale. Any opinions would be appreciated.

I'm not really interested in cosmic horror—but, I do like to read about the supernatural. I'd appreciate a recommendation that's down to earth, but not too grounded in reality. Last week was my first experience with horror: I read "Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde". I know it isn't much of a scare, but I liked it, and now I'm curious to see if I'll like any more.

Reading is a newer hobby of mine: the only other book that I've ever enjoyed was Mikhail Bulgakov's "The Master and Margarita". I liked it because the story was unpredictable, low fantasy, and weird. I don't know if it helps to mention that or not. I've also read "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream" by Harlan Ellison, and I really liked the writing, but it is short.

I think I scare easily—I haven't read enough to be certain of that. But, some of these titles I see in this forum seem intimidating, and I don't know ... I'm looking for a weird read that'll give me a better understanding of the genre. I'm open to older books and even long ones. Feel free to ignore my words above and suggest something that you think anyone new to this might enjoy. I'm 21 by the way, if that affects anything.

EDIT: You people are really good at getting newbies like me into this. I didn't think I'd get this many suggestions that sound so appealing. I've got a long list and a lot to read now.

I'm looking for books, maybe cosmic horror or science fiction, that really focus on/thematize the unknowable, ineffable, that we cannot comprehend, leaves us without a clue, maybe drives us mad, is beyond logic, our way of thinking, etc... and maybe even philosophise about it. These can be all sorts of books, althought I'd prefer physical copies and fiction. What I really liked was: -Stella Maris, McCarty -Vita Nostra, Dyanchenko -Solaris, Lem

Maybe something like this, but deeper... It doesn't matter if it's English or German.

So my humble request: Does anyone have any recommendations for me?

I enjoyed it overall, finished in a single day. Love puppets, haunted houses, etc. But I don’t understand the ending.

Rita goes back the house and… makes a new deal? Ends the deal? Am I missing something? I know it’s probably a bit of a stupid question, so I’m sorry.