Sometimes all it takes is a good push early to get into a new genre. Some will pick up a fantasy book in their youth like the Redwall series and end up deep into Game of Thrones. With horror, it can start as a child with Goosebumps, and lead up through the teens and young … Read more
Horror and comedy seem like dichotomies, opposing sides of the spectrum with one causing uproarious laughter while the other causes screams and fear. The truth is that they’re two sides of the same coin though, existing in close harmony with a blurred line between them barely visible. It’s hard to balance, and even more difficult … Read more
Science fiction and horror are, and I’m truly sorry for this, an out-of-this-world combination (hold the applause). It’s one of the classic genre bends, making that horror we would usually experience in a relatively safe, familiar place like Earth, but hurl it into the void of space for that extra spice. These books will keep … Read more
As appreciative as I and other writers are for Lovecraft’s writing and creations, there’s a large consensus in the horror community that the author wouldn’t necessarily vibe by today’s standards. Mostly because of racism, but his fear of air conditioning would probably get in the way too. Good thing there are plenty of modern, more … Read more
Move over, Dracula, there are new vampires in town. One of the oldest legends in folklore, with some variant persisting through almost every culture, vampires have lived in the shadows of literature for centuries. Dracula isn’t on the list, ironically. While Stoker’s prose is great and the character is legendary, it doesn’t make for modern … Read more
The Pendergast Series by Preston and Child is popular for a reason, giving that classic mix of suspense, mystery, and the unknown beyond a modern twist. It’s a time-tested genre that has a widely built audience. After all, we all have that little fear of what we don’t know. These twenty books will give that … Read more
Whether you may have just finished the Netflix adaptation or the original comics by Neil Gaiman, The Sandman probably left you wanting more. The surreal dreamworlds, fantasy powers, universe hopping, and deep characters are some of the best in comic history, not much could measure up with that, right? There’s a lot out there left … Read more
The occult is an extremely wide umbrella, encompassing almost anything supernatural, demonic, or even just secret societies with secret plans. It certainly doesn’t hurt that people have been using “occult” as a means of othering things they consider evil throughout history. Ninth House by Leigh Bardugo takes the idea of the occult as sorcerers and … Read more
Ghosts and romance have been intertwined for centuries but only came to the forefront of literary works with the Gothic romance genre. Whether the ghosts are real or not may be questionable, but the romance is very real in these stories of characters haunted by spirits and emotions, love and loss, grief and joy. H.D. … Read more
Horror and romance have been tied together longer than peanut butter and jelly. Seriously, the oldest book on this list was published 29 years before the popularization of the PB&J in 1901. Time is scary, isn’t it? The books included are all considered horror, some more than others. The common thread though is the romance … Read more