9
votes
What's the Best Horror book you've read in the past year?
I finished The Little Stranger last week. While I found the pacing very compelling, I felt some pretty palpable dissatisfaction in how everything ended. I can't quite put my finger on it...
Best horror I’ve read in the past year is Lovecraft Country. I don’t think it’s possible to recommend that book enough.
The author very deftly wields the parallels between Lovecraftian cosmic horror and the very real horror of being black especially in a pre-Civil Rights Era America. The bombing of Tulsa is every bit as terrifying as an invasion by Flying Polyps except that terror actually happened. The blood curse is not what it brought out in you, but what others did to you. The Negro Motorist’s Green Book is every bit as important as a script from Al Hazred for navigating a world of horrors. So many vignettes in that book and I love every one of them.
One thing I especially loved is how the existential terror of being black in America has hardened the characters in the book for when they encounter the Mythos terrors of the Cosmos.
Honorable mention: Winter Tide which is not as good, imho, and is not really horror except for its use of Lovecraftian themes. I just enjoy seeing Lovecraft turned on it’s head.
I'm very excited to read Lovecraft Country, now! Thanks for the recommendation!
I hate to admit that I did not know about the Tulsa Massacre before reading this book.
I think it would be best to familiarize yourself with it as the fallout of that event is central to some of the stories.
Good advice (and you made it really easy for me! Ha!). Thanks!
This is the author's summary of the event.
For a pulp-ish horror novel, it's really well researched!
Lovecraft Country seems right up my alley! I've heard of the Negro Motorist's Green Book, but that one is non-fiction, yeah?
It’s the kind of book you hope you never need, but I’m sure it’s kept more than a few people away from harm.
I think I heard of something similar being made for transgender people. Can't seem to find a link though.
I so hope people start answering this question!
I love horror in just about every medium, but for some reason, every horror book I've felt was worth recommending has flown my head. I've read most of Stephen King's work, but I know he's not everyone's cup of tea. I also really dig Joe Hill (King's son).
What are some more of your favorites or recent-reads?
*forgot how to word
It's a classic but I really like "The jewel of seven stars" by Bram Stoker. Much much better than Dracula imho.
I very much enjoyed, Those Across the River, by Christopher Buehlman (super spooky southern ghost story). Let the Right One In (vampires and the horrors of humanity), by John Ajvide Lindqvist was also pretty terrifying. The Road (post apocalyptic horror/human horror), by Cormack McCarthy made me feel empty for days - that one is pretty cruel, in general. I'm also a fan of Stephan King!
House of Leaves, by Mark Z. Danielewski is another one that came really highly recommended , and it seemed to be trying way too hard to be a puzzle.
I'm currently slogging through House of Leaves! I'm not enjoying it as much as I had hoped. I think I would have loved it when I was 17-ish and reading for hours every day. I've lost that habit, and now I have a hard time making myself sit down to read. I still listen to books voraciously, but I feel sad about losing reading. (Don't worry, though, I'm working my way back into it!)
I loved loved The Road, and I totally feel you on the emptiness. I've never read Let the Right One In, but I did read his book, Harbor, and I really liked that.
A Season in Carcosa. An anthology based on the Carcosa and King in Yellow mythology. I haven't read the King in Yellow so I don't know how true the stories stay to the mythology. Anthology was really hit and miss, but some of the stories were pretty fantastic / creepy.
2666 Quite horrifying. Long read. Genuinely fantastic.
I will definitely check this out!
Currently in the middle of Dracula.
This is up there in everything by Alexander Dumas territory for me.
This comes up just as I'm reading Stephen King's The Stand for the umpteenth time. It's been several decades since I read it, and I've never read the newer "unabridged" edition, so I figured I'd throw it on my Kindle and give it a shot.
Have you read Poe? His works are pretty much the only other horror I've read. I started in sixth grade and have re-read his works over and over. I always seem to notice things I'd never noticed before. Brilliant writer.
A few of the suggestions here are interesting. I may have some new reading material when I finish this monster of a book.
I just ordered a copy of The Stand today! At over 1200 pages, it's a beast, and definitely the longest book I've read yet. Excited for it though.
I rarely read pure horror, but three "horror-esque" novels I've really enjoyed from the past year are:
The Girl with All the Gifts by MR Carey. Without a doubt, this is the best horror novel I've ever read. It's a rare book that just ticked all the right boxes for me; it's sharply written, well-paced, packed with allusions to Greek myth, and devilishly clever. At its heart is one of the most beautiful and pure portrayals of a young girl I've ever encountered.
The Woman in Black by Susan Hill. Atmosphere and Gothic charm are the highlights of Susan Hill's well-known ghost story. Set in an eternally mist-veiled English village, there's a delightfully spooky ambiance which pervades The Woman in Black and makes it perfect for the coming fall. Unfortunately, this might be one of those rare cases where I enjoyed the film more; it's a tightly written mystery in convincing Gothic style, but it just isn't particularly scary.
The Island of Dr. Moreau by HG Wells. A phenomenal classic of SF/horror from the late 1800s which, despite its age, is highly readable. The themes are very well done and the primary draw of this work. Again, not particularly scary, but it's very much worthwhile for Wells' prescient commentary on the ethics of genetic manipulation.
YES! I haven't read any of these! Thank you!