Great characters, tight plot, heavy on the horror and gore. In this splendidly written story, Quinn, a new girl in a small town, finds herself plopped in the middle of long simmering issues coming to a boil. Young Adult Horror: Clown in a Cornfield by Adam Cesare The story follows several people fighting to stay what they call “natural.” The best (or worst) part of the book is that every fictional wrong turn society takes is completely plausible. But some refuse to go along with this idea, even after government mandates. Chips implanted in humans give them access to direct stimulation and entertainment, and the population transforms into slovenly recluses. This tale is set in a grim world that might become reality sooner than we think. Brian Pinkerton has embraced this sub-genre and run with it. This has spawned a lot of near-future horror thrillers that are guaranteed to either amplify or assuage your fears. The future is filled with terrifying potential pitfalls, most driven by emerging technology that humans may be ill-equipped to manage. S ci-fi Horror: Nirvana Effect by Brian Pinkerton Some well-executed gore gets more splattery as the story reaches its satisfying conclusion. I was constantly surprised at the turns this story took. Excellent descriptions, fine action scenes, multi-dimensional characters. An interesting tale of a woman’s transformation into something more than human and the bizarre world she discovers when that happens. Part sci-fi, part dark fantasy, part horror, and completely enthralling. Genre-bending Horror: Slaves to Gravity by Wesley Southard and Somer Canon This tale of characters, both tragic and heroic, converging from across the country to keep a powerful demon at bay will keep you turning pages deep into the night, which is the worst possible time to read a book this unnerving. Chilling supernatural events and depictions of pure evil populate a story that effortlessly spans decades. But in this novel, Faherty delivers a demonic possession tale done right.
Sadly, many have not been as engaging as Blatty’s creation. Demonic Possession Horror: The Wakening by JG FahertyĮver since The Exorcist hit theaters, demonic possession stories have been popular. Well-plotted and well-paced, this horror thriller will keep you engaged right to the climactic finish. Then the group dynamic with the male antagonist sparks nearly as many chilling scenes as the supernatural side of the story does. But Moreland gives us more, starting with two credible female leads and the time to explore their complex stories and deep characters. This type of tale could easily devolve into a slasher-esque story of boaters picked off one by one in grisly detail. Two couples pilot a yacht to an uncharted island where the flora, rather than the fauna, are at the top of the food chain.
Suspenseful Horror: Savage Island by Brian MorelandĪn unspoiled tropical island should be a paradise, but when it comes from the pen of Brian Moreland, it is anything but. If you are a fan of fur and fangs, this will be howling good horror for you. There’s a lot of murderous action, but West also leavens in a bit of humor to break the tension, but not enough to push it into Abbott and Costello Meet the Wolfman territory. By the end you are wondering if there are any leaders in corporate America who aren’t werewolves. What sets this apart from other werewolf tales is the clear parallels highlighted between the canine Alpha lead/pack mentality and common attributes of the corporate world. Boss Damon Brogan leads the pack (pun intended) of Lerner managers and is the rah-rah boss people hate to work for. After a corporate retreat, he doesn’t feel like the man he used to be, and that’s where lycanthropy takes the stage. Our hero is Shaun, a worker bee at Lerner Solutions Corporation living a cubicle slave life, a bit adrift in his job. Werewolf Horror: Corporate Wolf by Stuart R. What they all have in common is they will entertain from page one to the end. Instead of being Halloween-themed, they span multiple sub-genres of horror, because everyone has a personal favorite type. These are books by mid-list authors, and many are from smaller presses. I won’t try to decide the best horror novel of all time, and I’ll give short shrift here to both genre-defining classics and best-sellers from authors with familiar names. I’m going to help you scratch that particular itch with some recommendations. Halloween’s approach puts a lot of people in the mood to dive into some horror, and for my money, reading a scary novel is the best way to do that.
On the 4 th of July, visiting national monuments is a common tradition. At Christmas, many re-watch Frank Capra’s It’s a Wonderful Life.
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