Episode Thirteen by Craig DiLouie

In this terrifying novel by Craig DiLouie, Matt and Claire Kirklin, the husband and wife team behind the popular ghost hunting show, Fade to Black, are invited to explore the Paranormal Research Foundation located on the grounds of a decrepit and isolated mansion. The team that they bring with them hope to find proof that the building is haunted, but what begins as a ghost hunt quickly turns into a waking nightmare as the house itself turns against them.

Road of Bones by Christopher Golden 

Inspired by the 1200 mile Kolyma Highway in Siberia, which is said to have been built on top of Stalin’s gulag, desolation and darkness are king in Christopher Golden’s horror novel, Road of Bones. 

When documentary producer, Felix Teigland, and his crew learn about the Kolyma Highway and its dark history, they decide to try and capitalize on it before anyone else thinks to. What they’re not expecting to find is a mysteriously abandoned village or an animistic shaman determined to hunt them down. 

Stranded by Bracken MacLeod

If you’d like a book about a group of men stuck on a boat together who have to face unspeakable horrors but with more of a sci-fi twist, then Stranded by Bracken MacLeod is the one for you. 

Icebound and battered after a brutal storm, the crew of the ship the Arctic Promise find themselves struggling to stay alive as conditions swiftly worsen. When they begin to fall mysteriously ill, and deckhand Noah Cabot is the only one unaffected, fingers are pointed, and he’s forced to find an answer and a way home before his neck is on the line. 

All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld

All The Birds, Singing by Evie Wyld is easily one of my favorite horror novels that demonstrates how terrifying isolation can be. 

Set on a remote British island, All The Birds, Singing tells the story of Jake Whyte, a young woman who is haunted by her past and only has the sheep she tends and her border collie to keep her company. When something begins to pick off her sheep one-by-one, rumors of an ancient beast are dredged up as well, and Jake soon finds herself facing something incomprehensible. 

The Ruins by Scott Smith

The Ruins—both the novel and the movie—is considered a classic for a reason. 

Written by Scott Smith, The Ruins is an edge-of-your-seat tale about a group of friends on vacation in Mexico. When the brother of one of the friends mysteriously disappears, they decide to go looking for him. What they find instead is a terrifying fever dream. 

The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling

Billed as The Martian meets Annihilation, The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling is a perfect example of how isolated—and terrifying—outer space can be. 

Gyre Price is being blackmailed. After lying her way into an expedition to map mineral deposits on a distant planet, her crewmate, Em, quickly discovers the truth about her credentials. And as Em’s psychological and physical torture continues, Gyre’s own self-control begins to slip away. 

The Terror by Dan Simmons

If you’re anything like me, then you have a morbid fascination with arctic exploration. Furthermore if you love arctic exploration, supernatural horror, stories of isolation, and somehow haven’t read The Terror by Dan Simmons, then you’re seriously missing out. 

Set in 1845, The Terror tells the story of the 125 men aboard the Terror, one of the first steam powered vessels that was part of Franklin’s expedition to discover the Northwest Passage. The men find themselves struggling to survive for a second summer with dwindling supplies as the ice begins to crush their ship and a seemingly supernatural entity begins to attack them. 

Below you’ll find a collection of horror novels coming out during the month of August. 

The Unmothers by Leslie J. Anderson

Fans of folk horror will be thrilled to read Leslie J Anderson’s deeply unsettling and suspenseful new novel, The Unmothers. 

In the wake of her husband’s tragic death, a journalist by the name of Marshall travels to a small, remote town to investigate a rumor that sounds like it’s straight out of the pages of the Enquirer: a horse has given birth to a human baby. 

Hum by Helen Phillips 

From the author of The Need comes a new dystopian horror novel, Hum. Set in a near future in a city that has been taken over by intelligent robots, a young woman named May struggles with her day-to-day life after losing her job to artificial intelligence. 

Desperate for time away from the city, she splurges on a three night stay at the Botanical Garden: one of the last remaining green spaces. But things between May and her family become fraught when she insists that they leave their technological devices behind. 

House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias

Gabino Iglesias scared the pants off of readers with his novel, The Devil Takes You Home, and now he’s back to do it again with House of Bone and Rain.

House of Bone and Rain is a different kind of ghost story. Set in Puerto Rico, it tells the story of five teenage boys who decide to exact their revenge after one of their mother’s is shot and killed. But as they strategize against the drug kingpin who gunned her down, a deadly storm begins to manifest itself off the coast, posing a very different kind of threat to their lives. 

Mask of Flies by Matthew Lyons 

From the author of A Black and Endless Sky and The Night Will Find Us comes a new, gripping horror novel about a bank robbery gone horribly wrong. 

Anne Heller has been a criminal for her entire life. When a job goes sideways, she finds herself on the run with her badly wounded partner and the police officer they’ve taken hostage. She has no choice but to lay low at her family’s cabin, but the more time they spend there, stranger and stranger occurrences begin to happen. 

The Devil By Name (Fever House #2) by Keith Rosson 

The second in the Fever House series by Keith Rosson picks up five years after the first book took place. John Bonner keeps an eye on activity beyond the walls of the “Fever House” in Portland, Oregon while Katharine Moriarty has made way for the east coast. Meanwhile, overseas, a young girl begins to exhibit unimaginable power. 

Crypt of the Moon Spider (Lunar Gothic Trilogy #1) by Nathan Ballingrud

If you’re afraid of spiders, you might want to skip this one. 

The year is 1923 and Veronica Brinkley has just arrived at the Barrowfield Home for Treatment of the Melancholy, located on the surface of the moon (though not necessarily the one you’re thinking of). Treatment for said melancholy is strange to say the least; a bit of spider silk attached to the brain. 

Little does Veronica know that the caves beneath Barrowfield once housed an enormous spider and that its silk granted followers great power. 

Below you’ll find 7 examples of haunting works of nonfiction. 

Ghostland: An American History in Haunted Places by Colin Dickey

Have you ever wanted to go on a roadtrip to visit some of America’s most haunted locations, but aren’t sure where to start? Well, Colin Dickey’s got you covered with his wonderful deep dive into our darker history, Ghostland. In Ghostland, Dickey travels across the country, visiting  hotels, abandoned hospitals, “zombie homes” and even an Indian burial ground.  All the while Dickey asks what makes a place haunted, researches who (or what) is doing the haunting, and whether or not ghosts are real or just a figment of our imaginations brought to life by troubled history. 

Dark Archives: A Librarian’s Investigation into the Science and History of Books Bound in Human Skin by Megan Rosenbloom

Out of all the books on this list of gothic titles, Dark Archives by might be the toughest one to convince your friends to read during their free time, despite the fascinating (if macabre) subject it covers. 

You see, Dark Archives covers the grim history and practice of binding books in human skin. Megan Rosenbloom has crafted an extensive and intensive look at the who, what, and why of this fleshy form of book binding, calling upon a team of scientists, historians, and librarians along the way. 

Smoke Gets in Your Eyes & Other Lessons from the Crematory by Caitlin Doughty 

If you consider yourself to be a goth and you somehow haven’t heard of Caitlin Doughty then let me enlighten you. Caitlin Doughty is a mortician by trade, as well as a popular YouTuber and advocate for funeral industry reform. She’s also the author of several wonderful works of nonfiction that tackle the subject of death. 

Fascinated but not sure where to start? Smoke Gets In Your Eyes & Other Lessons From the Crematory is a really excellent place to start. Smoke Gets In Your Eyes is Caitlin’s first collection of essays, and a thoughtful rumination about how conversations and general fear surrounding death and dying have shaped our country. Beyond being a well researched book, it’s also incredibly funny, and readers will find themselves chuckling as they learn about some of the more taboo subjects surrounding the deceased. 

Obitchuary: The Big Hot Book Of Death by Spencer Henry and Madison Reyes 

Spun-off from the popular podcast of the same name, Spencer Henry and Madison Reyes have 

joined forces again to write a book on the complicated relationship that many American’s have with death. Obitchuary is a clever, surprisingly moving, and painstakingly researched journey through death culture.

Horror for Weenies: Everything You Need to Know About the Films You’re Too Scared to Watch by Emily C. Hughes

If you’re anything like me when it comes to horror movies, then you head straight to the internet before watching certain ones so that you can be prepared for just how scary it is. Now, Emily Hughes (the veritable queen of scream thanks to her yearly horror novel roundups) has written a book to guide those of us who are a little too chicken for jump scares. Horror for Weenies is an expertly crafted and illuminating look at horror cinema that covers everything from Hereditary to The Blair Witch Project. 

Go to Hell: A Traveler’s Guide to the Earth’s Most Otherworldly Destinations by Erika Engelhaupt 

Has anyone ever told you to go to hell? Or have you had reason to use the phrase “to hell and back”? Well, Erika Engelhaupt has written a clever and highly detailed travel guide to some of the world’s underworld inspired locations. Engelhaupt has included 50 destinations and their fascinating histories including locations such as St. Patrick’s Purgatory in Ireland, Deadvlei in Namibia, and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves in New Zealand. 

Cult Following: The Extreme Sects That Capture Our Imaginations―and Take Over Our Lives by J.W. Ocker

J.W. Ocker, author of Cursed Objects and The United States of Cyptids, returns to the world of weird this fall with his new book, Cult Following, Ocker covers everything and everyone from David Koresh, to the earliest UFO cult, to Hogen Fukunaga who believed that he could tell fortunes by looking at feet. Cult Following promises to be an insightful look at some of the most terrifying cults that have existed across the globe as well as the unshaking, and often dangerous, power of trust. 

In Abigail, Stevens plays the head of a group of misfit criminals who find themselves fighting for their lives against a young vampire, but this is far from the strangest or scariest role he has taken on. Below you’ll find a mix of movies and TV shows that showcase Stevens’s talent. 

The Guest (2014)

Not sure where to start when it comes to Dan Stevens’s stranger body of work? Adam Wingard’s explosive, blood soaked thriller, The Guest, is an excellent movie to kick things off with. 

After departing from Downton Abbey, Dan Stevens returned to the big screen in 2014 looking and acting nothing like his beloved character, Matthew Crawley. The Guest tells the story of a soldier named David (Stevenson), who pays a visit to the Peterson family after the tragic death of their oldest son, Caleb, during the war in Afghanistan. David claims that he and Caleb were friends, and that he wanted to check in on their family after their son’s death. Polite and charming, David is invited to stay and quickly inserts himself into their day-to-day lives. When a series of increasingly violent deaths occurs in town, the Peterson’s eldest daughter begins to suspect that David might be responsible for them. 

Apostle (2018)

Set on a beautiful, remote Welsh island in 1905, Apostle (written and directed by Gareth Evans) is a gothic folk horror movie that tells the story of a deeply troubled man by the name of Thomas Richardson (Stevens) and the cult that he is sent to infiltrate in order to save his sister. It’s a deeply creepy and extremely gory Wickerman-esque tale, and Stevens shines as a formerly religious man haunted by his past who is forced to go toe-to-toe with human—and inhuman—enemies. 

Legion (2017-2019)

Probably best known now for his work on the stellar TV show, Fargo, Noah Hawley is the mastermind behind the short lived—it sadly only aired for three seasons—mind blowing, and incredibly unsettling show, Legion, based on the Marvel Comics character of the same name. 

A veritable feast for the eyes and the mind, Legion tells the story of a troubled young man by the name of David Haller, who has been diagnosed with schizophrenia. But that’s not the whole story. What David doesn’t know, and viewers eventually come to find out, is that he is the mutant son of the one-and-only Charles Xavier, founder of the X-Men. The show proceeds to follow David as he learns how to control his powers and evades a sinister force trying to track him down. 

Cuckoo (2024)

Slated to come out this August, Cuckoo is a psychological horror movie written and directed by Tilman Singer and stars a truly incredible cast including the likes of Hunter Schafer as the movie’s final girl, John Malkovich, Jessica Henwick, and Dan Stevens. 

Cuckoo begins when Gretchen (Schafer) is sent to live at a remote, mid-century alpine resort in Germany with her estranged father, his new wife, and their daughter, all three of whom she doesn’t seem to feel any emotional connection to. It quickly becomes clear that not everything or everyone is as they seem, including Herr König (Stevens), the resort’s skeevy, bespectacled owner. 

The Ritual (???)

While not much is known about The Ritual, which is currently in post production, there are a few details about the plot that have been shared. We know that it stars Dan Stevens and Al Pacino (which is exciting in and of itself) and that they’ll star as two priests—one who has a mysterious, troubled past, the other who is questioning his faith—who have been called upon to perform an exorcism on a young woman possessed by a demon (or so they think). Needless to say, The Ritual sounds like it will be a nail biter and terrifying to boot, and we cannot wait to see who Stevens will be playing and how he’ll tackle the role. 

[Image: Jordan Strauss/Invision/AP/REX/Shutterstock]

Below you’ll find 7 of our most anticipated titles hitting shelves in June. 

The Eyes Are The Best Part by Monika Kim 

A new voice in the feminist horror genre, Monika Kim is one to look out for (eye pun totally intended). 

Her novel, The Eyes are the Best Part, tells the story of Ji-won, a young Korean girl who is struggling with her family dynamic and experiencing grotesque dreams that are full of eyeballs. When her Umma brings home a new boyfriend in the wake of her husband having an affair, Ji-won can’t help but be fascinated and obsessed with his blue eyes. 

Horror Movie by Paul Tremblay 

What do The Crow, Rosemary’s Baby, and Poltergeist all have in common? Enough tragedy befell the folks working on these movies that people began to wonder if the sets themselves were cursed. Paul Tremblay’s upcoming novel, Horror Movie, is a new twist on this genre. 

Set in part during the early 90s, Horror Movie kicks off when a group of young filmmakers spend four weeks making an art house horror movie together. Only one cast member made it out of that time they spent together alive, and now he’s determined to remake the movie despite the tragedies and strange happenings that he managed to survive the first time around.

Cuckoo by Gretchen Felker-Martin 

Those who are familiar with birds know that a cuckoo will lay its eggs in another bird’s nest instead of raising their own young. Gretchen Felker-Martin’s upcoming horror novel is an interesting, and bone chilling, spin on this concept. Set in the 90s, Cuckoo begins when five queer kids are sent to a hellish conversion therapy camp by their parents. It is a brutal experience to say the least, but they soon realize that there’s something strange in the mountains just north of camp that is calling out to the campers and changing the kids who return to their families.

youthjuice by EK Sathue 

Perfect for fans of books like Rouge and American Psycho, Youthjuice by EK Sathue is an Elizabeth Bathory-esque tale and critique of the beauty industry that is not for the faint of heart. 

When Sophia Bannon joins the team at Hebe, a luxury skincare company in New York City, she knows that something isn’t right. The interns keep going missing and she can’t help but notice that their latest cream seems to have almost supernatural healing powers. When the truth comes to light, she finds herself torn between doing the right thing or becoming part of the Hebe family for good. 

Small Town Horror by Ronald Malfi 

From one of the masters of horror comes an all bone chilling new tale in which five friends are forced to confront the events of their past. 

When an old friend suddenly passes away, Andrew Larimer feels he has no choice but to return to the place he grew up. Once there, he and his friend are forced to face the consequences of their actions and a curse that could change everything. 

Brat by Gabriel Smith 

Featuring a protagonist with the same name as its author, Brat is a haunting tale of grief about the loss of a loved one and new spin on what makes a ghost story a ghost story. 

Grappling with a breakup and the death of his father, Gabriel agrees to move into his parents house in order to help get it ready for sale. What he doesn’t expect to find are a series of unfinished manuscripts written by his parents and an unsettling home video that leads Gabriel to believe that his parents weren’t telling him the whole story.

The Boy From Two Worlds by Jason Offutt

Pitched as being a perfect book for readers  who love Stephen King and Stephen Graham Jones, The Boy From Two Worlds promises to be every bit as scary as its predecessor. 

Thomas Cavanaugh has a sneaking suspicion that something isn’t right when his fae girlfriend, Jillian, kidnaps a four-year-old by the name of Jacob Jenkins. When Jacob reappears some years later, seemingly the same age, and a series of grisly murders occur shortly after, folks in town are quick to point fingers at Jacob as the number one suspect. 

Below you’ll find 7 of the most goth classes a player can pick for their Dungeons & Dragons character. 

Warlock: The Great Old One 

Warlocks, like most spell casters in the world of Dungeons & Dragons, seek out knowledge. But, unlike Wizards and Sorcerers, their knowledge comes from a patron who gifts their magical abilities to them instead of books or birthright. 

For a player who chooses the path of a Great Old One Warlock, that knowledge comes specifically from an entity beyond mortal comprehension (aka an eldritch being straight from the pages of an H.P. Lovecraft novel). 

Way of the Shadow Monk 

Not unlike Gloom Stalker Rangers and Soul Knife Rogue, Way of the Shadow Monks rely on stealth, deception, and darkness to defeat their enemies. In particular, Shadow Arts and Shadow Step come in handy for these sneakier monks. Shadow Arts allows a monk—typically not a magic user—to cast spells such as darkness, pass without a trace, and darkvision, all of which come in handy for a character who’s trying to not be noticed. Shadow Step is, frankly, extremely cool as it allows a Way of the Shadow Monk to teleport from one shadow to another. At higher levels, Cloak of Shadows allows a player to take things to the next level by turning their character invisible in dim light or darkness. 

Fallen Aasimar 

Descended from a celestial being or imbued with heavenly power for various reasons, an Aasimar stands out in an adventuring party because of their (often literally) angelic features and their feathered wings. That said, the Fallen Aasimar tread a slightly different path from their Protector and Scourge brethren. 

A Fallen Aasimar is an Aasimar who, at some point in their life, has been touched by darkness or turned evil. They are, when you break it down, truly a fallen angel. Their skeletal wings in particular make them stand out. Rather than the glorious feathers that an Aasimar typically has, theirs are flightless and often featherless with the purpose of scaring their enemies. 

Wizard: School of Necromancy 

While it’s a Grave Cleric’s job to make sure that the dead stay dead, a Necromancer wants nothing more than to bring the dead back to life. 

If you’re playing as a Wizard and choose School of Necromancy, you have the potential to become an expert in everything that has to do with death and undeath. At sixth level you add a spell called Animate Death to your spell book, which allows you to turn a pile of bones into a skeleton or a body into a zombie for a limited amount of time. Higher levels allow you to control any undead you stumble across, even those made by other wizards. 

Grave Cleric 

Clerics are, first and foremost, a connection between the gods and the mortal world. A cleric is often the healer in an adventuring party as well, someone who looks out for the characters hacking and slashing away at enemies and makes sure that they stay upright. 

It is a Grave Cleric’s job in particular to help put spirits to rest and to destroy undead wherever they might find them. At early levels a Grave Cleric can use Eyes of the Grave, which allows them to magically sense if any undead are present within a certain radius, and at higher levels they become a Keeper of Souls, which allows them to siphon vitality from a passing soul and use it to heal the living.  

Gloom Stalker Ranger 

In Dungeons & Dragons, Rangers are probably best known as characters who are at home exploring the far reaches of the world and all it has to offer. They’re natural explorers, and have favored terrain—ranging from grassy fields, to mountains, to deep forests—and enemies they are skilled at tracking down as a result of this. But a Gloom Stalker Ranger takes things a step further. 

Gloom Stalker Rangers exist and excel in the darkest places the world has to offer. While some might be afraid of what lurks in the shadows, they face it head on. At higher levels Gloom Stalkers can become one with the darkness they excel in when they gain Umbral Sight, a skill that means they are invisible in darkness, even to a creature with dark vision. And at higher levels still, Shadowy Dodge allows them to evade an attack by utilizing the shadows around them. 

Soulknife Rogue 

In the scale of goth Dungeons & Dragons classes, the Soulknife Rogue is definitely at the top of the list just based on name alone. 

Naturally stealthy, rogues (for the most part) have a tendency to stick to the shadows and are often experts in skills that allow them to be more tricksy, such as sleight of hand and deception. They even have a skill called sneak attack that allows them to deal extra damage while their opponent is distracted. The Soulknife Rogue—beyond having an incredibly metal name—are gifted with a psionic power that means they can penetrate an opponent’s mind or even unlock a door without the use of thieves’ tools. 

This month features the return of a horror legend, questionable scientific experiments, a lamplighter fighting to clear her name after a series of disappearances, and a small, picturesque community that is definitely secretly a cult. 

Read on to find out more about May’s spookiest books! 

Mother Knows Best by Kira Peikoff

A uncanny, anxiety-inducing psychological thriller about a controversial scientific experiment involving genetic modification, Mother Knows Best is a gripping look at how far a mother will go for her children. 

After her son dies, Claire Abrams discovers that an inherited genetic mutation from her own DNA is what killed him. Determined to be a mother no matter the cost, she partners with a fertility doctor, Robert, and a young scientist, Jillian, who is determined to excel her career. Together they work to create the world’s first baby with three genetic parents, something that could remove the threat of inherited disease. Ten years later, Robert and Claire are raising their daughter, and Jillian, fresh out of prison, is determined to find her child. 

You Like it Darker by Stephen King 

The king (get it) of horror fiction returns this spring with a new collection of short stories that will have you on the edge of your seat and, clocking in at a whopping 512 pages, reading for the month of May and most of June too. The stories in You Like it Darker include a sequel to Cujo, the tale of a psychic flash that changes the course of dozens of lives, a widower who travels to Florida to collect an unexpected inheritance, and a Vietnam veteran who makes the mistake of answering a mysterious job posting. 

Necrotek by Jonathan Maberry 

Five-time Bram Stoker Award winner and author of the vampire apocalypse series, V-Wars, Jonathan Maberry returns to the worlds of science fiction and horror with his upcoming novel, Necrotek. 

After an experiment goes horribly awry, the crew of Asphodel Station discover that they are no longer orbiting around Jupiter. To make matters infinitely worse, the ancient eldritch creatures that live in the vast oblivion of space are now aware of the existence of planet earth, and are headed that way. With disaster on the horizon, the fate of humanity rests in the hands of a philosopher by the name of Lars Soren, expert pilot Bianca Petrescu, the High Priestess Jessica McHugh, and a ghost called Lost. 

The Witches of Bellinas by J. Nicole Jones 

A gothic tale set in a peculiar town harboring a community that might just be a cult, J.Nicole Jones’s debut novel is as entrancing as it is deeply unsettling. 

Tansy and her husband, Guy, are the latest to move to Bellinas, a small town in California that harbors a creative collective run by Guy’s cousin, Mia. Mia used to be a model, but has given up her previously hedonistic lifestyle in favor of the natural world and what it has to offer. At first glance, everything seems perfect. There’s plenty of food, plants are healthy and flowers in bloom, and wildfires seem to avoid Bellinas altogether. But the closer Tansy looks, the more she realizes that something isn’t right with her new home. 

The Lamplighter by Crystal J Bell 

A masterclass in historical fiction and gothic literature, The Lamplighter by Crystal J Bell is set in the tiny, whaling village of Warbler that is famous for its intricate and—purportedly lucky—figureheads. It falls to Temperence, a young woman who is still grieving after losing her father, to make sure that the village’s lampposts stay lit in order to keep the dark, and what lies in wait just out of sight, at bay. When two of the lamps go out and a girl—and soon more villagers—go missing, Temperence takes it upon herself to find out what happened before it’s too late. 

Supplication by Nour Abi-Nakhoul

A fever dream of a novel from start to finish, Supplication begins when the protagonist wakes up tied to a chair in a stranger’s basement. The man who kidnapped her is there too, but not for long. Free of her traumatic captivity, Abi-Nakhoul’s nameless protagonist makes her way outside only to discover a world that has descended into frightening chaos.  

Below you’ll find 7 gothic titles for younger readers to cut their teeth on. 

The Gashlycrumb Tinies by Edward Gorey

Written and illustrated by Edward Gorey, one of the kings of gothic literature himself, The Gashlycrumb Tinies is the most delightfully morbid alphabet book you’ll ever find. 

The Gashleycrumb Tinies tells the story of 26 children, each one representing a letter of the alphabet, and their untimely, shocking, and often very violent deaths. Despite its macabre content, Gashlycrumb Tinies is incredibly entertaining as it’s written in rhyming couplets and paired with Gorey’s signature black and white sketches. 

The House with a Clock in its Walls by John Bellairs

When it comes to gothic literature for young readers, it’s hard to beat John Bellairs and the first book in his beloved Lewis Barnavelt series, The House with a Clock in its Walls. It also falls into one of my personal favorite subgenres of horror fiction and gothic literature: There’s something weird about this house. 

Lewis Barnavelt is thrilled when he finds out that his uncle, Jonathan, and Jonathan’s neighbor, Mrs. Zimmerman, are magicians by trade. Who wouldn’t be? But when Lewis decides to try magic for himself, he accidentally brings the former owner of his uncle’s house, Selenna Izard, back from the dead. 

Godfather Death by Sally Nicholls

Paired with Júlia Sarda’s gorgeous illustrations, Sally Nicholls’s interpretation of Godfather Death, one of the lesser known Grimm tales, will take your breath away. Like many fairy tales, this is not a soft, sweet bedtime story, but a haunting cautionary tale. 

When a fisherman decides to make Death his son’s godfather, he thinks he’s being incredibly clever. While at the christening, Death gives the fisherman and his son an unexpected gift that leads their family to equally unexpected wealth, but greed soon takes the fisherman on a dark path risking his and his son’s lives.

Thornhill by Pam Smy

I am, and frankly have always been, a fan of a book that is told in chapters that alternate between prose and illustrations, and Pam Smy’s novel, Thornhill, expertly checks both of those boxes. 

Thornhill tells the story of two young girls through parallel timelines. The first is Mary, an orphan at Thornhill Institute for Children whose retaliation against a bully has horrific consequences. The other is Ella, whose bedroom window has a perfect view of the long abandoned Thornhill Institution and the mysterious girl who stalks its grounds. 

Bunnicula by Deborah Howe and James Howe

A classic in every sense of the word, and positively delightful from start to finish, Bunnicula by Deborah and James Howe might just be one of the best scary stories written for young readers ever. If you’re anything like me and love vampires it also happens to be a truly formative book. 

Told from the point of view of the family dog who, because his owner is a writer fancies he’s something of a writer himself, Bunnicula tells the story of Harold and his feline companion, Chester the cat. Their worlds are turned upside down when their people bring home a suspiciously silent, red eyed rabbit after finding him at a showing of Dracula at the local theater. While Harold thinks that Bunnicula is likely a normal rabbit, Chester isn’t so sure, and hijinks quickly ensue. 

The Skull by Jon Klassen

Based on a story that he discovered in a book of Tyrolean Folktales, The Skull tells the story of a tenacious young girl named Otilla who finds herself lost in the woods. After a time, she discovers a castle that appears, at least at first glance, to be abandoned. Otilla soon finds out that its one and only inhabitant is a sentient human skull, and the two quickly become friends.  

As night sets in, the Skull reveals that he is afraid of something that comes to the castle at night, and it falls to Otilla to protect them both. 

The Nest by Kenneth Oppel

Trust me when I tell you that The Nest by Kenneth Oppel is truly one of the best and scariest horror novels that I’ve ever read. It’s also one of the hardest to recommend, at least to adults, as it was originally written for middle grade readers. But if you’re in the mood to stay up late at night wondering what that scratching noise coming from inside your walls is, then this is the book for you. 

Steve is the kind of kid who worries. He worries about his sick baby brother who doesn’t seem to be getting any better, he worries about his parents who are struggling to take care of them both, and he especially worries about the wasp nest that has appeared outside his bedroom window. When a beautiful and ethereal woman appears in Steve’s dreams and promises that she’ll be able to fix his brother, he thinks that maybe all of his problems have been solved. But not all is as it seems and the wasp nest keeps growing larger.

Thinking back, I’m positive that a large part of this has to do with the Dead Marshes in The Lord of the Rings and the ghosts lying in wait for Frodo just under the surface. But marshes aren’t the only wetland that have proven themself to be  mysterious, dangerous, strange, or even harbor the dead (both in fiction and in real life). There are swamps with their ancient, toothy residents and bogs, which are known to perfectly preserve those who are unfortunate enough to get trapped under their surface. They’re fodder for incredible stories, and ground-breaking scientific research. And, as it happens, are quite important parts of our environment as well. 

Below you’ll find seven books ranging from fiction to nonfiction that feature bogs, marshes, fens, swamps, and just about every kind of wetland in between. 

Bog Bodies: Face-to-Face With The Past by Melanie Giles 

By definition a bog or a bogland is an area of freshwater wetland that accumulates decaying plant life, otherwise known as peat over time. But it’s what that peat can do that is truly fascinating. Decay creates acid with a pH level that is akin to vinegar which, you may or might not know, is a key material in preserving things. A lot has been found in bogs over the years, perfectly preserved human remains included. 

Melanie Gist’s book, Bog Bodies (yes, there are two books on this list with the same title) brings readers to North Western Europe, where the preservation of these wetlands allows people to study the past in intense detail. From the world  famous cold-case, the Worsley Man, to their appearances throughout folklore, Gist discusses the intrinsic importance of these wetlands in our lives. 

The Lewis Man by Peter May

Clearly inspired by tales of bog people and the perfectly preserved corpses that have been recovered from the earth, The Lewis Man, the second book in Peter May’s wildly popular mystery series, begins when an unidentified corpse is found preserved in a peat bog on a remote island. The only real clue as to who this person is lies in their DNA, which happens to be a match to an elderly local suffering from dementia. While he has always claimed to be an only child, the truth points to a very different story. 

Ghost Wall by Sarah Moss

Set during a brutally hot summer in Northumberland, an area in the northeast of England that borders Scotland, Ghost Wall tells the story of a seventeen-year-old girl named Silvie and her rapidly deteriorating relationship with her parents. Her father’s fascination with Iron Age Britons has brought their family to a university funded archaeological encampment near a bog. 

Ghost Wall is the kind of book that will stick with you long, long after you’ve finished reading it. It expertly builds a sense of disquiet and dread that builds to an unstoppable crescendo in its final chapters. Moss ratchets up the tension with each page as the past seamlessly blends with the present 

Swamplandia by Karen Russell 

What’s not to love about Karen Russell? Her novel, Swamplandia, is truly bizarre from the first page to the last, and a perfect example of a book with a grasp on a sense of place—in this case, the swampy Florida Everglades. 

Swamplandia tells the story of Ava, a tenacious twelve year old, and the seventy alligators left in her charge after her mother’s sudden death. Stranger still is the fact that her sister is having an affair with a ghost and her brother has gone all in on the World of Darkness. While Ava faces seemingly insurmountable odds, she comes from a hearty stock and it shows in this gripping coming of age tale. 

River of Teeth by Sarah Gailey 

Did you know that in the early twentieth century, Congress planned to fix America’s meat shortage by importing hippos and raising them in Louisiana’s bayous? The plan sadly fell through, and Americans went on to live the free-range hippo-less lives we know so well today. 

Sarah Gailey’s action-packed and insanely fun novella, River of Teeth, imagines what life in the 1890s might have been like if Congress succeeded and ranchers raised hippos rather than beef. One of those ranchers (turned mercenary hippo wrangler through a series of unfortunate events) is the charming and enigmatic Winslow Houndstooth. Winslow, a bisexual Englishman of questionable repute, is tasked by the U.S. government to assemble a crack team to help deal with a sudden influx of feral hippos. Winslow’s crew is a rag-tag bunch of wonderfully diverse, refreshingly non-heteronormative characters that includes a con-woman, a pregnant professional killer, and a demolitions expert. While the feral hippos are terrifying, Winslow (and readers) soon discover that the humans in River of Teeth story can be much, much worse.

Fen, Bog, and Swamp: A Short History of Peatland Destruction and Its Role in Climate Crisis by Annie Proulx

Probably best known by readers for Brokeback Mountain and Barkskins, Annie Proulx’s latest book, Fen, Bog, and Swamp turns an eye to the natural world and how our ever changing wetlands can affect different aspects of our daily lives. 

In Fen, Bog, and Swamp Proulx covers these myriad different wetlands, illuminating how they have changed—for the better and worse—over the years. With a journey that begins in 16th century England, Proulx takes readers around the world, from the Hudson Bay to Russia and beyond, she gathers formidable and enlightening facts for her readers. 

Bog Bodies by Declan Shalvey and Gavin Fullerton 

Bog Bodies by Declan Shalvey and Gavin Fullerton is a brutal, bloody, and gorgeously illustrated survival story set in the remote mountains outside of Dublin. It’s part crime story, part ghost story, and manages to push the boundaries of its genre in delightfully unexpected ways. 

When a young Irish gangster, badly injured and on the run, encounters a woman who is lost and alone, they’re forced to band together to survive the desolate marsh between themselves and safety. Bog Bodies is a relentless tale of violence that will stay with you long after you’ve finished reading it. 

Below you’ll find six houses throughout modern horror and gothic literature that contain unsettling houses and, as a result, stories that are sure to keep you up late at night wondering what’s watching from the shadows. 

The House that Horror Built by Christina Henry 

The House that Horror Built is a fresh spin on a classic gothic trope. Harry Adams loves horror movies, so when the opportunity to help clean famous horror director Javier Castillo’s house arises, she jumps at the opportunity. The house, called Bright Horses, is absolutely jam packed with horror related paraphernalia ranging from costumes to set design pieces. Harry does her best to keep the house in top shape, but when she starts to hear noises from behind locked doors—noises that sound alarmingly like people calling for help—she begins to question her employer and the house itself. 

Just Like Home by Sarah Gailey

Don’t let the delicate pink cover and endearing title of Just Like Home fool you. Sarah Gailey’s latest novel has one of the most malevolent houses to be put to page in all of horror literature. 

When Vera’s mother calls to tell her that she’s dying, Vera feels she has no choice but to return to her childhood home to spend what time remains with her mother. Returning dredges up old memories of her father, a serial killer who was caught and arrested when she was a young girl. Worse still, an artist claiming to have a vested interest in Vera and her family history is now living on the property. When Vera discovers a note written in her father’s handwriting, she believes that the artist might be trying to get under her skin. The truth, however, is much more sinister. 

White Is for Witching by Helen Oyemi 

Like a haunted Tardis, many of the houses—the deeply messed up ones in particular—in gothic literature appear to be much bigger on the inside than they are on the outside. This can be a trick of the mind or, more often, the trick of some malevolent spirit hiding in the walls. Perched on the desolate cliffs near Dover, the house in White Is for Witching is a perfect example of this. 

The Silver family, still reeling from a recent tragedy, find themselves mourning their loss in the seemingly endless halls of their family home. But the house isn’t doing well either. With each passing day it becomes more clear that there is something not entirely of this world that lives within its walls. 

A Haunting on the Hill by Elizabeth Hand 

It takes a very special and gifted author to get the approval needed to write the first authorized companion to The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson, arguably one of the best and most influential terrifying house books to ever exist. Elizabeth Hand is that author and A Haunting on the Hill is that book.

Holly Sherwin is a struggling playwright. She has been for years, but when she receives a grant for her latest work it might just be the spark she needs to get her creative juices flowing again. When she stumbles on the dilapidated but undeniably entrancing Hill House on her getaway, Holly becomes determined to spend her time there. But, in classic fashion, the gothic mansion isn’t at all what it seems and Holly soon finds that she is as much at war with the strange old building as she is with herself. 

Incidents Around the House by Josh Malerman 

From the best selling author of Bird Box comes another terrifying tale that will keep you up at night (this time listening to all of the ambient sounds that your home makes while you’re trying to sleep). 

Incidents Around the House tells the story of Bela, a young girl who struggles to keep a spirit that she calls “Other Mommy” from tearing her family—her mother, father, and grandmother—apart (metaphorically and, potentially, physically as well). When “other mommy” asks Bela if she can go inside her heart and Bela refuses, violent incidents begin to occur around her home that threaten everyone’s well being. The result will have a white knuckle grip on your heart and your psyche as Bela struggles to face off against something that is much stronger, and more clever, than she is. 

Horrorstör by Grady Hendrix 

While most people might think of his recent novel, How to Sell A Haunted House, Grady Hendrix has another book that features a sinister home in it. Or, more accurately, a deeply sinister furniture store where one might buy an unnecessarily complicated bookshelf or bedside table to furnish their home with. 

Horrorstör is about Osk, a IKEA-like furniture super-store in Cleveland, Ohio that has been experiencing increasingly strange goings on. Bookshelves have been broken and wardrobes shattered, but security cameras have failed to pick up the perpetrators and sales are down as a result. In a last ditch effort to find out what is happening, three employees agree to stay at Osk overnight to find out who—or what—is unleashing its wrath upon the store. 

By definition, a zombie is a corpse that is said to have been revived by witchcraft, particularly in relation to the practice of voodoo. In modern media they are more often the product of a catastrophic scientific accident or a rapidly spreading virus than anything else. The result is a rotting creature with an insatiable hunger for human flesh or, more specifically, brains that might have once resembled a human being. 

They go by many names; runners, bloaters, walkers, infected, and stalkers just to name a few and are all, whether fast or slow, absolutely terrifying no matter what media they appear in. 

The following six books contain a vast variety of the undead, and are all worth checking out. 

The Zombie Survival Guide: Complete Protection from the Living Dead by Max Brooks 

Who better to write a truly extensive how-to manual on surviving a zombie apocalypse than Max Brooks, the man who brought us World War Z, one of the most iconic books about the undead of all time (and eventual inspiration for an intensely polarizing movie of the same name). 

From shambling undead to fast-moving infected, The Zombie Survival Guide covers just about every situation imaginable in the event of an outbreak. Brooks guides readers through evasion tactics, how to arm yourself, and how to organize your home until help (hopefully) arrives. Though satirical in nature and laugh out loud funny, it’s obvious that Brooks spent time genuinely pondering what would happen if we had to deal with the undead, and the result is positively delightful. 

The Girl With All The Gifts by M.R. Carey

The Last of Us isn’t the only tale of a zombie apocalypse that will tug at your heartstrings that features cordyceps taking over human minds and a very special young girl. 

The aforementioned special girl is Melanie, who spends most of her days strapped to a wheelchair while an army sergeant points a gun at her. This is because Melanie is, for all intents and purposes, a zombie. But unlike most undead, Melanie has retained her brain function and can still communicate as if she were alive. When disaster strikes the base where she is being kept, Melanie and her school teacher, Miss Justineau, are forced to go on the run across an uncharted and zombie infested countryside. 

Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman 

Very rarely do we get zombie stories that are set during a time that isn’t present day. Christopher Buehlman’s historical fantasy horror novel, Between Two Fires, scratches that itch. 

Set during the dark ages in the year 1348, Between Two Fires tells the story of Thomas, a former knight who finds a young girl amidst the ruins of a Norman village. Orphaned and alone, she also appears to be the only person who hasn’t succumbed to the Black Death. When the girl tells Thomas of an impending cataclysm that could destroy the world as they know it, he agrees to shepherd her across a ravaged countryside, facing the undead and angels and demons alike along the way. 

What Moves the Dead (Sworn Soldier #1) by T. Kingfisher 

Inspired by Edgar Allen Poe’s beloved gothic short story, “The Fall of the House of Usher,” What Moves the Dead is a fresh and eerie take on an old classic that will have readers on the edge of their seats (and looking at rabbits a little differently) the entire time. 

When Alex Easton receives word that their childhood friend, Madeline Usher, is dying they decide to visit her one last time at her rapidly decaying, ancestral home. But the house itself and Madeline’s condition might be the least of their worries as they face rapidly encroaching fungi that seems to have a mind of its own and undead wildlife. 

Zone One by Colson Whitehead 

Before writing his emotionally devastating novel, The Nickel Boys, or his spectacular, action-packed heist novels, Pulitzer Prize-winning author Colson Whitehead wrote a satirical post-apocalyptic book about zombies called Zone One. 

In the world of Zone One, humanity has been sorted into two groups, the living and the dead, and now that the plague is finally dwindling (and the more violent undead with it), society has been forced to figure out what to do with those who are left behind. Mark Spitz is one of many who have been tasked with removing the much less violent zombies that now remain. The story itself switches between Mark’s survival during the height of the zombie outbreak and his now mundane existence as he helps to prepare New York City for its return to normalcy in the wake of disaster. 

Feed by Mira Grant

Imagine a world in which humans have not only cured cancer, but virtually eliminated every known virus spreading from person to person. There’s a price, of course, and in Mira Grant’s novel, Feed, it’s zombies. The very thing used to block the viruses causing humans to get sick is now taking control of bodies and minds, urging them to feed. Twenty years have passed since the Rising, and it has fallen to two bloggers to try and get to the bottom of what exactly caused the dead to return once more.