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From intensely unsettling to heartbreakingly beautiful moments, the best horror novels of 2023 offer fresh spins on terrifying tropes.
This is a must-buy for libraries that are looking to add fresh new horror to their collection. The story has broad appeal and will entice patrons with its additions to the classic Frankenstein story, as well as horror readers seeking something new. Recommend to those who liked T. Kingfisher’s What Moves the Dead and Philip Fracassi’s Boys in the Valley.
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We Ate the Dark
With stunning prose, Pearson draws readers into the lives of her characters and weaves a horror-esque fantasy tale.
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The Haunting of Velkwood
Fans of My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix won’t want to miss Kiste’s (The Rust Maidens) latest.
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The Handyman Method
A haunted-house story possessed by the shades of Stephen King’s The Shining and The Tommyknockers. Horror fans will be enthralled.
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Dracula: A Full Cast Audio Drama
This dramatized adaptation of Stoker’s classic tale is a perfect spooky listen for those seeking a new experience of the original novel. Recommended for any audio classics or horror collection.
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At the End of Every Day
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking atmospheric, unsettling horror that blends otherworldly chills with childhood nostalgia. Recommended for fans of Megan Collins, Kiersten White, and Jennifer McMahon.
This perfect synergy of author and narrator will have broad appeal. For fans of Rachel Harrison and Grady Hendrix and anyone seeking a unique haunted-house story.
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Vampires of El Norte
This complex blend of historical fiction, romance, and horror captivates on many levels. Share with fans of Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Alma Katsu, and Andy Davidson.
Music and horror fans who like their ghost stories gooey and their music loud should give this story a spin.
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Spin a Black Yarn: Novellas
A great sampling of Malerman’s novellas, brought to life by an ever-engaging group of talented voice actors.
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Disturbance
Though the subject matter is disturbing, Clake’s window into the horror wrought by abusive relationships resonates. A haunting literary horror for fans of Carmen Maria Machado’s Her Body and Other Parties.
Rosson’s dialogue and characters may attract fans of noir-adjacent fiction, but it’s the true horror fans who will love riding out this apocalypse.
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Looking Glass Sound
With an abundance of moving parts, Ward’s multilayered tale is a delightful challenge for anyone who loves reverse-engineering their thrillers.
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Burn the Negative
One doesn’t need a Needle Man to poke holes in the plot, but Winning has created an immersive love letter to late-20th-century horror cinema that will draw fans of supernatural slashers like flies to corpses.
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Girl Among Crows
A captivating listen, just the thing for thriller readers seeking supernatural scares. The twists come fast, and the characters’ decisions lead to brutal consequences. Share with fans of Stephen King and Riley Sager.
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Phantom
Listeners who don’t mind unappealing characters or messy plots may want to check this out, but it’s an otherwise optional purchase for most libraries.
Hand’s reworking of the Hill House legend is brilliant on its own, but sinister sound effects and Monda’s spine-tingling narration (which includes show-stopping renditions of the spooky murder ballads) make this an absolute must-have for horror collections.
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Ghost Tamer
A paranormal thriller that offers thrills and chills in addition to a touching exploration of grief, love, and moving on.
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No Child of Mine
Though Giraldes’s tale is sometimes dragged down by its ghosts, readers of domestic horror will likely respond to the depiction of an increasingly isolated expectant mother.
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My Darling Girl
Full of twists, turns, and plenty of suspense, this slow-burn horror novel has depth and plenty of holiday chills. Fans of McMahon’s other works will not be disappointed.
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Red Rabbit
This meandering, lushly described weird West tale will be a treat for fans of Alma Katsu, Rob DeBorde, and Rhett C. Bruno.
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Hemlock Island
A thrilling story, laced with horrors both real and otherwise; recommended for audiences who loved Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan’s The Handyman Method and Thomas Olde Heuvelt’s Echo.
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The Daughters of Block Island
While there are numerous references here to horror icons such as Shirley Jackson and gothic novels, including Jane Eyre and Wuthering Heights, they do not fully resonate with the characters of Carmen’s debut novel (after the short story collection Something Borrowed, Something Blood-Soaked: Thirteen Stories), making it read like a disjointed collection of tropes.
Jenny Kiefer is a Kentuckian and an avid rock climber. Together with her mother, she is the owner and manager of Butcher Cabin Books, an all-horror bookstore. Her work has been featured in Pseudopod, Cosmic Horror Monthly, Fantasy & Science Fiction, and Howls from the Dark Ages. This Wretched Valley is her debut novel.
This latest from Datlow is a consistently creepy anthology made for long, dark solstice nights (or long days, if you’re in the Southern Hemisphere).
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Midnight on Beacon Street
Verona’s debut is a riveting thriller and a thoughtful love letter to horror films. It will find its most enthusiastic audience with fans of the babysitter final girl trope from any medium, such as the movie Halloween and the novel The Babysitter Lives by Stephen Graham Jones.
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The House of Last Resort
Golden is already a library favorite, and his latest will be eagerly devoured. This title would make a great suggestion for fans of The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni or Mexican Gothic by Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
A stunning novel that purposefully plays with genre conventions and centers love, even as it actively terrifies readers to their core, much like recent novels from Victor LaValle, Rachel Eve Moulton, and Chuck Tingle.
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Where the Dead Wait
Fans of the historical horror Alma Katsu or polar exploration nonfiction, such as In the Kingdom of Ice by Hampton Sides, will rejoice, but the intense psychological horror and isolation will also appeal to those who enjoy space horror similar to Dead Silence by S.A. Barnes.
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Edenville
In his debut novel, Rebelein confidently writes in a sardonic tone, mixing humor with over-the-top cosmic horror, a combination that will appeal greatly to fans of We Sold Our Souls by Grady Hendrix, but don’t sleep on the academic aspects, as also seen in Catherine House by Elisabeth Thomas.
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Womb City
Tsamaase, like Oghenechovwe Donald Ekpeki, is a rising star in African speculative fiction whose work will appeal to readers from across the globe, especially fans of Philip K. Dick, Margaret Atwood, and Blake Crouch.
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Your Shadow Half Remains
Creepy from its first lines, this deceptively quiet roller-coaster of intense unease, palpable emotional trauma, and engrossing menace will appeal to a wide swath of readers.
A terrifying debut, rendered with the intensity and skill of Scott Smith’s cult favorite The Ruins and touches of The Hunger by Alma Katsu and Echo by Thomas Olde Heuvelt. The novel announces Kiefer’s intentions to boldly begin her climb to the top of the genre.
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All Eight Eyes
Foxe’s (Dark X-Men) scripting emphasizes thrills and chills over exposition without shortchanging character development in this exhilaratingly pulpy horror thriller.
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Camp Damascus
Tingle’s foray into a new genre pays off. Share with horror fans looking for complex, multilayered characters and unexpected storylines or anyone seeking piercing commentary on faith, conversion therapy, and religious trauma.
Vampires prowl the pages, and new titles arrive from S. A. Barnes, Eric LaRocca, and Thomas Olde Heuvelt.
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The Pale House Devil
This solid novella will appeal to horror readers who like quirky protagonists. Recommended for fans of Kadrey’s “Sandman Slim” series or of Edgar Cantero and Jim Butcher.
While some readers might be drawn to this book by Peele’s star power, this is a well-crafted anthology that’s perfect for introducing readers to emerging and established Black authors.
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Candy Cain Kills
This Christmas slasher, in the vein of movies like Silent Night, Deadly Night, is a quick read and a perfect book for gorehounds to devour on a cold Christmas night where there’s a fire in the hearth, some cocoa on the nightstand, and possibly something murderous in the snowy dark.
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Good Girls Don’t Die
Featuring a unique premise and culminating in an engaging twist, this book offers a poignant feminist horror story with strong women characters.
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A Haunting on the Hill
Where Jackson gave glimpses of possibility, Hand purposefully pulls back the curtain on a Hill House in its full derangement, but this haunted-house tale stands on its own very spooky legs.
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My Darling Girl
With detail that is simultaneously luscious and eerie and a story that is at once familiar and yet possessed by something unnamable, this novel won’t disappoint fans of McMahon (The Children on the Hill) or first-time readers.
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The Horror at Pleasant Brook
The sheer number of expendable characters sometimes slows down the action, but fans of Stephen King’s and Dean Koontz’s stories of small-town evil infestation will love seeing Pleasant Brook fall into darkness.
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Midnight Showing
For fans of horror and Hollywood (and Holly-weird) and for any creative who has contemplated the nature of art, the concept of reality, and a creator’s responsibility for their creations.
Juliano’s tense debut offers grown-up vibes for fans of Margaret Peterson Haddix’s Running Out of Time, like a more sinister take on M. Night Shyamalan’s The Village. An outstanding pick for fans of classic horror and creepy cults.
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Hounds of the Underworld
Should appeal to fans of Jim Butcher’s “Dresden Files” and Patricia Briggs’s “Mercy Thompson” series, although the dialogue and accents of the narrators, along with creepy music between chapters, give this audiobook its own unique sound. This first installment in the “Path of Ra” series stands on its own but also builds excitement for the next books to come.
Though Paloma’s narrative is captivating, this tale is a must-purchase for Pelayo’s gorgeously written love letter to horror movies and Chicago, a city brimming with eclectic tales, urban horrors, and palpable magic.
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Maeve Fly
Leede’s chilling case study on how to create a monster should appeal to fans of Bella Mackie’s How To Kill Your Family and Bret Easton Ellis’s American Psycho.
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The Woodkin
With plenty of nods to horror master Stephen King, this is an audio that fans of the grotesque should relish.
A deftly written, atmospheric short-story collection for fans of Jordan Peele, P. Djèlí Clarke, and Octavia E. Butler.
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Wasps in the Ice Cream
Full of pop-culture references, satanic panic, and nostalgia, this novel is a love letter to times past. Perfect for fans of Jeffrey Eugenides’s The Virgin Suicides or Robert R. McCammon’s Boy’s Life.
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The Marigold
Though the cast is massive, each individual’s story is part of a unified whole, depicting a bleak future where corporations make deals with literal monsters in the name of progress.
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Everything the Darkness Eats
Two terrifying storylines come together in an inventive and haunting tale that explores whether love and forgiveness can exist in a pitiless universe.
Set against the backdrop of Argentina’s 1970s Dirty War and dripping with atmospheric horror, this novel will reward listeners’ patience, revealing beauty among supernatural and all-too-human terrors.
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The Dark Hour
Although Hart’s narration is unimpeachable, the story offers little depth and few surprises. Listeners might enjoy seeing Mark getting his comeuppance, or they might rejoice when the book finally reveals its obvious twist.
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The Salt Grows Heavy
A quick listen that should appeal to fans of Khaw’s Nothing but Blackened Teeth or those looking for a horrific take on the ever-popular The Little Mermaid.
The beauty revealed in the conclusion changes the game, forcing characters and readers to rethink woman power. Jama-Everett’s evocative, open-ended finale suits the saga far better than a neat wrap-up. Highly recommended.
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Black River Orchard
Insatiable, passionate, weird, and creepy, Wendig’s latest (after Wayward) is perfect for those who appreciate the slow-burning horror tomes of Stephen King and Robert McCammon.
Rumfitt’s (Tell Me I’m Worthless) tour-de-force work of queer body horror is a must-read for fans of Gretchen Felker-Martin, Eric LaRocca, and Hailey Piper.
Akin to Jac Jemc’s The Grip of It but unlike any ghost-hunting novels before it, this is a masterpiece of innovative storytelling and psychological horror.
This anthology is perfect for those who’ve enjoyed Indigenous horror authors like Stephen Graham Jones, who provided the book’s introduction, and want to discover more.
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Last To Leave the Room
It’s billed as horror, but the latest from popular novelist Starling (after The Death of Jane Lawrence) is more of a speculative thriller; her fans will still clamor for it.
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Hemlock Island
A must-read for fans of atmospheric and occult horror with intricate storytelling.
The metaphor is layered and at times heartbreaking, as secrets held by both a house and a family come to light with terrifying poignancy in this wonderfully eerie debut.
This collection reveals Keisling to be a writer who can create unnerving fiction that ensnares readers while delivering just enough shocking moments to keep them from falling into complacency.
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The Night House
Nesbø deftly guides readers on a journey much larger than many will expect from the slim volume. Reminiscent of Joe Meno’s The Boy Detective Fails, initial expectations of genre, setting, and mood are subverted as a simple horror novel unfolds into a story that encompasses grief, mid-life crises, and more. Give this one to fans of Grady Hendrix or adults nostalgic for the “Goosebumps” series.
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Mother Nature
An awkwardly overstuffed plotline is enlivened, if not quite redeemed, by the author’s obvious passion for the subject matter and Stevens’s gorgeous photorealistic watercolor illustration.
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Fever House
This is a must buy for any library looking to expand its horror collection. It will be snapped up by fans of the modern day masters of the genre such as Joe Hill or Stephen Graham Jones and is also a great read-alike for Grady Hendrix’s We Sold Our Souls and The Devil Takes You Home by Gabino Iglesias.
Grady Hendrix, Victor LaValle, and Stephen Graham Jones are just some of the names topping the charts.
Cassandra Khaw is the USA Today best-selling author of Nothing but Blackened Teeth. Their first original novella, Hammers on Bone, was a British Fantasy Award and Locus Award finalist. Khaw is also an award-winning game writer and has published work in The Magazine of Fantasy & Science Fiction, Lightspeed, and Tor.com. They talk with LJ about myths, fear, video games, and language.
The horror genre keeps growing, and its tendrils touch every subgenre and theme. LJ's preview looks at the titles and trends of the upcoming season.
This story is full of moments, from the descriptive body horror to the cringeworthy acts committed by this seemingly normal family, that will burrow under readers’ skin.
In this Rubik’s Cube of a novel, unreliable narrators compel readers to determine what is fact, what is fiction, and who wrote the book that rules their lives.
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Mister Magic
With seamless commentary on parent/child dynamics and unacknowledged trauma, this deeply personal and mesmerizing work from White (Hide) is sure to please, especially readers with ’90s nostalgia.
A razor-sharp voice full of wit and humor, along with some edge-of-your-seat moments, will have readers clamoring for more.
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Bloom
This quick and compulsively readable fairy-tale nightmare from Dawson (The Violence) will have readers gasping for breath and hungry for more.
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Spin a Black Yarn: Novellas
Malerman’s collection is tailor-made made for writers studying the craft and readers who love to watch a writer flex their creative muscles.
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Wild Spaces
Coney fills this affecting novella with evocative prose that perceptively conveys the coastal landscape and all of its inhabitants, human and not.
The multi-award-winning author of The Beast You Are: Stories tells LJ of his love for the short story format and why he thinks “write what you know” is “terrible writing advice.”
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Sucker
While the author’s writing style has good flow, the satire is over-the-top, making the story less palatable.
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Silver Nitrate
Moreno-Garcia (The Daughter of Doctor Moreau) has written a love letter to Mexico City’s film industry and an excellent entry into the popular horror subgenre of occult films. Suggest to fans of The Shoemaker’s Magician by Cynthia Pelayo, Experimental Film by Gemma Files, and The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman.
Two-time Hugo finalist Tingle (Straight) has a huge cult following, and his brilliant mainstream debut does not disappoint. Suggest to fans of authors such as V. Castro and Hailey Piper, who take well-worn tropes and explore them through marginalized perspectives, creating something breathtaking and wholly new.
Yet another not-to-miss release by the popular and critically acclaimed Tremblay (The Pallbearers Club), showcasing a discomfort that is reminiscent of Shirley Jackson but still new and thought-provoking.
This book can be enjoyed from cover to cover or as a choose-your-own spooky adventure; either way, it will entice all who encounter it to seek out more horror. Libraries should consider having a reference and a circulating copy and may want to make extra copies of the reading checklist in the back to hand out.
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Vampires of El Norte
The many fans of The Hacienda will be eager for Cañas’s second novel, which will also thrill and chill readers who’d enjoy a mash-up of Alma Katsu’s historical horror, Andy Davidson’s In the Valley of the Sun, and Jane Austen’s Pride and Prejudice.
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What Kind of Mother
Chapman (Ghost Eaters) is becoming a not-to-miss horror novelist. Suggest this one to a varied audience of fans who enjoy intense psychological tales like Paul Tremblay’s The Pallbearers Club, body horror like Ahmed Saadawi’s Frankenstein in Baghdad, and parental horror like Zoje Stage’s Baby Teeth; don’t forget fans of the pulp classic “Clickers” series, originated by J.F. Gonzalez.
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The Haunting of Alejandra
Listeners will be buoyed by Alejandra’s decision to find herself, save her children, and break free from generational curses. A feminist retelling that will appeal to fans of psychological horror and the works of Isabel Cañas and Silvia Moreno-Garcia.
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Briardark
A promising otherworldly horror series that offers mystery, momentum, and a touch of sci-fi. Listeners will be glad to know that a sequel is due out in 2024.
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Cursed Bunny: Stories
Fans of unsettling short stories should give Chung’s twisted modern folk tales a listen. These visceral, smart tales, teaching their lessons through suffering, make an impact.
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Bad Cree
Johns is an exciting new Indigenous voice in the horror genre. Readers who enjoyed Stephen Graham Jones’s The Only Good Indians and Erika Wurth’s White Horse will not want to miss this.
This audio will appeal to listeners seeking a dark, dizzying domestic thriller steeped in menace and mistrust. Recommended for fans of Gillian Flynn, Ashley Audrain, and Riley Sager.
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Queer Little Nightmares
Listeners will likely sympathize and perhaps even root for these monsters not because they are monstrous but because their status as outsiders is universally human.
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