Earlier, I provided a list of my favorite fantasy novels, and now it is time to share a few of my favorite horror novels.
This is a favorite list, not a “best of” necessarily. These are just some books that come to mind when I think about horror novels I’ve truly enjoyed.
So without further adieu, here are my favorite horror novels. And note, I’m saying favorite, not “best.”
The Fisherman, John Langan
The Fisherman by John Langan mesmerized me when I first read it a couple years ago. I went into a mode of recommending it to everyone I could. A Stoker Award winner, this book, in a “weird” fiction style, is about two widowers who find comfort in each other’s company and embark on a fishing expedition in Maine. Doesn’t quite end up the way they anticipate.
The House on the Borderland
I stumbled across this book as a teenager, not realizing it was a classic in horror literature. Written by William Hope Hobson, and published in 1908, this book concerns a person staying at a remote cabin. He encounters a number of supernatural creatures in a crazy, hallucinatory (hmmm) tale of horror. It is excessively well written, hugely influential in the world of horror and supernatural fiction, and is, frankly, a fun read.
‘Salem’s Lot
So many years later, Stephen King’s second novel, by far, remains my favorite book. Set in Jerusalem’s Lot, Maine, a vampire comes to a small town and begins to take over. A small group of good guys realize what’s happening and try to mount a defense. Try. It was the first book of King’s I read and remains my favorite.
Mongrels
It is possible that Mongrels, by Stephen Graham Jones, is on my favorite’s list because it is the most recent horror novel I’ve read. However, the more likely reason it is on my list is it is a heck of a good novel and a very different and interesting vampire story. It is a raw, visceral, beautiful, and at times disturbing story about a werewolf growing up in the Southern United States. Wow.
I’ve left off a few classics, but they are books that I absolutely love. But they seem to make a lot of lists, so I tried to include a couple of favorites that were a little different.
However, here are some classic horror novels I (and just about everyone else) love and are worthy of your time.
- Dracula, Bram Stoker
- Frankenstein, Mary Shelley
- The Haunting of Hill House, Shirley Jackson
- The Werewolf of Paris, Guy Endore
- I Am Legend, Richard Matheson
- Fall of the House of Usher, Edgar Allen Poe//Usher’s Passing, Robert McCammon
- The Exorcist, William Peter Blatey
Well, the list goes on. There are many great horror novels out there, and so little time to write about them (much less try to write the next one!).
Enjoy!
BSP
Don’t forget, my mini-short story collection, The Shack and Other Stories, is available for Kindle and in paperback on Amazon, or available from your favorite e-retailer everywhere. Hope you’ll buy about 20 copies!
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