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| Revelator by Daryl GregoryHow it begins: In 1930s Cades Cove, TN, young Stella Birch Wallace communes with Ghostdaddy, the mountain god her family worships. Upon learning the mysterious entity's sinister plans, she flees.
What happens next: Returning home after the death of her grandmother in 1948, Stella must reckon with her family's past and put a stop to their destructive religious practices.
For fans of: Southern Gothic stories starring strong female characters. |
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Horseman : a tale of Sleepy Hollow by Christina HenryThe premise: Everyone in Sleepy Hollow knows about the Horseman, but no one reallybelieves in him. Not even Ben Van Brunt's grandfather, Brom Bones, who was there when it was said the Horseman chased the upstart Ichabod Crane out of town-or snuffed out Crane's life by throwing his own head from a fell steed. What happens: More than thirty years after those storied events, the village is a quiet place. Fourteen-year-old Ben loves to play "Sleepy Hollow Boys," reenacting the events Brom once lived through. But then Ben and a friend stumble across the headless body of a child in the woods near the village, and the sinister discovery makes Ben question everything the adults in Sleepy Hollow have ever said. Reviews say: Fans of gothic horror will be eager to follow Ben into the woods.-Booklist |
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| My Heart Is a Chainsaw by Stephen Graham JonesStarring: misanthropic Blackfeet teen Jade Daniels, who lives her life like she's in a slasher movie -- and she's long suspected that her rapidly gentrifying Idaho town is the perfect setting for one.
What happens: When a series of strange deaths begin making the local news, Jade pins all her hopes on new-in-town Letha to be the "final girl" who will save their community from an impending massacre.
What sets it apart: This gory meta-horror novel from Stephen Graham Jones (The Only Good Indians) blends searing social commentary with a thought-provoking subversion of the genre's well-worn tropes. |
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What it's about: There's something strange about Walter Kopple's farm. At first it seems to be his grandson, who cruelly murders one of Walter's pigs in an act of seemingly senseless violence. But then the rumors begin--people in town whisper that Walter's grandson heard a voice that commanded him to kill. What happens: And that the voice belongs to a most peculiar creature: Walter's pig, Pearl. Walter is not sure what to believe. He knows that he's always been afraid of the strangely malevolent Pearl. But as madness and paranoia grip the town and the townspeople descend on Walter's farm with violent wrath, Walter begins to wonder if true evil wears a human face. |
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| Getaway by Zoje StageWhat it is: a menacing blend of horror and psychological suspense starring three women on an ill-fated hiking trip in the Grand Canyon.
What could possibly go wrong? What begins as a tense endeavor to mend the trio's friendship morphs into an outmatched fight for their lives against an unrelenting stalker in this slow-burn nightmare from Baby Teeth and Wonderland author Zoje Stage.
For fans of: girls' trips gone wrong, like Rachel Harrison's The Return; white-knuckle survival stories, like James Dickey's Deliverance. |
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Books You Might Have Missed
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| The Searching Dead by Ramsey CampbellWhat it's about: In 1952 Liverpool, 15-year-old Dominic Sheldrake learns that his teacher, Mr. Noble, can commune with the dead. When Mr. Noble's plans take a sinister turn, Dominic and his friends embark on a dangerous investigation of horrors both human and supernatural.
Read it for: an epic coming-of-age cosmic horror story reminiscent of Stephen King's It.
Series alert: Originally published in author Ramsey Campbell's native England in 2016, The Searching Dead is the immersive 1st entry in the Three Births of Daoloth trilogy. |
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Full Throttle
by Joe Hill
What it is: the second short story collection by New York Times bestselling author Joe Hill, featuring new and previously published horror and dark fantasy tales.
Don't miss: "Throttle" and "In the Tall Grass," both co-written by Hill's father, horror mainstay Stephen King.
Reviewers say: "This collection cements Hill's reputation as a versatile master of scares both subtle and shocking" (Publishers Weekly).
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The Invited
by Jennifer McMahon
What it is: a compelling ghost story with a twist -- a haunted house is built, rather than moved into.
How it happens: Drawn to the traumatic history of her property (hint: it involves witches), Helen Wetherell collects artifacts connected to the grounds, hoping to build them into her new home. Her efforts reveal long-buried secrets...and unleash vengeful ghosts.
Try this next: For another fresh take on a haunted house story, check out Ezekiel Boone's The Mansion, set in a smart home menaced by its own AI.
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Mexican Gothic
by Silvia Moreno-Garcia
Welcome to...High Place, a decrepit mansion in the remote 1950s Mexican countryside that's home to a racist English mining family.
What happens: After her newlywed cousin Catalina sends a letter from High Place claiming abuse, resourceful 22-year-old socialite Noemí Taboada arrives at the estate, where she's quickly swept up in its nightmarish goings-on and deadly secrets.
Want a taste? "This house is sick with rot, stinks of decay, brims with every single evil and cruel sentiment."
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The Cabin at the End of the World
by Paul Tremblay
What it's about: Eric and Andrew are enjoying a well-earned vacation with their seven-year-old daughter, Wen, until a quartet of weapon-wielding strangers appears, warning that the apocalypse is imminent...unless one of the family members sacrifices another.
About the author: Paul Tremblay is the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of A Head Full of Ghosts.
Why you might like it: Reminiscent of Cormac McCarthy's The Road, this thought-provoking home invasion thriller wrestles with questions of morality in the face of survival.
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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