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| Dracula's Child by J.S. BarnesWhat it's about: Years after they vanquished Count Dracula in Transylvania, Jonathan and Mina Harker discover their old foe is plotting his return -- and he's got nefarious plans involving their teenage son, Quincy.
Why you might like it: This fast-paced "sequel" to Bram Stoker's 1897 gothic classic unfolds via diary entries, newspaper clippings, and letters, offering a clever epistolary homage to the original. |
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| Ring Shout by P. Djèlí ClarkThe premise: In 1920s Macon, Georgia, sorcerer D.W. Griffith's film The Birth of a Nation has unleashed an army of racist demonic monsters known as Ku Kluxes.
Starring: a trio of battle-hardened Black women ready to protect their town from the cosmic horrors lying in wait: sword-wielding Maryse; sharpshooter Sadie; and World War I veteran Chef.
Who it's for: This gruesome and darkly humorous alternate history will appeal to fans of Black-authored stories that interrogate the racist tropes of H.P. Lovecraft's fiction, like Victor LaValle's The Ballad of Black Tom. |
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| Plain Bad Heroines by Emily M. Danforth; illustrated by Sara LautmanThen: In early 20th-century Massachusetts, a series of mysterious deaths at a girls' boarding school are linked to the provocative (and real) 1902 queer memoir The Story of Mary MacLane.
Now: On the set of a high-profile horror film about the incident, creepy phenomena begin plaguing the cast and crew.
Read it for: a sardonic metafictional storyline that blurs the lines between past and present; evocative black-and-white illustrations that capture the novel's eerie gothic tone. |
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| The Loop by Jeremy Robert JohnsonWhat it is: a fast-paced techno-thriller set in the small Oregon town of Turner Falls, where a biotech company loses control of an experiment with devastating potential fallout for the town and the entire human race.
For fans of: apocalyptic stories that combine elements of horror with social satire, such as Wanderers by Chuck Wendig or Mira Grant's Newsflesh series.
Reviewers say: "unputdownable" (Publishers Weekly); "heart-pounding and deeply unsettling" (Booklist). |
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The Residence by Andrew PyperWhat it's about: In this gripping and terrifying horror story based on true events, President Franklin Pierce's late son haunts the White House, breaking the spirit of what remains of the First Family and the divided America beyond the residence's walls. What happens: When First Lady Jane Pierce brings in the most noted Spiritualists of the day, the Fox sisters, for a séance, the barrier between this world and the next is torn asunder. Something horrible comes through and takes up residence alongside Franklin and Jane in the walls of the very mansion itself.
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It Will Just Be Usby Jo KaplanWhat it is: A terrifying new gothic horror novel about two sisters and a haunted house that never sleeps, perfect for fans of Shirley Jackson. What it's about: Struggling to maintain her sanity in the haunted corners and memory-laden passages of her decaying ancestral home, Sam takes in her pregnant sister before the appearance of a knife-wielding ghost boy reveals dangerous family secrets. What happens: Sam realizes this ghost is not like the others. This boy brings doom... As her sister Elizabeth's due date approaches, Sam must unravel the mysteries of Wakefield before her sister brings new life into a house marked by death.
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What it's about: A mid-19th-century orphan with a dangerous ability to communicate with the recently dead flees an exploitative relative to work beside a fatherly cemetery caretaker. What happens: When a series of macabre grave robberies begins to plague the city, Tabby is ensnared in a deadly plot by the perpetrators, known only as the "Resurrection Men." In the end, Tabby's gift will either save both her and the cemetery--or bring about her own destruction.
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The Nesting by Carolyn Jess-CookeWhat it's about: Architect Tom Faraday is building a high-concept, environmentally friendly home in Norway that he and his wife Aurelia had dreamed of--in the same place where she lost her life to suicide. What happens: He hires a nanny, Lexi, to help care for his two young daughters, and she quickly becomes protective of the girls. Lexi feels a pervasive sense of creepiness and haunting in the isolated house nestled in the forests along the fjord. When Aurelia's diary appears in her room one day, Lexi can't help but read it and discovers secrets of violence and betrayal.
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The Hollow Places by T. KingfisherWhat it's about: A young woman discovers a strange portal in her uncle's house, leading to madness and terror in this gripping new novel from the author of the The Twisted Ones. What happens: Pray they are hungry. Kara finds the words in the mysterious bunker that she's discovered behind a hole in the wall of her uncle's house. Freshly divorced and living back at home, Kara now becomes obsessed with these cryptic words and starts exploring this peculiar area--only to discover that it holds portals to countless alternate realities. But these places are haunted by creatures that seem to hear thoughts...and the more one fears them, the stronger they become. Reviewers say: "There are no cheap scares here...entirely of the author's wonderfully twisted and endlessly fertile imagination....The perfect tale for fans of horror with heart." -- Kirkus Reviews
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Contact your librarian for more great books!
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