Looking for a good scare this October? Look no further! We’ve compiled a list of nine spine-chilling books that will send shivers down your spine and keep you up at night. From classic tales to modern horrors, there’s something for everyone in this selection. So grab a blanket, turn off the lights, and get ready for a frightful adventure through the pages of these terrifying reads.
(Harper)
–The Graveyard Book (Neil Gaiman)
Gaiman’s macabre retelling of The Jungle Book is perfect for spooky season. The Graveyard Book is the story of a boy raised not by wolves and leopards but by ghosts and vampires. Monsters are everywhere, but humans are the scariest monsters of all.
(Harper)
–You Suck (Christopher Moore)
Moore is known for his comic takes on everything from Shakespeare to, well, vampires. The second book in the Bloodsucking Fiends trilogy is, in my opinion, the funniest. It introduces a new character voice and plenty of opportunities for hijinx and comedic misunderstanding. A must-read for fans of What We Do In The Shadows.
(Warbler Classics)
–Dracula (Bram Stoker)
Dracula is a classic (and a favorite of one of my friends, Thia) for a reason. This chilling tale is an epistolary triumph made up of letters, documents, and newspaper clippings. Even if you know the story from derivative works, it’s a joy and a thrill to watch it unfold in the original, piecing together clues from the breadcrumbs Stoker leaves us.
–Welcome To Night Vale (Joseph Fink and Jeffrey Cranor)
If you are a fan of the Welcome To Night Vale podcast you already know why this book is on the list. The Night Vale franchise is a surreal mix of eldritch horror and small-town banality that ricochets between chilling, poignant, and mundane. The audiobook is essentially an extra-long episode of the podcast, complete with celebrity guests. Without spoiling anything, the book looks deep into some of the lore of the setting and its characters.
(Subterranean Press)
–Dead Beat (Jim Butcher)
While I have mixed feelings about the series as a whole, I have to admit the seventh book of Butcher’s iconic Dresden Files is pure fun. Taking place on Halloween, Dead Beat features wizards, ghosts, zombies, a tyrannosaurus rex, and one of my favorites: the myth of the Wild Hunt.
–Into The Drowning Deep (Mira Grant)
Killer. Mermaids. These sirens are even scarier because they are almost plausible. Into The Drowning Deep is a love letter to science and scientists, filled with suspense, gore, and truly terrifying monsters. Bonus: it doesn’t bury its gays!
–Shadows For Silence In The Forests Of Hell (Brandon Sanderson)
Perhaps the darkest and most suspenseful installment in Sanderson’s sprawling ‘Cosmere’ metaseries, this novella takes us to the planet Threnody, where the only way to avoid being withered to dust by ever present shades of the dead is to follow a few Simple Rules. The story follows Silence: a middle-aged woman who will do anything to protect her home and family.
–The City We Became (N. K. Jemisin)
In my opinion, Jemisin is one of the greatest writers alive today. This novel does not disappoint. The City We Became brings cosmic horror to modern-day New York City, turning Lovecraft’s racism inside out. Here, the true horrors are racism, colonialism, and gentrification. And tentacles. Lots and lots of tentacles.
Penguin Publishing
–An Artificial Night (Seanan McGuire)
The third installment in McGuire’s October Daye series is my all-time favorite Halloween book. This spooky take on the ballad of Tam Lin features dark fairies, stolen children, mysterious doppelgangers, and more. An Artificial Night teleports you to a fairyland that is as creepy as it is magical.
There are many spooky reads available to fill ones October with plenty of shivers of fears and delight. These are just a few examples but I highly recommend them. What books do you like to enjoy for your spooks? Let us know!
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