Must read horror books?

youngcaptainL

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Any recommended books to read in this fantastic genre? I'm about to be on break so I want to pick up a few books.
 

Maythe

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There are two I've read recently that I'd recommend. One by an AW writer - Luke Walker 'Hometown' which really got my heart racing and was very evocative of my own childhood town. I also enjoyed Sarah England's 'Father of Lies' and its sequels.
 

anakhouri79

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I second Shirley Jackson! Especially We Have Always Lived in the Castle.

I also recommend Adam Nevill's Last Days, the short stories of MR James and Thomas Ligotti, King's The Dark Tower (though that's on the border of several genres) and Ramsey Campbell, particularly The Overnight and The Darkest Part of the Woods.
 

LeeMountford

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Can't go wrong with some Lovecraft, one of the staples of the genre. He has a tendency to be very wordy (and some of his views are startlingly bigoted), but he does create a great sense of mystery and dread.

I'd also echo Anakhouri79 above, and recommend Adam Nevill's Last Days. I've read a few of Nevill's books, and enjoyed them all, but this is my favourite so far.
 

iszevthere

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-rubs hands together excitedly-
"We Have Always lived in the castle" by Shirley Jackson. "Bird Box" by Josh Malerman. "Ocean At the end of the lane" by Neil Gaiman. "The Girl from the well" and "the suffering" by Rin Chupeco. "Thinner" by Steven King. "The Graveyard Apartments" by Mariko Koike. Those are off the top of my head; I will hopefully come back to this thread with more.
 

andiwrite

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I read "Saint Death" by Devan Sagliani last year and really enjoyed it. A few scenes were almost too much for me, but I thought it was a fun adventure overall and great writing. I have a crazy big reading list to get through, but I plan on reading more from him in the future. He writes zombie stuff too, I believe.

https://www.amazon.com/Saint-Death-Devan-Sagliani-ebook/dp/B014ZDUHVO

"The Girl from the well"

I am interested in that just based on the title. Sounds spooky.
 
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Night_Writer

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Shirley Jackson is more like psychological horror than straight up horror. But I will say that We Have Always Lived in the Castle is the best psych horror I've ever read.

Also Lovecraft. Love me some Lovecraft.

Also, Clark Ashton Smith. He goes back to the 1930s, and his stuff is probably best classified as Weird Fiction. Or Weird Fantasy maybe. I read Xiccarph, a collection of stories, and it was quite a lot of horrific fun.
 

Anna Iguana

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Carrie, by Stephen King
Ghost Story, by Peter Straub
Silence of the Lambs, by Thomas Harris