Why am I passionate about this?

There’s something about a horror story set in the winter, especially with characters stuck in a snowstorm, that makes it more chilling to me. My first novel, Ancient Enemy, was inspired by my love of horror set in the dead of winter. If you haven’t read these books on my list, I hope you’ll check them out. It was difficult narrowing the list down to just five – I can think of so many other great winter-themed horror novels.


I wrote

Ancient Enemy

By Mark Lukens,

Book cover of Ancient Enemy

What is my book about?

Ancient Enemy – it’s been asleep for centuries and now it’s awake. It wants things... you have to give it…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

The books I picked & why

Book cover of The Shining

Mark Lukens Why did I love this book?

The Shining is the classic trapped-in-a-snowstorm horror novel for me. It holds a special place in my memories. I was working in New York City in the early nineties, in the middle of winter, and I had this book to keep me company at night before falling asleep. I feel that this is one of Stephen King’s best books of all time, and I highly recommend this one for that closed-in, claustrophobic feeling.

By Stephen King,

Why should I read it?

26 authors picked The Shining as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER • Before Doctor Sleep, there was The Shining, a classic of modern American horror from the undisputed master, Stephen King.

Jack Torrance’s new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he’ll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote . . . and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around…


Book cover of The Terror

Mark Lukens Why did I love this book?

This novel is a gritty, realistic look at the crew of a ship attempting to voyage through the Arctic Circle in the 1800s. Soon, they are iced in, and something horrifying waits out in the tundra for them. Loved this book, the building tension, the detail of Dan Simmons’s writing – I could tell he really researched this book.

By Dan Simmons,

Why should I read it?

2 authors picked The Terror as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The men on board HMS Terror have every expectation of triumph. As part of the 1845 Franklin Expedition, the first steam-powered vessels ever to search for the legendary Northwest Passage, they are as scientifically supported an enterprise as has ever set forth. As they enter a second summer in the Arctic Circle without a thaw, though, they are stranded in a nightmarish landscape of encroaching ice and darkness. Endlessly cold, with diminishing rations, 126 men fight to survive with poisonous food, a dwindling supply of coal, and ships buckling in the grip of crushing ice. But their real enemy is…


Book cover of Ghost Story

Mark Lukens Why did I love this book?

One of the greatest horror novels ever written, in my opinion, and a book that has stood the test of time. The book centers on four elderly men who harbor a long-kept secret that comes back to haunt them. The setting of a small New York town in the middle of winter makes it even creepier.

By Peter Straub,

Why should I read it?

4 authors picked Ghost Story as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

#1 New York Times bestselling author Peter Straub’s classic tale of horror, secrets, and the dangerous ghosts of the past...
 
What was the worst thing you’ve ever done?
 
In the sleepy town of Milburn, New York, four old men gather to tell each other stories—some true, some made-up, all of them frightening. A simple pastime to divert themselves from their quiet lives.
 
But one story is coming back to haunt them and their small town. A tale of something they did long ago. A wicked mistake. A horrifying accident. And they are about to learn that no one can bury…


Book cover of Winter Moon: A Novel

Mark Lukens Why did I love this book?

In Winter Moon, an ex-cop running from his past moves to a small cabin in the Montana snowy woods. I read this book decades ago, but it has always stuck with me, and it is one of my favorite Dean Koontz books. I think it might be his scariest novel. 

By Dean Koontz,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Winter Moon as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

If you delight in the suspense of Stephen King and The Stranger by Harlan Coben chilled you to the bone (in the best possible way), you'll love Winter Moon - the classic thriller by Sunday Times and New York Times bestselling author Dean Koontz. 'Not just a master of our darkest dreams but also a literary juggler' - The Times.

Eduardo is a lonely retiree living on his isolated Montana ranch. His life is peaceful, until one night he is awakened by a fearful throbbing sound and eerie lights in the woods. More mysterious and disturbing events follow over the…


Book cover of CyberStorm

Mark Lukens Why did I love this book?

While not technically a horror novel, this book paints a scary possibility – an unflinching look at what a nationwide blackout in the middle of winter would be like, focusing on a group of people in an apartment building in Manhattan. They are trapped, trying to find food, trying to stay warm, trying to survive. Loved this book. I always recommend this one. 

By Matthew Mather,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked CyberStorm as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

The incredibly realistic story of one family's struggle to survive the apocalyptic destruction of New York. GoodReads Award winning million-copy international bestseller now in development with NETFLIX.

★ ★ ★ ★ ★ "Shows how dangerous our transition to an interconnected infrastructure has become." —Karic Allega, Joint Military Cyber Command, US NAVY

New York goes dark in the dead of winter...
A terrifying mystery begins...
But who is the enemy?

Mike Mitchell is an average New Yorker struggling just to keep his family together and take care of his two-year-old son when a string of disasters shreds the bustling city around…


Explore my book 😀

Ancient Enemy

By Mark Lukens,

Book cover of Ancient Enemy

What is my book about?

Ancient Enemy – it’s been asleep for centuries and now it’s awake. It wants things... you have to give it what it wants.

Seven hundred years ago the Anasazi people built massive cities in what is now the southwestern United States... and then they vanished. Stella, an archaeologist specializing in Anasazi culture, and David, a mysterious Navajo boy, are on the run from something terrifying. As they flee into the snowy mountains of Colorado, they are carjacked by criminals escaping a botched bank robbery. Caught in a blizzard, they must take refuge in what they believe is an abandoned cabin. It’s there that they will face horrors beyond their imagination.

Book cover of The Shining
Book cover of The Terror
Book cover of Ghost Story

Share your top 3 reads of 2024!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,187

readers submitted
so far, will you?

You might also like...

Follow Me to Africa

By Penny Haw,

Book cover of Follow Me to Africa

Penny Haw Author Of The Invincible Miss Cust

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

Author Storyteller Dog walker Dreamer Runner Reader

Penny's 3 favorite reads in 2024

What is my book about?

Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.

It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories. 

Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey…

Follow Me to Africa

By Penny Haw,

What is this book about?

Historical fiction inspired by the story of Mary Leakey, who carved her own path to become one of the world's most distinguished paleoanthropologists.

It's 1983 and seventeen-year-old Grace Clark has just lost her mother when she begrudgingly accompanies her estranged father to an archeological dig at Olduvai Gorge on the Serengeti plains of Tanzania. Here, seventy-year-old Mary Leakey enlists Grace to sort and pack her fifty years of work and memories.

Their interaction reminds Mary how she pursued her ambitions of becoming an archeologist in the 1930s by sneaking into lectures and working on excavations. When well-known paleoanthropologist Louis Leakey…


5 book lists we think you will like!

Interested in survival, Manhattan, and Montana?

Survival 203 books
Manhattan 136 books
Montana 80 books