Iāve been a fan of horror stories as long as I can remember. The sense of building dread, and the moment of release when the terrible thing happens. I love stories about people put in impossible situations, and seeing how they overcome them, and thatās what good horror brings to the table. Being an avid reader I always have a book with me. To me, picking the right book to take on a holiday is as important as choosing the right clothing. I certainly hope this list gives you some ideas for your next vacation read.
At one time, H.P. Lovecraft thought The Willows was the finest supernatural story in English literature. Itās pretty hard to disagree with that assessment.
Itās a tale of creeping malevolence, as two men traveling along a river stop on a strange island to rest for the night. As the night wears on, events on the island become more surreal and terrifying.
One of the greatest reading experiences Iāve ever had was reading The Willows in a tent while camping in the rain. Itās a fine short story, and since itās long out of copyright you can probably find it free to read online. But look for it in a collection of Blackwoodās other works, and enjoy them all.
'They first became properly visible, these huge figures, just within the tops of the bushes -- immense, bronze-colored, moving, and wholly independent of the swaying of the branches. I saw them plainly and noted, now I came to examine them more calmly, that they were very much larger than human, and indeed that something in their appearance proclaimed them to be not human at all. Certainly they were not merely the moving tracery of the branches against the moonlight. They shifted independently. They rose upwards in a continuous stream from earth to sky, vanishing utterly as soon as they reachedā¦
Planning a trip to the seaside? Taking in some sunshine and salt air? You could do worse than bringing along a copy of The Shadow Over Innsmouth!
A tale of a rundown city on the Massachusetts coast, filled with slimy monsters, ancient horrors, and a pervasive sense of unease. The smell of decay practically wafts off the page. The twist at the end still holds up.
I think Shadow was the second Lovecraft story I ever read, and remains one of my all-time favorites. Again, this oneās a short story, but look for it in a collection of Lovecraftās other works. Many of them express his fear of the ocean, and would make for excellent (if strange and peculiar) beach reads.
During the winter of 1927-28 officials of the Federal government made a strange and secret investigation of certain conditions in the ancient Massachusetts seaport of Innsmouth. The public first learned of it in February, when a vast series of raids and arrests occurred, followed by the deliberate burning and dynamiting-under suitable precautions-of an enormous number of crumbling, worm-eaten, and supposedly empty houses along the abandoned waterfront.
Lena thinks she knows her future: in her small village, nothing much has changed for two hundred years. Women farm and fish, plant and harvest: a cooperative, productive, peaceful life. Until the day a soldier rides in, to ask the unthinkable of the women: learn to fight. Invasion is imminent,ā¦
Perhaps a trip to the mountains is more your style? Spend some time in a snowy cabin with a hot drink and a copy of this classic ghost story. If youāre only familiar with the film version of this tale, then buckle up, buddy.
The book goes places the film never could, and is very much worth the time. The set up and pay off are great, and the sense of isolation and dread which pervades the book is palpable. Itās a classic for a reason. I reread this book every winter, and it never gets old.
#1 NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER ā¢ Before Doctor Sleep, there was The Shining, a classic of modern American horror from the undisputed master, Stephen King.
Jack Torranceās new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, heāll 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 aroundā¦
Taking a long road trip? Then a collection of great short stories is what youāre looking for.
A collection to read in chunks, while youāre switching off driving duties, or stopping for a quiet meal at a roadside diner. They Hide is a book full of a variety of contemporary scares. Each story in the book stands alone and would be a great choice for filling in quiet moments on your long trip.
They Hide: Short Stories to Tell in the Dark collects thirteen chilling tales that weave through the shadows, exploring the nature of fear, powerlessness, and control.
- A series of murders in a New England colony - An untamed beast in pre-revolutionary France - A mysterious stranger who invades 18th-century Ireland - A traveling circus that takes more than the price of admission - A gathering of the Dark, telling tales on the longest night of the year, and more.
Come play with vampires, werewolves, ghosts, zombies, ghouls andā¦
Meet Tony Valenti. His high-flying corporate law career just cratered. His society marriage blew up in a bitter divorce. He's returned to the Chicago suburbs to lick his wounds and regroup in the haven of the Valenti family home. But time to heal isn't in the cards.
Spending the summer in a cabin in the woods? Then The Ceremonies is a darn fine choice. The first time I read it was on a camping trip, and I was captivated by the way Klein describes the empty, lonely wilderness surrounding the Poroth Farm (the main location of the tale).
The protagonist of the book is an English professor whoās writing a book on the Gothics, and through the course of the book name drops a ton of classic horror novels and stories from the early 20th century. This book is not only a tremendous cosmic/folk horror novel, but sort of a treatise on classic gothic literature.
Not only is The Ceremonies a truly unsettling horror novel in its own right, but it could inspire a whole new reading list for you!
Graduate student Jeremy Freirs and aspiring dancer Carol Conklin, summering in the New Jersey village of Gilead, are trapped in a nightmare of terror, with an evil force emanating from a place once called Maquineanok, the Place of Burning
A family's relocation looked like a chance to relax and regroupābut as they settle into their new home, teenage Kimmie Barnesā special senses make her the target of something primordial, evil, and utterly malign.
Darknessā¦
Golden Oaks, California is a sleepy town on the shores of Oro Lake, and the residents have no idea what horrors lurk below the glittering waters.
Beneath the wavesā¦
One by one, as people begin to disappear, the once quiet town is soon in the grips of a waking nightmare. An unimaginable horror consuming everything before it.
Hungryā¦
All while echoes of an ancient evil spread out like malignant spider webs, like dead hands reaching, graspingā¦
A corrupt kingdom. A rising darkness. Can a broken warrior save a world?
Mithranar is a country divided by ignorance and magic. Oppressed by their winged folk rulers, humans struggle to eke out an existence. Their only help comes from the mysterious Shadowhawk, a criminal who has evaded all attemptsā¦
To Do Justice is the first book in the White Winter Trilogy. The other books are To Love Kindness and To Walk Humbly. The Trilogy follows the same set of characters through eight tumultuous years in their lives and in the history of the world. To Do Justice startsā¦