The Raw Shark Texts

While more literary than horror, the concept of a man with no memories being pursued by a shark made of words has plenty of creepiness to it! Here, the author uses different typographical sizes and structures to create pictures, and these tie into the themes of the book. It’s a straightforward read with a unique edge that helps make language more visual, and that makes it thoroughly compelling.

The Raw Shark Texts is one of the most surreal, creative novels I’ve ever read. In it, there’s a conceptual world intersecting our own, a world composed of our words, thoughts, and ideas. A creature of that world–a shark-like fish called the Ludovician–is hunting the main character and eating his memories. And that is just the start of the weirdness. If you read this book, make sure to pick up the print copy, where you get to see the Ludovician swimming in the book’s pages.