As the titan and pioneer in horror literature H. P. Lovecraft once ascertained: “The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear, and the oldest and strongest kind of fear is fear of the unknown.”.
This line of thinking has given rise to a genre which transcended the literary domains from where it originated, seeping into countless aspects of modern culture, including movies, television shows, video games, and even haunted house experiences.
Over the relative few decades it has existed, horror has undergone more transformations than most other literary genres I could think of, and I believe it’s for a simple reason: once a horror idea leaves the unknown and becomes known, it ceases to induce the horror it once did, requiring writers to move further to try and come up with fresh concepts, which in turn will also be explained, repeating the cycle.
With horror now being one of the most popular literary genres, it shouldn’t come as a surprise to see it saturated with many stories which, despite using established horror elements, can’t ever come close to instilling an actual sense of dread in the reader.
Unfortunately, ideas seem to be taking a back-seat to gratuitous violence and laughably overdone monsters these days… but not always.
In this section you will find the horror books which I personally believe to still be true to what the horror genre ought to be at heart, from the great classics to the most recent works… and maybe along the way a few examples of the ones I believe to be taking the wrong route. May the fear of the unknown rise again.
“The Ruin of Delicate Things” by Beverley Lee – A Void which can’t be Filled
Beverley Lee has recently decided to step outside of the book series she made her name with, penning the standalone novel The Ruin of Delicate Things.
The story it tells is one of grief and loss, following a couple struggling to cope with the loss of their teenage son. They retreat near Barrington Hall, where the husband grew up, and the appearance of a strange boy at midnight in the woods gives his wife a new and dangerous purpose to follow.
“Devolution” by Max Brooks – Stranded with Bigfoots
Max Brooks has always had a predilection for more unusual stories, and he keeps the streak alive with his new horror novel, titled Devolution.
It follows the story recovered from the journals of Kate Holland, one of the victims to a monstrous massacre which took the lives of an entire hippie commune. This is her story in the face of legendary terror and the unstoppable power of inevitability.
“To The Center Of The Earth” by Greig Beck – The Dwellers in the Core
Greig Beck has visibly grown as an author since his first arrival on the scene, and most recently he found the motivation to tackle an ambitious project, re-telling a classic with his latest novel, To The Center Of The Earth.
Following a team of cave explorers diving deep below the earth in the former Soviet Union, we witness their incredible journey following the instructions of a madwoman locked in a Russian asylum, after having travelled there herself fifty years ago.
“The Broken Girls” by Simone St. James – Halls of a Haunted Fate
Simone St. James burst on the literary scene like few others before her, being showered with awards and nominations from her very first novel.
Years later she still continues her streak with The Broken Girls, a psychological ghost story centred on a boarding school, split into two narratives following a disappearance in 1950 and a murder decades later.
“The Fall of the House of Cabal” by Jonathan L. Howard – End of the Necromantic Line
Jonathan L. Howard has created a unique and memorable world in his Johannes Cabal series, one which never fails to enthrall and amuse with its sordid inhabitants and arcane mysteries.
In the fifth book of the series, titled The fall of the House of Cabal, Howard brings the series to a close, sending Johannes on one final adventure into the demonic depths beneath the city of London.
His goal? Nothing less than a cure for death itself.
“The Brothers Cabal” by Jonathan L. Howard – Fraternal Slayers of the Occult
Jonathan L. Howard has never run short of demonic adventures to send his favourite necromancer on, and in The Brothers Cabal, Johannes has the distinction of once again partnering up with his brother Horst.
Recently resurrected by an occult conspiracy in hopes of making him the general of an undead army, Horst isn’t thrilled with the plans they have in store for him, instead deciding to seek out Johannes’ help to wage war on those who brought him back.
“Coyote Songs” by Gabino Iglesias – Tears in the Desert Sun
Gabino Iglesias may have very well given a voice to generations’ worth of struggle in his novel Coyote Songs, detailing the many harrowing fates of the people living in the everlasting turmoil of the American-Mexican border.
A father trying to give his family opportunity, a young artist realizing she is setting herself up for exploitation, and a coyote devoting his life to saving children by helping them flee to America all have their own, unforgettable stories to share.
“Johannes Cabal the Detective” by Jonathan L. Howard – Escapades on the Flying Ship
Jonathan L. Howard will likely be remembered in the world of literature for the Johannes Cabal series above anything else, adding something completely unique and surreal to the realm of books.
The first novel in the series, titled Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, follows the titular character as he takes on a wager from the devil himself: sign up a hundred souls for hell within a year to save himself from damnation.
With the gift of a travelling circus, some friends he raised from the dead, and his vampire brother, Johannes begins his race against the clock.
“Savage Night” by Jim Thompson – Assassin of the Surreal Realms
Jim Thompson had the uncanny ability like few others to pump out dark, mystifying and surreal crime thrillers capable of defying anyone’s expectations. His stories could never be categorized as ordinary, and this goes double for one of his slightly lesser-known works, Savage Night.
In it, we follow a five-foot-tall womanizing hitman tasked with killing a man scheduled to testify in court by posing as a tenant at his residence.
However, the target’s beautiful wife and attractive young housemaid complicate the matters to no end, turning a routine job into something akin to a nightmare.
“Johannes Cabal the Necromancer” by Jonathan L. Howard – Signing Souls for the Devil
Jonathan L. Howard will likely be remembered in the world of literature for the Johannes Cabal series above anything else, adding something completely unique and surreal to the realm of books.
The first novel in the series, titled Johannes Cabal the Necromancer, follows the titular character as he takes on a wager from the devil himself: sign up a hundred souls for hell within a year to save himself from damnation.
With the gift of a travelling circus, some friends he raised from the dead, and his vampire brother, Johannes begins his race against the clock.
“Necropolis” by Guy Portman – Opportunity for a Sociopath
Guy Portman has always distinguished his novels with his unique sense of humour, and in Necropolis he returns to his forte once again introducing us to Dyson Deveraux.
Intelligent, witty, recently appointed as head of the Burials and Cemeteries department, and a sociopath.
Just when his life seems like it might turn stale, an interesting opportunity for personal betterment comes along when he begins to suspect one of his co-workers of being a wanted Serbian criminal.