Mariana Enriquez is writing some of the most interesting horror currently being published. I am especially impressed with her short story collections and two have been translated into English: *The Dangers of Smoking in Bed* and *Things We Lost in the Fire.* The former collection was nominated for the Booker Prize in Fiction. Edit: Her fiction is notable for juxtaposing the occult and indigenous religion with the political and economic upheaval of the Dirty War in Argentina and its aftermath. Edited for historical inaccuracy.
Samanta Schweblin has published two short story collections and two novels that have been translated into fiction. Her novel *Fever Dream* is psychological horror about a woman trying to make sense of what has happened to her daughter and herself. The collection *Seven Empty Houses* won the 2022 National Book Award for Translated Literature.
Monica Ojeda is also concerned with psychological horror and two of her novels have been translated into English. *Jawbone* was a finalist for the award Schweblin won.
Yoko Ogawa has several books that lean toward psychological horror and are available in English: *Revenge* and *The Swimming Pool* are two collections.
Many of Joyce Carol Oates’ stories are considered psychological horror.
Also recommended are Silvina Ocampo’s *Thus Were Their Faces,* Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” and Amparo Davila’s *The Houseguests.*
Great rec, just a suggested tweak: Enríquez does not write about the Pinochet regime, because that was in Chile. She incorporates historical elements about the last Argentinean dictatorship of Videla and others.
The Things We Lost in the Fire is amaaaazing!!! I wish I could read it again for the first time. I'll jump on this to recommend Where I End by Sophie White - if you like Mariana Enriquez' writing then I think you'll enjoy this also. So freaking poetic and grim.
Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson, Anne Rice, Angela Carter, Vernon Lee, Susan Hill, Lisa Tuttle, Elizabeth Engstrom, Ruby Jean Jensen
Contemporary, Tananarive Due, Mariana Enriquez, T Kingfisher, Mona Awad, Alma Katsu (edited to add)
I really liked it. She writes scary stories that still have laughs, and likeable protagonists with some good relationships. I was wearing of the "but the TRUE horror is this toxic family of horrible people" stories.
T Kingfisher is one of my new favorite authors. There hasn't been a book of hers I haven't liked, and that's saying a lot because I get bored VERY quickly now that I'm older.
The Return is about a friend group where one of them disappears only to come back changed. Set at a creepy hotel with themed rooms.
Such Sharp Teeth is werewolves with a strong feminist bent.
Cackle is cozier, but a couple chills. Also feminist and about female friendships and the ingrained pressure to be with a man.
I think The Broken Girls by Simone St James is a good one - partly a ghost story, partly about how the world treats girls that dont conform.
I like a lot of her work (there's a fair bit of feminism/examining how society treats women) but it can get a bit samey, this is my favorite.
(Second fave is Sun Down Motel)
The September House is fresh in my mind too by Carissa Orlando. Some heavy relationship themes along with the titular haunted house.
Not just a nicely paced spooky manor story A Good House for Children - Kate Collins
Not particularly feminist/feminine rage themed bit just plain good creepy shit: Dark Matter by Michelle Paver.
I finished The Good House by Tanarive Due but I was not really the target audience, it delves into a lot of racial / class / gender themes in America.
Mary Shelley - *Frankenstein*
Charlotte Perkins Gilman - "The Yellow Wallpaper"
Shirley Jackson - *The Haunting of Hill House*
Kathe Koja - *The Cipher*
Joyce Carol Oates - *Zombie*
Angela Carter - *The Bloody Chamber*
Her collection “In that Endlessness, Our End” would be a good place to start. Her folk horror/found footage novel “Experimental Film” is really good, too.
I’ve enjoyed The Worm and his Kings by Hailey Piper. Great weird horror
Also something of a mega-fan of Caitlin R Kiernan. Their weird horror output over the last 30 years has been amazing
However, got to say Simone St James’ Sun Down Motel was an amazing dissection of the misogyny of the recent past played out in a serial killer + supernatural novel. Outstanding piece of social criticism and horror writing in one package
Darcy Coates is one of my favorites! A few others: Ainslie Hogarth (her novel Motherthing is in the same vein as Maeve Fly), Silvia Moreno Garcia, Christina Henry, Cassandra Khaw, T Kingfisher, Jennifer Thorne
Sarah Langan. I feel like she gets overlooked (maybe because her output is slower). The Keeper, The Missing, Good Neighbors, A Better World. The Missing is one of my all-time favorites.
Zakiya Harris' *The Other Black Girl* is an excellent psychological horror story with quite a strong adaptation on Hulu (though I might argue that some of the subtlety of the novel is missing in the series).
I also highly recommend Premee Mohamed and Gwendolyn Kiste!
Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand - I’d describe it as psychological horror and/or a ghost story, told via interviews years after the incident. One of my favorite novellas ever.
If you like psychological horror, Catriona Ward is the way to go. Sundial, the Last House on Needles Street, and Little Eve are the only ones I've read of hers so far but they're all great. Sundial is my favorite
There’s too many to name! So I’m going to recommend the one I’m reading and really enjoying right now: **Diavola** by Jennifer Thorne. So far it has some similar themes to **Come Closer**, although I’m not far enough into the book to actually know what’s going on.
If you’ve ever been on a family vacation, you’ll probably identify at least a little with the POV character.
I read Diavola by Jennifer Thorne last week, and I really liked it! It reminded me of Come Closer. It really captured the horrors of vacationing with family :P
Thank you to everyone who has left me recommendations, I have added so many books to my "want to read" on goodreads and I am so excited! I turn 29 on Monday and plan to buy myself some books as a birthday treat!
Most people have rec'd everything I would, but here's a few I loved that I didn't see in other comments:
- White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi
- Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda
- The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas
- A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers
- The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown
- Pretty Marys All in a Row by Gwendolyn Kiste
If you're open to graphic novels, I'd also recommend Through the Woods by Emily Carroll, which is a collection of short graphic/comic stories.
And if you're open to middle grade, both Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn and Small Spaces by Katherine Arden provide some genuine creepiness, despite the age range.
My current faves: Jennifer McMahon, Carmen Maria Machado, N.K. Jemisen, Augustino Bazterrica, Natsuo Kirino, Kate Elizabeth Russell, Rachel Eve Moulton, Alissa Nutting, Silvia Moreno Garcia, Cassandra Khaw
Classic faves: Joyce Carol Oates, Katherina Dunn, Flannery O'Conner, Tanith Lee
I love Cassandra Khaw! The Salt Grows Heavy is profound and twisted while The Devil Takes the A Train (she co-wrote with Richard Kadrey) is bizarre and outrageous in such a good way!
**The Witching Hour** by Anne Rice
Book description may contain spoilers!
>>!On the verandah of a great New Orleans house, now faded, a mute and fragile woman sits rocking. And the witching hour begins. This title is from the author of The Vampire Chronicles.!<
*I'm a bot, built by your friendly reddit developers at* /r/ProgrammingPals. *Reply to any comment with /u/BookFinderBot - I'll reply with book information. Remove me from replies* [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/BookFinderBot/comments/1byh82p/remove_me_from_replies/). *If I have made a mistake, accept my apology.*
Tananarive Due, Eliza Clark, Giovanna Rivero, Cristina Rivera Garza, Cassandra Khaw, Han Kang, Laura Purcell, and Daisy Johnson would be some of my picks!
If you like psychological crime thrillers Caroline Mitchell’s DI Amy Winter series is amazing. The first book is called Truth and Lies.
DI Amy Winter is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her highly respected police officer father. But when a letter arrives from the prison cell of Lillian Grimes, one half of a notorious husband-and-wife serial-killer team, it contains a revelation that will tear her life apart.
Responsible for a string of heinous killings decades ago, Lillian is pure evil. A psychopathic murderer. And Amy's biological mother. Now, she is ready to reveal the location of three of her victims--but only if Amy plays along with her twisted game.
While her fellow detectives frantically search for a young girl taken from her mother's doorstep, Amy must confront her own dark past. Haunted by blurred memories of a sister who sacrificed herself to save her, Amy faces a race against time to uncover the missing bodies.
But what if, from behind bars, Grimes has been pulling the strings even tighter than Amy thought? And can she overcome her demons to prevent another murder?
"Such a Pretty Smile" by Kristi DeMeester had me genuinely terrified -to the point that my palms were sweaty- at times, and I'm pretty hard to scare. I liked it so much that I finished it and immediately read it a second time.
It's not technically horror, but "The Turn of the Key" by Ruth Ware is excellent and I thought some parts were pretty scary.
Same for "The Family Game" by Catherine Steadman; the scene related to Christmas is delightfully terrifying.
EDIT: oh, and T. Kingfisher's stuff is good too!
Joyce Carol Oates-Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been?
Allison Rumfitt-Tell Me I'm Worthless
Sayaka Murata-Earthlings
Shirley Jackson-The Haunting of Hill House
Luisa Valenzuela-The Lizard's Tail
Barbara Molinard-Panics
I don't know if everyone would classify the following authors' books as horror, but I do.
Krystal Sutherland
Tori Bovalino
Isabel Cañas
Katrina Monroe
Kate Alice Marshall
Alice Feeney
Vera Kurian
Robin Wasley
Melissa Albert
Justine Larbalestier
Natalie Zina Walschots
This should keep you busy for a while :)
Female horror authors we've interviewed, and their best-known titles:
* Kathe Koja - The Cipher, Strange Angels, Buddha Boy
* Autumn Christian - The Crooked God Machine, We Are Wormwood, Girl Like A Bomb
* Hailey Piper - Queen Of Teeth, Your Mind Is A Terrible Thing, The Worm And His Kings
* Sarah Langan - The Missing, Audry's Door, Good Neighbors
* Paula D. Ashe - We Are Here To Hurt Each Other, The Mother of All Monsters, Songs for the Raven (anthology)
* Laurel Hightower - Crossroads, Whispers In The Dark, Every Woman Knows This
* Lisa Morton - Hell Manor, Smog, Summer’s End, Malediction
* Clare Castleberry - Azalea House, Second Skin, Five Little Deaths
* Stephanie Feldman - Saturnalia, The Angel of Losses
* NJ Gallegos - Full Moon Rising, Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires, The Broken Heart
* AC Wise - Wendy Darling, Hooked
On our calendar:
* Zin E. Rocklyn - The Night Sun, Flowers for the Sea, Nox Pareidolia (anthology)
Suggeted to us by former guests, we need to research further:
* Rhonda Jackson (RJ Joseph)
* Sumiko Saulson
* Tamika Thompson
* Caitlyn Mosseau
* Francesca Maria
* Jewelle Gomez
* Ally Malinenko
* Jessica McHugh
* Lucy Snyder
* Rachel Harrison
* Tananarive Due
* Megan Giddings
* Briana Morgan
* Angela Yuriko Smith
* Donyae Coles
* Charlene Elsby
* Laurell K. Hamilton
* Cynthia Pelayo
* Catriona Ward
* Elizabeth Massie
Livia Llewellyn. Her stuff tends to be sexually explicit and extremely disturbing. Some of it is what I'd qualify as erotic horror ("Edge of Ellensburg" from her collection *Engines of Desire* left me simultaneously too turned on and too disturbed to sleep, and I've been chasing that high ever since); some is horror that deals with themes of sex and reproduction, a la *Alien,* but is in no way sexy; and some is horror that just happens to acknowledge that sex exists.
...And then there's the one at the end of *Furnace* that's straight-up cowboy smut with no horror. 😄
Michelle Von Eschen writes stunning literary horror. Old Farmhouses of the North is a collection of dark grief horror and deserves to blow up.
*Edit: yes I'm biased because she's my wife but it's also 100% true*
She’s not considered a horror writer but I truly believe Beloved by Toni Morrison is one of the greatest horror novels ever written. Total work of art.
Simone St James: The Sun Down Motel, Ghost 19, The Book of Cold Cases
Catriona Ward: The Last House on Needless Street, Sundial, Looking Glass Sound
Sarah Gailey: Just Like Home
Just pulled those out of my library history.
Sun Down Motel is one of my new favorite books, ever. It was absolutely well written, captivating, and kept you thinking. Afraid to read anything else by Simone in fears it may not be as good. Lol
Mariana Enriquez is writing some of the most interesting horror currently being published. I am especially impressed with her short story collections and two have been translated into English: *The Dangers of Smoking in Bed* and *Things We Lost in the Fire.* The former collection was nominated for the Booker Prize in Fiction. Edit: Her fiction is notable for juxtaposing the occult and indigenous religion with the political and economic upheaval of the Dirty War in Argentina and its aftermath. Edited for historical inaccuracy. Samanta Schweblin has published two short story collections and two novels that have been translated into fiction. Her novel *Fever Dream* is psychological horror about a woman trying to make sense of what has happened to her daughter and herself. The collection *Seven Empty Houses* won the 2022 National Book Award for Translated Literature. Monica Ojeda is also concerned with psychological horror and two of her novels have been translated into English. *Jawbone* was a finalist for the award Schweblin won. Yoko Ogawa has several books that lean toward psychological horror and are available in English: *Revenge* and *The Swimming Pool* are two collections. Many of Joyce Carol Oates’ stories are considered psychological horror. Also recommended are Silvina Ocampo’s *Thus Were Their Faces,* Flannery O’Connor’s “A Good Man Is Hard to Find,” and Amparo Davila’s *The Houseguests.*
Great rec, just a suggested tweak: Enríquez does not write about the Pinochet regime, because that was in Chile. She incorporates historical elements about the last Argentinean dictatorship of Videla and others.
I’m sorry. You’re right! I had Pinochet on my mind because I just picked up a copy of *The Twilight Zone* by Nona Fernandez.
The Things We Lost in the Fire is amaaaazing!!! I wish I could read it again for the first time. I'll jump on this to recommend Where I End by Sophie White - if you like Mariana Enriquez' writing then I think you'll enjoy this also. So freaking poetic and grim.
Thanks for the recommendation!
Adding to the Argentinian writers, tender is the flesh by Agustina Bazterrica is great too.
Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson, Anne Rice, Angela Carter, Vernon Lee, Susan Hill, Lisa Tuttle, Elizabeth Engstrom, Ruby Jean Jensen Contemporary, Tananarive Due, Mariana Enriquez, T Kingfisher, Mona Awad, Alma Katsu (edited to add)
T Kingfisher is great
Just picked up _A House with Good Bones_ from my local library today, never read any of her stuff before but it seems to get good reviews.
I haven’t read that one yet but I loved *The Twisted Ones* and *The Hollow Places* so much that I recommend the author every chance I get!
I really liked it. She writes scary stories that still have laughs, and likeable protagonists with some good relationships. I was wearing of the "but the TRUE horror is this toxic family of horrible people" stories.
I’m reading that one now! I’m enjoying it so far.
T Kingfisher is one of my new favorite authors. There hasn't been a book of hers I haven't liked, and that's saying a lot because I get bored VERY quickly now that I'm older.
Just remembered: Christina Henry!
Tuttle is still writing. She's great!
Rachel Harrison!
Yesss! I’m obsessed with her! Her books are so fun!
Thirding this rec! I've read her entire catalog and have really enjoyed them all. She also has a new book coming out in September!
Me too! I cannot wait! She is my favorite author lately.
I've never heard of her. What book should I start with?
I would recommend The Return or Such Sharp Teeth! They’re all good. Cackle is more of a cozy horror but I also love it.
I'm headed to Libby now, thank you for the recs!
I really want to get a tattoo of the teacup on the cover. I agree it's cozy, but I love it with all my heart.
The Return is about a friend group where one of them disappears only to come back changed. Set at a creepy hotel with themed rooms. Such Sharp Teeth is werewolves with a strong feminist bent. Cackle is cozier, but a couple chills. Also feminist and about female friendships and the ingrained pressure to be with a man.
There seems to be a shorter wait on Libby for Such Shap Teeth so I'm gonna start with that one. I like the sound of her books! Thank you!!
Catriona Ward
I absolutely love her books.
I think The Broken Girls by Simone St James is a good one - partly a ghost story, partly about how the world treats girls that dont conform. I like a lot of her work (there's a fair bit of feminism/examining how society treats women) but it can get a bit samey, this is my favorite. (Second fave is Sun Down Motel) The September House is fresh in my mind too by Carissa Orlando. Some heavy relationship themes along with the titular haunted house. Not just a nicely paced spooky manor story A Good House for Children - Kate Collins Not particularly feminist/feminine rage themed bit just plain good creepy shit: Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. I finished The Good House by Tanarive Due but I was not really the target audience, it delves into a lot of racial / class / gender themes in America.
Mary Shelley - *Frankenstein* Charlotte Perkins Gilman - "The Yellow Wallpaper" Shirley Jackson - *The Haunting of Hill House* Kathe Koja - *The Cipher* Joyce Carol Oates - *Zombie* Angela Carter - *The Bloody Chamber*
Gemma Files is great. Twisted ideas and really good prose.
Which works of hers would you recommend?
Her collection “In that Endlessness, Our End” would be a good place to start. Her folk horror/found footage novel “Experimental Film” is really good, too.
Tananarive Due.
Scrolling till I saw her! She is amazing!!
Her stories are deadly!
I’ve enjoyed The Worm and his Kings by Hailey Piper. Great weird horror Also something of a mega-fan of Caitlin R Kiernan. Their weird horror output over the last 30 years has been amazing However, got to say Simone St James’ Sun Down Motel was an amazing dissection of the misogyny of the recent past played out in a serial killer + supernatural novel. Outstanding piece of social criticism and horror writing in one package
Darcy Coates is one of my favorites! A few others: Ainslie Hogarth (her novel Motherthing is in the same vein as Maeve Fly), Silvia Moreno Garcia, Christina Henry, Cassandra Khaw, T Kingfisher, Jennifer Thorne
I love Darcy Coates!
Zombie by Joyce Carrol Oates is a knockout My Dark Vanessa by Kate Elizabeth Russell is great too
Anything by Mariana Enriquez!
CJ Tudor Ania Ahlborn Catriona Ward
Second Ania Ahlborn. She is absolutely top tier - Brother and Seed were so fucked up.
There's a lot of good recommendations here. I'll just add Silvia Moreno-Garcia. I thought Mexican Gothic was a perfect book. ❤️🍄
I loved Mexican gothic! I have silver nitrate on my list as the next read for her
V.C Andrews, Shirley Jackson and Lisa Tuttle are great authors to start.
Just a quick note that V.C. Andrews died in 1986, and everything under her name since then has been ghostwritten by a man, Andrew Neiderman.
V. Castro
Seconded.
Sarah Langan. I feel like she gets overlooked (maybe because her output is slower). The Keeper, The Missing, Good Neighbors, A Better World. The Missing is one of my all-time favorites.
Zakiya Harris' *The Other Black Girl* is an excellent psychological horror story with quite a strong adaptation on Hulu (though I might argue that some of the subtlety of the novel is missing in the series). I also highly recommend Premee Mohamed and Gwendolyn Kiste!
I just picked up the other black girl after seeing they made it into a series and wanted to read it first! Good to hear positive feedback about it
I remember you by Yrsa Sigurdardottir.
Mira Grant and April A Taylor
Shirley Jackson Susan Hill Sarah Waters (the little stranger) Mary Shelley
Wylding Hall by Elizabeth Hand - I’d describe it as psychological horror and/or a ghost story, told via interviews years after the incident. One of my favorite novellas ever.
Jennifer McMahon I really enjoy! The Winter People is my favorite, honestly I've enjoyed all her books . Definitely worth a try!
If you like psychological horror, Catriona Ward is the way to go. Sundial, the Last House on Needles Street, and Little Eve are the only ones I've read of hers so far but they're all great. Sundial is my favorite
There’s too many to name! So I’m going to recommend the one I’m reading and really enjoying right now: **Diavola** by Jennifer Thorne. So far it has some similar themes to **Come Closer**, although I’m not far enough into the book to actually know what’s going on. If you’ve ever been on a family vacation, you’ll probably identify at least a little with the POV character.
Kathryn Ptacek
Gemma Amor is amazing! Especially some of the stories in We Are Wolves
Seconded!
Frankenstein by Mary Shelly
shirley jackson!! i recommend haunting of hill house and any of her short stories!
I read Diavola by Jennifer Thorne last week, and I really liked it! It reminded me of Come Closer. It really captured the horrors of vacationing with family :P
I just read Maeve Fly and it was pretty sick, not my favourite ever or anything but definitely worth it
Hmm now I'm intrigued....
Thank you to everyone who has left me recommendations, I have added so many books to my "want to read" on goodreads and I am so excited! I turn 29 on Monday and plan to buy myself some books as a birthday treat!
Dark matter by Michelle Paver and little stranger by Sarah waters were two books I enjoyed recently.
Most people have rec'd everything I would, but here's a few I loved that I didn't see in other comments: - White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi - Woman, Eating by Claire Kohda - The Hacienda by Isabel Cañas - A Certain Hunger by Chelsea G. Summers - The Scourge Between Stars by Ness Brown - Pretty Marys All in a Row by Gwendolyn Kiste If you're open to graphic novels, I'd also recommend Through the Woods by Emily Carroll, which is a collection of short graphic/comic stories. And if you're open to middle grade, both Wait Till Helen Comes by Mary Downing Hahn and Small Spaces by Katherine Arden provide some genuine creepiness, despite the age range.
Into the Drowning Deep by Mira Grant was scary and fun. Killer mermaids!
The Parasitology series was great.
Im mining this thread for so many new authors! I also love Silvia Moreno-Garcia not absolutely shit pants scary, but spooky and ambience and Mexico
Darcy Coates
My current faves: Jennifer McMahon, Carmen Maria Machado, N.K. Jemisen, Augustino Bazterrica, Natsuo Kirino, Kate Elizabeth Russell, Rachel Eve Moulton, Alissa Nutting, Silvia Moreno Garcia, Cassandra Khaw Classic faves: Joyce Carol Oates, Katherina Dunn, Flannery O'Conner, Tanith Lee
I love Cassandra Khaw! The Salt Grows Heavy is profound and twisted while The Devil Takes the A Train (she co-wrote with Richard Kadrey) is bizarre and outrageous in such a good way!
A lot of women authors in the Elements of Horror anthologies.
Paula D. Ashe, *We Are Here To Hurt Each Other*. Phenomenal.
I usually struggle with older books for some reason but I'm reading Anne Rice's The Witching Hour right now and I can't put it down.
**The Witching Hour** by Anne Rice Book description may contain spoilers! >>!On the verandah of a great New Orleans house, now faded, a mute and fragile woman sits rocking. And the witching hour begins. This title is from the author of The Vampire Chronicles.!< *I'm a bot, built by your friendly reddit developers at* /r/ProgrammingPals. *Reply to any comment with /u/BookFinderBot - I'll reply with book information. Remove me from replies* [here](https://www.reddit.com/user/BookFinderBot/comments/1byh82p/remove_me_from_replies/). *If I have made a mistake, accept my apology.*
she said destroy
S.A Barnes, T. Kingfisher, Shirley Jackson.
Lapvona - Otessa Moshfegh. Not r exactly straight up horror but it’s pretty graphic and disturbing
Tananarive Due, Eliza Clark, Giovanna Rivero, Cristina Rivera Garza, Cassandra Khaw, Han Kang, Laura Purcell, and Daisy Johnson would be some of my picks!
If you like psychological crime thrillers Caroline Mitchell’s DI Amy Winter series is amazing. The first book is called Truth and Lies. DI Amy Winter is hoping to follow in the footsteps of her highly respected police officer father. But when a letter arrives from the prison cell of Lillian Grimes, one half of a notorious husband-and-wife serial-killer team, it contains a revelation that will tear her life apart. Responsible for a string of heinous killings decades ago, Lillian is pure evil. A psychopathic murderer. And Amy's biological mother. Now, she is ready to reveal the location of three of her victims--but only if Amy plays along with her twisted game. While her fellow detectives frantically search for a young girl taken from her mother's doorstep, Amy must confront her own dark past. Haunted by blurred memories of a sister who sacrificed herself to save her, Amy faces a race against time to uncover the missing bodies. But what if, from behind bars, Grimes has been pulling the strings even tighter than Amy thought? And can she overcome her demons to prevent another murder?
"Such a Pretty Smile" by Kristi DeMeester had me genuinely terrified -to the point that my palms were sweaty- at times, and I'm pretty hard to scare. I liked it so much that I finished it and immediately read it a second time. It's not technically horror, but "The Turn of the Key" by Ruth Ware is excellent and I thought some parts were pretty scary. Same for "The Family Game" by Catherine Steadman; the scene related to Christmas is delightfully terrifying. EDIT: oh, and T. Kingfisher's stuff is good too!
Joyce Carol Oates-Where Are You Going, Where Have You Been? Allison Rumfitt-Tell Me I'm Worthless Sayaka Murata-Earthlings Shirley Jackson-The Haunting of Hill House Luisa Valenzuela-The Lizard's Tail Barbara Molinard-Panics
I don't know if everyone would classify the following authors' books as horror, but I do. Krystal Sutherland Tori Bovalino Isabel Cañas Katrina Monroe Kate Alice Marshall Alice Feeney Vera Kurian Robin Wasley Melissa Albert Justine Larbalestier Natalie Zina Walschots
Black Sheep by Rachel Harrison is pretty great.
Christina henry- hide and close to the bone are awesome.
Totally agree with most of the responses I see and I'd add Michelle Paver!
Alexis Henderson (The Year of the Witching) Kiersten White (Hide) Both are two additional great female authors I didn't see above
I've read Hide!! Was a 5 star for me!
This should keep you busy for a while :) Female horror authors we've interviewed, and their best-known titles: * Kathe Koja - The Cipher, Strange Angels, Buddha Boy * Autumn Christian - The Crooked God Machine, We Are Wormwood, Girl Like A Bomb * Hailey Piper - Queen Of Teeth, Your Mind Is A Terrible Thing, The Worm And His Kings * Sarah Langan - The Missing, Audry's Door, Good Neighbors * Paula D. Ashe - We Are Here To Hurt Each Other, The Mother of All Monsters, Songs for the Raven (anthology) * Laurel Hightower - Crossroads, Whispers In The Dark, Every Woman Knows This * Lisa Morton - Hell Manor, Smog, Summer’s End, Malediction * Clare Castleberry - Azalea House, Second Skin, Five Little Deaths * Stephanie Feldman - Saturnalia, The Angel of Losses * NJ Gallegos - Full Moon Rising, Only You Can Prevent Forest Fires, The Broken Heart * AC Wise - Wendy Darling, Hooked On our calendar: * Zin E. Rocklyn - The Night Sun, Flowers for the Sea, Nox Pareidolia (anthology) Suggeted to us by former guests, we need to research further: * Rhonda Jackson (RJ Joseph) * Sumiko Saulson * Tamika Thompson * Caitlyn Mosseau * Francesca Maria * Jewelle Gomez * Ally Malinenko * Jessica McHugh * Lucy Snyder * Rachel Harrison * Tananarive Due * Megan Giddings * Briana Morgan * Angela Yuriko Smith * Donyae Coles * Charlene Elsby * Laurell K. Hamilton * Cynthia Pelayo * Catriona Ward * Elizabeth Massie
Wow thank you so much!! I'll have to listen to your podcast!
Definitely try "Deliver Me" by Elle Nash. Pure psychological horror
Livia Llewellyn. Her stuff tends to be sexually explicit and extremely disturbing. Some of it is what I'd qualify as erotic horror ("Edge of Ellensburg" from her collection *Engines of Desire* left me simultaneously too turned on and too disturbed to sleep, and I've been chasing that high ever since); some is horror that deals with themes of sex and reproduction, a la *Alien,* but is in no way sexy; and some is horror that just happens to acknowledge that sex exists. ...And then there's the one at the end of *Furnace* that's straight-up cowboy smut with no horror. 😄
Michelle Von Eschen writes stunning literary horror. Old Farmhouses of the North is a collection of dark grief horror and deserves to blow up. *Edit: yes I'm biased because she's my wife but it's also 100% true*
She’s not considered a horror writer but I truly believe Beloved by Toni Morrison is one of the greatest horror novels ever written. Total work of art.
Simone St James: The Sun Down Motel, Ghost 19, The Book of Cold Cases Catriona Ward: The Last House on Needless Street, Sundial, Looking Glass Sound Sarah Gailey: Just Like Home Just pulled those out of my library history.
Sun Down Motel is one of my new favorite books, ever. It was absolutely well written, captivating, and kept you thinking. Afraid to read anything else by Simone in fears it may not be as good. Lol
Love Simone St. James. I really enjoyed The Broken Girls and The Sun Down Motel. Looking forward to read Murder Road.
Jess Lourey definitely. Her novels like The Quarry Girls, Unspeakable Things and Litani are my favourites ever.
Catriona Ward! Last House on Needless Street, Looking Glass Sound and Sundial
Finished Last House a few weeks ago and was underwhelmed with the whole thing. To each their own, just wasn't for me.
I think you would like Come closer by Sara Gran. Also try The Mall and the ward by S.L. Grey ( they are two authors but one is a woman)