Some people crave sunny skies and sand between their toes. Others would rather crawl back under the blanket until summer is over. Luckily, there’s no shortage of horror novels out there to keep us busy until the days grow darker and the nights longer.
Here are 10 horror novels to look forward to that bend genres, conjure the atmosphere we crave, and fill the void that’s left by Halloween every year.
Out Now
“I Know A Place: Rest Stop and Other Dark Detours” by Nat Cassidy (Shortwave Publishing)
This first collection of short stories from Cassidy comes with an introduction by Stephen King – need we say more? The collection features the acclaimed novella “Rest Stop” along with 12 other pieces that detail locations filled with doom and gloom.
“The Caretaker” by Marcus Kliewer (Simon & Schuster)
We’ve read it before: a woman takes a caretaking job that turns out to be far different from what she expected. Except this time, Kliewer delivers a unique take and draws readers into the waking nightmare main character Macy must now undertake, and she might just save the world while doing so. Follow the rites and save humanity? Count us in for “The Caretaker.”
“Japanese Gothic” by Kylie Lee Baker (Harper Collins)
Baker, the author of “Bat Eater and Other Names for Cora Zeng,” once again weaves her heritage — Japanese, Chinese, and Irish — into her latest novel, this time incorporating Japanese mythology. “Japanese Gothic” follows college student Lee and exiled samurai Sen as they discover a door in the same house linking them despite living more than a century apart. Baker finds a way to reinvent and combine the dual-timeline and haunted house tropes.
“The Suffering” by David Sodergren (Paperbacks and Pugs)
Sodergren rarely makes it onto authors-to-watch or most-anticipated reading lists — maybe it’s because he self-publishes — but he should. The Scottish author is a fan-favorite, especially when it comes to gore, and his latest proves why. Diving into the religious and historical horror subgenres, “The Suffering” takes place in a creepy Italian convent and rapidly dissolves into bloody madness.
May 19
“The Dorians” by Nick Cutter (Simon & Schuster)
If you could restore your youth, would you? What about living forever? That’s the question Cutter — the pen name of author Craig Davidson — asks in this novel that pays homage to Oscar Wilde’s classic “The Picture of Dorian Gray” with its title. “The Dorians” follows five elderly volunteers as they undergo an experiment in the Canadian wilderness to stop the clock, but at what price?
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May 26
“Bone of My Bone” by Johanna van Veen (Sourcebooks)
After making waves with “My Darling Dreadful Thing” and “Blood on her Tongue,” van Veen returns with her third sapphic gothic novel, “Bone of My Bone.” So a nun, a peasant, and a necromancer walk into a bar … wait, that’s not how it goes, but their paths are about to become intertwined as they journey through a Bavarian forest in the midst of the Thirty Years’ War with the intention of reuniting a saint’s skull with its body. What could go wrong?
June 9
“Headlights” by C.J. Leede (Tor Nightfire)
If you’ve read either of Leede’s other novels, “Maeve Fly” or “American Rapture,” you already know you’re in for a wild ride regardless of the subject matter. Think “American Psycho” meets “Skinwalker Ranch,” and boom, you’ve got “Headlights.” OK. It’s not that simple, of course, and it’s sure to be more unsettling and traumatic. Just how we like it. As a special agent makes his way back to Colorado to chase after a serial killer, he’ll have to deal with his past.
June 30
“Dead but Dreaming of Electric Sheep” by Paul Tremblay (Harper Collins)
Drawing inspiration from Philip K. Dick’s “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?,” Tremblay’s latest bends sci-fi into horror. Bernie’s in a coma, or is he? He needs to figure out where that white rabbit tattoo came from. And Julia is moving his body across the country with a video game controller for her tech tycoon mother. Yeah, it’s confusing, but we’re here for it.
July 7
“Fabulous Bodies” by Chuck Tingle (Tor Nightfire)
As the cover says, “never meet your heroes.” Especially if they’re dead. Poppy is a fashion influencer AND a grave robber. Yes, you read that right. She’s been hired to steal the body of a rockstar and queer icon, but well, he just woke up. Travel with her as carnage and camp spill out across Palm Springs in the latest from Tingle.
August 18
“Lights! Cameras! Frendo!” by Adam Cesare (Harper Collins)
Speaking of camp … Our favorite clown (shh, don’t tell Pennywise) is back in the fourth installment of Cesare’s “Clown in a Cornfield” series, and this time, Frendo is ready for his close-up. The series reads exactly like a horror film — probably why there’s already one out there adapted from the first book — but now it’s actually about a horror film being made about the infamous Kettle Springs Massacre. Despite the official synopsis not mentioning some of our favorite characters, Cesare promises they’ll be featured.
Meet the Authors
Some of the above are currently on tours promoting their newest releases. Sadly, not all the book tours will come through Southern California, but here are a few events to add to the calendar.
June 16
Leede and Tingle will both be at Vroman’s Bookstore in Pasadena along with authors Liz Kerin and Kyle Kouri to discuss “Headlights” and Kouri’s debut nonfiction collection, “Problem Drinker.” The event will take place at 7 p.m., June 16, and requires a ticket that can be purchased through EventBrite.com for $24.24.
July 17
Tingle will host the launch of “Fabulous Bodies” at Dynasty Typewriter at the Hayworth Theatre in L.A. from 7:30-9 p.m. July 17. Advance tickets are required for the event presented by Skylight Books through SquadUp.com for $20 or as a book bundle for $42.99.