Horror Fiction reading list: rate/recommend/discourage

Thanks, that’s the kind of stuff I’m looking for.

I’m starting Frankenstein today, and The Ritual is on the way, so I have some time.

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It's not on that list, but I enjoyed Stoker's Dracula much more than Frankenstein.

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I’ve read Stoker’s Dracula and thought it was just ok. I’m reading Frankenstein now mainly because I feel obligated to read this classic. We’ll see.

Thanks for the comment.

I’ll piddle through horror for a dozen books or so, then shift to history/biography non-fiction.

I cut my horror teeth on Stephen King through high school in the early to mid-eighties. His work is pretty much the baseline that I work from with this genre.

Im in the middle of this and its wild, highly recommend.

Agreed. Don’t get the lore of it. Thought it was boring.

Agree with the post about Salems Lot. I am not a horror or vampire enthusiast-I just like a good story.

The original Dracula by Bram Stoker should be on your list. It’s very entertaining. Frankenstein too, but I like Dracula better.

If you'd like to check out an anthology, I read Never Whistle at Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology back in the fall and enjoyed it. Most of the stories were pretty good and worth the read (just a couple of meh ones in there). It was put together by Stephen Graham Jones and features several Indigenous authors.

I thought The Historian by Elizabeth Kostova was an interesting take on the Dracula topic. Heart Shaped Box by Stephen King's son was also pretty good (but not about Dracula). My favorite Stephen King was Salem's Lot followed by the Bachman books. His short story collections are also really good.

2 of the best I’ve read in the last several years:

Ghost Story: Peter Straub. Best Horror Book I’ve ever read. Excellent

Summer of Night : Dan Simmons. IT-esque ; but likes it better than King.