So you’re typically a fantasy reader, but with Halloween quickly approaching, you’re looking for some chilling fall reads to get you ready for the season. We’ve got you covered. If you like imaginary worlds, magic, witches, wizards, spells, castles, and more, here are scary stories that are sure to be right up your alley. Could these books be your gateway into becoming a true horror fan? Definitely. If you’re normally a horror reader, could these books make you fall in love with fantasy? Absolutely.
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4 Horror Books for Fantasy Readers
Between Two Fires by Christopher Buehlman
This atmospheric historical horror/fantasy is set in France in 1348. As a plague spreads across the country, a disgraced knight named Thomas embarks on a journey with a priest named Father Matthieu and an orphan girl named Delphine who can speak to angels and is apparently destined to end the Black Death. On their quest, they encounter human bandits, horrifying demons, and cosmic horrors that grow more dreadful as they continue. Thomas will have to protect Delphine from these horrors to end the war between Heaven and Hell and save the world from apocalyptic horrors.
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The Book Eaters by Sunyi Dean
Travel to the moors of Northern England for this dark fantasy/horror novel. The Book Eaters follows a secret society of people who feed on books to absorb their knowledge. Devon Fairweather is a member of one of the six remaining Book Eater families, forced to feed on a diet of fairy tales to keep her compliant and ready to produce offspring. But then Devon gives birth to a Mind Eater, a rare subspecies that eats human brains to gain their knowledge.
The Starving Saints by Caitlin Starling
Author Caitlin Starling often plays with genre conventions in her novels. This surrealist story is a blend of historical fiction, fantasy, and horror. Aymar Castle has been under siege for six months. The people trapped inside are running out of supplies and are on the brink of starvation. That’s when their salvation appears, seemingly out of nowhere. When the Constant Lady and her Saints appear within the castle gates, they magically provide Aymar Castle with glorious feasts and everything their hearts could desire. All they ask for in return is blind devotion. But who are these strangers really? And what happens when the truth behind their magical bounty is revealed to be the stuff of nightmares?
Ring Shout by P. Djèlí Clark
In Ring Shout, P. Djèlí Clark infuses dark fantasy elements into history. In Georgia in 1922, the propagandist film The Birth of a Nation has inspired a resurgence of the Ku Klux Klan. Our hero is Maryse Boudreaux, a monster hunter who wields a magical sword to fight against the demons’ plot to unleash hell on earth. But Maryse is not alone in her fight. She is supported by a strong group of resistance fighters who all have their own unique magical powers to help them destroy the Klan.
If you’re looking for more horror recommendations to keep you reading creepy stuff through the fall and beyond, make sure you subscribe to The Fright Stuff! And for more fantasy (and sci-fi), check out our SF/F archives.
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