I recently wrote an article where I talked about The Exorcist and The Shining books and how they were leaps and bounds ahead of their big screen counterparts. This got me thinking about some of the horror novels I have read and, more importantly, those that I still think about to this day. Here’s a small selection of my horror reading recommendations.
James Herbert – Once
2001
After a stroke leaves Thom Kindred partially incapacitated, he finds himself struggling to make ends meet and look after himself in day-to-day life. Plagued by dreams of his childhood home in the deep forests of Castle Bracken, he moves back to the picturesque lands to recuperate. Once Thom settles in, he has thoughts of reliving forgotten memories from his youth. However, the return of our antagonist awakes a resting evil in Castle Bracken and Thom must survive a world in which he no longer believes.
Once is a magical fairy tale, written for adults only. It brings us into a wonderous world of magic, elves witches and foreboding danger. It’s a tale of enchantment that will take you back to your infancy but it also carries with it a haunting air that will chill you to your bone.
Dean Koontz – Nobody True
2003
James True was doing what he does and enjoying an outer-body experience when he was brutally murdered. With no body to return to, he is forced to spend eternity as a spirit, seeking revenge for his death. However, it’s not long before James discovers something that shakes him to his core; the killer plans to strike again, but this time their targets are his family. The ingeniously named Nobody True follows James as he tries to stop his killer wiping out his family. However, with no body things aren’t going to be quite so easy.
With such a compelling premise, Nobody True was hard to put down. It’s full of clever twists and turns that keep you both intrigued and engaged. From the first page to the last, this book is an absolute masterpiece and should be read by any fan of the horror genre.
Stephen King – IT
1986
We all know and love Pennywise the Dancing Clown and have been treated to two versions of the movie across four parts. First published in 1986, IT tells the tale of an evil entity that takes the form of its beholders biggest fears.
Like with any movie adaptation of a book, a lot of information and scenes are lost from the literature. Yes, there is one infamous scene in the book that perhaps should never have been there in the first place, but I guess these were different times.
At 1,138 pages, it’s hardly the shortest of stories but perfectly paints the plight experienced by the children of the town of Derry. If you’re a fan of the movies but haven’t yet had the chance to read the original material, you’re well and truly missing out. King by name, King by nature; the King of Horror strikes the nail on the head each and every time.
Afterword
All of the above works, in my opinion, are shining examples of horror literature. It was quite difficult choosing which titles to write about here as just about anything by the above three authors is worth a try. Herbert, Koontz and King are my holy trinity of horror authors.
With so many horror books in my extensive and eclectic collection, there’s little doubt that I’ll be writing more of these down the line. If there’s a book you’d like to recommend, please drop a comment and I will try to get around to it.
