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Horror Fiction Books: Halloween Reading All Year Long

My name is Gregory Fisher (a.k.a. the Undead Rat). I manage a blog about Horror Books, dedicated to bring you the best in scary reading. I am pleased to present a wonderful collection of literate horror novels for your reading amazement and pleasure.

Horror Fiction Books don't have to spew blood and body parts to scare a reader. Sometimes the most pervasive fear is the kind that creeps up on you late at night long after you've put that book down.

While its true that sometimes you just want a good zombie romp, a steady diet of such fare could, in time, put you off horror forever. For the genre to survive, all forms of horror fiction books must be embraced -- including literate horror fiction.

The books listed below are just some of the literate horror novels that are pointing in some of the directions horror can go. They're in alphabetical order by title and in groups of five due to the limitations of the module.

I've included a brief summary of the book but feel free to click on the book title or cover and check out the reviews on Amazon for further information.

Quote:

"...horror can deal with the mundane or the supernatural, with the fantastic or the normal. It doesn't have to be full of ghosts, ghouls, and things to go bump in the night. Its only true requirement is that it elicit an emotional reaction that includes some aspect of fear or dread."
--Horror Writers Association

Let's Play a Game with the Horror Fiction Books

Can you find . . .

As you look at the books on this list, you'll probably be surprised to see more than a few titles. Many of them, at first glance, appear to be mainstream fiction or historical fiction.

Why are they on this list? You might ask. Think about the book and the kind of feelings it seeks to evoke. If the work evokes a sense of horror in the reader, then it is most definitely a horror novel -- among other things.

Sometimes the sense of horror is sublime as in The Lovely Bones and sometimes its quite evident as in Something Wicked This Way Comes. Sometimes the horror is mundane as in The Alienist, as fantastic as in American Gods or supernatural as in A Prayer for the Dying.

And if that isn't proof enough, then let me state that all but five of these horror fiction books were nominated for one or both of the prestigious horror fiction awards: The Bram Stoker Award and the International Horror Guild Award. A few books such as The Lovely Bones won.

So, you might want to ask yourself, which five titles weren't so nominated? Take a look and decide for yourself. I have a list of the five that were never nominated at the end of this lens.

See how many you get right.

Horror Fiction Books Book List pt. 1

A Book List of Literate Horror Novels

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“Horror must elicit an emotional reaction that includes some aspect of fear or dread.”

Horror Fiction Books Book List pt. 2

A Book List of Literate Horror Novels

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“I delight in what I fear

--Shirley Jackson”

Horror Fiction Books Book List pt. 3

A Book List of Literate Horror Novels

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Find Horror Books of a Literate Nature Here

“The oldest and strongest emotion of mankind is fear...

--H. P. Lovecraft”

Horror Fiction Books Book List pt. 4

A Book List of Literate Horror Novels

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“...why I'm so sympathetic to the monsters...Because I am one.
--Laurell K. Hamilton”

Horror Fiction Books Book List pt. 5

A Book List of Literate Horror Novels

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For More Horror Fiction Books

Horror Books with the Undead Rat

Want more great horror fiction books to read? How about horror fiction graphic novels, e-books or audio books?

Horror Books with the Undead Rat . . . With Intent to Commit Horror is the #1 source for information on horror fiction books and horror authors, summaries of horror novels, readers advisory and horror book lists arranged by author, series and subject.
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Have you got a recommendation for a book for my Horror Fiction Book List?

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  • bdkz Sep 20, 2009 @ 7:33 pm | delete
    Congratulations! You've been SquidBoo Blasted. Happy Halloween!
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Answers:

In the Introduction, I explained that every book on this list had been nominated for either the Bram Stoker Award, the International Horror Guild Award or both -- every book except for five. I challenged you to guess which ones never made it on an award list.

Want to know which ones they are? Take a look below:

The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Reverte

The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson

Kindred by Octavia E. Butler

Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury

We Have Always Lived in the Castle by Shirley Jackson

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Undeadrat

My name is Gregory Fisher ( called Horror Books with the Undead Rat . . . With Intent... more »

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