Getting Started with Horror Fiction: 6 Scary Books You Must Read (2022 Edition)
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- Опубликовано: 7 июн 2024
- Today we're taking a look at not five, but six novels that'd be great for readers just starting out with horror fiction. As I say in the video, this introduction to the genre is sort of a sequel video to this one I made all the way back in December of 2017: • Getting Started with H...
You can find the books discussed in this video, along with all my other recent book recommendations in my Bookshop store here: bookshop.org/lists/project-bl...
The books listed in the video (and the links to buy them on either Amazon) are:
THE SHRINKING MAN by Richard Matheson: amzn.to/3xzGvEY
MEXICAN GOTHIC by Silvia Moreno-Garcia: amzn.to/3BSHaE7
MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW by Stephen Graham Jones: amzn.to/3BnSWVE
THE RETURN by Rachel Harrison: amzn.to/3RXLjfK
GHOUL by Brian Keene: amzn.to/3RYADgL
THE STORE by Bentley Little: amzn.to/3Ul17ut
If you want more info about my new comic series, DEAD MALL, you can get that here on Dark Horse's website: www.darkhorse.com/Comics/3009...
Secure your copy of CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD 2: FRENDO LIVES in hardcover, ebook, or audiobook here: amzn.to/3GKD7sT
or from Bookshop here: bookshop.org/a/5187/978006309...
Get the original CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD here: amzn.to/3JCrean
All amazon links are affiliate. Thanks.
If you want to find out more about me or my books, you can do that here: www.adamcesare.com
Follow me on Instagram at: / adamcesare
Follow my twitter at: / adam_cesare
Watch me act a fool on tiktok: / adam_cesare
00:00 Question/Intro
0:52 DEAD MALL
1:11 Methodology
4:12 THE SHRINKING MAN
6:23 MEXICAN GOTHIC
7:40 MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW
10:10 THE RETURN
11:44 GHOUL
13:39 THE STORE 
Развлечения
I'm a 50 year old woman. Hadn't read (much) horror since my teens - I am a pretty steady reader so I definitely read a few horror novels over the years. Then, when I was in my mid forties, I started reading horror/weird fiction. I had predominantly been a fantasy/sci-fi reader but also had a childhood attraction to Saki, Tales of the Unexpected, Shirley Jackson etc... I've always liked cosmic horror that straddles fantasy, and, in particular, Kaitlin R. Kiernan. Also: I have also always liked horror films.
Then, in my mid forties I began to read some horror short story compilations, which led to The Croning by Laird Barron, which led to Adam Neville, Michael McDowell, John Langan, Paul Tremblay, S.P. Miskowski, T. Kingfisher, Stephen Graham Jones, Jeffrey Ford, Samanta Schweblin, etc. Also did a deeper dive into some classic horror antecedents (Lovecraft, Machen). Been reading horror since.
So basically Laird Barron was the catalyst for my re-entry into the world of horror after loving it as a child/teen.
You've read some good stuff over the years. I share your liking for Saki and also for Shirley Jackson who IMHO was a top-notch horror writer. The Haunting of Hill House and We Have Always Lived In The Castle come to mind...and of course, "The Lottery"!
'The Stand' by Stephen King! My first horror book I read back in the early 80s. I proceeded to buy everything King has ever released.
Stephen King’s The Shining got me into reading horror. I was 14 when I read it for the first time and my mom owns the entire collection in hardcover and I have read every single one.
Laird Barron's "The Imago Sequence" short story collection got me back into horror after being away for a while. And that book led me down more of the Weird Fiction subset of horror fiction.
Such a great book!
great book
That ain’t shit……
it was Edgar Allan Poe for me. He’s generally my favourite author of all time and i’ve read all of his works both poetry and his tales. Poe got me into reading books (not just horror) and into the amazing world of classics!!!!
Yes!! Him and King for me!
I am familiar with these books but I always come back to this channel for your enthusiasm. You made my day.
Always happy to see Bentley Little get some love. The Store is a bizarre gem and so is Little. This was great! Loved Clown in the Cornfield 2 and have Dead Mall ready to go on my comics pull-list! Thanks for all you do!
Big Bentley Little fan. My favorite of his would have to be The Resort.
Randomly clicked the title because of the title. Then realized I’m halfway through ‘Exponential’ and you’re the author 😂
OMG I can't believe you're the author of Clown in the Cornfield. It's on my tbr list. I saw it in the background and it reminded me to look in my library! That's so cool!
I haven't read fiction for about 7 years since I had kids, but I've recently got back into it. I started around age 17 reading every Poppy Z Brite book as it was released.
I started last week with Stolen Tongues which I enjoyed (apart from the weak ending). I have SO many on my list now. I'm currently reading Bunnies and a Karin Slaughter book. I'm waiting for House of Leaves to arrive from ebay and my next read will be Pet Semetary.
Thanks for your awesome videos xx
I JUST ordered both your books clown in a cornfield 1&2 and this video popped up and im just that more excited to read your books. also loved watching this video seeing you review other horror author's work. ahhhhh! :')
Thank you so much, Diana! Hope you enjoy the reads.
Some great recommendations here, really loved it.
I think what really got me back into reading was finally getting through the King monoliths of The Stand and IT. Books I never thought I'd be able to finish. Had a stroke in 2020 and got through it (still suffering the effects) with a mix of audiobooks whilst forcing myself to read physical as well.
I've always been a fan but took a break from this genre. Re-reading "Salem's Lot" over a cold, snowy weekend brought me back. Talking about Stephen Grahams Jones, I've enjoyed his "Mongrels". Based on your recommendation, I will pick up "My Heart is a Chainsaw". I also like Silvia Moreno Garcia.
The one that got me started was H.P. Lovecraft. Within the space of a year when i was about eleven i read nearly all of his work. maybe not for everyone, but it was very definitely for me, and blew my tiny mind out of the cosmos forever.
I should try Store..I've read a bit of Bentley Little before but he's never really caught me yet. Still feel like one day he might.
Lovecraft is legendary. I live in Providence, his home town, and I've SEEN some of the actual places that he wrote about. His "Shunned House" is a real residence on Benefit Street, just a few doors down from where my Dad once worked. Pawtuxet Village I also know, and the river where Joseph Curwen dumped those reanimated Egyptian mummies in The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. And of course there's Swan Point cemetery where HPL himself is buried. I started reading the Mythos at age 11 or 12, and I'm still enjoying this author's wonderfully twisted mind!
I just finished Clown in a Cornfield and LOVED IT. One of my favorite books of all time. It's the shot in the arm horror YA books needed. I can't wait to check out Frendo Lives.
I feel like I've always been drawn to horror since I was a kid. I only ever wanted to read Goosebumps when I was younger, moving on to the Shivers series eventually and then started reading Stephen King and Dean Koontz in highschool. As a comic artist/writer myself I'm always on the lookout for new horror comics, I ended up picking up all the issues of Dead Mall and really enjoyed it, great work!
I'm putting all of these onto my GR list! Interesting recs! Congrats on the comic! Dark Horse is such a great company. They've put out Mignola's Baltimore and so many other great comics. Awesome Toxie shirt! I live near the Troma office in Queens! I recently self pubbed my book Max Washington: Stuff, Volume One. It has my horror and fantasy stories. I'm working on a book starring my original characters Leather Rain and The Mystical Gumshoes, and Fuzzikill and Bow Rain. I'm gonna turn the stories into comics next year. I'm looking forward to reading your books and following your channel! Cheers :))
After 10 years of reading other things, Ramsey Campbell’s Midnight Sun reminded me that I’m 100% a horror fan.
The book that got me into horror was Peter Straub's Ghost Story that I read when it was first published. Right after reading Ghost Story, I read Anne Rice's Interview with the Vampire and then kept up with her Vampire Chronicles.
I'm on the same page as you regarding horror fiction. Ghost Story is on my "Top 10 Best" list, and I'm in love with Rice's Vampire Chronicles. However, my favorite writer in this genre will always be H.P. Lovecraft. I so enjoy his Cthulhu Mythos shtik--- even with all the italics and purple prose!
Not surprised we have similar recommendations 😂 Great list man!
Thanks so much, Jacob!
The Thief of Always by Clive Barker started the horror/dark fantasy journey for me.
I loved that book
Wow! Glad you finally came in on my feed
I found your video needing a book recommendation and in 40 seconds decided to go buy your book! That’s awesome I love clowns anything lol 😻🔥 I’m excited
The Croning by Laird Barron got me back into horror after a LONG time away from it and I am diving headlong back into it. So excited
Exquisite Corpse by Poppy Z Brite got me out of my reading slump.
Great recommendations :) I read both Clown in a Cornfield books, as well as Video Night, and I absolutely loved the vibe. Looking forward to more ! Greedings from Poland :)
It was The Hardy Boys mystery books that got me into reading initially when I was young. I can't remember what the first horror book I read was. I do remember reading The Ghost of Five Owl Farm as a kid. By high school I was reading a lot of Stephen King. I've read variety of horror, but I'm especially fond of classic haunted house style horror that's heavy on atmosphere and light on gore, etc. I've just recently gotten back into reading after not reading much for a couple of decades or so. The first book I read this time around was The Haunting of Gillespie House by Darcy Coates.
I read Flowers in the Attic in high school because my mom would talk about it a lot. I was always a reader, but that's the one that made me realize that all the spooky movies I liked watching were AWESOME in book form. I fell off of reading through college, and got back into it when I read Stephen King's IT in graduate school. This year has been a year full of horror reading that started because of Stephen King's Joyland **chef's kiss**
Can't wait to check out Ghoul! Keep shelving My Heart is a Chainsaw, and has been on my list for awhile. Also excited to see Friendo on the big screen :) Subscribed!
1. Thank you for this channel and this series in particular; I picked up a ton of your recommendations during treatment, and they got me through a lot. Thanks, Adam!
2. “The Return Man” by VM Zito. A zombie apocalypse scenario where a mercenary in a pocket of overrun wasteland travels the country and puts down the undead family members of the living for money. Inspired my favorite tabletop RPG (Red Markets).
I started reading horror when I was 9 years old and my first real horror novel was Salem's Lot (I was a little advanced at that age but have since leveled off...) I am now 56 and horror is still my favorite genre. ✌️😎😱👻
Good for you! It's mine too. 👍
What got me into horror: Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark (my aunt introduced me to those, much to the dismay of my parents).
What got me back into reading after grad school hell: Harvest Home by Thomas Tryon, now one of my all-time favorites!
Love your recommends! I think I may have met you briefly at my job (Barnes & nobles). You came in to sign copies of your book. Wish I could’ve discussed some horror reads/films w you. Cheers 😊
Great video!! I’d love to see your top 5 extreme horror novels.
I'm fairly under read in the genre (mostly the new stuff, I've read most of the "classics"). But it'll happen one day!
When you read it as horror fiction "The Sorrows of Young Werther" by Goethe is very effective. I dont know, it has so many morbid themes going on and it scared me a lot.
The first book that really got me into horror or paranormal fiction was called "Stonewords: A Ghost Story" by Pam Conrad. I also read some of the Fear Street books as a kiddo. Later I read Anne Rice, Stephen King, and others.
“The Fisherman” by John Langan immediately got me into the horror genre. I have not looked back since
The illustrated man by Ray Bradbury is one of my most go to favorite books I re read when I can.
Ray was a core influence for me, too. I read every word he published with serious interest.
Such a great writer!
The Stand by Stephen King around 1980 or so.
It's between that, Swan Song and Boys Life by Robert McCammon, or Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons for my all time favorite horror book.
I read horror randomly, and not lately to be honest. 2 novels I remember fondly from years and years ago were In Darkness Waiting by John Shirley, and Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons. The latter might be considered more scifi than horror, maybe, but man, they both stuck with me over the years.
Clown in a Cornfield got me into reading Horror! 💯 📚
Hell yeah, Donovan. That's so cool to hear!
I’ll see you the 23rd @O Neal Library! So excited 📚 😁
See you there, Donovan!@@donovanstokes5511
keep up the videos man
Thanks Adam, just ordered Ghoul and The Store whilst watching this
As a very young kid I always loved horror movies. But what got me into reading horror was that comic book adaptation of DRACULA with the incredible Gene Colan art.
GOOSEBUMPS came after my time so there wasn't much 'horror for kids' out here. So I kind of had to go straight to the hard stuff and it was reading SALEM'S LOT when I was 11 that really changed my life.
That book was especially impactful because there was a young boy as one of the main protagonists, so I was able to identify with Mark Petrie's character even though he was a couple of years older than me.
Stephen King's IT was the book that brought me into horror books.
John Does at the End got me back into reading horror as an adult. It was such a fun and imaginative, page turner of a novel. Definitely got the wheels spinning to branch out and read more contemporary authors in the genre.
It was The Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury in 2960 I was just a little kid.
Dance Macsbre.....it really broadened my interest. Being a little ocd, I ended up getting and reading all the books listed in the apendix and a lot of others mentioned throughout.
Oh snap I didn’t know you were around on Booktube as well! I have heard great things about Clown in a Cornfield, so I’m gonna go ahead and buy it, what’s the best way to support you when buying?
Thanks so much, John! And wherever you like buying your books (new): I have no preference!
It was Dracula that got me into it when I was a kid. My current fav is House of Leaves...
5th Grade: Lois Duncan-Killing Mr. Griffin
Then Dean Koontz: Bad Place
I read only true crime exclusively for about 15 + years after just feeling that horror took a slump way back when. However, I then discovered Riley Sager and My Best Friends Exorcism and that slowly brought me back into not just fiction but horror. More recently I re-read The Shining which I hated the first two times but this time after 20 years since I last picked it up, loved it and that was it for me…..plus there are so many new horror authors to catch up on now 🖤
I was a huge horror book fan (mostly King) but I stopped reading for a long time. I got back into it a couple years ago with Grady Hendrix and Jennifer McMahon and now I'm obsessed! I also loved The Return, the Only Good Indians, and of course Clown in a Cornfield :)
You have impeccable taste, Melyssa!
After a very long reading slump, The Gulp by Alan Baxter brought me back. Then I read The Fall, The Roo, and Sallow Bend by the same author, one after the other. It's been a fun welcome back to reading 😊
Great video! I really enjoyed Mexican Gothic when I read it.
The first horror story that got me into the genre as a little kid was "Legend of Sleepy Hollow," but the first novel I ever bought as a preteen with my own money and read was a paperback from hell called "Sins of the Flesh," which got me hooked. I went on to read everything by Brian Lumley, Robert McCammon, Anne Rice, and Steven King. Then I went over a decade reading no horror at all. The books that brought me back was Keene's "Ghoul" and your own book "Mercy House"! I read them almost simultaneously, and have been reading horror nonstop ever since.
The Night Shift short stories by Stephen King is what got me started
For me personally it was two books one being Pet Semetary by Stephen King as well as The Shining. I'm excited to dive into Clown In A Cornfield 2 next month. The store sounds interesting- kinda like a "killer shopping environment."
I had read horror off and on since the early 1980s, and in 2015 was pretty much convinced I probably wouldn't read or watch any more horror. Stephen Graham Jones's Mongrels, Paul Tremblay's A Head Full of Ghosts, Gemma Files's Experimental Film, and John Langan's The Fisherman all were recommended to me within a couple of months. I realized I not only wasn't done, but my own creativity and imagination rested here.
Bro I had no idea this was the actual author’s channel I just picked up both ciacf books might have to prioritize them now this is my sign.. I’ve been face down in the stand for a month but clown in a cornfield will be next
DEFINITELY going to read The Store!!!
I say the same thing about SGJ that he's my favorite living author, and I have the exact same sentiments about him! Also Matheson is one of my all time favorites and I agree he does not get enough in modern discourse. I'm a bookseller and I'm shocked to find that a lot of his stuff isn't as easy to get as it should be. I always tell people to start with I am legend and then do the short stories too, it's wild how ingrained he is into horror and yet people don't talk about him.
M. R. James 'Complete Ghost Stories'
Algernon Blackwood ' Ancient Sorceries'
After those, everything else was downhill.
Stephen ‘s “ The Mist” …that’s a favorite
Our Share of Night (Nuestra parte de noche) by Mariana Enriquez brought me back from an almost never ending reading slump ¡saludos desde Argentina!
Hi Adam, the book that brought me back to horror and rekindled my love from the genre was The Ritual by Adam Nevill
I got bitten by the horror bug pretty early on, so I'd have to say the books that got me into reading horror were picture books. The two main ones that come to mind are The Witch's Hand by Peter Utton and a book called Spooky Poems collected by Jill Bennett, although there were probably a few others.
I read a lot of Stephen King and Dean Koontz when I was a kid. I love all kinds of horror fiction but I don't read enough. I go in and out. Recently I broke a long spell of reading nothing by reading Surivivor by J.F. Gonzalez and Woom by Duncan Ralston back to back. Hahaha. Quite a duo to read back to back. Both were great but I haven't read anything in the few months since so it's about time to break my dry spell. Great list.
Stephan Ghram Jones “Mongrels” absolutely kick started my return to horror in a beautiful tale of live half a life, half a wolf and half a boy, and his mixed heritage as well
I would recommend Let The Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist. A vampire (sort of) love story but not at all what you'd expect. . It's wonderfully twisted, harsh and gritty. Lindqvist's bloodsuckers are terrifying and they DO NOT twinkle!
The book that got me back into reading horror was "Clown In A Cornfield" by Adam Cesare.
I hear that’s a good one. (thanks, I’m very glad to hear this.)
@@AdamCesare Yeah I've seen almost every classic slasher movie ever made and wanted to see how the genre was thriving through literature. Every book reviewer I checked out had your novel on their list, so I ordered it right away. When I saw the cover, I was expecting an 80s throwback slasher. When I was halfway through the story, I felt like I was reading a 90s style Post-Scream slasher. But by the end, I realized that all my expectations were subverted and you really had done your own thing. Obviously I don't wanna get into spoilers here in the comments, but certain moments really caught me off guard because I was so used to the tropes of other slasher stories, and it was nice to be surprised. Can't wait to check out the sequels, as well as the Slaughter Series by Sergio Gomez. Thank you for your contribution to horror literature, Mister Cesare.
Goosebumps as a kid and it helped me learn English. Also, first time I came across a twist ending in a book.
As an adult, a trilogy of books based on a movie which were 30 days of Night light novels by Jeff Mariotte and Steve Niles. Loved the movie when it came out so these books were perfect. Never looked back since.
Hurricane Season got me started on Horror . So far I've read...Tender is the flesh, The Devil in Nanking, Mindhunter, Esquisite Corps, Crow Girl, He'll House, Heart shaped box & a couple more..lol
I clicked on this video without even realizing that you are the author of the last horror book I bought, Clown in a Cornfield. 😯 I haven’t read because I’m still finishing Goblin by Josh Mallerman. What a funny coincidence though! Now I have MORE to purchase! 😂
This is a great list of books to suggest. Such a wide range. The book that got me into reading horror was Salem's Lot by Stephen King. I used to watch Tales From The Darkside as a kid and even though I was often frightened it helped develop a love of horror. That and the It miniseries made me go to the library and pick out any book with a scary cover. I soon read Nift Shift and Skeleton Crew by Stephen King as well. But for years I was only reading Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Clive Barker, and Anne Rice. Then I read three books that threw me down further down the rabbit hole. They were The Cellar by Richard Laymon, Off Season by Jack Ketchum, and The Policy by Bentley Little. Now I try to read everyone. No book can be too extreme or too slow. From The slowest of slow burns to the most extreme I love them all. Well I mean I love all of the subgenres of horror.
Funny you're asking this. While in university I stopped reading for fun. I only got back into last weekend. I spun up John Carpenters Lost Themes 1, 2 and 3 on my record player, started a fire in the fireplace and sat down with the novelization of Halloween 3 Season of the Witch. I had a great time and it resparked my love for horror literature. I just picked up The House Next Door by Anne Rivers Siddons. I'm looking for more to read, so this video is perfect.
Scary Stories To Tell In The Dark was my gateway.
The book that got me started was the Amityville Horror. I read that as a child but I was so terrified to read it at night but I could not put that book down!
Hey Adam - book that got me into horror; DRACULA! And I’m also a Matheson fan - I’ve re-read HELL HOUSE several times!
goosebump books. i read every one in my schools library when i was a kid
I absolutely loved suffer the children!!
I've always loved reading horror but I took a break for a while. What got me back was, I found out that Charlie Kaufman was adapting Iain Reid's I'm Thinking Of Ending Things into a film so I read the book to prepare myself for Kaufman's beautiful mind fuck take on it. Then I read Tim Meyer's The Switch House followed by Video Night by you.
I suppose the book that got me into horror and reenergized my reading in general was King’s Firestarter. I love that book just as much as I hate both cinematic versions of this story. Brian Keene got me into so-called Splatterpunk with A Gathering of Crows, but Richard Laymon cemented my fascination with The Cellar. It seemed so bold and uncompromising, but after several Laymon novels, I saw that he pretty much uses the same schtick in every book he wrote.
I read Carrie when I was 12 and I was hooked. I started reading all the King I could get a hold of and Dean Koontz as well as TM Wright.
Stephen Graham Jones is also a favorite!
Michigan Chiller books got me into reading more of the genre. Growing up, I despised everything horror. My mom exposed me too young! 😂 In 5th grade, my teacher read a chapter of Michigan Chillers everyday. That got me into reading more horror. It wasn’t until 10th grade when I was able to watch scary movies again, though.
I was in a huge multiyear reading nothing slump, then "John Dies at the End" brought me back.
The book that got me into horror was Five Nights at Freddy’s: The Silver Eyes. I was in fourth grade(?) when it came out, and I was hooked when my friend let me borrow his copy. I bought the whole trilogy, then bought some other horror series, and I loved them. Now I’m reading Clown in a Cornfield, and the writing is amazing!
I really appreciate you checking out Clown! Hope you enjoy
I love Bentley Little’s books. I got started listening to his books on audible. Now I own quite a bit of hard copies. And I own both of The clown in the cornfield books.
Thank you so much, Nicole!
BR Yeager's Negative Space! I haven't read a book in almost a decade and I'm flying through this thing.
What got me into adult horror (aka beyond R.L. Stine and the like growing up) was King's Night Shift, which I read on an airplane to Illinois to visit my grandparents. I left that plane a changed person!
I had a similar experience with a King collection, though it was a car ride, not a plane, and it was Nightmares & Dreamscapes
Any recs for books like the return ?
The one that got me started : Dean Koontz = Dragon Tears
First time I was "reignited" : Brian Lumley = Blood Brothers
I never lost the passion but I lost the time, so the second re-ignition was Audible. There It was : Christopher Buehlman = The Lesser Dead
The book which encouraged me to start reading horror, is Jonathan Livingstone Seagull. After that I read Slaughterhouse Five. A few Lovecraft and Stephen King stories later, it was time to start writing your own works. Jonathan Livingstone Seagull is nightmare fuel. Wanna know why? Imagine being an open minded seagull surrounded by a closed mind society of seagulls and you try to fly higher than any seagull has flown before. Everyone laughs at you, and you know what you are doing, but you have no way to express it in words. That, my friend, is horror. Thanks for your video man. Kind regards from Ásgeir in Iceland.
The very first was S. Kings Creepshow comic. I was maybe 11ish? My older cousin caught me sneaking into his room to read it, he just gave it to me. I then snuck to watch the movie while my parents were asleep. Im still trying to chase that adrenaline rush !
Grim memorials was also scary (for a kid)
Started like most with guys like King and James Herbert (just because they were around the house growing up) and discovered Laymon (they actually sold his paperbacks at the local grocery story) as a way too young kid which gave me a lifelong love of extreme horror.
Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark was my first horror book. The Woman in Black re invigorated my love of the genre.
when I was a child, The Hound of the Baskervilles, Conan Doyle; recently, the book that ended a very long book slump and that is a riot, Escape from Happydale, Jack Quaid (loooove slashers!).
Playground by Aron Beauregard got me not only back into horror, but back into reading. SInce then Ive read The Slob, Yellow, and I just bought his new book Wet Market. SO twisted!
I understand not including Jack Ketchum for some of his extreme content, but he is a great, great writer. You probably could recommend Red. Also love SGJ! Mathewson was a total legend, the tribute book they did “He is Legend” is absolutely amazing. 👍👍👍
The Shrinking Man was so cool!
The Croning, by Laird Barron. As well as his collections, The Beautiful Thing That Awaits Us All, The Imago Sequence, and Occultation.