Something Wicked Fall - Horror Book Review Roundup

Here are (mostly) short reviews of the horror novels I've read so far this year. Most were posted on Goodreads. My "read in 2024" list is here.

List order - most recent first

Fast read. Brutal and thrilling. This kind of "apocalypse" would rate right up there with a zombie apocalypse...probably even worse. Note: This was WAY better than Zoo by James Patterson. I couldn't even finish that one because of the cliched writing.

Wow...this book! SO good. Victor LaValle never ceases to amaze me. This one though is now my favorite of his books. There's something about the melding of horror with historical fiction...it takes real skill to pull it off. So, not just a fascinating (and bloody and horrifying) read, but interesting in its exploration of women in history, and particularly women of color. Read this book!

Reviewed on Castle Macabre - read the review here.

I am a fan of Nevill's novels. Of the ones I have read, this one is now my favorite. I love folk horror and he knows how to write it. The ball got rolling in the first 12 pages and it didn't stop until the terrifying end.

There was a passage around halfway that really spoke to the cult mentality. I could not help but draw parallels, if you get my meaning.

"There's what, seven billion of us?...Who gives a fuck? They don't. You's all going. You is, yeah?

She'd not understood much of the idiotic jabber either and thought it a half-understood version of what the bearded oaf had been told by someone else: knowledge he believed fervently that had enabled him to perform such inhuman acts upon a stranger. She'd truly entered a land of psychotics and met its crazed inhabitants."

So yes...terrifying AND insightful. I can't wait to read the next one, which for me will be Cunning Folk.

I don't know what to say. The first quarter or so, I was like "Creepy, creepy, creepy!" Arriving at the end, I can't really say how I feel. It was compelling for sure. Something kept me reading and I didn't want to put it down. But there was no payoff or true resolution at the end. Hence the three stars.

This was my kind of book. (Obviously...I finished it in less than four days.) With a premise steeped in folklore, but also an almost sci-fi vibe, I was mesmerized. Though I did figure it out, this did not deter me from enjoying it. Now I'm excited to see the film directed by one of my favorite directors, M. Night Shyamalan's daughter.

For some reason, I didn't review this one, but I loved it because I gave it five stars. This is the sequel to The Descent which is also really good. Read my review of The Descent here.

Reviewed on Castle Macabre - read the review here.

I would actually give this 3.5 stars, if it was possible. I was really enjoying it. The part with the creatures was quite frightening at times. Then he decides to go in the cave from whence they came. Idiot! That part was quite harrowing. Suddenly, it descends into the world speeding up, the sun dying, whatever else was going on (this is the part where it borders on science fiction). A lot of pages covering that period which I felt did not need to be that drawn out. But what do I know. Still, it's an impressive work in its own right. I can't deny a feeling of dread while reading parts of it.

It's so satisfying when an author's debut novel is this striking. It takes a deft hand to bring across true horror while infusing the story with emotion. Often the monsters are not some supernatural beings, but are actually people we would expect to treat us with kindness and care. The horrors these monsters inflict I think are much worse because we are expecting good and fair treatment. That being said, there are supernatural beings here. Their appearances are frightening, to say the least. With a mystery, and a twist I didn't see coming, the book is a riveting read...one you just might finish in one sitting.

Was Janz channeling Poe? I think so! This novella is a must-read if you love Gothic books/movies. I couldn't help but picture Vincent Price as the diabolically evil Count Richard Dunning. Thoroughly impressed, not only with the horrific doings, but with the authentic depiction of the time period. Nicely done!

Reread - reviewed on Castle Macabre - Read the review here.

I've always been fascinated with H.G. Wells' The Island of Doctor Moreau so when I saw that one of my favorite contemporary authors had written a reimagining, I knew I had to read it. I was not disappointed. Moreno-Garcia tells the tale from the viewpoint of Doctor Moreau's daughter, Carlota, and Montgomery (a character who is in the original story and other incarnations of it). However, Montgomery is far different from the man in the original story. He is a broken man, but he is also compassionate, and treats the hybrids with respect. I really liked his character. Carlota is also compassionate, and though not a doctor herself, she holds firm to the idea of the Hippocratic Oath...Do No Harm. She is conflicted. She loves her father, but she also feels his attitude toward the hybrids is unfair. Of course, a lot more happens in the book, but I'm not giving anything away. It's a rich and compelling retelling and I commend the author for giving the hybrids dignity and humanity, something I have not seen in other versions.

I did not think I was going to like this as much as I did. That changed very quickly. I won't say too much...I'm not big on rehashing the plot, etc. I will say that this would be a great movie. I mean seriously. It's a relatively self-contained story so I would think filmmakers wouldn't mess it up too much, but then again, we know how that usually goes.

That ending though. Wow. Excellent!

I watched the Netflix film adaptation of this when it came out in 2020. I hated it. I still wanted to read the book because I knew it would be better. It is. That being said, it is a difficult read, but something compels you to keep reading. It's not outright scary, but there are creepy moments that are quite unnerving. Incidentally, I watched the movie again...still hated it.

There were a couple of great quotes I thought I'd share.

"Forfeiting solitude, independence, is a much greater sacrifice than most of us realize. Sharing a habitat, a life, is for sure harder than being alone. In fact, coupled living seems virtually impossible, doesn't it? To find another person to spend all your life with? To age with and change with? To see every day, to respond to their moods and needs?"

"There's grace in doing the right thing, in making a human decision. We always have the choice. Every day. We all do. For as long as we live, we always have the choice. Everyone we meet in our life has the same choice to consider, over and over. We can try to ignore it, but there's only one question for us all."

I know it might be cliche to say this, but I could not put this one down. I'm a huge fan of found footage horror films and this book kind of had that element. A documentary filmmaker travels with her team to scout the location for her planned film...a village where over 60 years ago, the entire population of 900 people mysteriously disappeared. No filming at this stage so no found footage per say, but still a similar vibe. The author talks about mental illness and her characters in the foreword. The book does a great job of touching on how mentally ill people can be perceived, and how they can be treated because of their illness. In all, a solid premise for a subtle horror novel. Atmospherically creepy, with some downright scary moments.

When it comes to short story collections, I generally only read them in the horror genre. Not sure why. I guess part of it is because I feel that horror is well-suited to the medium. I credit this belief in no small way to TV series like The Ray Bradbury Theater, Twilight Zone, Tales from the Crypt, Tales from the Darkside, and movies like Creepshow, The Twilight Zone movies, Tales from the Crypt (1972), etc. Of course, I can't forget my love of Ray Bradbury's collections, especially The Martian Chronicles I read and loved as a kid (more science fiction, but horrific in its own right), and my favorite of all time, the short stories of Edgar Allan Poe.

This collection of stories, all written by black authors, is one of the best I've read. They touch on racism, civil rights, social justice, artificial intelligence, and more. Each topic is woven into mesmerizingly horrific and disturbing stories. Just the way I like my horror.

My favorites:

"Eye & Tooth" by Rebecca Roanhorse

"The Other One" by Violet Allen

"The Rider" by Tananarive Due

"Dark Home" by Nnedi Okorafor

"The Most Strongest Obeah Woman of the World" by Nalo Hopkinson

"The Norwood Trouble" by Maurice Broaddus

"An American Fable" by Chesya Burke

"Hide & Seek" by P. Djeli Clark

Damn good book! Labyrinthine. Keeps you guessing until the end. I normally do not read the next book immediately upon reading the first book, but may have to make an exception here. Maybe not right away, but soon, Hell Bent.

Not at all what I was expecting. SO damn good! You'll think you've figured it out, but you never will until the very end...when all is revealed. Be sure to read the Afterword. It made me love the book even more. Definitely a favorite read this year.

I love a good haunting story, especially when it blurs the line between "is it an actual haunting, or is the protagonist just bonkers?" A little bit of both works for me. Throw in some Beowulf, which is my favorite Old English epic, and I'm there. This is my first time reading one of Simmons' older novels. "The Terror" was my first discovery of his work (another excellent read). This is number four in his Seasons of Horror series, of which I also own book two, "Children of the Night." I will definitely be reading it sooner than later.

I'm not going to gush too much because, unless my friends have been living under a rock, everyone knows I love his books. But man, this collection of novellas...suffice it to say, every one of them winners. Each one touches on a fear I think pretty much everyone has. He sums it up pretty well in his author's note: "...they conspire to create a tapestry of mounting dread." That right there is what I love about his books. That delicious mounting dread you can only get from great horror.

What horror books have you been reading this year? Recommendations?

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