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Your Library of Horror, Dystopia, and Fantasy
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items The two best things you can do to improve your writing are, first, to write a lot, and second, to read a lot. I want to share the books that have transformed my own writing and have taught me how to approach telling an immensely memorable story.
Every single book I've listed here is one I consider to be a five-star read!
This list is very new and will be ongoing, so expect updates!
Every single book I've listed here is one I consider to be a five-star read!
This list is very new and will be ongoing, so expect updates!
Sections
3
Horror
Dystopian
Fantasy
Horror
I don't know about you, but I want to feel actual horror when I read a horror book, and these are the stories that did exactly that. Expect updates!
Pet Sematary by Stephen King is the book that made me a reader. No joke.
I wasn't an avid reader for most of my life growing up. I was someone who much preferred movies to books, and I never imagined that I would end up where I am now, reading a dozen books every year and even keeping a journal to record my progress (I hi...
Pet Sematary has the best introduction to any book I've read thus far. I've re-read the introduction a handful of times and it has repeatedly brought me to tears. If you have a cat, you'll definitely understand why.
The story itself is an equally horrifying and heart-aching depiction of grief and the consequences of desperation. It follows a man who makes the wrong choices despite the right intentions.
Sometimes, dead is better.
I wasn't an avid reader for most of my life growing up. I was someone who much preferred movies to books, and I never imagined that I would end up where I am now, reading a dozen books every year and even keeping a journal to record my progress (I hi...
Pet Sematary has the best introduction to any book I've read thus far. I've re-read the introduction a handful of times and it has repeatedly brought me to tears. If you have a cat, you'll definitely understand why.
The story itself is an equally horrifying and heart-aching depiction of grief and the consequences of desperation. It follows a man who makes the wrong choices despite the right intentions.
Sometimes, dead is better.
Pet Sematary: A Novel by Stephen King
This book is perhaps the pinnacle of psychological horror - not just because it's incredibly well-written and addictive, but because it made me feel actual horror in a way most books can't.
I went into it expecting the simple black and white story of a serial killer and instead was left stunned by Catriona Ward's masterful development of the story's seemingly endless layers and numerous twists.
There were moments in this book where the story's dark implications brought me to pause and sit with what I had just read out of sheer disgust and shock.
I went into it expecting the simple black and white story of a serial killer and instead was left stunned by Catriona Ward's masterful development of the story's seemingly endless layers and numerous twists.
There were moments in this book where the story's dark implications brought me to pause and sit with what I had just read out of sheer disgust and shock.
The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward
I mean this sincerely: if there is any book on this horror list that you have to read, it's this one.
I knew I was bound to like this novella as soon as I heard of it. It follows the stories of ten passengers on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Boston who wake up to find that the crew and most of their fellow passengers have inexplicably disappea...
However, I was wholly unprepared for just how much I would absolutely love this book, to the point I'm actually sad I read it so fast (I finished it in just two days). It is my second favorite story of all time.
Even with the best of books, there is almost always a slow part, a lull where you're more excited to get onto the next scene/chapter. In The Langoliers, however, there was no point where I was even slightly bored. I was kept on my toes from the begin...
It's sad, horrifying, and beautiful.
I knew I was bound to like this novella as soon as I heard of it. It follows the stories of ten passengers on a red-eye flight from Los Angeles to Boston who wake up to find that the crew and most of their fellow passengers have inexplicably disappea...
However, I was wholly unprepared for just how much I would absolutely love this book, to the point I'm actually sad I read it so fast (I finished it in just two days). It is my second favorite story of all time.
Even with the best of books, there is almost always a slow part, a lull where you're more excited to get onto the next scene/chapter. In The Langoliers, however, there was no point where I was even slightly bored. I was kept on my toes from the begin...
It's sad, horrifying, and beautiful.
The Langoliers: A Novella by Stephen King
Misery's film adaptation is a magnificent classic, and Kathy Bates more than earned her 1991 Oscar Award for her portrayal of one of the most spine-chilling horror villains of all time: Misery's Annie Wilkes.
If you think Annie Wilkes is scary in the movie, just wait until you pick up this book.
There's no point in the story where you feel safe, no point where you think surely nothing bad will happen. You are kept on your toes from beginning to end. You are constantly waiting for the next stomach-turning thing, completely uncertain when or w...
Believe me, there is a reason Misery won the first annual Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 1987.
If you think Annie Wilkes is scary in the movie, just wait until you pick up this book.
There's no point in the story where you feel safe, no point where you think surely nothing bad will happen. You are kept on your toes from beginning to end. You are constantly waiting for the next stomach-turning thing, completely uncertain when or w...
Believe me, there is a reason Misery won the first annual Bram Stoker Award for Best Novel in 1987.
Misery: A Novel by Stephen King
If you're an artist, this is a book you will seriously appreciate. King is infamous for always writing books about writers, but Duma Key breaks the mold. It follows the story of Edgar Freemantle, a construction magnate who, after suffering a traumati...
I loved this book so much, and I wish I could read it again for the first time. It's a heavy, emotional story. The characters and friendships are both loving and complex, and it spins an unnerving tale in an almost dreamy way.
I loved this book so much, and I wish I could read it again for the first time. It's a heavy, emotional story. The characters and friendships are both loving and complex, and it spins an unnerving tale in an almost dreamy way.
Duma Key: A Novel by Stephen King
While Pet Sematary kept me reading horror, this book got me *started* on horror, a genre I had never really considered before.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides
Dystopian
Dystopias that, ironically, you wish you could stay in a little longer! Expect updates!
We've all heard of The Hunger Games, thanks in no small part to Jennifer Lawrence.
I enjoyed the movies, of course, but I honestly thought I would never pick up the books. I assumed they were nothing but popular, unremarkable YA books that I wouldn't enjoy, so I didn't give them a chance until recently.
I'll say the same about The Hunger Games as I've said about The Maze Runner: there is a reason that The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games became so popular as to have their own movies. These are solid, entertaining books, and I enjoyed every second of...
They're fun classics and wholly deserve the popularity they've each achieved.
I enjoyed the movies, of course, but I honestly thought I would never pick up the books. I assumed they were nothing but popular, unremarkable YA books that I wouldn't enjoy, so I didn't give them a chance until recently.
I'll say the same about The Hunger Games as I've said about The Maze Runner: there is a reason that The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games became so popular as to have their own movies. These are solid, entertaining books, and I enjoyed every second of...
They're fun classics and wholly deserve the popularity they've each achieved.
The Hunger Games Series by Suzanne Collins
Like The Hunger Games, we've all heard of The Maze Runner, chiefly because of the series' big film adaptations.
I honestly thought I would never pick up either of these series. I unfairly passed them off as popular but unremarkable young adult books that I wouldn't like, so I didn't give them a chance until recently.
To tell you the truth, there is a reason that The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games became so popular as to have their own movies. These are solid, entertaining books, and I enjoyed every second of them. I envy those who read the books before they wat...
They're fun classics and wholly deserve the popularity they've each achieved.
I honestly thought I would never pick up either of these series. I unfairly passed them off as popular but unremarkable young adult books that I wouldn't like, so I didn't give them a chance until recently.
To tell you the truth, there is a reason that The Maze Runner and The Hunger Games became so popular as to have their own movies. These are solid, entertaining books, and I enjoyed every second of them. I envy those who read the books before they wat...
They're fun classics and wholly deserve the popularity they've each achieved.
The Maze Runner Series by James Dashner
Fantasy
From grimdark, to urban, to high fantasy recs! Expect updates!
This book is relatively brand new, released May 13 of 2025, and I got my hands on it as soon as it hit the market. At the time, I had never read any of Abercrombie's works, but my sister is a huge fan, so I thought I might as well give him a shot. Pl...
The Devils is a grimdark fantasy following a wicked ensemble of murderers, outright monsters, and dark magic practitioners as they make a dangerous journey together. Let me tell you, you're going to have a very hard time picking a favorite ‘devil’ in The Devils. Abercrombie assembled such a powerful, ...
The story itself unfolds masterfully, and the dialogue, as well as the action, is unparalleled. This is the perfect book to read if you're looking for authors to emulate as a writer, especially if you want to learn how to write your own captivating c...
By the way, James Cameron loved the book so much that he is planning on filming his adaption of The Devils as soon as he finishes filming Avatar: Fire and Ash.
The Devils is a grimdark fantasy following a wicked ensemble of murderers, outright monsters, and dark magic practitioners as they make a dangerous journey together. Let me tell you, you're going to have a very hard time picking a favorite ‘devil’ in The Devils. Abercrombie assembled such a powerful, ...
The story itself unfolds masterfully, and the dialogue, as well as the action, is unparalleled. This is the perfect book to read if you're looking for authors to emulate as a writer, especially if you want to learn how to write your own captivating c...
By the way, James Cameron loved the book so much that he is planning on filming his adaption of The Devils as soon as he finishes filming Avatar: Fire and Ash.
The Devils: A Novel by Joe Abercrombie
Okay, okay, we've all heard of it. I'm sure you've been told by at least one person that the Harry Potter series is a must-read. I'd been told that time and time again, but I'd always shrugged it off. I had seen the movies and that was enough for me.
Well, as soon as I became a big bookworm, I realized I had an obligation to read these books. They're infamous, and are you really a reader if you haven't dabbled in all of the big names and classics? Perhaps, but I still thought I should give the Ha...
As it turns out, this series is remarkable. I love it and its fantastical world so much, and if you enjoyed the movies, I insist you pick up the books. The books (yes, I'm about to say it) are SO MUCH BETTER than the movies. They are so easy to read ...
I've linked book one, which is my favorite of them all besides Prisoner of Azkaban, in case you want to give this world a whirl!
Well, as soon as I became a big bookworm, I realized I had an obligation to read these books. They're infamous, and are you really a reader if you haven't dabbled in all of the big names and classics? Perhaps, but I still thought I should give the Ha...
As it turns out, this series is remarkable. I love it and its fantastical world so much, and if you enjoyed the movies, I insist you pick up the books. The books (yes, I'm about to say it) are SO MUCH BETTER than the movies. They are so easy to read ...
I've linked book one, which is my favorite of them all besides Prisoner of Azkaban, in case you want to give this world a whirl!
The Harry Potter Series by J.K. Rowling