Looking for some quick thrills and oh-so-satisfying chills? You’ve come to the right place. I’ve got 10 must-read new horror novels, ranging from light scares to nightmare fuel, waiting for you on the list below.
Now, I’m a big believer in reading horror all year — not just when Halloween draws near. With that being said, this time of year is rife with great options for readers looking for new scares. Like many of the last few, 2024 is yet another banner year for horror lit. And, as you might expect, the spookiest season is bringing in hit after horror hit.
Of particular interest this fall are horror collections and anthologies packed full of delightfully scary stories for you to enjoy. September 2024 saw new releases from Brian Evenson and Mariana Enriquez, and Dark Matter INK’s new weird anthology, The Off-Season, rounds out October’s must-read new horror.
Of course, long-form readers won’t be disappointed with this year’s selections, either. Whether you’re in the mood for a branching-path horror novel — written in second person! — the latest from Hailey Piper or Rivers Solomon, or even a spooky-scary memoir from a Navajo Ranger, this fall has you covered.
So what are you waiting for? Grab your comfiest reading chair, mix up a bowl of your favorite Halloween candy, and dive into one of fall 2024’s must-read new horror books.
Must-Read New Horror Books
Good Night, Sleep Tight by Brian Evenson (Coffee House Press)Dubbed “your favorite horror writer’s favorite horror author” by Book Riot’s own Liberty Hardy, Brian Evenson has made a name for himself as a genius and giant in the weird fiction space. Like every other Evenson collection — A Collapse of Horses, anyone? — Good Night, Sleep Tight is a must-read new horror book. |
A Sunny Place for Shady People by Mariana Enriquez (Hogarth Press)Melting faces. Dissolved girls. Birds who once were women. Mariana Enriquez’s signature liminality comes shining through in this new collection bursting with vivid images and unforgettable characters. A Sunny Place for Shady People has garnered oodles of praise from the most prestigious literary reviewers. It’s the book to be seen reading this fall. |
TRVE CVLT by Michael Bettendorf (Tenebrous Press)If you loved the Choose Your Own Adventure books as a kid, you’re going to want to pick up a copy of TRVE CVLT. This game book casts you as the drummer for the black metal band Abyss. Recently invited back into the fold, you’ve got the chance to take the stage with your old bandmates. But does the lead singer really want to let bygones be bygones, or is something more sinister behind his olive branch? |
Coup de Grâce by Sofia Ajram (Titan)In this experimental horror novel, a young man contemplating suicide finds his plans interrupted when he exits the subway train into a giant, meandering station with seemingly no end. Coup de Grâce is a must-read for fans of House of Leaves, or anyone looking to find horror’s next big voice. |
The Paranormal Ranger: A Navajo Investigator’s Search for the Unexplained by Stanley Milford, Jr. (William Morrow)Navajoland’s paranormal secrets are revealed in Stanley Milford, Jr.’s The Paranormal Ranger. Here, Milford recounts his experiences as a Navajo Ranger tasked with investigating Bigfoot, skinwalkers, creatures capable of draining whole herds of sheep of their blood, and more. This memoir is perfect for fans of Unsolved Mysteries and Evil. |
Model Home by Rivers Solomon (MCD)This new novel from the author of The Deep follows the three Maxwell siblings — Ezri, Eve, and Emanuelle — as they journey back, in the wake of their parents’ untimely deaths, to the majority-white Dallas suburb where they grew up. The siblings remember how strange and sinister their lives were back then. Truth be told, they don’t want to go back. But their parents may have succumbed to the same dark forces the siblings encountered in childhood, and that they cannot abide. |
Catherine the Ghost by Kathe Koja (Clash)Cast as a “modern gothic punk remix of…Wuthering Heights” in publisher copy, Catherine the Ghost follows the spirit of Cathy Earnshaw as she tries to connect with her daughter, the recently widowed Catherine Linton, from beyond the grave. |
All the Hearts You Eat by Hailey Piper (Titan)When Ivory, a trans woman, discovers the body of a town council member’s transgender daughter on the shore, she sets out to unravel the mystery. But it doesn’t take long for the dead girl to start showing up wherever Ivory goes. Was Cabrina’s death foul play, or merely a tragic accident? After all, Cape Morning is a quiet town, the kind of place where bad things happen to other people…right? |
Where the Dead Brides Gather by Nuzo Onoh (Titan)After she saves her betrothed cousin from a ghost-bride — the vengeful spirit of her fiancé’s ex — Bata finds herself in Ibaja-La, the land of the ghost-brides, where she’s imbued with special powers to help her defeat other dangerous spirits. Back in the realm of the living, however, Bata’s powers prove difficult to control, and she’ll have to master them if she wants to save the people she loves. |
The Off-Season: An Anthology of Coastal New Weird, edited by Marissa van Uden (Dark Matter INK)Containing 25 off-kilter stories set in the liminal space between land and sea, The Off-Season is a must-read new horror book for fans of Jeff VanderMeer and Laird Barron. This is daylight horror at its finest, and you’re going to want to pick up your copy ASAP. |
Want more great new horror? Check out these lists of the most anticipated horror novels of fall 2024.