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Desperate for More Horror in between AHS: Apocalypse?

by  | October 2
American Horror Story

Guys, it’s finally fall, and I am too excited! I’ve already had a pumpkin spice latte (don’t @ me), I’ve pulled out all my sweaters, and I’m ready to get scared. Horror movies, horror books, and horror TV shows are all that I crave now, and I know there are readers here that are fear fans. American Horror Story has come back for a new season, and you can bet I’m already watching. I fell off Cult because it was a bit too real, but Coven was one of my favorite seasons, so I’m very excited to be going back to that even if it’s a bit different this time around. While I’m waiting for new episodes to drop each week, here are the spooky books I’m reading in the meantime!

It (Media Tie-In)

It (Media Tie-In)

by Stephen King

You cannot talk about horror these days without talking about Stephen King. The king of horror (I’m the only one who’s ever made that joke!), King has written some of the most beloved scary stories and created per-capita the most jump-scares per childhood (and adulthood). For this list, thinking of AHS fans, I have to recommend three King titles. IT, for those who loved “Freak Show”; Misery for all those Kathy Bates fans, and Pet Sematary for those who love “Roanoke” and the evil forest that surrounds the house.  

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The Job of the Wasp

The Job of the Wasp

by Colin Winnette

One of my favorite horror books read in the past year is The Job of the Wasp by Colin Winnette, a creepy tale of a young boy who is a new arrival at a very strange boarding school. Every bit of this story is unreliable—who our protagonist is, where he is, and what’s happening to him—and therein lies the magic of what makes this book such a fantastic fright. I recommend this novel to those who loved “Asylum” and “Roanoke,” who liked how AHS played with what is real and what is created, and who are challenged by not knowing who to believe.  

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House of Leaves

House of Leaves

by Mark Z. Danielewski

For my all-time favorite, I have to go with House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, an intriguing and unraveling tale of a house that is bigger on the inside than the outside. House of Leaves does an incredible job of weaving together three separate narratives, and there’s creative strangeness in the way the book’s content matches the way that it’s presented to the reader. The novel highlights the word house in blue every time it shows up, and as the story descends into its fearful plot, the words start to scatter and get mixed up, hiding in corners or covering every inch of the page. Definitely read this one in print and not on your e-reader: it won’t be the same otherwise. This one is absolutely for all the fans of “Murder House.”  

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Fear

Fear

by Bob Woodward

Lastly, this is a cheap shot, but if you loved “Cult,” you have to read Fear by Bob Woodward. It’s just as terrifying—since it’s the non-fictionalized version of what everyone in that show is so freaked out about, at least in the beginning. 

 

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Cara Nesi is a sales rep at Simon & Schuster who sells to independent bookstores in the Midwest. She grew up in the suburbs of New York and attended the University of Pittsburgh before returning to start her career in publishing. She enjoys reading literary fiction, especially absurdist authors like George Saunders, but she also reads A LOT of fantasy, science fiction and young adult books. Occasionally, she writes some fiction and non-fiction too. You can find her on twitter at @caranesi.
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