I have been a horror fan almost all my life, starting with watching horror films with my friends when I was a kid after school and on weekends, and reading spooky stories the rest of my spare time. When I met a local author when I was around eight years old, the spark was lit in me to be a writer, and I knew exactly what I wanted to do in the future. Naturally, when I attempted to try my hand at writing a novel, it was the horror genre I gravitated to, a scary vampire story being my first, and I haven’t looked back since.
In Victorian England, after the body of a young girl is found in the woods near her home, and with the majority of the search party that had been sent to find her gone missing, the mayor of the local town sends for a 'Vampire Hunter.'
He was the best there had ever been. But he had not been out on a hunt for three years, not since the death of the woman he loved. He was told that this was a simple investigation, find out if vampires were responsible for the girl's death, and if so, deal with them. However, things were far more complicated than anyone could have suspected.
As the basis for the film Hellraiser, this is the book that introduced the world to the Hell Priest, “Pinhead”, and the Cenobites. However, the main antagonist of the story is not the demonic creatures, but a cruel and evil man on the search for the ultimate in sadistic, sexual pleasure; a search which he finds a costly mistake. This short novel goes at a break-neck speed from the first page and is full of Barker’s usual blood, gore, and sex approach to horror. Even though those things are not the aspects of horror I find that enjoyable, I still found the story so gripping that I have read through the whole thing in one sitting, and it is one of the few books I’ve re-read many times.
The classic tale of supernatural obsession from the critically acclaimed master of darkness—and the inspiration for the cult classic film Hellraiser
From his scores of short stories, bestselling novels, and major motion pictures, no one comes close to the vivid imagination and unique terrors provided by Clive Barker. The Hellbound Heart is one of Barker’s best—a nerve-shattering novella about the human heart and all the great terrors and ecstasies within its endless domain. It is about greed and love, desire and death, life and captivity, bells and blood. It is one of the most frightening stories you are likely to…
Though Joe Hill is the son of Stephen King, he has never relied on that fact, and it is solely his talent as a writer that has got him success in his career. Heart-Shaped Box, his first published novel, shows that talent on every page. This story of an aging rocker haunted by a vindictive ghost, and the lengths the rock star and his much younger girlfriend will go to in order to rid themselves of the malevolent spirit, quickly draws the reader in and holds you there all the way through.
He bought it, in the shape of the dead man's suit, delivered in a heart-shaped box, because he wanted it: because his fans ate up that kind of story. It was perfect for his collection: the genuine skulls and the bones, the real honest-to-God snuff movie, the occult books and all the rest of the paraphanalia that goes along with his kind of hard/goth rock.
But the rest of his collection doesn't make the house feel cold. The bones don't make the dogs bark; the movie doesn't make Jude feel…
One of King’s most famous novels, It is probably my favourite of his works despite being over 1,000 pages long. The story is set in Derry, Maine, and follows a group of seven characters as children in the 1950s, and as adults in the 1980s, as they battle with a monster calling itself Pennywise the Dancing Clown, which can turn itself into whatever its victim most fears. Each of the main characters is fully fleshed out, and their stories are told in such a way that you want to keep reading to find out what happens to them next.
This tie-in edition will be available from 16 July
TIE IN TO A NEW MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, IT: CHAPTER 2, ADAPTED FROM KING'S TERRIFYING CLASSIC
27 years later, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back...
Derry, Maine was just an ordinary town: familiar, well-ordered for the most part, a good place to live.
It was a group of children who saw- and felt- what made Derry so horribly different. In the storm drains, in the sewers, IT lurked, taking on the shape of every nightmare, each one's deepest dread. Sometimes…
In my opinion, this is not only Thomas Harris’ best book in his Hannibal Lecter series, but his best book overall. Though made famous in the mainstream by the film adaptation, the book is a wonderful example of psychological horror, with a gripping, fast-moving story told in short chapters that make it almost impossible to put down.
As part of the search for a serial murderer nicknames "Buffalo Bill," FBI trainee Clarice Starling is given an assignment. She must visit a man confined to a high-security facility for the criminally insane and interview him.
That man, Dr. Hannibal Lecter, is a former psychiatrist with unusual tastes and an intense curiosity about the darker corners of the mind. His intimate understanding of the killer and of Clarice herself form the core of Thomas Harris' The Silence of the Lambs--an unforgettable classic of suspense fiction.
They say that in London you are never more than 6ft away from a rat, and if that isn’t horrifying enough, what if those rats began attacking people in droves. That’s the premise of James Herbert’s novel, The Rats. This book is a wonderful example of creature horror, and its short length and fast pace make it a great entry point into Herbert’s work.
A special fortieth anniversary edition of The Rats, the classic, bestselling horror novel that launched James Herbert's career.
With a foreword by Neil Gaiman, author of Norse Mythology.
It was only when the bones of the first devoured victims were discovered that the true nature and power of these swarming black creatures with their razor sharp teeth and the taste for human blood began to be realized by a panic-stricken city. For millions of years man and rats had been natural enemies. But now for the first time - suddenly, shockingly, horribly - the balance of power had shifted .…
Wendy Lee Hermance was heard on National Public Radio (NPR) stations with her Missouri Folklore series in the 1980s. She earned a journalism degree from Stephens College, served as Editor and Features Writer for Midwestern and Southern university and regional publications, then settled into writing real estate contracts. In 2012 she attended University of Sydney, earning a master’s degree by research thesis. Her books include Where I’m Going with this Poem, a memoir in poetry and prose. Weird Foods of Portugal: Adventures of an Expatmarks her return to feature writing as collections of narrative non-fiction stories.
Weird Foods of Portugal describes the author's first years trying to make sense of a strange new place and a home there for herself.
Witty, dreamlike, and at times jarring, the book sizzles with social commentary looking back at America and beautiful, finely drawn descriptions of Portugal and its people. Part dark-humor cautionary tale, part travel adventure, ultimately, Hermance's book of narrative non-fiction serves as affirmation for any who wish to make a similar move themselves.
"Wendy Lee Hermance describes Portugal´s colorful people and places - including taxi drivers and animals - with a poet´s empathy and dark humor. Part travel adventure, part cautionary tale, Weird Foods of Portugal is at it´s heart, affirmation for all who consider making such a move themselves."
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