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My to-be-read pile is shamefully big, but that never stops me from adding more. I cherish getting lost in a good book, but a novel is more of a commitment than chipping away at movies on my to-watch list. The conspicuously titled 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered may make that stack of books to read even more intimidating, but it also helps narrow down which tales of terror are worthy of being moved to the top.
Following a foreword by Bird Box author Josh Malerman, writer Sadie “Mother Horror” Hartmann explains why you should trust her choices implicitly. As the owner of the horror fiction subscription service Night Worms and the editor-in-chief of publisher Dark Hart Books, she’s an unassailable authority on horror literature — even if she’s a self-proclaimed scaredy cat who rarely watches genre movies.
With no shortage of “all-time best” lists available elsewhere, Hartmann focuses exclusively on horror books published between 2000 and 2023. Constant readers will be familiar with many of the names that pop up — Joe Hill, Junji Ito, Jack Ketchum, Jeff VanderMeer, Chuck Wendig, Joe R. Lansdale, to name a few — but Hartmann also celebrates countless lesser-known authors, including indie and self-published works.
The 168-page guide is divided by theme into five chapters, which are then further broken down into subcategories: paranormal (haunted houses; ghosts; creatures & cryptids), supernatural (demons & possession; the occult & witchcraft; cosmic horror), human monsters (coming of age; grief; loss & death; cults; slashers & serial killers; creepy kids; body horror; crime & investigation), natural order horror (apocalyptic, dystopian & sci-fi; eco horror), and short story collections.
A full page is dedicated to each of the 101 selections, complete with Hartmann’s brief summary of the plot among a compelling explanation as to why the book earned her recommendation. Beyond that, a sidebar provides at-a-glance overviews with the books’ cover art, identifiers (with handy icons ranging from “Book to Movie” to “Strong Women”), themes (which can double as trigger warnings), tone, style, setting, and publisher.
Every chapter is followed by an essay from a rising voice with a unique perspective on the genre. Malaysian native Cassandra Khaw examines Eastern and Western cultures’ differing approaches to horror storytelling. Hailey Piper and Eric LaRocca each offer personal insight into the impact of queer horror. RJ Joseph lyrically expresses the importance of finding belonging in horror. Daniel Kraus analyzes the current spike in horror’s popularity.
As if 101 wasn’t enough, Hartmann sneaks in even more recommendations by spotlighting 10 authors for whom she couldn’t pick just one of their works: Adam Nevill, Alma Katsu, Ania Ahlborn, Christopher Buehlman, Grady Hendrix, Malerman, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Tananarive Due, and V. Castro. Each of these authors highlights their three favorite horror books as well.
The included checklist of all the featured titles can also be used to keep track of the ones you want to read. I came away with dozens, such as Sarah Gailey’s Just Like Home, a haunted house story that Hartmann praises as “the future of horror;” Victor LaValle’s The Ballad of Black Tom, a retelling of H.P. Lovecraft’s “The Horror at Red Hook” from a Black perspective; Dathan Auerbach’s Penpal, a polarizing effort birthed from a series of interconnected Reddit posts; and Philip Fracassi’s Boys in the Valley, a coming-of-age possession tale that Hartmann compares to IT and The Exorcist.
Available in paperback and e-book, 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered is a reverently crafted reference guide that proves useful for horror readers from newcomers to veterans and everyone in between. The purposeful omission of staples like Mary Shelley, Shirley Jackson, Clive Barker, Anne Rice, and Stephen King leaves more room for contemporary, up-and-coming voices, and Hartmann’s conversational tone makes for breezy reading.
