Hey there horror fans, I’m Jessica Avery and I’ll be delivering your weekly brief of all that’s ghastly and grim in the world of Horror. Whether you’re looking for a backlist book that will give you the willies, a terrifying new release, or the latest in horror community news, you’ll find it here in The Fright Stuff.
Bloody Bloody Backlist is back again! This weeks’ selection is from the horror shelves of 2016, a year that both produced terrifying books and was a bit terrifying in its own right, all things considered. But hey, when the outside world is a mess, what better way to get by than with some good ‘ol horror to remind you that things could actually get worse!
Before we jump into just some of the fantastic horror books that prove at least something good came out of 2016, however, just a reminder: If you’re still looking for the perfect gift for either Palentine’s Day or Valentine’s Day this year, Book Riot offers a Tailored Book Recommendations service that you can gift to friends and family! TBR has plans for every budget, so if you’re interested click here for more information.
Okay! Let’s get creepy.
Bookish Goods
Scary Book Lover Mug by FancifulCreationsCo
I have a rather serious mug collecting problem. I have… too many. More than one person could possibly need, really. Do I really need all those mugs? I suppose not. Do I continue to use the same two mugs despite all the mugs I own? Yes. But hey, what’s one more? Because this “I Read Scary Books” mug, with its delightfully creepy spiderweb design, is too fun to pass up. So go forth and spread the good word about scary books!
$22+
New Releases
The Drift by C.J. Tudor
I’m a huge fan of cold weather horror and “the world might be ending” horror, so obviously I’m excited for CJ Tudor’s new book, The Drift, about three people who find themselves facing down a deadly threat in the midst of a violent snowstorm. Hannah is on the run from her boarding school when she ends up trapped in an upended coach in the midst of the storm along with a handful of other passengers. Meg wakes up in a cable car high above the storm with no idea how she ended up there, or why. Only that the car is heading for some place called “The Retreat.” And Carter lives in an abandoned ski chalet, working to manufacture the virus vaccines that he and his group trade for the supplies they need to survive. But their generator’s on its last legs, there’s a killer storm raging on outside, and something even more dangerous may be stalking the corridors of the chalet itself. Each of our three players is one part of the equation, and only together will their stories reveal the greater evil lurking in the background that might destroy the world as they know it.
Vampire Weekend by Mike Chen
I am absolutely living for our current vampire revival. Please, give me all your vampire stories, the more the better. The vampires in Mike Chen’s new book, Vampire Weekend, aren’t your typical fangy folks, though. In fact, they didn’t get any of the fun perks. No batting out, no flying, no floating, no turning into a waft of smoke or haunting the dreams of your latest conquest. Just bags of donated blood and working the night shift. But Louise Chao makes the best of it, even if it’s lonely. She gave up her family years ago, literally leaving them behind as the years ticked by. Still, at least she’s got her passion for punk rock to keep her company. That is, until the night a teenage relative turns up on her doorstep. As nice as it is to finally feel a connection to someone else again, things take a turn for the complicated when Ian discovers what she really is and asks for a favor that Louise isn’t sure she can grant.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
My Best Friend’s Exorcism by Grady Hendrix
I mean, how could I even try to talk about 2016 and leave out what is, to this day, one of my favorite horror books. My Best Friends Exorcism was the first of Hendrix’s books that I read, and he has definitely become an instant-buy author for me in the years since. This book is gross, hilarious, nostalgic, and just fantastic. Abby and Gretchen are best friends, and have been since they were little kids. Until, that is, a strange acid-induced incident the summer before their junior year throws their friendship into jeopardy. No one really knows what happened to Gretchen that night in the woods, not even Abby. But when Gretchen’s behavior beings to change, becoming increasingly frightening and violent, Abby is forced to accept the one possible explanation that presents itself: Gretchen is possessed.
Labyrinth Lost by Zoraida Córdova
Book one of Zoraida Córdovas’ Brooklyn Brujas series also came out in 2016! A bit horror, a bit fantasy, Labyrinth Lost is about a young bruja named Alex who hates magic, even though her immense abilities mean that she’s the most powerful witch of her generation. Determined to rid herself of her magic, Alex performs one final spell to banish her power forever. Something goes horribly wrong, and before Alex can end the spell, her whole family vanishes. The only person left standing when the dust settles is a brujo called Nova, who’s the last person she would trust to help her. But if Alex wants to fix her mistake and rescue her family from Los Lagos — the strange land to which she accidentally banished them — she has no choice but to follow Nova out of her world and into the dark in-between.
Monstress, Vol 1: Awakening by Marjorie M. Liu, Illustrated by Sana Takeda
I’m so glad to get to include a graphic novel pick this month! This last year has really given me a new appreciation for graphic novels. An alternative history story that merges horror and steampunk fantasy in a matriarchal 1900’s Asia, Monstress is one of those graphic novels that is as beautiful as it is captivatingly written. Sana Takeda’s art is breathtaking and I can’t wait to see more of it. Monstress is about a girl struggling through the midst of a war. The key to her survival may rest in the mysterious psychic connection she shares with a powerful monster. But only if together they can evade the forces that would use that connection against them.
As always, you can catch me on twitter at @JtheBookworm, where I try to keep up on all that’s new and frightening.