Happy Monday, horror fans! Today, I just want to jump right into the theme. We have a new release coming out this week that’s a sci-fi/horror mash-up, and it got me thinking about why sci-fi and horror mix so well together. For instance, Alien is one of the scariest movies I have ever seen, probably because aliens are for sure real, and they might be big and scary and violent. And that’s the thing about sci-fi. Technically all of it could be real, either now or at some point. So, this week we’re looking at titles that are giving sci-fi/horror Alien vibes. I couldn’t be more excited.
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Bookish Goods
Xenomorph Pen Holder by TilloLabsStore
Yes, Alien is a movie, but there are also books (more on that later), so you can absolutely include a xenomorph pen holder in your bookish horror collection. Now, you might be too scared to pull a pen out of this thing to use it. I would be. But isn’t it cool? $30.
New Releases
The Gathering by C. J. Tudor
Here’s the only book this week that isn’t sci-fi, but it’s too good not to share. When a young boy is found dead and all the blood drained from his body, the citizens of the small Alaskan town Deadhart know what happened to him. And who was responsible. A death like this hasn’t occurred in the past 25 years, but everyone knows about the Colony, a community of vampyrs living deep in the woods.
Ghost Station by S.A. Barnes
And yes, this is the book that inspired this week’s theme. This new horror sci-fi mash-up is set on an abandoned planet. Here, psychologist Dr. Ophelia Bray will establish residency with a small exploration crew. Ophelia hopes to help the crew recover from the recent loss of their colleague, who died under tragic circumstances. But not long after the group arrives on the planet, it becomes clear to Ophelia that the crew is hiding something. They seem uninterested in opening up to Ophelia about what happened, instead spending their days exploring this strange and mysterious planet. Then, their pilot is violently murdered, and despite the lack of trust amongst the group, they must now all work together to figure out what happened.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
We Have Always Been Here by Lena Nguyen
Dr. Grace Park has been appointed to the survey ship The Deucalion to observe the 13 crew members aboard. They’re all headed to an icy planet called Eos in an unexplored galaxy. But, before they even get there, tensions are building between Park and the rest of the crew. She finds herself befriending the androids on the ship, preferring their company to that of the human crew members. When they land, things only get worse. The crew gets trapped by a storm with no means of communication or escape, and the androids start behaving strangely.
Aliens: Vasquez by V. Castro
You know we had to include an actual Aliens book if we’re going to talk about sci-fi/horror, right? This is the origin story of Jenette Vasquez, written by Latina horror author V. Castro. Jenette Vasquez’s children Ramon and Leticia were raised by Jenette’s sister. As adults, Leticia followed in her mother’s footsteps and joined the military, while Ramon joined the corporate hierarchy of Weyland-Yutani. Their stories converge when both Ramon and Leticia arrive on an unnamed planet.
Good luck sleeping after reading these books. I’ll be back next week with more horror new releases and recommendations. Until then, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!