Head on over to the main blog to see the entire LJ Best Books portal, but here on the Horror blog, I wanted to make sure the Horror list got posted here so that it was searchable as a resource. Please note, that main blog post also has easy backlist access.
I am very happy to have been part of the team who looked at the year that was and prioritized the reading experience of these titles as we weighed their status as best. It is a refreshing way to look at the "best" tag. As I went through the Horror selection experience over a couple of meetings with my editor and list mate, Melissa DeWild, the conversations we had about all of the titles we considered was enlightening.
Please note, this is the LJ Best Horror list. It is similar to, but not exactly, my personal Horror Best List for 2024. As we look at the genre, only titles that got a star in the Horror category in LJ can be considered.
The experience of working on this list is very fulfilling. Plus, I had the pleasure of writing all the annotations for the Horror list.
My personal Best Horror of the Year list will be posted here later this month. But for now, enjoy this great list of Horror books that were an exceptional reading experience.
Go here or see below [minus the covers] for the Library Journal Best Horror 2024.
Ajram, Sofia. Coup de Grâce. Titan. ISBN 9781803369624.Vicken enters the Montreal subway system with a plan to get off at the final stop and walk to the Saint Lawrence River to end his life. But when he arrives, he finds himself trapped in an underground maze with no exit. This immersive liminal-space novella illustrates, brutally and beautifully, the horror of mental illness and compels readers to finish the story in a single sitting.
Harrison, Rachel. So Thirsty. Berkley. ISBN 9780593642542.
Millennial Sloane is struggling after her husband cheats on her. But when he gifts her and her best friend a spa weekend for her birthday, she happily accepts. While living it up at the spa, the two women meet a group of eccentric Europeans, and their lives are changed forever. Readers will be delighted to sink their teeth into Harrison’s nuanced and thought-provoking take on the vampire trope.
Iglesias, Gabino. House of Bone and Rain. Mulholland. ISBN 9780316427012.
As Hurricane Maria bears down on Puerto Rico, childhood best friends Gabe, Xavier, Tavo, and Paul join Bimbo in his quest for revenge against the drug lord who gunned down Bimbo’s mother. Told with an engaging and honest narration, Gabe walks readers through the visceral monsters, both real and supernatural, that haunt the island, its history, and its people, as he repeatedly reminds readers, “All stories are ghost stories.”
Jones, Stephen Graham. I Was a Teenage Slasher. Saga. ISBN 9781668022245.
Tolly recounts the summer of 1989, when as a 17-year-old living in Lamesa, TX, he killed several of his high school classmates. Beginning with the fateful night Tolly and his friend Amber attend a house party, Jones’s novel presents Tolly as the yin to “Indian Lake Trilogy” star Jade’s yang, delivering a highly entertaining, if chilling tale, and lays down new ground rules for the entire slasher genre.
Kiefer, Jenny. This Wretched Valley. Quirk. ISBN 9781683693680.
Four twentysomethings entered the Kentucky woods on a mission to scale a newly discovered rock formation, except, as readers know from the novel’s opening pages, they were never seen alive again. Told from the point of view of each doomed character, Kiefer’s debut presents a terrifying tale of a land deeply rooted in evil, with a long-held thirst for human blood.
Kiste, Gwendolyn. The Haunting of Velkwood. Saga. ISBN 9781982172374.
Twenty years ago, one suburban block slipped into its own dimension. Everyone was lost except three girls who returned to college the night before. One of those girls, Talitha, now 40, is enticed to return in order to make contact with the little sister she left behind. Atmospheric and riveting, Kiste’s novel exposes the horror of suburban malaise and reminds readers that young women, if given the chance, are powerful enough to save the world.
Lima, Ananda. Craft: Stories I Wrote for the Devil. Tor. ISBN 9781250292971.
Lima’s debut is exactly what the title proclaims it to be, a novel in stories that “the writer” creates for the Devil throughout her life. The stories themselves range from weird and chilling to emotionally devastating; however, it is in the chapters between the stories (where the writer describes her lifelong interactions with the Devil) that unite the entire volume, making it an original, captivating, and unforgettable read.
McGregor, Tim. Eynhallow. Raw Dog Screaming. ISBN 9781947879676.
It’s 1797, and Agnes is one of 20 souls living on Eynhallow in the Orkney Islands. Life is hard, and visitors are rare. The sudden arrival of the rich Dr. Frankenstein upends everyone’s lives, especially that of Agnes, whose husband hires her out to be the stranger’s housekeeper. As Agnes gets to know Frankenstein, the tension, unease, and danger build, sightings of a monster lurking in the darkness increase, and Frankenstein’s curse becomes Agnes’s burden.
Tingle, Chuck. Bury Your Gays. Tor Nightfire. ISBN 9781250874658.
Misha is a semi-closeted horror screenwriter whose impressive career is peaking with an Oscar nomination, but then the algorithm that dominates this near-future Hollywood demands he kill off his women leads right after they kiss. Misha refuses, which turns him into the protagonist of a very real and extremely dangerous story. Tingle takes readers on an existential thrill ride filled with satire and original monsters, ultimately reminding them that horror is, at its core, a celebration of life.
Tremblay, Paul. Horror Movie. Morrow. ISBN 9780063070011.
“The Thin Kid,” the only survivor from the 1993 film Horror Movie, a never-fully-released cult sensation, is asked to work on the movie’s reboot 30 years later. Moving between 1993 and 2023, framed as an audiobook confessional by “The Thin Kid,” and including the full screenplay of the original film, the novel is not only unsettling from every angle, but it will also alter the way its readers interact with any horror movie ever again.
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