Top 5 Horror

Welcome to my unapologetically casual top-5 series. Follow the tag ‘Top 5 2023’ for more. There are no stars and no metrics. The only criteria is how much I enjoyed the book, and how well its strengths place it primarily in a given category. Yes, books can appear on more than one list if they fit.

Horror:

Horror is not my go-to genre. I am not deeply versed with the must-reads or the all-time greats. (I read Dracula a few years before starting the blog. Does that count?) However, sometimes I do find myself in the mood to read something a little more on the disturbing side. Please enjoy some of my favorite delves into the darkness.

Top 5:

5. The Phenomenon – While I with it took a more personal approach, there is no denying the depth of the existential horror presented in TP. The utter helplessness is visceral. There is nothing the characters can do in the face of the supernatural disaster they endure – they can run, hide, or die.

4. Mr. B. Gone – In the mood for a little sympathy for the devil? Well, this autobiography of a minor demon is as close as I can offer. The creative twist on the personal terror of MBG is just creepy enough to raise the hair on the back of your neck despite your best judgment – which is saying something.

3. I Am Not a Serial Killer – I love a good deep-dive into a monster’s mind. This novel takes you along for the ride of a self-aware sociopath deeply in tune with and disturbed by the horrific bent of his unfeeling soul. I have never been so simultaneously in dread of a character even as I cheered for them.

2. Lisey’s Story – Not King’s most famous work, but one I have read recently. This novel contains a quiet horror story exploring the fear we all fear at the things we cannot control when we leave it all behind for the last time.

1. John Dies At the End – This book was enjoyable, but also genuinely difficult to read. The horror starts borderline comedic, then grows steadily more disturbing until you just can’t laugh anymore. That turn, along with the fourth-wall-breaking aspect, sets JDATE apart as a deeply disturbing book.

Honorable Mention: Boneshaker – While this steampunk horror is primarily a classic adventure, there are some terrifying moments and more zombies than you can shake a shovel at.