This review was first published Oct. 28, 2024, in the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Get ready to be haunted by the creepiest new offerings and classics of Halloween-inspired literature. Here are a cauldron’s worth of books that embrace the pumpkin spice of the season and keep you on the chilliest edge of your seat!
New Adult
“Nether Station”
By Kevin J. Anderson
Blackstone Publishing, $27.99
Calling all H.P. Lovecraft fans! If supernatural horror fiction screams out to you, then meet astrophysicist Cammie Skoura. Cammie is part of the inaugural expedi-tion to the Nether anomaly, and she hopes to uncover the mechanisms behind the wormhole and assess its potential as a rapid route to Alpha Centauri. But another race of ancient beings has already laid claim to it but left behind remnants of their vast complexes and colossal temples. In truly terrifying worldbuilding, this weird and dark read will be a real kick to the jack-’o-lantern. Fans of speculative fiction will shriek with delight.
“William”
By Mason Coile
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $27
If you’re wary of AI then “William” will be sure to haunt you. Henry, trapped in his house due to his agoraphobia, creates an AI robot with consciousness that he names William. But Henry becomes so obsessed with William that he never sees his pregnant wife, Lily. He is forced to take notice when her friends come to visit and his AI genius turns chilling. William, designed to protect them, instead turns on them. The late twist in this book will make readers gasp, as if watching a horror movie. If you’re not terrified of AI, you will be after reading this psychological horror that is somehow both very 2024 and also of the future.
“Morbidly Yours”
By Ivy Fairbanks
G.P. Putnam’s Sons, $19
If lighter scares are your thing, then “Morbidly Yours” will tickle your skeleton bones. It’s definitely something different: Callum, a demisexual Irish mortician needs to marry by his 35th birthday. Enter Lark, a Southern widow who moves in next door. Naturally, she didn’t realize she would live next to a funeral home, but she embraces it as quirky and is determined to help Callum find the woman he will marry. Readers will feel the color returning to Callum’s pale life as he gets to know Lark searching for his dream woman. The fact that she’s an animator and he’s well, not, further illustrates their differences. This sweet, fun read should become a classic.
Classic Adult
The original “Grimm’s Fairy Tales”
By the Brothers Grimm
Public Domain, $14.99
In the original “Cinderella”, the wicked stepsisters sliced off parts of their feet to try to fit into the slipper. And that’s just dipping a toe into the fairytale horror from the Brothers Grimm (Jacob and Wilhelm), who first published their now-iconic tales in 1812. The original tales were often darker and contained elements of gore, infanticide, sexual violence, and cannibalism, which were often removed or toned down in later editions, and made the tales more child friendly and Christian. The Grimm brothers gave a master class in horror but many people have never encountered the gruesome originals, which are sure to keep readers awake at night.
“Frankenstein”
By Mary Shelley
Vintage, $16
Out of the brain of an 18-year-old came one of the scariest classics ever. Captain Robert Walton relays to his sister the details of his encounter, on a North Pole expedition, with the gravely wounded Victor Frankenstein. Frankenstein recounts his life, driven by his ambition to become a scientist and his obsessive quest to unlock the secret of life. His creation, a sentient being assembled from reanimated parts, horrifies him. Feeling betrayed and isolated by its master, the creature seeks vengeance. Contemporary readers will find resonance in its exploration of the human condition and the consequences of unchecked scientific advancement.
New Youth
“Clown in a Cornfield 3: The Church of Frendo”
by Adame Cesare
Teens, (HarperTeens, $15.99)
If slashers are your kids’ thing, then Adam Cesare, a horror legend and Bram Stoker Award-winner, delivers another chilling tale in his third novel in the “Clown in a Cornfield” series. This book also wryly nods to contemporary society’s ills, despite all the blood, gore and horror. Fresh off another bloody run-in with the murderous clown Frendo (stoking the fear of clowns everywhere), survivor Quinn believes the only way to beat her fear is to take justice into her own hands. (Minor spoiler: fans of the first two novels will see many new characters in this one and might miss some of the old ones.)
“Trick-or-Treating in the City”
By Tiffany D. Jackson and illustrated by Sawyer Cloud
Ages 4-8, Dial Books, $18.99
Janelle’s parents usually drive her to the suburbs but this Halloween they both have to work — and no one in her neighborhood usually goes trick-or-treating. Janelle asks adults around her neighborhood what they did when they were her age, which gives her an idea, and with the help of neighborhood friends, she pulls off a new Halloween tradition. The illustrations in this book are joyful festivals of color, treats to the eye. There are also tricks afoot: The book oh-so-subtly tackles the difficult, darker issues parents should discuss with their children.
“Los Monstruos”
series by Diana López
Ages 8-12, Kokila, $18.99
The “Los Monstruos” series, which includes “Felice and the Wailing Woman” and “Rooster and the Dancing Diablo,” are captivating tales by Diana López that blend Mexican folklore with contemporary American life. Set in the enchanting town of Tres Leches, the series follows three young friends, Felice, Rooster and Ava, who are all descendants of legendary Mexican monsters. This series — with a third book in the works — explores themes of identity and belonging, as well as loyalty in friendship, all with a spooky subtext. (For Disney/Pixar fans, author López also wrote the novelization of “Coco.”)
Classic Youth
“It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown”
By Charles M. Schulz
All ages, Simon Spotlight, $19.99
What Halloween would be complete without Charlie Brown and friends searching in a pumpkin field for a mythical gourd creature? In the book, Charlie’s friend, Linus van Pelt, insists that The Great Pumpkin emerges from a pumpkin patch on Halloween night, with a bountiful sack of toys for children who have faith in him. His friends make fun of him but he sticks to his beliefs, inspiring readers for decades with its simplicity and joy for the season.
“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark”
By Alvin Schwartz and illustrated by Stephen Gammell
Ages 8-12, HarperCollins, $9.99
“Scary Stories to Tell in the Dark” created generations of horror fans, while it made others horror averse. The book is a collection of short horror stories filled with everything from a man who shapeshifts into an alligator, to witches and old-fashioned ghost stories. Some scary, some with levity to give little ones a break, this is a family classic to pass on to the grandkids. Although there were two other books in the series later published, it’s generally agreed across ages that the first — with its eerie apparitions and bloodcurdling haunts — is a classic.
Meredith Cummings is a freelance journalist and teaching assistant professor of journalism at Lehigh University.