I used to love horror growing up but I've been put off by the fact that the books aimed at adults tend to be hyper sexual, emphasize women being assaulted, queer people are evil, tons of racist tropes, extreme child torture. Honestly, women and children in these books often seen more like objects to elicit reactions in the reader than characters.
I've obviously read Stephen King, Dean Koontz, Dan Simmons, Joe Abercrombie. Not the content I'm interested in. Same with Stephen Graham Jones, Nick Cutter, and Adam Ceasre.
Furthermore I didn't enjoy T Kingfisher, Grady Hendrix. Their writing is very quirky, sometimes quippy. They're a bit silly and the characters are a bit ridiculous for me. I do appreciate that the characters are not evil, which is very much my preference. But they're not exactly nuanced, original, or even people I relate to. I did love the setting of The Twisted Ones, but as I understand it Kingfisher didn't come up with it herself so that's why it's not reflected in any other books.
I loved Annihilation– but I don't like ANYTHING else the author wrote. I enjoy some of Shirley Jackson writing but the situations don't do much for me.
I adore paranormal fiction about strange places, unusual situations, etc. (I read Cypher, I also didn't care for it.)
It may seem like I've read almost any suggestion someone can make and you'd be correct. That's why I'm here and not on Google.
Tldr: paranormal horror that takes itself seriously, doesn't have a quirky writing style, and isn't full of horrific abuse. The situation is enough horror. I don't need "people are the real monsters".
by RiskItForTheBriskit
4 Comments
I know you said Grady Hendrix isn’t your guy but did you read How to Sell a Haunted House? It seems to fit your needs to a tee. I really enjoyed it for the heebie jeebie feeling.
You won’t regret this!: Bird Box by Josh Malerman(https://amzn.to/48Vb6hH)
I think you’d like Sundown motel
An unforgettable experience!: It by Stephen King(https://amzn.to/4eEer61)