I don't tend to like newer novels but I'm open to them as there are exceptions here and there. I don't like overly gory or overly sexual content. I'm ok with some of Stephen King's novels but they aren't my favorite (I loved Misery and The Shining). Currently I'm leaning towards The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr Hyde but wanted to gather a few options. Would HG Wells fit with a darker vibe or is it strictly sci fi?
Bonus if it's a shorter read!
by Myearthsuit
11 Comments
The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hogson (1908).
I would suggest Shirley Jackson (the Haunting of Hill House, We Have Always Lived in the Castle)!
there are a lot of great short hp lovecraft stories you could try out: the call of cthulu, at the mountains of madness, the lurking fear etc.
It more light fun than macabre but it is The Halloween read and it references all the classics.
A Night in the Lonesome October by Zelazny.
All Quiet on the Western Front is not fantasy or sci fi or creature feature but it is pretty dark nevertheless.
A Clockwork Orange is quite dark — and Burgess’ writing is so stylish.
Love craft has some good ones but they’re not very long: The Case of Charles Dexter Ward and The Call of Cthulhu.
Poe, the Cask of Amontillado is very short but it totally rules.
Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde is a great pic. You might also enjoy The Turn of the Screw (James) or Something Wicked This Way Comes (Bradbury)
Carmilla – I just read it and it was fun. It inspired Bram Stoker to write Dracula. Nice and short, too
I think you’ll like Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde! Other ideas:
The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson.
Edgar Allan Poe short stories—The Cask of Amontillado, The Telltale Heart, The Pit and the Pendulum, The Masque of the Red Death, etc. So many good one.
The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins (horror-adjacent)
Slade House by David Mitchell (2015 but seems to fit the vibe you describe)
Strange Pictures and Strange Houses by Uketsu
I will always suggest Slewfoot.
Wilkie Collins hive rise up!!!!! It’s time to enjoy The Moonstone or The Woman in White!
Or, a great time to pick up Wuthering Heights. I don’t know how I feel about that upcoming adaptation at *all*, but the book rules and it is spooky and macabre as hell