Hi! so I'm not a big reader, I used to inhale books as a kid, but I stopped at some point in my teens. Recently, I've started reading again, I really enjoyed The King in Yellow and The Mystery of Choice by Robert Chambers, but I've not really found anything else. I would love any book recommendations that are light horror, folklore or mythology related, dark fantasy, or anything vaguely within a vein similar to those two books. Short story anthologies are a plus for me, though I'm also open to longer works! I also love older books or books with simpler/more direct prose!
I've tried Lovecrafts stories, though those weren't really my thing.
Any suggestions welcome ❤️
by silencesinceforever
3 Comments
If you liked Chambers you might dig Arthur Machen – his stuff has that same weird atmospheric vibe without being as dense as Lovecraft. “The Great God Pan” and “The White People” are solid starting points
For folklore-y dark fantasy, try Angela Carter’s “The Bloody Chamber” – reimagined fairy tales with a gothic twist. Also Algernon Blackwood’s short stories hit that sweet spot between horror and mythology, especially “The Willows”
Since you mentioned liking older prose, maybe check out Lord Dunsany too. His writing feels like ancient myths but he’s got this dreamy quality that’s pretty accessable
The Shadow over Innsmouth by H. P. Lovecraft
Tales from the Gas Station by Jack Townsend
Stephen Kings short story collections are often better than the novels. Night Shift, Different Seasons, Skeleton Crew, Everything’s Eventual
The Virago Book of Ghost Stories: The Twentieth Century Dalby, Richard
Ghosts Wharton, Edith
Never Whistle At Night: An Indigenous Dark Fiction Anthology edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
Christmas and Other Horrors: A Winter Solstice Anthology edited by Ellen Datlow
Big list here:
[https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/43986.Dark_Fantasy_Story_Collections](https://www.goodreads.com/list/show/43986.Dark_Fantasy_Story_Collections)