Hello, horror fans! It’s me, Emily, your friend in all things frightful. Or fiend, if you prefer. I know I’ve been super hyped about October, but on the other hand, it’s kind of scary how quickly September is flying by, isn’t it? Like, give us time to prepare, September! I haven’t even figured out my Halloween costume yet!
Because the year is just speeding by, I wanted to take a moment this week to recommend some horror books that came out in 2023 that you might have missed. And because life moves fast, I’m featuring three anthologies of short horror works so you can get your quick horror fix!
But real quick! Book Riot’s editorial team is writing for casual and power readers alike over at The Deep Dive! During the month of September, all new free subscribers will be entered to win Parable of the Sower by Octavia Butler, plus 5 mystery books from The Deep Dive.
To enter, simply start a free subscription to The Deep Dive. No payment method required!
Bookish Goods
Horror Care Package with Book and Extra Goodies by Bookages
Wanting fewer tricks and more treats this Halloween season? Why not gift yourself a little horror mystery package? As a Libra, I hate picking things out for myself and I love having other people chose things for me, so this is the ideal bookish goodie for me! What will be in your cute little horror care package? Order and find out…and definitely let me know, because like I said, I LIVE for a mystery box! $22
New Releases
Black River Orchard by Chuck Wendig
What screams fall more than horror books and apple orchards? As the season changes to fall in the town of Harrow, the orchard is starting to sprout strange new fruit: apples so red they look black. Taking a bite from these apples makes you stronger, happier, more confident, more powerful. And with every bite, you only want to eat more. Soon, everyone in Harrow becomes obsessed with this new fruit. But what they don’t know is that the apples have a dark history.
And Then She Fell by Alicia Elliott
And Then She Fell tells the story of Alice, a young Indigenous woman who has just given birth to a baby girl named Dawn and has recently moved to Toronto with her white husband, Steve. Between all these changes in her life and the recent loss of her own mother, Alice feels lost. She has trouble connecting with her daughter, and her feelings of depression and self-doubt are hindering her from moving forward with her own work. When, on top of everything else, she starts hearing voices in her head and starts losing time, her husband tells her it’s all in her head. But Alice can’t help but feel that something is very wrong.
For a more comprehensive list, check out our New Books newsletter!
Riot Recommendations
Never Whistle at Night, ed. Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.
This first collection just came out earlier this month! This dark fantasy/horror anthology features a collection of “wholly original and shiver-inducing tales” from Indigenous authors and an introduction from Stephen Graham Jones. Other authors include Darcie Little Badger, Cherie Dimaline, Rebecca Roanhorse, and many more!
Horrorscope: A Zodiac Anthology, ed. H. Everend
If you’re a fan of astrology, then you know that sometimes your fate written in the stars can be encouraging and enlightening. Sometimes, it can be downright horrifying. This anthology of dark fantasy poems and short stories, all inspired by the Zodiac, are for those latter times when destiny is less than kind.
Bound in Flesh: An Anthology of Trans Body Horror, ed. Lor Gislason
This cover really gives me the creeps! And the stories inside are even creepier. This anthology is a collection of horror short stories written by 13 different trans and nonbinary writers. Bound in Flesh includes stories by Hailey Piper, Joe Koch, Bitter Karella, and others.
Well, horror fans, that’s a wrap for this week! I’ll see you next week when it’s…oooooooh Octobeerrrrr (said in a ghost voice). In the meantime, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!