Article contributed by Rosie Smith
Get ready all you diehard horror fans out there because 2020 is going to be a big year! With new work from iconic award winning authors including Stephen King and Paul Tremblay as well as some much awaited sequels for books such as Birdbox, we are in for a serious treat. Weather it’s a dark February night or a beachy summer holiday, there’s a creepy classic for every occasion!
Historical Haunts:
The Deep by Alma Katsu (March 10th 2020)
Set aboard the Titanic in 1912, Katsu perfectly amalgamates historical fiction and spine-tingling horror to tell the infamous story of the sinking ship with a ghostly twist. What really caused the Titanic to sink? Were supernatural elements at play, and is history about to repeat itself? Can Annie, a survivor of the Titanic and nurse aboard the Britannica, figure out the terrifying mystery and fight her own demons? Katsu, an extensive researcher, has seamlessly woven true personal accounts and stories with her own brand of creeping, sinister horror leaving the reader to wonder what is real and what isn’t. Katsu offers an extremely immersive experience, true to the time period in each of her novels and The Deep appears to be no different. It seems we can continue to expect great things from Alma Katsu as she continues carving our her own unique genre of Historical-Horror-Fiction.
Scary Short Stories:
If it Bleeds by Stephen King (May 5th 2020)
The King of horror returns… yet again! This time with an anthology of short stories. Encompassing four creepy novellas, the book’s main focus is providing a sequel to King’s bestselling The Outsiders, following Detective Holly Gibney as she becomes involved in a mysterious and sinister case. The story also revisits other characters from the Outsiders, entwining them in the encryptic events. Barely any details have been released apart from the cover and a small blurb but we can be sure to be in for a spooky treat if the rest of King’s work is anything to go on!
Unnerving Urban Legends:
Devolution by Max Brooks (May 12th 2020)
Max Brooks proved his ability to scare the living daylights out of us all with his hyper-realistic zombie novel World War Z and he is at it again with his new book Devolution: A First-Hand Account of the Rainier Sasquatch Massacre. Brooks examines the world’s preparedness for disaster and leads us to question how ready we all are. Through a series of journal entries, Brooks tells the horrifying story of Bigfoot and the massacre of a town. Cleverly weaving storytelling and fiction with science and truth, Brooks again creates a believable tale of survival and gore which will leave us all shaking in out boots wondering who and what really lives among us.
Petrifying Pandemics:
Survivor Song by Paul Tremblay (July 7th 2020)
Bram Stoker award winner Paul Tremblay is back with another trademark violent and terrifying novel, Survivor Song. With global pandemic currently at the forefront of everyone minds, Survivor Song is sure to shake you to it’s core with it’s depiction of a rabies-like virus infecting everyone in sight and turning them into ferocious monsters. Hospitals are overwhelmed and society is breaking down. So what happens when you are alone, pregnant and infected? Follow Natalie’s treacherous race against time to get to the hospital and save herself and her baby, helped by friend and doctor Romola Rams. Will she make it in time? Or will she be lost to the virus? This one is a must read for all you horror/sci-fi fans and pandemic enthusiasts out there!
Supernatural Spooks:
The Boatman’s Daughter by Andy Davidson (February 11th 2020)
Davidson brings us the ghostly, atmospheric story of Miranda Crabtree encompassing all things dark including death, witches, smuggling, sacrifice and madness. Miranda Crabtree has spent her life ferrying contraband for a crazy preacher since her father died when she was a child. But things are changing and the darkness is closing in. The preacher is asking the unthinkable and Miranda has a secret. She doesn’t only have herself to think about but she must also protect the secret child hidden by a witch deep in the forest. Miranda must embark upon a journey of horror, temptation, fear and violence to save those who are defenceless. Told from the swampy depths of the Bayou, this book will weigh heavy on your shoulders, bringing into focus the murkiest depths of human nature.
Haunted Houses:
The Sundown Hotel by Simone St James (February 18th 2020)
All motels have their sordid secrets, but the creepy and oppressive Sundown Motel has more than most and Viv Delaney, the night clerk, is determined to bring them all to light. Carrying out her own amateur investigation, Viv discovers a supernatural presence is taking hold of the Sundown Motel while on the outside in the small town, women are inexplicably being murdered, could this be linked? Just as Viv gets a lead, she vanishes into thin air! Fast forward thirty-two years and Carly, Viv’s niece, decides to pick up the investigation where she left off and finds herself on a dangerous and sinister journey. Will she make it out alive? St James writes with such an atmospheric and immersive style, you will be on the edge of your seats waiting for answers until the very last page!
Ominous Indies:
Touch the Night by Max Booth III (2020)
When two twelve year old boys are abducted in the night by something not quite human, it is up to their mothers Mary and Ottessa to get to the bottom of the menacing happenings. Exploring police corruption, small town secrets and black magic culminating in a ritual performed by a crazed family, Touch the Night packs a powerful horror punch that will leave you shaking in your boots long after you’ve turned the final page. Very little information has been released so far but we are sure to be in for a big fright with comparisons to Texas Chainsaw Massacre and Stranger Things.
Sinister Sequels:
Malorie by Josh Malerman (May 19th 2020)
Malerman is back again with a thrilling sequel to his bestselling and Netflix-adapted Birdbox. Following on from Birdbox, Malorie focuses on the protagonist of the same name as she tackles the crazy and dangerous world around her. Malerman offers us the opportunity to get to know Malorie Haynes better in this continuation of her survival story as she fights the malevolent entities that threaten earth. If you have read Birbox and are wondering what happens to Boy and Girl, be warned that Malorie does not explore this avenue, it’s sole focus is Malorie’s story. For you Netflix enthusiasts out there, you’ll be pleased to know that Malorie has been picked up for a film adaptation later in the year.. So if you haven’t watched or read Birdbox yet, what are you doing?
Frightening Fairytales:
Looking Glass by Christina Henry (April 21st 2020)
Henry returns with the third dark instalment of her twisted, disturbing take on the classic Alice in Wonderland. We continue to follow the main characters of Alice, Hatcher and Elizabeth through four short stories full of secrets, monsters, magic and blood. Taking inspiration from the Lewis Carroll classic, Henry twists and distorts the details, mixing horror and fantasy to create a brutal new fairytale universe. But will everyone survive the chaos? Are you ready to jump down the rabbit hole and find out?
Vicious Vampires:
The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix (April 7th 2020)
Take one southern, suburban true-crime book club comprised of bored housewives and add one attractive but deadly male vampire and what do you get? A fast paced, supernatural, girl power thriller! Patricia, an underappreciated and fed-up stay at home mum looks forward to escaping into the world of true crime at book club every week. When a handsome but shady man moves into he area and children begin to go missing, Patricia’s mind races with the possibility of becoming an amateur detective and catching a murderer. But she gets more than she bargained for when she is thrust into the dark and foreboding world of vampires. With vibrant characters, gore and violence, this is nothing like the soppy vampire romances you’re used to, it’s pure savage so buckle up for the ride!
