Real life can be scary enough. But when it gets close to Halloween, there’s nothing I love more than escaping into a spine-tingling horror novel. I know, weird, right?
If you’re looking for a spooky story to sink your teeth into this Halloween, check out some of these haunting novels by Black authors. Just be sure to read them with the lights on.
“The Reformatory” by Tananarive Due
A favorite of horror lovers everywhere, Tananarive Due never disappoints. Her latest, “The Reformatory,” is set in Jim Crow Florida. If that’s not scary enough, you ought to hear the plot. The story follows a young man sent to a segregated reform school where his ability to see ghosts exposes the frightening realities of racism. The story was inspired by Due’s great uncle who died at the Dozier School for Boys in Marianna, Florida, in 1937 at age 15.
“Out There Screaming: An Anthology of New Black Horror” edited by Jordan Peele
As the writer and director of Get Out, Us and Nope, Jordan Peele knows a thing or two about scary. In “Out There Screaming,” he’s curated a selection of spooky stories from both well-known and new writers. If you don’t want to commit to a horror novel, these short stories serve up scary in perfect bite-sized nuggets.
“Jackal” by Erin E. Adams
“Jackal” tells the story of Liz Rocher, a Black woman determined to get to the bottom of the mystery surrounding young Black girls going missing in her predominately white Pennsylvania hometown.
“The Good House” by Tananarive Due
In “The Good House,” Angela Toussaint comes back to the house where her son committed suicide looking for the truth about his death. And what she finds is an invisible, evil force that is inciting acts of violence from the locals.
“Babel-17″ by Samuel R. Delany
Winner of the Nebula Award for best novel of the year, “Babel-17” tells the story of a famous poet who tries to make sense of messages from aliens. And if that wasn’t enough, the aliens just happen to be threatening humanity by assassinating officials and sabotaging spaceships.
“Zone One” by Colson Whitehead
“Zone One” is a thriller from two-time Pulitzer Prize winner Colson Whitehead. After a pandemic has wreaked havoc on the planet, a civilian sweeper unit has to take on the job of removing feral zombies from Lower Manhattan before things take a turn for the worse.
“Fledgling” by Octavia Butler
If you’re looking for a good vampire novel, check out “Fledgling,” a thriller from award-winning science fiction author Octavia Butler. The book centers around a young girl who discovers that she is actually a genetically modified, 53-year-old vampire who is part of a sect that has been on the Earth for thousands of years. As she tries to piece her life together, she also has to figure out who wants to destroy her and everyone she cares about.
“The Tempest Tales” by Walter Mosley
Most people know Walter Mosley for his crime fiction. But he gives us something a little scary with “The Tempest Tales.” When Tempest Landry is “accidentally” killed by a police officer, he is denied entry to Heaven because of his sins. Rather than take his place in Hell, Landry is sent back to Harlem in a different body with a guardian angel. But he has to watch his back because the Devil is trying to take control of Tempest as well.
“Pet” by Akwaeke Emezi
“Pet” is a YA novel from award winning author, Akwaeke Emezi. Children in the city of Lucille believe all of the monsters are gone. But things change when Jam meets Pet, a creature who comes to life out of one of her mother’s paintings. Now Jam has to fight to protect her best friend and find out how to save the world from monsters when no one will admit they exist.
“My Soul to Keep” by Tananarive Due
In “My Soul to Keep,” Jessica loves her husband, David. But as people around her begin to die, she discovers that he is part of an Ethiopian sect traded who their humanity so they would never die. It even got props from the OG of thrillers, Stephen King who called it, “An eerie epic.”
“The Undead Truth of Us” by Britney S. Lewis
In “The Undead Truth of Us,” Zharie believes her mother morphed into a zombie before her death. And since then, she’s been seeing zombies everywhere, including Bo, a charming young man who morphs into a half zombie in front of her. Although she doesn’t want anything to do with him, Zharie wonders if getting to know him might give her the answers about her mother’s death she’s been looking for.
“Her Name is Knight” by Yasmin Angoe
“Her Name is Knight” is the debut novel from Yasmin Angoe. It tells the story of a young girl stolen from her village in Ghana as a child who grows up to become an elite assassin. But what will she do when she gets a chance to seek revenge against the man who murdered her family and sold her into captivity?
“The Gilda Stories” by Jewelle Gomez
“The Gilda Stories” is a sexy vampire novel set in 1850s Louisiana. After escaping slavery, Gilda finds work in a brothel. There, she is initiated into eternal life by two women and spends the next two hundred years searching for a place to call home.
“Dark Dreams: A Collection of Horror and Suspense by Black Writers” edited by Brandon Massey
If you’re looking for a collection of scary stories, it doesn’t get any scarier than “Dark Dreams.” Brandon Massey curates brilliant horror and suspense stories written by gifted Black authors including Zane, Tananarive Due and Robert Fleming.
“Mojo: Conjure Stories” edited by Nalo Hopkinson
In “Mojo,” Nalo Hopkinson has pulled together a collection of 19 chilling stories that explore the world of voodoo, curses, zombies, and ancestral religions. Trust me, you won’t be able to put this one down.
“Let’s Play White” by Chesya Burke
“Let’s Play White” is a collection of horror stories that explores the topics of race and privilege. Nikki Giovanni called it a “stunning collection.”
“White is For Witching” by Helen Oyeyemi
“White is For Witching” tells the story of four generations of Silver women who have lived in their family house in Dover, England that is full of secrets. But after Miranda’s mother Lily dies, strange things begin to happen inside of the house which will change everyone’s life forever.
“The Ballad of Black Tom” by Victor LaValle
“The Ballad of Black Tom” was named one of NPR’s Best Books of 2016. It tells the story of Charles Thomas Tester, a hustler who does what he has to do to keep food on his table, including pretending to be a street musician. But when he delivers an occult tome to a sorceress in Queens, Tom opens the door to something dark.
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