When you're talking about contemporary horror fiction, there's one name that always comes up: Stephen King. If you're a horror fan looking to explore other, great writers of the macabre, I've put together a list of 15 books for people who have read everything by Stephen King, so prepare to discover a new, spooky writer to follow.
Stephen King's writing career began more than 40 years ago with the release of Carrie in 1974, the success of which allowed him to quit his day job and become a full-time writer. In the decades since Carrie's release, King has published a number of instant-classic horror novels, including 'Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary, and The Shining. The novelist has since branched out into other genres, from the Weird West stylings of The Gunslinger to the thriller End of Watch, but his work retains the signature elements of suspense that his fans love.
If you've read everything Stephen King has written, and are itching for more horror novels to sink your fangs into, I have 15 books you've just got to read. The authors on the list below write in all corners of the genre, from psychological thriller to cosmic horror, so no matter what aspect of King's work you love, there's something here for you:
'The Hunger' by Alma Katsu
Stephen King himself recommends this dark, historical thriller that takes readers into the heart of one of the country's most ill-fated expeditions: the Donner Party. But this isn't straight historical fiction... there's a supernatural twist, too.
'The Grip of It' by Jac Jemc
Looking to get away from the city and repair their relationship, a young couple purchase a house on the edge of the forest. When strange drawings and closet spaces begin to pop up unexpectedly around the house, however, neither of its new residents will be prepared for what awaits them.
'A Head Full of Ghosts' by Paul Tremblay
Fifteen years after her older sister's exorcism was the subject of a TV docuseries, Merry Barrett sits down with a reporter to tell, for the first time, what really happened behind the closed doors of their New England home.
'White Is for Witching' by Helen Oyeyemi
When Lily Silver disappears, her family rushes into the home to fill the void she left behind. But the house has plans for Lily's adult daughter, Miranda, as it has had for each of the women in her family.
'Baby Teeth' by Zoje Stage
Suzette loves her daughter, Hanna, but the difficulties she faces in raising her willful child are beginning to take their toll. Suzette feels like she might be losing it. Her mind is playing tricks on her. Hanna couldn't really mean to do her any harm, right?
'The Chalk Man' by C.J. Tudor
Thirty years after the Chalk Man led Eddie and his friends to a dead body, middle-aged Ed and the gang begin to receive all-too-familiar packages in the mail, just in time for another murder to occur.
'The Silent Companions' by Laura Purcell
Pregnant and newly widowed, Elsie goes to live in her husband's ancestral home with only his boring cousin for company. Inside the dark manor, which the locals fear is cursed, Elsie finds a number of silent companions — wooden cutouts painted with lifelike faces and poses — who look like figures from the house's past, including Elsie herself.
'Little Heaven' by Nick Cutter
Hired to look for a woman's missing nephew, three mercenaries venture deep into rural New Mexico to find him at the titular Little Heaven: a cult compound inhabited by people both strange and dangerous.
'The Girl from the Well' by Rin Chupeco
This YA horror novel follows Okiku, a vengeful spirit who takes the lives of people who murder children, as she meets 15-year-old Tark and his cousin Callie, who are on the receiving end of some strange — and scary — phenomena.
'Frankenstein in Baghdad' by Ahmed Saadawi
Body parts separated from their owners in Baghdad's wreckage aren't eligible for proper burial, so Hadi stitches them together to form a whole corpse, with the hopes that the pieces may rest in peace. The body Hadi has fashioned piecemeal, however, has other ideas.
'Another' by Yukito Ayatsuji
As the newest student in his school, Kōichi attempts to befriend Mei, a classmate no one else seems to take much notice of. When their classmates begin to die gruesome deaths, Kōichi and Mei find themselves caught up in a 26-year-old mystery that never seems to end.
'Yesterday' by Felicia Yap
Set in an alternate Britain in which people can only remember a few hours of their pasts, Yesterday centers on Claire — a "mono" whose memory lasts for one day — whose husband Mark — a "duo" with a two-day memory — has just become the prime suspect in the murder of his mistress.
'The Missing' by Sarah Langan
In its review of The Missing, Publishers Weekly said the book "recalls, in the best way possible, the early work of Stephen King." The sequel to Sarah Langan's first book, The Keeper, this novel traces the events that follow a field-trip group's tragic misstep into the midst of a zombie plague.
'The Lamb Will Slaughter the Lion' by Margaret Killjoy
This work of weird fiction takes place in a formerly idyllic town, which has been run off the rails by its own protector: a vengeful deer god whose worshipers have fallen out of its favor.
'Unbury Carol' by Josh Malerman
In Josh Malerman's horror-western novel, Unbury Carol, the wealthy title character frequently falls into coma-like states — a condition her new husband intends to exploit by burying her alive as soon as possible.
