Santa Womble Goes Bump In The Night!

Hellooo! Yes for the season of light, goodwill and being merry to all don’t forget this time of year we also like to go a bit dark with ghost stories and there are far more disturbing things potentially lurking in these long, dark and cold nights. For today here are some horror stories to tuck into

The Stones of Landane by Catherine Cavendish — Runalong The Shelves - This is a very enjoyable historical tale with added occult overtones and a touch of reincarnation. Lots to enjoy!

The Bog Wife by Kay Chronister — Runalong The Shelves - This hovers on the borders of fantasy and horror but certainly an unsettling tale of a family trapped in theie secrets, history and traditions. A very beautiful and memorable tale.

Witchcraft for Wayward Girls by Grady Hendrix — Runalong The Shelves - To the USA of the 1970s we go for a very smart tale of pregnant teenage girls put by their families into a home to be hidden from the public and are hugely ashamed. Here the chance to use magic is too tempting to avoid and creates chaos. A story with lots to remind us of where we may be heading next.

The Wilding by Ian McDonald — Runalong The Shelves - Here an author we tend to know more for their science fiction turns to horror and its set in modern Ireland where a field trip with impressively realistic teenagers goes wrong sharpish. McDonald’s storytelling narration gives this story so much oomph , style and even humour but is not afraid to cause havoc either. A great read!

Victorian Psycho by Virginia Feito — Runalong The Shelves - No supernatural here but instead we have a governess who very much is not always aware of what she will do next and as its all told in her voice she is hard to dislike but at the same time will likely make you wince at the violence.

The Crows by CM Rosens — Runalong The Shelves - A hugely enjoyable yet often disturbing piece of modern gothic for you to enjoy and well you may actually like someone who eats people too!

All The Hearts You Eat by Hailey Piper — Runalong The Shelves - A huge horror treat with trans characters being treated with huge respect and delivering on top a powerful cosmic horror story I loved!

The Corpse Road by Sean Hogan — Runalong The Shelves - A really effective folk horror story of two sisters drawn together and then plunged into conflict with one another and I was very impressed how these relationships were unpicked.

House of Bone and Rain by Gabino Iglesias — Runalong The Shelves - A wonderful horror story with friends drawn into tragedy against the background of a incoming hurricane. Just a beautiful story to savour.

Sour Cherry by Natalia Theodoridou — Runalong The Shelves - A take on Bluebeard that explore show the monster comes about and then we watch the trrail of blood it leaves across the rest of its life. Powerful and tragic and haunting

The Needfire by M K Hardy — Runalong The Shelves A gothic horror that has nods towards Rebecca but this time more sapphic and Scottish. I really liked the atmosphere and the complex duo of characters we meet in this story. An author(s) to watch!

The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones — Runalong The Shelves - One of the finest stories I’ve read is this historical horror acting almost as a confessional tale linking family secrets to america’s darkest eras of oppression. Brilliant

The Bewitching by Silvia Moreno-Garcia — Runalong The Shelves - Moreno-Garcia is one of my favourite authors and here three types of horror story style are cunningly merged to tell one big story that explores the power of the horror story to warn us of what monsters lurk out there.

The Other Frankenstein by Melissa F Olson — Runalong The Shelves - many discuss the new film but here is a modern take asking what happened to Frankenstein’s wife and here she gets a voice and a future past the events of the novel. In a fascinating story.

The Sound of The Dark by Daniel Church — Runalong The Shelves - I was very impressed how this story uses the idea of a crime podcast and creates a much bigger and stranger mystery. Church is really coming into their own and I’ll be fascinated to see where they go next

ITCH! by Gemma Amor — Runalong The Shelves - and one more folk horror story that mixes in body horror and a fine study of how the victims of abuse get handled or forgotten about. A gem of a read