Some of the creepiest things I’ve read were in George R.R. Martin’s “A Song of Ice and Fire”, such as:
1. The prologues to “A Game of Thrones” and “A Storm of Swords”
2. The visions in The House of the Undying and The Forsaken
3. The dancing shadows in the tent at the end of “A Game of Thrones”
4. The jarring POV switch in a Victarian chapter in “A Dance with Dragons”
5. The ship on the river passing the same place twice in “A Dance with Dragons”
Other things I’ve found creepy in books have been the protomolecule in “Leviathan Wakes” and the giggling sound at the door in “The Haunting of Hill House”. So unknown, mysterious, unexplainable, or ambiguous horror that sets an unsettling mood.
What are some other books that create a general creepy atmosphere like these? Can be any genre!
(Also as much as I love Stephen King, I’m not looking for recommendations of his books because I’ve already read so many of them!)
by moonsea97
2 Comments
Ugh, this is so Basic, but I feel like he’s weirdly always left off these lists.
Poe.
Still the best imo, when it comes to affect. But he also employees literary devices that quite literally create terror (staccato).
Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky