Some time ago I read the Laundry Files, one of the early books features an expedition to a dead world that had been devoured by and eldritch god. The series is fantastic but honestly there’s as much humor and action in it as existential dread and abject horror.
Apart from the works of HP Lovecraft or the arguably better Lovecraft Country, what’s a book or series that leans harder into the horror than the comic relief?
by super_commuter
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The Fisherman by John Langan
The Darkness on the Edge of Town by Brian Keene
*The Vorrh* is about a dense forest in Africa filled with mystery and the townspeople living in a transplanted European city along the outskirts. It’s a beautifully written 500 page monster of a book filled with betrayal, murder, sex, robots, and creatures. True weird fiction classic, but not one for the weak of heart due to it’s violence and problematic characters.
*The Raw Shark Texts* does what *House Of Leaves* tried in a much more interesting way, and with a far better storyline. I’ve also heard that whenever you find this book in the wild there are possible differences in each version of the book which adds an element of ARG to it.
*No Gods, No Monsters* by Cadwell Turnbull is bizarre and unique, about the paths crossed in stranger’s lives when “monsters” are shown to be a reality. Manages to skillfully blend creepy moments with allegorical political commentary, and features very well written characters.
*American Elsewhere* is about a woman who inherits a house that’s in a small town off the map. She discovers a little town with a sinister background, but in a much more interesting way than your typical Stephen King twist.
*Beneath the Rising* is a series about a girl who was a prodigy at an early age and has helped create scientific breakthroughs to help humankind. But at what cost? Lovecraftian vibes and witty banter throughout.
*Carter & Lovecraft* series by Jonathan L. Howard is a light horror/cop book that dips heavily into HP Lovecraft’s universe. It’s fun and supernatural, and not a lot of people know this series exists.
*The Library at Mount Char* by Scott Hawkins is a wild horror book that is about a group of young kids raised by a god-like figurehead. They grow up and he disappears. The kids need to figure out what happened to him, deal with each other, and the humans that don’t understand the powers they control. Gets pretty trippy by the end.
*The Only Good Indians* by Stephen Graham Jones is an emotionally raw horror book that features a group of friends who upset nature’s order. Interesting read in that the tone changes with each character, some in frantic ways to help guide the reader through that character’s struggles with anxiety or substance abuse.