Rebecca Wojturska Editor

About Brainwyrmsby Alison Rumfitt :

"Frankie is having a tough time of it. A TERF has bombed her workplace, she keeps binge-drinking and she’s pushing away her friends. Then, she meets Vanya. But Vanya has secrets, the depths of which threaten to tear Frankie apart… from the inside. If you liked Rumfitt’s previous book, Tell Me I’m Worthless, then you’ll love Brainwyrms. Grim, dark, political, brilliant, Brainwyrms is the perfect dark read this spooky season."

About Orpheus Builds A Girlby Heather Parry :

"Imagine “loving” someone so much you dig up their corpse and live with it for years? This is exactly what Wilhelm von Tore does after becoming infatuated with his patient, Luci. Told from the alternating perspectives of Wilhelm and Luci’s devoted sister, Gabriela, Orpheus Builds A Girl takes the reader on a grim journey to explore power imbalances, misogyny, grief, and sisterly love. Parry is an exceptional writer, and Orpheus Builds A Girl is without a doubt my favourite modern Gothic novel."

About Belovedby Toni Morrison :

"No list including Gothic fiction would be complete without Beloved. This Southern Gothic classic follows a formerly enslaved family who are haunted by a malevolent ghost. When the spirit is driven out, a woman called Beloved appears, her presence unearthing the family’s traumatic past. Beautifully written and haunting in every sense of the word, this Pulitzer Prize winner is a must-read."

About Our Wives Under The Seaby Julia Armfield :

"Leah returns home from a deep sea mission that ended badly. Her wife, Miri, is excited to have her back, but begins to notice that Leah is not the same. Something is different. Just what happened in that vessel, deep on the ocean bed? With beautiful prose, Our Wives Under the Sea explores grief, love, and loss. If the deep deep deep sea terrifies you, so will this book."

About Things We Say in the Darkby Kirsty Logan :

"Isolation, obsession, anatomy, domestic claustrophobia… these are just some of the themes haunting Kirsty Logan’s collection of shimmeringly dark tales. Logan is masterful in her exploration of the idea of home, women’s bodies, and human connection. Each story is dazzling yet dark, tearing apart the idea of home being a place of safety."

About Her Body And Other Partiesby Carmen Maria Machado :

"A wife refuses to remove her green neck ribbon despite her husband's insistence. A woman reflects on her sexual history during a plague. A sales assistant makes a horrifying discovery within the seams of a dress. Her Body & Other Parties is a short story collection, plus a novella, that reflects on women's bodies and how they are treated. Queer, feminist, funny and genre-blurring, Her Body & Other Parties is a deliciously dark read."

About The Daughter of Doctor Moreauby Silvia Moreno-Garcia :

"I absolutely adored Mexican Gothic and have been a fan of Silvia Moreno-Garcia since. The Daughter of Doctor Moreau doesn’t disappoint! Readers familiar with The Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G. Wells will already have an idea of what to expect. Carlota Moreau’s peaceful life on a luxuriant estate is unsettled by the arrival of Eduardo Lizalde, the son of her father’s patron. While the hybrid creatures of her father’s creation lurk in the shadows, Carlota tries to find answers to questions sprung by Eduardo’s arrival. An engaging page-turner that you’ll struggle to put down!"

About The Grief Nurseby Angie Spoto :

"“Imagine you could be rid of your sadness, your anxiety, your heartache, your fear. Imagine you could take those feelings from others and turn them into something beautiful.” Lynx is a Grief Nurse who tends to a wealthy family. When one of the family members die, Lynx does what she does best. But when visitors arrive for the wake, secrets - and bodies - are unearthed that were better left buried. Mystery, intrigue and romance all work harmoniously to create this spellbinding Gothic gem."

About Our Share of Nightby Mariana Enriquez :

"Gaspar’s father can talk to the dead. More troubling is the Order who are determined for Gaspar to take his fathers place and assist in their terrifying rituals of torture. But can Gaspar break free? Compelling and intriguing, Our Share of Night should be on any Gothic horror lovers bookshelf. I’d say you won’t be able to put it down, but it is a doorstopper of a book, and worth every page!"

About Evil Rootsby Daisy Butcher :

"If you haven’t yet discovered the British Library Tales of the Weird book series, today is your lucky day! All of the books within the series are keepers, but I particularly enjoyed the collection of tales found in Evil Roots: Killer Tales of the Botanical Gothic. Featuring stories collected from authors including Charlotte Perkins Gilman and H.G. Wells, there truly is something (dark) for everyone here. Vicious vines, sinister seeds and ferocious flora will have you thinking twice about that new house plant…"

About The Vegetarianby Han Kang :

"After being plagued by grotesque and disturbing nightmares about animal cruelty, Yeong-hye decides to become vegetarian. This decision seems to impact all areas of her life, as her diet is seen as a radical act of subversion in South Korea. But Yeong-hye’s desire to live a plant-like existence becomes more bizarre and more dangerous with every page. Winner of the 2016 Man Booker International Prize, The Vegetarian is a rare book that instantly feels classic; timeless, important, brutal, beautiful. I wouldn’t class The Vegetarian as Gothic or horror, but it is oh so very dark."

About Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke And Other Misfortunesby Eric LaRocca :

"I doubt many of us had good experiences of early-2000’s internet chat rooms, but I can guarantee the characters in Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke have had it worse. The book consists of emails and IMs sent between two women after meeting online. What starts as a seemingly straightforward relationship quickly descends into sadomasochism, obsession and death. Disturbing and disgusting, this wee novella packs a mighty punch."

About Garth Marenghi’s TerrorTomeby Garth Marenghi :

"For those among us who need some comic relief after all that horror, but also still desperately want more horror, then Terrortome is the perfect book to cringe and cry-laugh through. Written by Matthew Holness as Garth Marenghi (of Darkplace fame), Terrortome follows Nick Steen, a horror writer who finds himself battling many enemies, including a cursed typewriter, a serial killer, and a throppelganger. Creepy, hilarious and utterly weird, Terrortome is guaranteed to cheer you up on even the coldest and darkest of nights. As the cover says, “curl up with this book… and die.”"

About Every Version Ends in Death :

"Also, I couldn’t do this list justice without shouting out Haunt Publishing’s titles – all of which fall within the Gothic, horror and dark fiction genres. Why not check out our latest title, Every Version Ends in Death?"