Book cover of A Darker Shade of Noir: New Stories of Body Horror by Women Writers

Book description

Joyce Carol Oates assembles an outstanding cast of authors―including Margaret Atwood, Tananarive Due, and Megan Abbott―to explore, subvert, and reinvent one of the most vital subgenres of horror

"In this haunting new collection, edited by Oates, fifteen women writers explore the manifold horrors of living (and dying) in a patriarchal…

When you buy books, we may earn a commission that helps keep our lights on (or join the rebellion as a member).

Why read it?

1 author picked A Darker Shade of Noir as one of their favorite books. Why do they recommend it?

This is an anthology of short stories by a variety of talented and seasoned authors, literary horror, but in the subgenre of 'body horror.' I am not one to read body horror, or any extreme horror, because it's just too visceral for me, and I have to close the book. However, Joyce Carol Oates as editor, and with one of her stories in the anthology, is a stunning writer and probably has the most profound appreciation for all ranges of horror writing.

So, I trusted Oates' taste here; I'm glad I did. No matter how gruesome a piece of horror…

If you love A Darker Shade of Noir...

Book cover of Memory's Eyes: A New York Oedipus Novel

Memory's Eyes: A New York Oedipus Novel by Cordelia Schmidt-Hellerau,

Memory's Eyes is a contemporary New York Oedipus novel. It is written for readers who enjoy playing with concepts and storylines, here namely the classical Oedipus myth, Sophocles' three Theban plays, the psychoanalytic concept of the Oedipus complex, and its pop-cultural adaptations in movies, cartoons, and jokes.

Tragic and funny,…

Want books like A Darker Shade of Noir?

Our community of 12,000+ authors has personally recommended 71 books like A Darker Shade of Noir.

Browse books like A Darker Shade of Noir

Book cover of The Cipher
Book cover of I Will Rot Without You
Book cover of Hard Places

Share your top 3 reads of 2025!

And get a beautiful page showing off your 3 favorite reads.

1,343

readers submitted
so far, will you?

📚 If you like A Darker Shade of Noir, you might also like...

Book cover of Whiskey Rebel

Whiskey Rebel by Jeffrey Dunn,

A shell-shocked soldier returns home, questioning the very meaning of American freedom.

While panning for gold, Iraq-war veteran Punxie Tawney meets Hamilton Chance, a barefoot, manic, obsessive drummer with a burning desire—to distill tax-free whiskey just like his forefathers during the American Whiskey Rebellion of 1794.

The two join forces,…

Book cover of Existential Smut 2

Existential Smut 2 by Hapax Legomenon,

Stories, essays & dialogues about art, imagination & the erotic life. A young man named Charles writes a series of erotic tales, and his bookish friend Lisa offers light-hearted critiques of them.

Some stories feel like erotic meditations or random erotic moments in a young man's life. Others start with…

5 book lists we think you will like!