Here are 100 books that The Atrocity Archives fans have personally recommended if you like
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Iâve always been intrigued by the way night transforms familiar landscapes, creates a sense of loosened boundaries, and seems to be rich with almost magical potential. One of my most beloved books as a kid was The BFG, partly because of its magnificent passage about the witching hour, âthe special momentâŠwhen all the dark things came out from hiding and had the world to themselves.â Later, I discovered Hamletâs take on it and was equally charmed. Itâs no surprise that many of the key moments in my debut collection, Here in the Night, take place after dark. Here are my five favorite books that capture the beguiling power of nighttime.
This horror novel about a haunted IKEA-like store is playful and fun in every wayâfrom its inventive narrative structure to the bookâs mimicry of an IKEA catalogue, complete with a store map and advertisements for furniture that become increasingly deranged.
During daylight, Orsk is a regular furniture store in the suburbs of Cleveland, but when several employees attempt to stay overnight to find out why products keep getting damaged, the buildingâs dark history begins to bleed into the present. This book perfectly captures the uncanny way nighttime makes familiar landscapes, such as stores and schools, seem entirely unfamiliar, a phenomenon that has always fascinated me.Â
It's a classic old-fashioned haunted house story - set in a big box Swedish furniture superstore. Designed like a retail catalogue, Horrorstor offers a creepy read with mass appeal-perfect for Halloween tables! Something strange is happening at the Orsk furniture superstore in Cleveland, Ohio. Every morning, employees arrive to find broken Kjerring wardrobes, shattered Bracken glassware, and vandalized Liripip sofabeds-clearly, someone or something is up to no good. To unravel the mystery, five young employees volunteer for a long dusk-til-dawn shift-and they encounter horrors that defy imagination. Along the way, author Grady Hendrix infuses sly social commentary on the natureâŠ
Imperium is the most expensive structure ever created. Once an orbiting laboratory, it is now a space hotel for the fantastically wealthy. But as the station preps for its first group of space tourists, Dr. Chloe Bonilla, Imperiumâs resident biophysicist, finds herself questioning whether babysitting a passel of space glampersâŠ
We've been writing together for over ten years now. A theme that weâve come back to lots of times is the horrible workplace with its bosses from hell. Feedback from readers tells us that the ways in which weâre made miserable at work are universal and it can be fun to examine them in fiction. We doubled down on the theme in the Oddjobs series of books. We both love to read and write horror, and we spend time with lots of horror authors, so this list came together very easily.
Even the simplest jobs can turn out to be horrible. George and Lou are the nicest, most amiable underworld thugs you could meet. They just want to get their delivery job done and then go out for some beers and bowling. Except, the thing they donât know is that their delivery consignment is a very angry werewolf. When it escapes, they are forced into a cat-and-mouse chase across Florida. No paycheck can be worth the horror and torment that Jeff Strandâs bloody comedy puts them through.
Two thugs. One innocent woman. And one VICIOUS frickin' werewolf.
Meet George and Lou, thugs for hire. The kind of intimidating-yet-friendly guys who will break your thumbs, but be polite about it. Their latest assignment is to drive across Florida to deliver some precious cargo to a crime lord. The cargo: a man in a cage. Though Ivan seems perfectly human, theyâre warned that he is, in fact, a bloodthirsty werewolf.
George and Lou donât believe in the supernatural, but even if they did, itâs daytime and tonight isnât the full moon. Their instructions are straightforward: Do not open theâŠ
Although Iâm from New Zealand, Europe has been home for a lot of my adult life, and that has included a lot of time in North Yorkshire. It always seems to me that thereâs potential for magic around every corner, in the deep sinkholes and high fells of the Dales, or the cobbled charm of the York Shambles and the loom of the Abbey over Whitby harbour. So I do feel that the fact so many stories are set in London is a waste of so many delightfully different settings, and I make a point of hunting out as many alternatives as I can. I hope you enjoy this selection!
I love finding a new series that hits all my favourite urban fantasy points â smart, funny, peopled with delightfully weird and very uncool characters, anditâs set anywhere in the UK outside London (nothing against London, itâs just fun to read about somewhere different). C.K. McDonnellâs The Stranger Times hits all of these, plus is partly inspired by actual news stories from around the world (some clippings included, and the authorâs podcast covers a lot more). This is a pure joy to read, and Iâm definitely looking at Manchester a little differently now...
'Wonderfully dark, extremely funny' proclaimed ADAM KAY, author of the No.1 bestselling This is Going to Hurt 'A filmic romp with great characters, a jet-propelled plot, and a winning premise' said the GUARDIAN JASON MANFORD thinks it's 'Hilarious. You'll never look at Manchester the same way again.' The Chronicles of St Mary's series author JODI TAYLOR declared 'I loved this . . . great premise - great story - great characters . . . hugely enjoyable.' And THE TIMES called it 'ripping entertainment from start to finish.'
There are dark forces at work in our world (and in Manchester inâŠ
In this collection of nine stories, J.C. Gemmell takes readers on a quest into the future.
Tion is a dystopian civilisation built on the wreckage of a drowned Earth. Here, technology saves and oppresses, and mankind clings to survival in a place where the privileged live above the clouds, andâŠ
Growing up, I commonly read a sci-fi or fantasy novel a day. I craved freshly innovative stories, not megastar copycats. Innovation lacking, I stopped reading. I loved Salvatoreâs invention of the Drow and favored groundbreaking stories where authors build on a predecessorâs shoulders rather than writing formulaic remakes for easy sales. Devastatingly, when I began writing, publishers, agents, and literary voices unitedly screamed at authors to âstay in their genre.â Write sci-fi or fantasy, never both. That wasnât me, so I wrote about what happens when technology clashes with magic. The result? Mosaic Digest recently dubbed me âone of speculative fictionâs most inventive voices.â
My personal author coach (David Farland) suggested this read.
The premise of a teenage, self-diagnosed sociopath who works at a morgue but doesnât want to become a serial killer was far too intriguing to pass by. Wellâs background research into sociopath profiling and morgue duties kept me engaged, but never felt intrusive or information-dumpy.
Refreshingly, Wells keeps the teen character intelligent. Instead of the overwritten, arrogant teen who makes stupid decisions, the main character is thoughtful and bright, and recognizes beforehand that his choices driven by curiosity are a tad foolish.
Although I wonât read the sequels because they dive into a subgenre Iâm not fond of, I consider I Am Not a Serial Killer one of the most innovative reads of this century.
I Am Not A Serial Killer is now a major film starring Christopher Lloyd and Max Records. This is the first title in the thrillingly dark John Wayne Carver series.
John works in his family's mortuary and has an obsession with serial killers. He wants to be a good person, but fears he is a sociopath, and for years he has suppressed his dark side through a strict system of rules designed to mimic 'normal' behavior.
Then a demon begins stalking his small town and killing people one by one, and John is forced to give in to his darkerâŠ
I believe that H.P. Lovecraft, only now appreciated at his full stature, has spawned a whole generation of equally brilliant writers who make modern weird horror the most vibrant, confrontational, and relevant of all current genres. He looms over todayâs literature and pop culture like Cthulhu looms over the sea, and his heirs include some of the best writers of their generation. As a much-travelled Scottish writer, Iâve needed tools to tackle the chaotic, disorienting contemporary experience, as well as the darkest, most imaginative strains of my own Celtic legacy. Lovecraftian horrorâthrough HPLâs explicit mythos or simply his implicit sensibilityâserved up the palette I needed to do that.
As a horror writer, I have a thick skin for horror writing. Charles Stross is one of the few authors whose darkest work still chills me when I read it. Heâs also one of the most purely enjoyable self-confessed inheritors of Lovecraftâs mantleâteasing and subverting it constantly, while effortlessly tipping readers from chuckles to shivers. His humour only reinforces the horror. I rate The Fuller Memorandum highest in his Laundry Files series of sardonic occult espionageârich in slightly reframed historical detail, compulsive as any thriller, quietly chilling in its implications.
Bob Howard is an IT specialist and field agent for the Laundry, the branch of Her Majesty's secret service that deals with occult threats.
Overworked and underpaid, Bob is used to his two jobs overflowing from a strict nine to five and, since his wife Mo has a very similar job description, he understands that work will sometimes follow her home, too. But when 'work' involves zombie assassins and minions of a mad god's cult, he realises things are spinning out of control.
When a top-secret dossier goes missing and his boss Angleton is implicated, Bob must contend with suspiciouslyâŠ
Iâve obviously read a lot of Holmes retellings. Part of the impetus behind my new novella was trying to figure out whyI was so attracted to them. Part of it, I realized, is the neurodivergence aspect: fundamental to the Holmes story is the idea of someone who thinks differentlyâand who finds a way to interact with the world that uses that as an asset. The other component I love is the Holmes-Watson dynamic. Whether it's romantic or not, the development of a relationship of affection between two people who think very differently is an emotional counterpoint to plot-driven mysteries. Those elementsâalong with stellar writing, gripping mysteries, and characters I love spending time with.
This book again gives us an outsiderâs perspective on the great detective, this time from the perspective of his underestimated younger sister.
Adrift in a detailed, exciting, and often horrifying Victorian London, Enola must not only search for her missing mother - and the titular missing marques - but also avoid the constraining, dangerous âhelpâ offered by her well-meaning but obliviously sexist older brothers.
To do so, she learns how to turn seeming weaknesses into strengths, in entertaining and often very relatable ways. And I feel compelled to say that while the movie is fine, the book is muchbetter.
Introducing London's newest and greatest detective: Enola Holmes - the book that inspired the film, starring Millie Bobby Brown.
Read the series before the new film lands!
When Enola Holmes, sister to the detective Sherlock Holmes, discovers her mother has disappeared, she quickly embarks on a journey to London in search of her. But nothing can prepare her for what awaits.
Because when she arrives, she finds herself involved in the kidnapping of a young marquess, fleeing murderous villains, and trying to elude her shrewd older brothers - all while attempting to piece together clues to her mother's strange disappearance.âŠ
Iâm a public health research scientist who writes humorous historical mysteries set in 1900s Los Angeles among the police matrons of the LAPD. Like you, I read. I love smart, well-researched historical fiction with strong female protagonists and a good romantic subplot. Extra points if the book is funny because studies show laughter is good for you.Â
In 1940 London, Maggie Hope, a brilliant mind who graduated top of her class, is recruited by Number 10 Downing Street to beâŠa typist. Of course. Sheâs a woman. Sheâs also a crackerjack code breaker. I think you know where this is going. The character is wonderful, the writing strong, the story tight. A highlight for me was when Maggie âa young, virginal, cerebral typeâpulls off a daring motorcycle jump with a man on the back because she has to. I donât know, I think thereâs a life lesson somewhere in there.
BARRY AWARD WINNER âą Heralding the arrival of a brilliant new heroine, Mr. Churchillâs Secretary captures the drama of an era of unprecedented challengeâand the greatness that rose to meet it.
âWith any luck, the adventures of red-haired super-sleuth Maggie Hope will go on forever. . . . Taut, well-plotted, and suspenseful, this is a wartime mystery to sink your teeth into.â âKate Quinn, New York Times bestselling author of The Rose Code
London, 1940. Winston Churchill has just been sworn in, war rages across the Channel, and the threat of a Blitz looms larger by the day. But noneâŠ
I got interested in long-distance backpacking in my mid-twenties, looking for an escape from the messy life I had created for myself. I wanted to reinvent myself, and a blog about the Appalachian Trail suggested a perfect solution. After 650 miles on the trail and the death of my mother, I knew I would never be the same. In the years since, I have hiked the Wonderland Trail (as featured in Alone in Wonderland) and the Colorado Trail. Backpacking has become more than an escape â it has become home.
Vanessa O'Brien recounts her journey from busy businesswoman to badass mountaineer. She is now the fastest woman to complete the seven summits (both versions just in case you had anything to say about that!) She's brash and gutsy, doesn't hold back what she really thinks, and addresses some of the human and environmental issues facing the world's biggest and ever increasingly popular peaks.
When Vanessa O'Brien was made redundant in 2008 as part of the recession, she moved to Hong Kong with her husband for his career and resigned herself to being 'just the wife'. There she was, aged 46, bored, uninspired, unemployed. Was this going to be how she was going to live the rest of her life?
One night in the infamous Kee Club, over shots of tequila, a friend suggested O'Brien climb Everest, and that was the start of an epic journey she never looked back from as she climbed Everest, K2 and many other mountains.
I grew up an avid reader of childrenâs and YA fantasy, which is how I discovered the subgenre of Regency fantasy. When I stumbled across Wrede and Stevermerâs work in libraries and used bookstores, I absolutely loved it. As an adult, I enjoyed exploring the Regency romances of older authors like Georgette Heyer and Marion Chesney as well as more recent Regency writers. But when I began writing romance myself, I went back to the fantasies that were my first introduction to the Regency era. My Regency novels are primarily romance, with just a pinch of magic, but I hope both romantasy fans and historical romance readers can enjoy them.
Atwaterâs Regency fairy tales include not just human magicians but also the fae.
In Half a Soul, an elvin lord tries to steal Theadora Ettingâs soul, but her quick-thinking cousin helps her preserve half of it. With only half a soul, though, Dora both thinks differently and feels emotions differently than other people. (Author Olivia Atwater has said that Doraâs magical condition parallels real-life neurodivergence, and autistic readers may see themselves in Dora.)
Because of those differences, Dora believes herself to be unlovable, but she is proven gloriously wrong when she encounters Elias Wilder, one of the most powerful sorcerers in Europe. She and Elias work together to stop a magical plague threatening vulnerable children in workhouses.Â
âWhimsical, witty, and brimming over with charmâ (India Holton), Olivia Atwaterâs delightful debut will transport you to a magical version of Regency England, where the only thing more meddlesome than a fairy is a marriage-minded mother!
Itâs difficult to find a husband in Regency England when youâre a young lady with only half a soul.
Ever since she was cursed by a faerie, Theodora Ettings has had no sense of fear or embarrassmentâan unfortunate condition that leaves her prone to accidental scandal. Dora hopes to be a quiet, sensible wallflower during the London Seasonâbut when Elias Wilder, the strange, handsome,âŠ
Jane Finch lives in Norfolk, England and is married with one son. Jane has travelled extensively and has also lived in Canada, Spain, and the Caribbean. Having spent over twenty-five years working in English Law, Jane decided to try her hand at writing crime thrillers. Her first novel, Due Process, is based in her hometown in Norfolk. Her book, The Black Widows, published by Solstice Publishing, reached the top ten of Amazonâs crime thriller list. Jane is a member of International Thriller Writers Inc. Now retired, Jane is free to write full-time, when inspired to do so, although she says, âNone of my friends tell me anything anymore because they know Iâll write about it!â
When John Darwin got into debt and ran out of money-making ideas, he decided to fake his own death so that his wife could claim the life insurance. The plan was to move to another country and live off the proceeds of his crime. But things didnât go to plan. The arrogance and ineptitude of John Darwin, and his complete disregard for his family, defies belief. I couldnât wait to read this book and was not disappointed. It has now been made into a drama by the BBC in the UK.
When Anne Darwin told the world and her family that her husband, John, had disappeared while canoeing in the North Sea, her life changed forever.
She had just lied to the police, the press, her friends and neighbours, insurance companies and her own sons.
While her husband hid in a bedsit in their rental house next door, Anne had to face the music. She claimed the life insurance payouts, endured the police questioning, accepted the consolations and left the country she loved to start her life again.
But why, when she had been perfectly happy with her lifestyle, knowing herâŠ
