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Top 10 Best Horror Books You've Never Read, Don't Be Timid

Top 10 Best Horror Books You've Never Read, such as Camp Ghoul Mountain, The Hollow Tree, Ghost Story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Toll, Obscura
Welcome to an insightful journey through the 'Top 10 Best Horror Books You've Never Read,' written by Muhiuddin Alam on the book recommendations and reviews site, ReadingAndThinking.com.

Over the years as a leading authority on literary expertise, I've created numerous articles on the topics of Genre Fiction Books, many of which can be found on this site. I'm also a regular contributor to other websites and publications.

I have received many requests to recommend some of the underrated horror books. In response, I'm pleased to offer my expert recommendations in this article.

So, when I suggest these books, it's because I've read a lot and want to share the best ones with you. I'm all about making your reading experience awesome. Trust in a guide deeply immersed in the literary books and stories. I love books just like you do!

I will recommend the best horror novels you've never heard of, which are based on my in-depth study and extensive research in this field. Some notable recommendations include here: Camp Ghoul Mountain, The Hollow Tree, Ghost Story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, The Toll, and Obscura.

These aren't the only books on this topic. Below, you'll find 10 books with detailed descriptions of each of these outstanding resources, helping you make well-informed decisions in your realistic horror novel journey.

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Top 10 Best Horror Books You've Never Read

Although it is said to be the scariest book you've ever read, in fact, it is only a small editor who has selected some well-known horror novels at home and abroad. There is no strict limit on it. As long as it is a good book, there is no difference between the high and the low.

Horror fiction is a kind of thing that people love and hate. Especially when one is reading a horror novel at home. Seeing the climax, I want to leave the book far away from the world in the book. However, they are often attracted by strange stories.

Thankfully, this list will solve that problem.



1. The Toll 

by Cherie Priest 


top-10-best-horror-books-you-ve-never-read


Newlyweds Titus and Melanie were driving to their honeymoon destination when they crossed a bridge, not on the map. The next thing you know, Titus is gone, and Melanie is trapped in a strange, old-fashioned town called Stay Water, trying to figure out what's going on. 

Of course, since we're talking about Cherie Prester, the strange thing is just beginning. Tolls invite you to some very different places for nightmarish trips.

Promising review: 

Stay Water, Georgia is a sleepy, creepy little town. It's one of those falling-down places where when folks grow up, they move away and never return. So there's not much for 17-year-old Cameron to do except hang around the bar he's too young for and moon over Jess, the pretty barmaid he's also too young for. The only other option is to hang around with the ladies, Claire and Daisy, his elderly godmothers who have raised him since he was an abandoned toddler. They seem like typical old ladies, fussing with their knitting and their radio and their gardening. Uh-huh.—Read More—Berni

Click Here To Check Out More Author Cherie Priest Books on Amazon. 


2. Camp Ghoul Mountain  

by Jonathan Raab 


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We like a good lost movie story. This ingenious metafiction chaos is just a semi-fictional, semi-textual narrative of the sixth chapter of a science fiction film series, full of evil cults, dangerous plots, and strange lights in the sky. 

Take a look at Henry the horror and the exploits of his young victim, and Rabb's expanded footnotes and behind-the-scenes commentary that evoke a world that is stranger than what is seen on the screen.

Promising review: 

During my weekly few hours of fiction research (to discover interesting & wonderful new material in the provinces of horror/sci-fi/fantasy), I came across this ABSOLUTE GEM. The "novelization" is original and engrossing; I can do little more than give my thanks to Jonathan Raab for providing me with this all-too-brief excursion into the most important themes of my youth—Read More—Amazon Customer

Click Here To Check Out More Author Jonathan Raab's Books on Amazon. 


3. The Hollow Tree 

by James Brodgen 


top-10-best-horror-books-you-ve-never-read

"Hollow Tree" is inspired by a city legend in the author's hometown. It tells the story of a young woman, Rachel, who lost her hand in a tragic accident and is constantly troubled by the nightmare of a hollow tree.

When her nightmares and phantom limb syndrome became too real, Rachel began to explore the truth behind Mary the Oak Tree - the legend of a woman's body found in the tree - and the three myths surrounding her story.

Promising review: 

James Brogden's The Hollow Tree is an atmospheric and intricately written dark fantasy novel for readers who love dark and unsettling stories. It's one of the finest dark fiction novels of recent years and can be highly recommended to fans of the genre.—Read More—"Seregil of Rhiminee"

Click Here To Check Out More Author James Brodgen's Books on Amazon. 


4. Obscura 

by Joe Hart 


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In the near future, an aggressive and terrifying new form of dementia is affecting victims of all ages. The cause is unknown, and the symptoms are disturbing. Dr. Gillian Ryan is on the cutting edge of research and desperately determined to find a cure. 

She’s already lost her husband to the disease, and now her young daughter is slowly succumbing as well. After losing her funding, she is given the unique opportunity to expand her research. 

She will travel with a NASA team to a space station where the crew has been stricken with symptoms of a similar inexplicable psychosis—memory loss, trances, and violent, uncontrollable impulses.

Promising review: 

Intrigued by the blurb, I acquired this book and read it in a couple of big gulps. The last third in particular was unputdownable, but I loved the whole story. It had elements of dystopia, pandemic, space travel, scientific mystery, murder mystery, and thriller all built around a fascinating idea about the possible consequences of near-instantaneous travel.—Read More—Ann E. Byassee

Click Here To Check Out More Author Joe Hart's Books on Amazon. 


5. Bird Box  

by Josh Malerman 


top-10-best-horror-books-you-ve-never-read

Something terrifying that must not be seen. One glimpse and a person is driven to deadly violence. No one knows what it is or where it came from.

Five years after it began, a handful of scattered survivors remain, including Malorie and her two young children. Living in an abandoned house near the river, she has dreamed of fleeing to a place where they might be safe. Now, that the boy and girl are four, it is time to go. 

But the journey ahead will be terrifying: twenty miles downriver in a rowboat—blindfolded—with nothing to rely on but her wits and the children’s trained ears. One wrong choice and they will die. And something is following them. But is it man, animal, or monster?

Promising review: 

I'll confess the following straight away: I have three favorite spooky, creepy, super scary books this year. The Light of the Fireflies remains my #1 favorite. It's so "cult classic," yet deserves a much wider audience. Finished it weeks ago, and I still think about it. Unlike any story, I've ever read.—Read More—Kindle Customer

Click Here To Check Out More Author Josh Malerman Books on Amazon. 


6. HEX 

by Thomas Olde Heuvelt 


top-10-best-horror-books-you-ve-never-read

Welcome to Black Spring, the seemingly picturesque Hudson Valley town haunted by the Black Rock Witch, a seventeenth-century woman whose eyes and mouth are sewn shut. Muzzled, she walks the streets and enters homes at will. She stands next to the children's bed for nights on end. Everybody knows that her eyes may never be opened or the consequences will be too terrible to bear.

The elders of Black Spring have virtually quarantined the town by using high-tech surveillance to prevent their curse from spreading. Frustrated with being kept in lockdown, the town's teenagers decide to break their strict regulations and go viral with the haunting. But, in so doing, they send the town spiraling into dark, medieval practices of the distant past.

Promising review: 

I really enjoyed this novel! It was the first I've read by this author, but I'll definitely be a return customer for more of his writings. I love the plot; a 350-year-old witch has a sleepy little town terrified of her (who wouldn't be based on the description of her - the stuff of children's nightmares). I found the character development to be very good, despite a lot of character movement throughout the story.—Read More—Kawboy

Click Here To Check Out More Author Thomas Olde Heuvelt Books on Amazon. 


7. Ghost Story 

by Peter Straub  


top-10-best-horror-books-you-ve-never-read

I'm hesitant to put this on because I'm not sure anyone can label straw or his masterpiece as "little known.". He may be the purest horror writer we have and Ramsey Campbell. Stephen King once famously called it "the Tiger tank in a book, made of steel, almost unstoppable" - and I suspect it's quite famous outside of horror movies. 

This is a special work. Although it is mainly written for horror readers, it is so wonderful that it breaks through its limitations and runs over ordinary people. But it's been published for decades, and maybe some new horror readers don't know about it, so hell, I put it on the list. Sue me! It's one of the best horror books you've ever read in your life.

Promising review: 

I first read this novel over 30 years ago when I was in high school as well as saw the movie that came in the early 80s. I recently watched the movie again and decided to read the book again as well (since the movie was so heavily chopped up and modified, as most movie adaptions are). Though the novel is a bit dated (we have gone through quite the technological revolution since it was written in the late 70s), it still scared me like it did 30 years ago when I first read it.—Read More—Kindle Customer

Click Here To Check Out More Author Peter Straub's Books on Amazon. 


8. The Girl Next Door 

by Jack Ketchum  


top-10-best-horror-books-you-ve-never-read

Ketchup is a horror writer's horror writer. He is adored by the Cognitives, in addition to which he has a large number of readers. He may not have the talent he deserves, but this part is the product of his personal interests and opinions. He is. intense. 

In real life, he may be a puppet, but his books are powerful medicine. Some horror books scare you when you read them, but that fear doesn't go away. Ketchup works, man. Next. It's a lost, hungry hound that will chase you, track you, scratch your heart and head, and go home. You can't stop reading ketchup books, OK? So the warning is reasonable. 

The girl next door is a real terrorist. I don't know what else to tell you. But it's also wonderful. It's real-life horror, so believable and psychologically astute that it may just change you in a profound way. If you need this change, fill your boots.

Promising review:

I get this feeling when there’s something important I know I’ve forgotten, or when I sense that something is gravely wrong in my little world. It starts slow. I’d call it butterflies in my stomach, but that implies things much more light-hearted than what I speak of here. As I worked my way through this novel, completely enveloped in the world created by Ketchum, it began. Very lightly. In fact, it was only on the second day of reading this book that I even noticed.—Read More—Tracy Robinson

Click Here To Check Out More Author Jack Ketchum Books on Amazon. 


9. The Legend of Sleepy Hollow 

by Washington Irving   


top-10-best-horror-books-you-ve-never-read

Many of the best horror stories have a humorous component that can help people eliminate fear. Enter the sleepy valley of the headless knight when he meets the ambitious scholar Ichabod Crane at night. 

The story took place in 1790 and was first published as part of a collection of stories and essays in 1820, entitled The Sketchbook of Geoffrey Crayon (gent). As a short work, most readers will not have any difficulty in reading (and enjoying) all this at once.

Promising review: 

I like this edition of the classic American story. There are lots of background notes about Washington Irving. And the story is printed well. The Kindle edition has very small images. Even so, I like the artwork. You may think LSH is about Halloween but it is not. It is just an Autumn party. There used to be many parties in the Autumn celebrating the harvest and the moon and anything people could wish.—Read More—kikeo58

Click Here To Check Out More Authors Washington Irving Books on Amazon. 


10. Interview with the Vampire 

by Anne Rice 


top-10-best-horror-books-you-ve-never-read

Interview with the Vampire is not the most terrifying vampire novel. In my opinion, this isn't even the best novel in Rice's Vampire Chronicle (Lester is a great narrator), but it did open the series. This premise is very simple, and is reflected in the title of the book: it's just an interview with vampires. 

Finally, we get their point of view. But I like a lot of Rice's Novels (including The Witch of Mayfair) because she really created an incredibly complex world (at least, contemporary at the time) that coexists with our contemporary world.

Promising review: 

Okay, so I was one of those kids in junior high school. You know the type: the teacher gives a reading assignment, and the kid does all he can within his power to be prepared without actually reading. Yeah, Cliff Notes, relying on others who actually read, Internet, etc...I was solidly one of those. Then in eleventh grade, something life-changing happened.—Read More—Latin Boy

Click Here To Check Out More Author Anne Rice Books on Amazon.

Conclusion of Top 10 Best Horror Books You've Never Read

It can be said that the experience of horror books varies from person to person. Some people regard it as dross, while others like it. 

The feeling of adrenaline secretion is not everyone's favorite. But some famous horror books have made their way. 

What novel do you think is good-looking and frightening? This article brings you the world's Top 10 Best Horror Books You've Never Read, such as Camp Ghoul Mountain, The Hollow Tree, Ghost Story, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow, and so on. How many horror novels have you read about these world civilizations?

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