Lyndsie Manusos’s fiction has appeared in PANK, SmokeLong Quarterly, and other publications. She holds an MFA from the School of the Art Institute of Chicago and has worked in web production and content management. When she’s not nesting among her books and rough drafts, she’s chasing the baby while the dog watches in confused amusement. She lives with her family in a suburb of Indianapolis.
Ah, the horror novella. A bite-sized scream in your hands. Horror novellas are one of my favorite genres. They are tales of horror that are short enough to take a day or two to get through, and yet the intensity is still as fierce as that of a novel– perhaps even fiercer with the shorter word count and knife-sharp execution.
I’ve described in some of my previous Book Riot posts the differences between novels, novellas, and the even shorter novelettes. To recap: All three are longer than a short story, which is usually under 7,500 words. Novelettes tend to be 7,500-20,000 words, novellas 20,000 to 40,000 words, and novels generally make up the rest at 50,000 or more words.
So a novella is shorter than a novel, but long enough to be published similarly to a novel. You might see novellas with hardcovers, especially from larger publishers like Tor/Tordotcom. But small presses, too, have been particularly adept at curating and publishing novellas. One example is Psychopomp, which published my novella. Small presses are a magnificent way to read genre-bending and innovative work because they are often more willing to take risks than some of the big names.
The horror novella is a fantastic way to get a bite-sized fright. If you’re new to reading horror, or if you have a low tolerance for horror, novellas could be a way into the genre. Don’t get me wrong, though: novellas can still be as traumatic and terrifying as novels in utilizing horror, but you’ll get to the end much faster.
Here is a sampling of four horror novellas that have or will be released in 2025. Get your TBR list ready!
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4 Horror Novellas For Bite-Sized Frights
But Not Too Bold by Hache Pueyo
I am a sucker for any and all Bluebeard retellings. I gobble them up, and when I read the synopsis for But Not Too Bold, I immediately ordered it. Hache Pueyo writes a beautifully terrifying story that follows the Lady of the Capricious House, Anatema, who killed the old keeper of the keys and has a deep hunger for human brides. Did I mention that Anatema is also a giant humanoid spider?
Dália, the old keeper’s protégée, must now take charge of locking the drawers of Anatema’s memories while figuring out the crime that led to her master’s execution. But Anatema cannot resist a beautiful woman, and she’ll eat any bride in her path. Cue sapphic monster romance!
The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht (July 2025)
This originally released in 2019, and I was delighted to see it releasing in paperback later this year. I tore through the Advanced Reader Copy I had before its initial release, and there are many images of this book that haunt me to this day.
It’s about a monster and a magician who love each other and who both love to murder. It’s about a dank, dark town settling into its own demise, and the promise of darkness spreading further throughout the world. It’s a queer love story and dark fairy tale.
What Stalks the Deep (Sworn Soldier #3) by T. Kingfisher (September 2025)
If you enjoyed the previous Sworn Soldier books, What Moves the Dead and What Feasts at Night, and had nightmares from both of them as I did, then I’m sure you also can’t wait for the next episode of our favorite tired soldier Alex Easton. This time, Alex finds a new mystery in an American coal mine, and things will be just as creepy as in the previous books.
Don’t Sleep With the Dead by Nghi Vo
If you’re looking for something a little lighter on horror but still teeming with ghosts, dark secrets, and hauntings of the past, I give you the gorgeously written Don’t Sleep with the Dead. This book is a companion novella to Vo’s The Chosen and the Beautiful, which is a retelling of The Great Gatsby. This novella continues that story.
Nick Carroway cannot forget the summer of 1922, though he tries. Instead, he wallows and watches the mad, magical spectacle of New York high society. Always watching. But then Nick realizes that someone has been watching him as well, and that the past, including Jay Gatsby, is not done with him.
May your 2025 be full of frights and delightful reads, whatever your genre preference. If you’re looking for more horror recommendations, check out these Book Riot posts:
- The Best Dang Horror Reads of 2024
- Start off Your Year with New Horror
- New Horror Books to Keep You Up At Night
The following comes to you from the Editorial Desk.
This week, we’re highlighting a guide to reading short stories! If you’ve been curious about what short stories have to offer and want to make them part of your reading life, get to know the form and learn where you can find some good ones so you can get started right away. Read on for an excerpt and become an All Access member to unlock the full post.
May is Short Story month, so what’s on your reading list this month? Short stories are one of my favorite things to read right now. Life’s busy, and short stories are fiction that can fit into a hectic day. Instead of using the one-chapter-per-night method to work your way through a novel, what might it look like to read a short story each evening?
I love short stories precisely because they’re every bit as interesting, complex, and beautiful as longer fiction, but they’re more realistic to read when you’ve got a lot going on.
I have a confession: I used to hate short stories. Okay, okay, maybe “hate” is too strong a word. Let’s just say that I basically refused to read them. You might be wondering why I would have such a strong aversion to short stories.
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