The author of The Nightmare Man and Spider to the Fly returns with a surreal horror novel of obsession and paranoia. Eight years ago, Jericho Dodd slaughtered a dozen people, ever since, Crow Island has been a dark and unsettling place. When a compulsion to dig sweeps over the island, dread and paranoia takes over the residents, and it soon becomes clear that the island needs something from its residents.
Are you in the mood for a delightful fever dream? For a read that leaves you wondering what, exactly, just happened? For something you feel compelled to finish even as the events or characters become less and less real-feeling? If so, the list below includes some of the most compelling and surreal horror novels.
They contain end-of-the-world madness, normalized cannibalism, and a haunted house narrative like you’ve never read before! Those not up your alley? How about a trippy drug that opens portals into another realm or a children’s TV show that all but disappeared from anyone’s memory except for the kids who acted on it? Whether you like a full surreal fever dream or something more grounded with some surreal elements, one of these novels will be just right.
Tender Is the Flesh by Agustina Bazterrica
After a virus makes animal meat dangerous to eat, humans turn to their fellow man for sustenance. Marcos is one of the workers at a human meat factory, trying to keep his head down and make a living without thinking too hard about the actualities of his job. Through his eyes, we see a brutal look at an alternate society that is as stomach-churning as it is surreal. Don’t read this one during your lunch break!
Model Home by Rivers Solomon
After their childhoods were spent in a pristine but inexplicably volatile Oak Creek Estate house, Ezri, Eve, and Emanuelle Maxwell do their best to never return. But after their parents die mysteriously, the siblings make the decision to go back one last time to find out what happened to them. Written in a stream-of-consciousness style, the narrative toes the line between what’s real, what isn’t, and the uncomfortable space in between.
Leave the World Behind by Rumaan Alam
While this book skews more toward the thriller side, it has enough quiet horror elements to earn its place on this list. Amanda and Clay rent out a vacation home to enjoy with their two teenage children. But then the house’s owners show up, seeking refuge after a blackout in New York. With no cell phone service, no internet, and no connection to the outside world, the two families are now stuck together, facing what just might be an apocalypse.
Fragments of Horror by Junji Ito
Junji Ito is a pro when it comes to surreal horror. In this collection, you’ll find stories full of the grotesque, the strange, and the bizarre. In one story, a hiker breaks his legs and will do anything to survive. In another, a red turtleneck is the only thing keeping a man’s head from falling off. With stunning and grotesque art to match the stories, this is a surreal horror lover’s dream!
Negative Space by B.R. Yeager
Living in a New England town plagued by suicides, a group of teenagers turns to substances to get by. One substance, called WHORL, is not exactly your run-of-the-mill drug. It somehow opens a portal to another realm. With occult rituals and supernatural powers at play, Negative Space is a fever dream of surrealness.
Mister Magic by Kiersten White
Years ago, six children acted on a show together, all of them forming the Circle of Friends who summoned Mister Magic, until a tragic accident shut down filming. Weirdly, the show became impossible to find with no surviving recordings or proof that it ever existed. Now, years later, five of the once-child actors reunite to film a documentary about the phenomenon.
If you liked these compelling, surreal horror novels and want even more, check out these most surreal books ever written or these fever dream books!
English (US) · 