~post by Joe T.
Welcome back, ghouls and ghasts, as we continue bringing you Bookpeople’s top selling horror novels since Halloween last graced our calendars. World War Z was tops in our charts and The Shining (in anticipation of the release of Doctor Sleep, perhaps) came in a solid middle place. Impressive for a nearly 40 year old book!
So let’s take a gander at places six through ten on our chart of death!
6. Those Across The River by Christopher Buehlman
“In his debut novel, Christopher Buehlman introduces us to a pair of northern intellectuals interloping among the denizens of a sleepy Georgia town with a gruesome past and a present that’s steeped in the remnants of some half-remembered superstition. Buehlman uses unsettling imagery and dread to cultivate a pervasive sense of wrongness that oozes off the page until the tension reaches a fever pitch. When the climax arrives, it is like some horrifying catharsis, akin to being cleansed by a rain of blood.” (Steven)
7. Horns by Joe Hill
“A drunken vengeance oath transforms a heartbroken victim of circumstance into the living embodiment of the cartoon devil, along with a set of classic eldritch powers to go along with his new look. Now the fury of The Beast is at the disposal of a guy with nothing left to lose. Horns is a grotesquely satisfying murder mystery and revenge anthem that distorts the traditional moral roles of angels and demons into a warped ethical paradigm that favors humanity’s tendency toward freedom, creativity, enterprise, and the occasional justified savagery.” (Steven)
8. Under The Dome by Stephen King
“Fans of King’s The Stand will not be disappointed with this return to the 200 pound page burner. This is King with the pedal to the metal on a cannonball run towards ARMAGEDDON!!!!!!!!! Pacemakers Be Warned!” (Chris H.)
9. NOS4A2 by Joe Hill
“You’ll never hear a Christmas carol the same way again. NOS4A2 is creepy, dark, and a joy to read. Like his father Stephen King, Joe Hill is a master character builder. NOS4A2 isn’t a vampire story in the way you’d expect and it turns Christmas into Halloween. You’ll Love It!” (Andrew)
10. The Red Tree by Caitlin R. Kiernan
“And last but not least (most definitely not least as this author is one of the best writers working in the genre today and her latest novel, The Drowning Girl, won the 2013 Bram Stoker Award and, as of this writing, is a nominee for the 2013 World Fantasy Award) comes The Red Tree by Caitlin R. Kiernan at number ten. Steven discussed this book in the first 31 Days of Halloween entry as it was the May selection for The Nightmare Factory Book Club. I’m genuinely excited that one of her novels cracked our top ten as I’ve been reading her short stories for about a decade and consider her one of the masters in the horror genre.” (Joe)
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