Horror is an incredibly difficult genre to nail because it can become trite, cliché and eve comical if you overdo it. To make it believable is also quite hard, because unlike fantasy you cannot rely on suspension of belief. Rather, you have to make it so believable that it becomes scary, even though most people might not believe in the paranormal. Here is a list of top 10 authors who write horror books. The people listed here are the best horror novel writers of all time.
Top 10 Authors Who Write Horror Books | Best Horror Novel Writers:
Stephen King
Stephen King is practically synonymous with the horror genre at this point. He has written over 60 Novels and 500 short stories, practically all of them in the horror genre. This stands testament to his flair for writing gruesome, spine chilling novels. His ‘Carrie’, ‘It’ and ‘The Plant’ have made his readers fall in love with not just the book or genre, but also the author himself.
Shirley Jackson
With feathers like the horror classic ‘House of Haunting Hill’ in her cap, Jackson is a thoroughbred horror writer. She has written a total of six Books in her relatively short two decade long career, along with over 200 short stories. As one of the only women to write books at all in that era, she ventured into a genre that not even men had capitalized on. Moreover, she was also the sole breadwinner of her family of four, which was practically unheard of in those times.
Bram Stoker
Everyone has heard of the cult classic Dracula, which has since inspired a series of books, horror or otherwise, about vampires. Stoker’s other works such as ‘The Lady of the Shroud’, ‘The Jewel of Seven Stars’ and ‘The Mystery of the Sea’ are quite underrated, yet fine works of gothic horror. It is speculated that Stoker was a closet homosexual, and these elements of homoeroticism seep into his horror works as well.
H P Lovecraft
Lovecraft was a horror author and historian with a keen interest in this specific genre of literature. The American writer wrote a lot of absurd horror, the likes of ‘At The Mountains of Madness’, ‘The Call of Cthulhu’ and more. He was influenced by the literary movement of cosmicism. His works also feature a lot of science, creating a very specific genre of cosmic science horror. Plus, his works include the recurring themes of the end of civilization, his setting of Lovecraft country and despair.
Edgar Allen Poe
Poe is considered the emblem of the modern dark academia, and was a true dark academic in the modern sense of the word. He is best known for his poetry and short stories, such as ‘The Raven’, ‘The Tell Tale Heart’, ‘The Haunted Palace’ and more are exemplary of gothic horror. He also wrote novels in the dark romanticism genre, and dealt with themes of death, mourning and unnatural burials.
Mary Shelley
Shelley’s ‘Frankenstein’ is again a horror classic, and has inspired several book, novel and even music adaptations. Her other gothic works, such as ‘The Modern Prometheus’, ‘Mathilda’ and ‘The Last Man’ are all in the horror genre, some incorporating elements of science fiction as well. Shelley brings an insightful female perspective to novels that are conventionally part of the ‘male domain’, proving that horror can also be a woman’s genre.
Dean Koontz
Koontz is the American author of horror thrillers, which usually have very dark, satirical and gothic elements. He has often been on the New York Times bestseller list and has used sever pseudonyms throughout his career. His works such as ‘Odd Thomas’, Demon Seed’, ‘Watchers, ‘Phantom’ and ‘Hideaway have received worldwide acclaim.
Anne Rice
Rice has written extraordinary vampire novels such as ‘Interview With A Vampire’, ‘The Vampire Chronicles’ and ‘Princess LeStat’ along with several other horror novels. Her books have sold over 150 million copies, making her one of the bestselling horror authors in the world.
Clive Barker
He is the worldwide bestselling author of the Books of Blood, and numerous novels including Imajica, The Great, Secret Show, Sacrament, and Galilee. His books have garnered widespread acclaim, and have several television and theatrical adaptations as well. In fact, he himself is a veteran artist – dabbling in painting, theatre, screenwriting and television.
Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman is primarily an author of mythological and fantasy fiction. However his horror novels such as ‘Coraline’, ‘The Graveyard Book’ and ‘Ocean at the End of the Lane’ are just as good. Moreover, all his fantasy works are also characterized by an eerie, supernatural and dark element, which gives them a horror like feel. These books are quite creepy, and though they are middle grade books, they’re sure to give you the chills.
Also Read: 10 Books To Cheer You Up When Feeling Down
