Recs if you like Dark Matter...

are you sick of being recommended stephen king when you ask for a horror novel? have you picked up a book expected to be scared, but the scariest thing about it was a woman being needlessly tormented and gaslit? have you read 4627473 books about a man in a haunted house and need something different?

if so, this list is for you :)

a masterlist of horror by anyone who isn't a straight cis white man, started in 2022 and brought to pb in 2026.

horror books with a queer focus, including queer stories and central characters

Hauntology is the philosophical concept, as quoted by Mark Fisher from his article taking a deeper look into Derrida's philosophical work, that "the present is always haunted by the ghosts of the past and the unfulfilled promises of the future." From generational trauma to dark histories to dying Old World pagan traditions, these elements persist throughout the wide genre of folk horror. These books explore deeply into the hauntings of the past and the instability of the future.

Fiction stories about Haunted houses and other locations. Maybe it’s ghosts, maybe it’s cursed, maybe it’s ancient gods or creatures? All kinda of supernatural haunts and creatures attached to homes, objects, or locations.

The real world horror is, of course, homophobia, but in these books we also have, you know, ghosts, monsters, eldritch beings perhaps 🤔 a slasher or two. Haunted houses. The usual suspects 😏

There are some absolutely fantastic sapphic horror lists, and some generally queer ones too, but I looked and I couldn’t find a specifically achillian one, so I figured I’d give it a go!

does it matter if you’re shivering from fear or the cold?

This is an achillean horror books lists.. i make this because i want more gays. This list is inspired by the list made by @Thehobbit ( Yes. I definitely did not read like 99% of these books so. Y'all can like.. recs me some.. please ) + This is also a reminder i should read horror more, because why not, and they're fun and and — I hope yall have fun with this list, please educate me if i picked non achillean books as I've stated i have not read most of these, i will be updating over time.

I can't be the only one who want to remember all the books without jumping around in a video, right?

Books that have the same titles as unrelated movies or tv series.

all suggestions are welcome!

for anybody else who loved amc's the terror. a mix of fiction and non-fiction exploring both the artic and antarctica. i may also throw in some non-polar naval disasters such as the whaleship essex. i have not read all of these but they're all at least on my tbr

horror books that take place in winter or where winter is a big plot point.

Horrors and thrillers set in winter (21st December to 20th March, but I will count earlier December as winter too to make things easier) or in a really cold place that reminds of wintertime.

The list will contain both more known books that you've probably already been recommended and some that I've seen have had less attention, at least over here. I have not read them all, but I want to complete this list myself too during the next Christmasses.

A reading list celebrating the women who know exactly how to get under your skin! Thankful for the gurlies!!!

book recs for orange readers according to read your color on substack | updated periodically

Reading for when the nights get dark and lonely, and for when you feel the chill in your bones. Is there something out there in the long, dark night? Or are you just lost and hoping for something out there so you aren't so alone? Whatever it may be? ❄️ Inspired by other lists I've seen around and wanted to compile here

Horror set in or around the Arctic and Antarctic Circles

i haven't read very many but i would certainly like to read more

Antarctica, Patagonia, Alaska, Canada, upper Great Lakes, somewhere in the mountains, wintertime, etc. (fiction and nonfiction)

books that deal with the depths and complexities of the mind, across multiple genres. predominantly psychological thrillers/horror.