Recs if you like The Ballad of Black Tom...

Representations of the Black experience through fantasy, science fiction, and speculative fiction. Recommendations welcome!

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. i've been maintaining it for myself since 2022 and it was time to share the wealth!

horror fiction from Black authors featuring Black characters

Shorter books (under 200 pages) that are part of at least one quest. Many are also in the public domain, making them easily accessible when you want to grind for that next badge.

Horror novellas under 200 pgs. Bite size scary reads for spooky season. These span the horror spectrum from psychological horror to gory, body horror to gothic ghosties and more. Let me know what else I should add!

Speculative (sci-fi, fantasy, horror etc.) novellas less than 200 pages long that are either standalone or read like a standalone story

Horror books with a page count of 200 pages or less.

Before we started defining novellas by word count, they were defined as being any book less than 200 pages. Source: my Analysis of Short Stories & Literature professor in community college. I loved that class. But he loved James Joyce. So, ymmv, I guess.

This list is perfect for a quick magical escape. 😊

My favorite brand of Lovecraftian fiction is the kind that would have the man rolling in his grave.

Historical horror fantasy because I like to be self-indulgent :) Feel free to recommend some!

“Make your statement, face your fear.”

A selection of books with vibes similar to the themes, narrative format, and generally eeriness of our favorite horror pod. Recommendations always welcome!

Horror that centers around a band or music. Most involve Metal bands and/or Satan. This sub-genre is very campy and fun but it can have some problematic moments (especially the old ones) so tread with caution and check content warnings!

Call me Ishmael for this is my white whale

Weird Fiction Starter Pack

SFFH novellas for when you don't have the time for an 800 page epic but crave that mineral. rich worlds and characters that linger in your mind. includes queer, diverse, intersectional reads. Recs welcome, this is a work of love in progress ✨

Love casts a spell; the real monster is oppression. Modern magical realism, urban fantasy, and fabulism: books that use supernatural elements to explore themes of family, desire, history, and society.

Books to read if you enjoyed the movie "Sinners", and would like more culturally rich black and poc stories full of (white) things going bump in the night, to the tune of the saxophones growing ever louder.

Short fantasy and sci-fi books under 200 pages. Novellas and bite-sized adventures for those looking for something fast. (Absolutely not because I'm trying to squeeze some short books in before the end of the year.)