Recs if you like The Deep...

forced into unending sleep or perilous insomnia, repeating tedious daily routines until your body rots, watching as your skin starts to glow or your hands sprout scales - these novels feature illnesses that are far from typical

if you enjoyed / find yourself enjoying my strange plagues quest, you’ll find even more suggestions for further reading within the niche here!!!

for people who are both terrified of and fascinated by the ocean (like me)

What lies within the depths... Speculative Horror books where the main horror element directly relates to a body of water (whether that be a swamp, ocean, lake, river, etc.)

Keywords: aquatic horror, ocean horror, spooky water, water horror, haunted hydrology

Note: must be more than just the backdrop ** recommendations and corrections welcome! **

…are you certain whatever you’re doing is worth it?

or, books with similar vibes as the game subnautica

Tight spaces. Heavy air. The creeping realization that escape may not be possible. These are stories designed to make you feel trapped.

Recs welcome!

“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!

...or the shallow. But either way, don't go near the water.

Aquatic horror

We think of summer as the season of light, but shadows are longest when the sun is highest. It is the time of the year when the woods grow too thick to see through, the water grows too dark to see into, and the heat makes the mind play tricks. From the rotting porches of the South to the blood-stained cabins of the North... We call them the Summer Nightmares.

my niche

Is this mostly poached from GoodReads and reddit? Yes 😊 Do I care? 😏

Bio-horror, zombies, medical experiments, folk horror & viral infections - if you have any recommendations, please lmk!!

ocean planet colonisation and deep-sea extraction technologies

Mostly horror, some thrillers, and some plain weird books that you probably followed well, and definitely think about for a long time.

What is real and what is not? This list focuses on books that make the MC question their reality, from dystopian and science fiction to horror. I find it interesting how this theme allows us to ask questions about our own identities and the world around us. Make sure you add your own recommendations so we can spiral together ;)

Little list of horror literature focused on books set in/on/near the ocean or any other body of water 🌊

(This list includes only books I have read so far; will update from time to time 😊)

I wish we could make communal lists, because this would be a helpful one to be able to ask others to contribute to

(Probably) the most vile, repulsive, disgusting and disturbing books you’ll ever read. Books here should be the type that you think about even weeks after you’re finished. Whether these books make you nauseous or sleepless, or both, it’ll be terrifying! ⚠️ Books on this list contain disturbing content, please read at your own risk and know your limits. Many of these books I haven’t read yet, I cannot say for sure how terrifying each one is.

Horror books swimming with thalassophobia