Recs if you like Leech...

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

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!!!

Fiction reads with non-binary characters and/or by non-binary authors

This includes gender fluid, agender, two-spirit, and any other gender identities outside of the binary labels.

See my trans Rights readathon suggestions masterlist for more trans reads! 🏳️‍⚧️

(Under construction 🏗 🚧 many more books to be added! Suggestions welcome!)

Books where memories are lost, gained, preserved, encountered, or otherwise altered through means that are not of this world. Work in progress, suggestions always welcome!

When the pursuit of knowledge crosses the line into moral depravity.

Creepy books made better because there are queer characters

Botanical horror is great and all, but have you ever thought about all the horrors scuttling beneath the leaves?

Horror that features bugs (insects and arachnids - argue about whether shellfish should be involved in the comments) as a major antagonist.

Name-calling and insults you might hear on the playground and beyond...

Anything can be an insult if you believe it! My kid brother used to get in trouble for calling us "you...you BEAN" with all the spite his little preschool self could manage 🥹

Horror and thriller stories that prominently feature trans characters, across age groups and sub-genres (including thrillers & slashers). 🔞

Recommendations welcome!

✦ I have not read all of these books - if you notice anything that seems to be mis-labeled/mis-placed on this list, please let me know! ✦

We're celebrating Trans Day of Visibility by sharing books with queer characters written by trans (transgender and non-binary) authors. (This list is presented by Duck Prints Press, the indie publisher focused on publishing queer art and stories by queer creators! A group of us collaborate to make these recommendations.)

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.

Stephen King is overrated, read these horror books instead.

💬OPEN TO SUGGESTIONS. Just comment and I will add.

dismemberment, parasitic infection, medical transmutation... body horror truly has it all. when the horror lives inside you, when there's no external danger, what do you do? you can't run from the transformation you've undergone. body horror centers the unbecoming of who you are at your core and the subsequent changes on the outside.

Of course, this isn't the only recommendation list out there for the Trans Rights Readathon. I encourage everyone to check out all the different lists! This list is made up of books I've personally enjoyed, am currently reading, or plan to read (so this is pretty tailored, lol). I'll keep editing this list as I finish books and find more books I want to read. Everything here is either written by a trans author and/or features trans main characters/focuses on trans issues.

What it says on the tin

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

Speculative works that form part of what I've called the "the fungal imaginary" in an academic context

Book Reccomendations based on my love for The X Files🖤 Mysteries, Thrillers and Horrors featuring detectives, bickering, small town conspiracies, urban legends, cults, aliens, slow-burn romance, and All Things Spooky, Scienc-y and Supernatural.