no stephen king in sight
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!






Iβm on a boatβΌοΈ
I got my swim trunks & my flippy floppies π©³π©΄
I was listening to the lonely island and the next thing you know, this list happened.
this list contains a variety of books that take place on a variety of boats, ships and vessels
as always, taking any and all suggestions






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






no animals harmed in the making of this horror
A collection of horror books without animal death/cruelty since it is prevalent in the genre! These books will avoid graphic scenes with animals and cruelty. Animal bones may be present, let me know if you need to know which ones. Suggestions welcome and if I am mistaken about the content let me know and I will remove!






H2O? more like H2NO
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.)
Note: must be more than just the backdrop
Keyword: aquatic horror recommendations and corrections welcome!






detecting multiple leviathan-class lifeformsβ¦
β¦are you certain whatever youβre doing is worth it?
or, books with similar vibes as the game subnautica






what would you do to survive?
survival stories, often but not always set in extreme locations or climates.






For Fans of The Magnus Archives
βMake your statement, face your fear.β
A selection of books with vibes similar to the themes, narrative format, and generally eeriness of our favorite horror pod. Recommendations always welcome!






Nautical SFF
Seafaring stories and Little Mermaid-esque tales! (I'm excluding classics and books that just take place on the ocean but don't have any speculative elements, even my baby Moby Dickπ)






It came from the deep π
...or the shallow. But either way, don't go near the water.
Aquatic horror






Underwater (Mis)Adventures
Life began underwater. Humans yearn to go back, and sometimes, they really shouldn't... A crowd-sourced list of stories that take place primarily underwater.






100 Screams of Summer
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.






coastal horror
my niche






You can run but you canβt tide!
Are you scared of the ocean? You should be.






Gab Smolders Horror Book Talk 2024
Gabs 2024 reads in her ranking video. Hope you'll find something you'll like!






Dark Waters
Whether by lake, sea, or ocean these books have a distinctive nautical feel about them.
Tags: #Horror #Nautical






Darcy Coates Books
Reading list to read everything Darcy Coates has written.






Validate Your Quiet Unease
Horror that validates the quiet unease already inside you.






Horror for scientists
Horror recs about scientists or with good sciency vibes, that aren't all just space horror. Comment suggestions!






Drown with me π
Salt, shipwrecks, and stories that pull you under.





