The best horror books

Edgar Allan Poe quote.

Edgar Allan Poe quote.

Talking about the best horror books can be a bit pretentious, especially because of the enormous subjective burden that this company carries on itself. However, justice will be sought based on the work of the greats. Now, horror is a fictional narrative subgenre that became quite popular after romanticism. This circumstance is due to the bleak outlook for realistic literature during the nineteenth century. Well, they were times of the industrial revolution, as well as the genesis of unbridled capitalism. The artistic response brought the rebirth of fantasy, subjectivity and intimacy.

Within this current, pens of imperishable validity appeared such as Mary Shelley, Edgar Allan Poe or Bram Stoker, among many others. These three authors in particular chose to delve into the darkest areas of the soul. His choice resulted in the creation of the darkest worlds ever conceived by the human mind. In these gloomy spaces some of the most celebrated characters emerged to date.

What qualities do the best horror books have?

Just as it was said, making a list of “the best books of…” is, in itself, a very subjective and even presumptuous question. However, the titles most acclaimed by the public and critics within the horror genre have common traits that have made them immortal works. Among those:

The "feasibility" of the supernatural

The narrative thread and the resources used by the great horror authors produce a change of perception in the reader. Namely, supernatural matters - despite being speculative - end up "convincing" the reader of their truthfulness through science fiction postulates.

Dark atmosphere

The Gothic or Victorian setting is a key element to evoke sensations and hook the viewer. Who many times is turned into a front-line witness and, even, an accomplice of the events narrated. While in stories like Miseriaby Stephen King, the atmosphere is not Gothic or Victorian per se, the protagonist (a writer) does use these environments in his texts.

Topics related to human nature

The characters in the best horror books — no matter how terrifying they may seem at first glance — always have motives of very human origin. Therefore, the reader can come to feel empathy for the protagonists. One of the most significant examples is Frankenstein's monster, who alludes to respect for life and reflects on issues such as loneliness or scientific morality.

Also, in Dracula Bram Stoker (the author) explores issues related to sexuality, the role of women within Victorian society, and folklore. Then, the characters are treated in a way in which their existence is not impossible "in real life." Therein lies the merit of the great authors of the genre: making readers feel that the supernatural "is among us."

The great classics of horror literature

Frankenstein or the modern Prometheus (1818), by Mary Shelley

Frankenstein.

Frankenstein.

You can buy the book here: Frankenstein

During the 1880s, the authorship of Mary Shelley (1797 - 1851) about Frankenstein was questioned. As was often the case before the 1792th century, her husband Percy B. Shelley (1822 - XNUMX) came close to getting the credit. Although at present there are no doubts about it, it is still an unfair perception of a woman who was a professional writer.

For She dedicated a large part of her lyrics to editing and enhancing the work of her husband, apart from completing other notable works. Between them, Valperga (1823) and the last man (1828). Of course, his most important book was the one starring "the creature" (Frankenstein) because it is considered - nothing more and nothing less - the first science fiction title in all of history.

Synopsis

Víctor Frankenstein is a young scientist eager for knowledge, whose excessive ambition leads him to go beyond any ethical and moral limits. To such an extent that he is obsessed with creating life from a dead body. For this purpose, put together various parts of different corpses to create a grotesque monster of 2,44 meters in height, resurrected from electrical energy.

The scientist's success eventually becomes his curse. Well His creation is rejected by all the human beings that he finds in his path. Consequently, the huge creature begins to kill everyone close to Victor. Only a companion could calm the monster, but the scientist refuses and ends any possibility of an end in peace.

The black cat (1843), by Edgar Allan Poe

The black cat.

The black cat.

You can buy the book here: No products found.

The narrator begins by claiming that he is not crazy. Although he feels close to dying that same day because he needs to console his soul for the terrifying and destructive acts suffered. To explain it, he is about to narrate these events in a not very orderly way. It begins with a description of himself as a cute and kind child to animals, especially a black cat named Pluto.

Supposedly, the feline would have been a vehicle for a demonic entity. Thus, the protagonist develops "a disease" that causes him to behave erratically and aggressively (hits his wife, gouges the cat's eye out with a razor, becomes drunk) ... Eventually, this man loses everything and when his wife adopts another black cat, the protagonist "gets sick" again.

Dracula (1897), by Bram Stoker

Dracula

Dracula

You can buy the book here: Dracula

It is important to mention that the author was based on popular legends and myths related to vampires from Eastern Europe. The epistolary narrator of the book is the merchant Jonathan Harker, who is captured by the hypnotic Count Dracula while doing business in the Transylvania region.

Later, the earl arrives in London in order to quench his bloodlust and expand his harem. There, the noble Lucy Westenra has fallen into a strange apathy and has two marks of small incisions on her neck. For this reason, his doctor (Seward) asks for the support of the famous Professor Van Helsing, a specialist in rare conditions. From that moment on, a bloody struggle is unleashed between good and evil that can test the determination of all those involved.

Must-see horror books from the second half of the XNUMXth century

Interview with the Vampire (1976), by Anne Rice

Interview with the vampire.

Interview with the vampire.

You can buy the book here: Interview with the Vampire

This title is the first in the series The Vampire Diaries by Ann Rice. It tells of the transformation of an unfortunate young man from New Orleans into a being condemned to perpetual darkness. This immortality is accompanied by the protagonist's remorse due to all the deaths he has perpetrated and the love he felt for one of his victims.

Miseria (1987), by Stephen King

Misery.

Misery.

You can buy the book here: No products found.

Only "the master of terror" could create such a twisted and obsessive tale. The protagonist is a writer who has suffered an accident and is under the care of a burly nurse with strange behavior (inhabitant of a remote cabin). But in reality, she is a macabre mind, therefore, the writer must escape and fight for his life even when his legs are broken.


Be the first to comment

Leave a Comment

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked with *

*

*

  1. Responsible for the data: Miguel Ángel Gatón
  2. Purpose of the data: Control SPAM, comment management.
  3. Legitimation: Your consent
  4. Communication of the data: The data will not be communicated to third parties except by legal obligation.
  5. Data storage: Database hosted by Occentus Networks (EU)
  6. Rights: At any time you can limit, recover and delete your information.