Being a horror fan is weird sometimes.  Every so often, I’ll finish a book or a movie that was well-crafted and thematically compelling, but for all that, just wasn’t scary – and there’s just no replacement for those shivers up your spine, that urge to look over your shoulder, that sinking feeling in your stomach. The books I’m going to talk about today don’t have that problem.  Though they represent many different subgenres and settings, every single one of these books gave me the genuine creeps, and I mean that as the highest compliment.  Let’s get started!

Helpmeet by Naben Ruthnum

I’m fascinated by the thematic depths that can be found in the very best works of body horror.  These stories delve into how unfair it is that our bodies and those of the people we love are fragile and finite, and into what might lead a person to embrace a metamorphosis that others perceive as “horrifying”.  Naben Ruthnum’s Helpmeet unites all of these threads of body horror into a novella made of emotional dynamite.  Set amidst the restrictive backdrop of the 19th century, Helpmeet is told from the perspective of Louise Wilk, a former hospital worker who caused a scandal by marrying a man of a higher social station.  Since then, Louise has endured the infidelity of her husband Edward and the scorn of society at large.  When her husband contracts mysterious disease that eats away at his body bit by bit, Louise becomes his primary caretaker.  Louise believes she is about to watch her husband die, until she discovers that what is taking place may not be a disease at all, but rather a metamorphosis for both of them.  The characterization in Helpmeet is just as masterful as the body horror, inviting the reader at every turn to sympathize with these deeply flawed characters.  This is a book that stayed with me long after the final page was turned.

There Is No Antimemetics Division by qntm

There Is No Antimemetics Division takes the reader deep into the workings of its titular organization, amongst the operatives who work from the shadows to protect humanity from “antimemes”: entities and concepts that attack the memories and minds of human beings.  The book begins episodically, but gradually, through each mind-bending vignette, the plot threads come together towards a literally out-of-this-world climax.  This book is an effective blend of the cosmic and psychological horror subgenres, exploring the terrifying concept of entities that place no value on humanity that are nevertheless able to strike at the most basic parts of how humans identify themselves.  That being said, the book never feels too lofty or abstract.  The story may throw some pretty out-there concepts at you, but the whole thing is anchored by expertly-realized characters any reader can feel afraid for and afraid with.  I particularly enjoyed spending time with unflappable veteran Antimemetics specialist Marie Quinn.  It’s always great when a middle-aged woman in genre fiction is written with agency and narrative importance.  There Is No Animemetics Division was like nothing I’ve ever read, and horror fans looking for something new will find themselves quickly drawn in by the mental maze lurking within its pages.

The Annual Migration of Clouds by Preemee Mohamed

The Annual Migration of Clouds is a work of post-apocalyptic science fiction, but it got under my skin as well as any horror novel.  The book follows Reid, a young woman who’s offered a one in a million chance to attend university, a world away from her hometown, where people barely eke out an existence in a world scarred by climate disaster.  Reid is torn between her hopes and the sense of obligation she feels to her community.  To make matters worse, Reid is living with Cad, a highly stigmatized fungal infection that can literally seize control of her body. The part of this book that stuck with me most was the Cad infection and the way it impacts every decision Reid makes, a very resonant portrayal of chronic illness even though the illness itself is fictional.  Cad is able to control Reid’s body to ensure its own survival, and the idea of an external force that could ensure that its human host makes the selfish decision every time, regardless of how they feel about it, was effectively chilling – especially in a setting where reputation is as paramount as it is here.  The Annual Migration of Clouds gave me a lot of what I’ve been wanting more of from sci-fi, horror, and post-apocalyptic fiction, and if you’re a fan of any of those genres, you should definitely check this one out.