Ginger Nuts of Horror has been reviewing horror books for 18 years. Here you will find reviews of new horror novels, novellas and short story collections, from small indie presses to the big imprints, across folk horror, gothic, cosmic, psychological horror and everything in between. Every review is free, independent and honest.
Andrew Joseph White’s YA horror thriller follows Morgan Slaughter, the autistic trans son of a jailed killer, as a documentary crew moves into his life. It is a fierce piece of true crime fiction with an autistic protagonist who refuses to be anyone’s perfect victim, and one of the best trans horror books of the year.
Alma Katsu’s Incarnate is a Dorian Gray retelling for the deepfake age, and this Incarnate review finds it her sharpest novel yet. A lonely effects artist builds the perfect influencer, then accepts help from a stranger who wants something back. Fast, smart techno horror from Titan Books that earns all five stars.
Nick Medina leaves Louisiana for the northern woods in Savage Lake, a dual timeline horror novel about a mother, her horror-mad son and a family lake with a long memory. My Savage Lake review explains why this Indigenous horror novel from Berkley, mixing cabin in the woods horror with Anishinaabe lore, is the best book Medina has written.
My There Used to Be People Here review looks at Kennedy Cole’s debut, a sci-fi horror novel set in 1978 Mississippi. A Black detective and his temporary partner chase a strange death towards a crash that was not a plane. It is Southern noir horror with real heart, and one of the best debuts of the year.
Katherine Daniel’s debut is an Appalachian horror novel about two estranged siblings, a roadside store and a creature that feeds on guilty hearts. This When the Night Comes Knocking review explains why the siege horror novel earns four and a half stars, and why fans of books like The Mist should lock the doors and read it.
Djuna’s Memoir of a Joseon Bride gathers vampires, zombies, robots and online film fans into one genre-bending book of Korean speculative fiction. Natalie Wall finds a translated short story collection that is inventive, unsettling and keen to take risks, even when a few stories tease the mind more than they move the heart.
