Hello folks! Today, we have exciting news about four great books that arrived in the mail over the past couple of days, each promising a unique journey into worlds both familiar and alien. Get ready to encounter cosmic entities that challenge the very fabric of our understanding, horrific AI that raises questions about morality and the future of humanity, and hometown horrors returning to haunt us in ways we never imagined possible. Additionally, we’re thrilled to introduce a stunning anthology of short stories from Africa by Cheryl S. Ntumy, which not only showcases diverse voices but also captures the rich tapestry of experiences and cultures. Check out these Must-Read Horror books below!

Must-Read Horror: 4 Books to Ignite Your Imagination

Black Friday: Short Stories from Africa (Beyond and Within) by Cheryl S. Ntumy (Author), Eugen Bacon (Foreword)

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Flame Tree Collections 

Cheryl S. Ntumy is a Ghanaian writer of short fiction and novels of speculative fiction. Her work has appeared in FIYAH Literary Magazine, Apex Magazine, World Literature Today and she’s also been shortlisted for the Nommo Award for African speculative fiction, the Commonwealth Writers Short Story Prize and the Miles Morland Foundation Scholarship.

She is part of the Sauúti Collective, which created a shared universe for Afrocentric speculative fiction, and a member of Petlo Literary Arts, an organization that develops and promotes creative writing in Botswana. With dark mysteries, cozy magical realism and cautionary tales, this collection has something for everyone, and features nine new stories, including ‘Dream State’, ‘Clickbait’ and ‘The Feeding Grounds’ with other popular tales, such as ‘The Storymage’ and ‘The Way of Baa’gh’ (A Sauútiverse story).

Eugen Bacon (Foreword) is an African Australian author. She’s a British Fantasy and Foreword Indies Award winner, a twice World Fantasy Award finalist, and a finalist in the Shirley Jackson, Philip K. Dick, Victorian Premier’s Literary Award, and the Nommo Awards for speculative fiction by Africans. Eugen was announced in the honor list of the Otherwise Fellowships for ‘doing exciting work in gender and speculative fiction’. Danged Black Thing made the Otherwise Award Honor List as a ‘sharp collection of Afro-Surrealist work’. Visit her at eugenbacon.com.

The Flame Tree Beyond and Within short story collections bring together tales of myth and imagination by modern and contemporary writers, carefully selected by anthologists, and sometimes featuring short stories from a single author. Overall, the series presents a wide range of diverse and inclusive voices with myth, folkloric-inflected short fiction, and an emphasis on the supernatural, science fiction, the mysterious and the speculative. The books themselves are gorgeous, with foiled covers, printed edges and published only in hardcover editions, offering a lifetime of reading pleasure.

Going Home in the Dark Kindle Edition by Dean Koontz 

Publisher ‏ : ‎ Thomas & Mercer

When hometown horrors come back to haunt, friendship is salvation in a novel about childhood fears and buried secrets by #1 New York Times bestselling master of suspense Dean Koontz.

As kids, outcasts Rebecca, Bobby, Spencer, and Ernie were inseparable friends in the idyllic town of Maple Grove. Three left to pursue lofty dreams—and achieved them. Only Ernie never left. When he falls into a coma, his three amigos feel an urgent need to return home. Don’t they remember people lapsing into comas back then? And those people always awoke…didn’t they?

After two decades, not a lot has changed in Maple Grove, especially Ernie’s obnoxious, scary mother. But Rebecca, Bobby, and Spencer begin to remember a hulking, murderous figure and weirdness piled on mystery that they were made to forget. As Ernie sinks deeper into darkness, something strange awaits any friend who tries to save him.

For Rebecca, Bobby, and Spencer, time is running out to remember the terrors of the past in a perfect town where nothing is what it seems. For Maple Grove, it’s a chance to have the “four amigos,” as they once called themselves, back in its grasp

Must-Read Horror: 4 Superb Books to Ignite Your Imagination

Immaculate Conception by Ling Ling Huang

A portrait of companionship – achingly tender and twisted – that captures the tenuous line between love and possession.

Mathilde is a dizzyingly talented, tortured artist whose star is on the rise – and Enka, struggling to create art that feels original, is immediately drawn to her.

The two strike up a close friendship, but when Mathilde’s fame reaches new heights, her work becoming more and more extreme, Enka becomes desperate to keep her close – no matter the cost.

Enka falls in love with and marries a billionaire whose family’s company is funding new technology purported to enhance empathy, and which could allow someone else to inhabit Mathilde’s mind and absorb the trauma infecting her brain.

But as their codependency deepens, the boundaries between Mathilde and Enka begin to blur, setting in motion a haunting series of events that will forever change their lives.

Blisteringly smart, thought-provoking, and eerily timely, Immaculate Conception deftly navigates big questions of art, technology, authorship, and what makes us human. Its answers will haunt you long after you turn the final page.

Praise for Immaculate Conception

‘Huang’s brilliant, imaginative, and ambitious novel gripped me from beginning to end. I loved every moment of it’ Monika Kim, author of The Eyes Are the Best Part

‘Huang, the real-life genius holding the palette, deftly weaves competition, longing, fantastical technology, and gobsmacking imagery into an unforgettable tale… utterly gripping: an immersive, transformative read’ Sierra Greer, author of Annie Bot

Requiem by John Palisano 

Ava must fight an entity locked in on taking out the crew of the Eden, a moon-sized cemetery in space, as it brings back the souls of the dead buried aboard. One such soul is Ava’s lost love, Roland.

The spirits of the interred on the Eden haunt those aboard, including a visiting musician is tasked with writing a new song for the dead. Her Requiem calls a cosmic entity that illuminates their darkest fears and secrets. One by one, they’re driven mad. Ava fights her grief and must rise up before they’re lost and the entity reaches Earth.

FLAME TREE PRESS is the imprint of long-standing independent Flame Tree Publishing, dedicated to excellent original writing in horror, science fiction and fantasy. The list brings together fantastic new authors and the more established; the award winners, and exciting, original voices. Learn more at www.flametreepress.com and connect on social media @FlameTreePress. Awarded independent publisher of 2024 by the British Fantasy Society.

Must-Read Horror: 4 Superb Books to Ignite Your Imagination