Ten of the best horror books you've never heard of!

[@latinaanderson7700]

I am a horror movie/book lover and there's one I read when I was around 18 (many moons ago) and I've tried to do a google search but can't find it. I feel like I remember it being called The Nursery but not 100% on that. I would call it a horror/thriller. It's about a young couple who decide to run away together and on their journey they come across a house where they are invited to stay by the couple living there but the couple turn out to be crazy and kill the boyfriend in a pretty horrible way and then lock the girl up in an attic room with a bunch of other girls who have been captured and they dress up and treat them all like little girls. Really creepy and know it's a long shot but have you maybe heard of it? Was probably written in the 70's or 80's. I'd like to read it again :)

[@CriminOllyBlog]

That does sound SUPER creepy! It doesn’t ring any bells with me I’m afraid but I’d love to read it

[@slayIem]

you might want to try asking the r/tipofmytongue subreddit, it's a board dedicated to solving this sort of thing. of course any book-related or horror fiction focused community might also be able to assist. hope you find it!

[@PhiloCoaxed]

I have never read it, but I do believe it is ‘The Nursery’ by David Lippincott

[@kbaccari88]

0:53 Disturb Not the Dream, Paula Trachtman 1:28 The Ancient, Muriel Grey 2:08 Throat Sprockets 2:49 Sincere Warning About the Entity in Your Home, Jason Arnopp 3:59 Chasm, Stephen Laws 4:32 Finite, Kit Power 5:21 Dearest, Peter Loughran 6:13 Vivia, Tanith Lee 6:51 Tokyo Zodiac Murders, Soji Shimada 7:40 Stiff Lips, Anne Billson

[@ruthfoley2580]

I've read Vivia. It's strange but wonderful.

[@jennymacallan9071]

Thank you for the list!

[@andrewrodgers2180]

thank you Karen, I am so glad you put up the list. Sometimes I get mesmerized by Ollie and i forget to take notes. Cheers

[@williamerickson520]

You forgot to list the author of Throat Sprockets: Tim Lucas. 🙃🙂

[@DocBree13]

Thanks!

[@waverlyking6045]

I am impressed. Usually, when someone compiles an internet list of stuff “you never heard of”, it’s completely full of stuff you have heard of. But not this time. I don’t know of any of these but I will be checking out as many of them as I can.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Excellent! Glad the list was useful (and new to you!)

[@shan4680]

I've heard of Stephen Laws and Tanith Lee but that's it on this list. As in, I've just heard of those two authors but not the books by their names. Absolutely nothing else on this list at all.

[@cobbler88]

Yes. Those rank right up there with "you never knew" vids. You can tell they're put together by millennials and younger, since everyone who lived during the period they're talking about knows these things.

[@KitPowerwriter]

Absolute honour to make this list, Olly - thanks so much! :)

[@CriminOllyBlog]

My pleasure! Loved The Finite.

[@psykobilly8430]

Kit Power, just finished The Finite. One of the best things I’ve read this year and I read a ton. Frightening and deeply moving. I’m a fan x

[@CriminOllyBlog]

👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻👏🏻

[@KitPowerwriter]

@@psykobilly8430 Thank you so, so much, I'm really glad it worked for you :)

[@psykobilly8430]

@@KitPowerwriter yes very much so. I’m now reading God Bomb! and love it x

[@danielmarlett1421]

Pumpkin spice is just a blend of cinnamon, nutmeg, cloves, ginger, and sometimes allspice. With some tweaking it just tastes of Christmas.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Aha! I can kind of guess how that might be nice

[@nunyabidness4220]

Good list. I'd actually heard of three of them (Disturb Not the Dream, Dearest, Throat Sprockets), and know the authors on several of the others. A few I know of that might be considered a bit obscure: Night Film by Marisha Pessl, The Search For Joseph Tully by William H. Hallihan, anything by Adam Nevill, Maynard's House by Herman Raucher, Penpal by Dathan Auerbach, Silent Companions by Laura Purcell, The Hippy Cult Murders by Ray Stanley (good luck finding this one, it's nearly impossible nowdays), Grimhaven by Charles Willeford (search around for files -- it's a long story but it's also tough to find, but worth it) , Southern Gods by John Hornor Jacobs, The Necrophiles by David Gurney. Childmare by A. G. Scott. Eat Them Alive by Pierce Nace (again, good luck finding this one... it's actually pretty bad and stupid, but it's notoriously gory so that makes people seek it out). An Odour of Decay by Martin Jenson. Afraid by Jack Kilborn. Exorcism of Angela Gray by Norman Thaddeus Vane (not great, but entertaining pulp). To Walk The Night by William Sloane. The Landlady by Constance Rauch. Every Shallow Cut by Tom Piccirilli. Not all great, but several are, and they're all worth a read.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Nice list! Of those I think I've only read Night Film!

[@Mahoney1]

Night Film is one of the best horror novels I have ever read! I loved it and recommend it often!

[@JediJuniper92]

Hadn’t heard of ANY of these and just added them to my list!! Thanks for the recs, I’m super excited.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Brilliant! Hope you enjoy them

[@BigDog366]

I am so pleased to have found this channel. I thought I'd read every book there was, but I hadn't even heard of any of those! Such great recommendations. Thank you so much.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

That's fantastic! Really glad you found the channel

[@michaelpassaro8823]

Thank You for sharing these. Now I have a good amount of new adventures to undertake. Your really quite good at these reviews and are very personable. Thank You again for taking the time to organize, and convey your thoughts with us all. You do make a difference and we do appreciate it.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks Michael, that’s really kind of you to say.

[@thomasrockhoff]

What a great video to stumble on. Looking forward to checking out your channel. Succinct descriptions, lots of recommendations, and not just the same old ones that always get talked about. If these are half as good as you make them sound, I'll be picking up a few of them and definitely having a spooky anonymous letter sent to a friend who recently bought a house.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thank you Tom! Really glad you liked the video

[@nathangillmore5064]

Fantastic list, quite a few that I've never read, much less never heard of. I love that I stumbled upon your channel!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks Nathan, really glad you enjoyed it!

[@maiamehle7019]

I am so glad I have stumbled upon your channel, there is something about you that is absolutely mesmerizing. Keep up the great job! Love to hear your reviews! I now have a new to-read list for Halloween! 🥰

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks Maia, so glad you're enjoying it

[@tconstantine9]

Fantastic list. Thanks for doing this. Been a fan of Stephen Laws since “The Crawl”. I’ve had Midnight on the To Read Pile forever. Bumping it up.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Brilliant - thanks for watching!

[@pateris]

"The Ancient" was basically Preston/Child's The Relic" on a boat…

[@AnaMoShoshin]

Wonderful! Unsurprisingly, I haven't heard of any of these (even the ones you've mentioned on the channel - You post every day!! Who can keep up?? I love it though, don't stop!). I've added quite a few to my want to read list!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks Ana, glad you found it useful and sorry it has taken me so long to reply!

[@M-J]

I think I have my eye on one or two now…thanks book buddy! I can always count on you for a unique selection. 👏🏻👏🏻

[@CriminOllyBlog]

My pleasure! Thanks for watching, MJ!

[@fulci929]

Picked up Disturb not the dream based off of one of your older videos, but will now be picking up a few more. Thanks Olly!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

No worries, cheers Matt!

[@jerrymaushard8134]

Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons is phenomenal. Long but worth it. It’s the book that got me reading again after a long hiatus. Love much of his work, but Carrion Comfort is my fave. Love your videos!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks Jerry! So glad you’re enjoying the channel. I read Carrion Comfort years ago. Definitely due a reread!

[@SlimeAndSlashers]

This is a GREAT idea for a video, Olly! I actually own Dearest and now I want to read it very badly! Also, I had no idea The Sinner was based on a book. I enjoyed the show (especially the first two seasons). I want to check that out now! If I could read more quickly, I'd love to do a vlog reading all these on your list! Alas, I'm a slower reader, so I will have to pick one or two at a time here and there! Can't wait to check all of these out at some point. Awesome video! Your channel and videos are blowing up. It is well deserved 😊

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thank you Kelsi! Hope you enjoy the ones you read. And yes I’ve had a lucky couple of weeks with the algorithm!

[@danielsweet858]

Hi Kelsi! Golly, you pop up EVERYWHERE... Happy Halloween! 🙂🎃

[@kathylovesmk]

I didn't know Sinner was a book either and I really like the shows!!

[@jo-anneheger8711]

Thanks for the list, I have heard of 4 of them (Chasm, Ancient, Sincere Warning & Stiff Lips) and read 2 (Sincere Warning & Stiff Lips - easily one of my faves, have re-read it twice and you've just reminded me to do it again). Muriel Gray's other books are also great, I have read Furnace and The Trickster. I can recommend Christopher Ransom and I've a few by John Farris who was (is?) quite prolific and very good fun indeed. I am definitely going to try the Tokyo Zodiac Murders.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Glad too enjoyed the list! I read a few John Farris books years ago and remember liking them. I need to check out Gray’s other books. I have The Trickster somewhere.

[@Acouplepuzzle]

A sincere warning sounds very interesting! And the fact that you can personalize it just makes it even better!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah it's a neat idea

[@PsilocybinCocktail]

My daughter is buying a house soon. Hmmmmmmm

[@timcoombs2780]

‘Chasm’ is great and Laws is under appreciated and largely unknown nowadays. There is a really nice, new-ish, hardcover edition of ‘Chasm’ from PS, but the original paperback cover is just lovely!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yes, and sounds like the PS edition is a revised version that includes material cut from the original. I think I need to pick up a copy!

[@TooManyHeathers]

Yes!! I love videos like this! I've added three of these ones to my TBR list already. 💪❤❤

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Fantastic!

[@Priscilla_Bettis]

Gray's The Ancient sounds so fun! I have heard of a few of these, but I read horror a LOT, so that's to be expected.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah I would have been doing well to get many past you!

[@carolyn816]

I just found your channel a few weeks ago and while watching this one I almost fell out of my chair. I was a collector of horror paperbacks in the 70s and 80s and sadly got rid of most of them a few years ago. There was one that I wished I kept. I remember some of the plot and a little bit of the ending but couldn't remember the name. I tried Googling every phrase but no luck. Then today I watched this video and the couldn't believe the very first book you reviewed is the book!!! I am reading it again now and about half way done. Disturb Not the Dream! THANKS!

[@tomraw4893]

Thanks for this resource. The old classic "Ghost Stories of an Antiquity" by M.R. James frightened the hell out of me.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I'll have to check that out!

[@BandysBooks]

Man, I really need to up my horror game. I do really enjoy it when I read it, but it definitely isn’t my primary genre. I’ll have to check out several of these suggestions. Lovely video as always.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thank you! Hope you enjoy any that you read!

[@StElna]

I've only heard of Tokyo Zodiac Murders and Vivia. I'll add a few to these: • The Bog - Delicate Dependency- Night Things, all by Michael Talbot. • Thor by Wayne Smith. • The Golden by Lucius Shepard. • Unto Leviathon (aka Ship of Fools) by Richard Paul Russo. I never hear anyone talk about these great books.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I read Thor recently and really loved it (in fact I reviewed it here). I thin I read The Golden years ago, I definitely had a copy of it. The Bog is one Ive heard great things about. Thanks for watching!

[@pateris]

I agree with "The bog" (not exactly a good title for a Brit audience, aye ?), it was definitely a good read !

[@ScaredyGinge]

I've been looking for a good list of horror! Thank you so much for this!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

My pleasure! Glad you found it useful!

[@amandizanbooksandlife]

Thank you for all the new recommendations! Haven´t heard of any of these books but i am interested in reading them. I didn´t know that the show "the sinner" was based on a book. Though i have heard the serie should be good

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Glad you found it useful! Thanks for watching and sorry it has taken me a while to reply!

[@HorrorReads]

Great list! I definitely have to look up Dearest. I just got A Sincere Warning About The Entity In Your Home. Thanks for the awesome recommendations!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

No worries! Hope you enjoy them!

[@Kuyjac258]

Wow I’m so glad to see Disturb Not the Dream here. I read this book about 22 years back and I remember scaring myself terribly on the bus home one day from work. Same bus, same route everyday but I was so engrossed in the book that I forgot about the hill with the steep decline that I almost fell of the seat. I lost my original copy and always looked for another but it was out of print. It finally found it’s way to kindle a few years back so I got to read it again around 2017 for the first time since that day one the bus.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Wonderful, love this story! There is something amazing about a book that can transport you that much.

[@hollypocket6684]

I read Disturb Not The Dream over the weekend. And wow that book made me feel all the emotions. Mostly anger lol

[@CriminOllyBlog]

It's quite a rollercoaster isn't it

[@myrarucker7953]

Fun vlog. Well, I guess I’ll start digging around for a couple of them. I have so many books to dig into and read!! Haha isn’t it great?

[@CriminOllyBlog]

It's a wonderful problem to have!

[@patlockwood6207]

Your descriptions are great!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thank you, Pat!

[@aliasreco]

My favourite book for Halloween is All Hallows Eve by Charles Williams. War in heaven is great too. And the rest Charles Williams wrote too...

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I haven't read any Charles Williams - I'll have to check him out! Thanks for watching

[@TheHammy1987]

Mission accomplished: I didn't know any of those books yet. Another one I feel istn't much talked about is The Fisherman by John Langan. It loved it, it was a book that did not remind me of anything I've read before. It's very atmospheric and dark and has a few scenes in it that chilled me to the bone. If you haven't read it yet, I think you might enjoy it. :) Thanks for the recommendations! Cheers

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I have indeed read The Fisherman and really liked it (in fact there is a review on the channel somewhere). Thanks for watching! Glad you found the video useful

[@TheHammy1987]

@@CriminOllyBlog OOOh, sorry, haven't had a chance to watch all your videos yet. I'll go and look for that review now :D

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@TheHammy1987 no worries! Hope you enjoy it 😊

[@Lo-Kag]

It's a shame to hear how many enjoyed it while I found it average at best. The concept was great but it really fell apart for me

[@YouKevo]

Great collection of books in that list, and you were right, I've not heard about any of them until now. I'm a big Stephen King fan, so as you can imagine I've pretty much all his books. But I do like other horror writers (Dean Koontz in particular). I will certainly look for the books you mentioned. They do sound very interesting. Thank you.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Great! Thanks for watching and glad you enjoyed the video

[@fiberartsyreads]

Great list! I’ve heard of only a couple of these. Chasm sounds very appealing!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

It's great - and I've since learned there's a revised edition which is supposed to be even better

[@Paraludic]

Thanks for the recommendations! The Cipher by Kath Kaja is another fantastically weird one. It's grimy and disgusting with a blend of Lovecraft and body horror. I think it's out of print, but digital copies are still available. I'd say House of Leaves, too, but that's probably the most obvious one.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Love both those books! In fact I did a video on House of Leaves a while ago and I think The Cipher ended up in another if my top 10 videos. Funhole! (Also, love the Matt Berry avatar!)

[@jamiea4791]

Great list, I added most of them to my TBR! One kind of lesser known 90s j-horror that was disturbing and stuck with me is Now You're One of Us by Asa Nonami.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I’ve not heard of that one. Thanks for the recommendation!

[@ronvlaarsvar6867]

Would like to read more J-Horror. Recently just read Strangers by Taichi Yamada, was very gone.

[@jamiea4791]

@@ronvlaarsvar6867 I'll add it to my list! Japanese lit definitely hits different and horror especially.

[@benskelly8892]

Really enjoying your videos and got some great suggestions from this one, thanks!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks, Ben. Really glad you're enjoying the channel

[@jacklawrence2212]

fantastic video and great recommendations. Thanks for posting this.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

My pleasure, Jack - glad you found it useful

[@ladyowl8732]

Good list, not only because I have not heard of them, but a nice mix of different types of horrors. I Might try to find chasm

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks! Glad you found it useful. Since I filmed it I discovered that there’s a new revised edition of Chasm which is Laws’ preferred version.

[@leonoldfield9765]

I’ve only heard and read one of the ten, The Tokyo Zodiac Murders. The Tanith Lee one particularly stands out, I’ll have to track it down and give it a read. Thanks

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks for watching, Leon. Glad you found it interesting

[@TheBearAspirin]

"Out" by Natsuo Kirino (1997) is an absolute banger of a thriller with horrific overtones.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Agreed - I liked Out a lot!

[@tonyetenario8706]

Yes! I'm always trying to make people read that book.

[@terrythompson6386]

Dude yes i just made a comment about out. It is screwed up. Yeah your right

[@liamwynne566]

Jason Arnopp is really underrated, I absolutely loved his novel 'Ghoster'. This is a great list, and I'll be sure to check out some of these books. Have you heard of 'In the Miso soup' by Ryu Murakami? It's excellent and is about a Japanese student who makes money on the side by taking sex tourists around seedy clubs in Japan and in the novel he meets a guy called Frank from America who isn't what he seems (I don't want to say too much more) Also 'All my colours' by David Quantick which is about a crappy, asshole writer from the 70's who happens upon an excellent book that nobody seems to have heard of so then decides to just pass it off as his own work with disastrous results. This one is flawed but pretty enjoyable. Last one is 'The Pilo family circus' by Will Elliott about a guy who is forced to join a nightmarish circus set in an alternate dimension after being stalked by 3 creepy clowns after he nearly hits one with his car. It's been over 10 years since I read this one but I remember it being absolutely fantastic and one I finished in a single sitting! There's plenty of other examples, but I don't want to bombard you with them just now lol

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks, Liam. I've read All My Colours and really liked it. Have heard of In the Miso Soup but not read it yet - it's on my list to get to one day. The Pilo Family Circus is new to me, sounds great though. Thanks for watching!

[@pateris]

Among the forgotten gems are John Pritchard's trilogy beginning with "night sisters", then "Angels of mourning" , can't find the third. A mix of urban fantasy (before the tag existed) and visceral horror with a gothic (as in gothic rock) vibe. A nurse from a big London hospital gets mixed with Clinicians, dark ages doctors who managed to cross the ages, and a young witch. I know them well, I translated those mothers !

[@jasonlarsen5380]

Nice list…if your looking for a few other great reads - Lesser Dead by Christopher Buehlman - Followers the night and the life of Vampire New York City, a mystery begins to within occur within the the Vampire population. Nightwise & The Night Dahlia by R.S. Belcher. His second series ties into the same occult/supernatural world it’s call Brotherhood of the Wheel. The Joe Pitt Series by Charlie Huston. Older but very similar to Lesser dead but a series Noir’ish detective like/ vampire/supernatural

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Nice! Not read any of those! Will check some out. Thanks for watching!

[@mindysbookjourney]

I have not read Disturb Not the Dream yet, but it is high on my list to read. Thanks for all the recommendations that get less attention.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

It's really messed up but a lot of fun! Hope you enjoy it

[@cravensean]

The closest I've come to reading any of those would be the comic story that was -- oh, holy smokes, I'm going to have to go to the shelf and look it up. Give me a moment... Okay. There was a Throat Sprockets comic by Tim Lucas and Mike Hoffman in Taboo #1 from 1988 and a follow-up, Transylvania mon Amour, in Taboo #3, 1989. I really wonder what this concept would be like if played out at novel length. (Taboo was an anthology of horror comics that would probably be right up your alley. It's where Alan Moore and Eddie Campbell's From Hell first saw print.)

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yep, that’s where I first encountered it too. I still have those issues up in the attic somewhere

[@gweaver2090]

Congratulations on making a KZbin video that actually lives up to the promise of the title! Subscribed.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thank you! Glad you enjoyed it

[@gweaver2090]

Really enjoying catching up on your videos now I've discovered your channel. Very good stuff. Love to hear about any folk horror recommendations you might have, I'm looking for any gems in that genre I might have missed.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@gweaver2090 Thank you! Really glad you're enjoying it! Folk horror is probably the sub genre that I know least about I'm afraid

[@sodapopbrosky]

Wow thank you! Going to look for a few of these.

[@TMyers-rq9xs]

Thank you! I can't find any of them in my local library but a couple are either free on Kindle Unlimited (Vivia and Disturb not the Dream) or cheap (A Sincere Warning about..., stoff Lips and The Ancient).

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Hope you enjoy them!

[@bbbadkitty9638]

I have not heard of any of these! Here is my winter reading list. Nothing like snow, a fire, a good cup of tea and a great spooky book. Thanks!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Hope you enjoy them!

[@cathymorris6674]

I’m happy I found your channel! Your descriptions are very helpful & I’m looking for a couple of these for spirit of the season! Any favorite sources where to order the hard to find titles? (Just not amazon)

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks Cathy! Glad you're enjoying the channel. Best bets are eBay (saved searches are really helpful for finding hard to find books) or Abebooks.

[@meganfedoruk1437]

Awesome, always love good horror recommendations!!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks Megan - glad you liked them!

[@rosannavitale9922]

Thank you, as always. Smiles and serenity.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thank you, Rosanna!

[@FlowerPower69123]

Chasm, I loved this book. Also read somewhere south of midnight. Love it as both North East

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah Laws is great!

[@CaptainSpork7]

If I may add two recommendations: The Things by Peter Watts. It takes place in the movie The Thing but from the perspective of the Thing. It’s a fascinating play on the rapist coloniser /invader trope which made my skin crawl. A Colder War by Charles Strauss. Written from the perspective of a CIA analyst, it’s a Cthulhu Mythos short story set in 80’s Cold War. The Soviets are invading Afghanistan using Eldritch abominations they barely understand or can control. What’s worse is they have access to a portal which, if opened, could spell doom for every soul on Earth. This story gives you no direct descriptions of the monsters in their dead slumber nor the realms beyond the portals, everything is titillatingly suggested in the most horrific way. The ending is bleak with a twist that suggests a fate worse then death.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Those both sound fantastic! Will check them out. Thank you!

[@Thewaitresstest]

Great list! I added them all to my TBR. I would recommend Confetti Man by Bonnie Jones

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I have indeed not head of that!

[@gspendlove]

I have to commit to one day a week, at least one day, ditching my device and sitting down with a good old-fashioned paperback. I absolutely loved reading when I was younger, and I miss it terribly.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

That's definitely a good way to do it! Phones and tablets are so distracting!

[@parlabaneisback]

I read Anne Billson's 'Suckers' earlier this year and enjoyed it. I'll have to take 'Stiff Lips' for a spin sometime. Jonathan Ayclffe (aka Daniel Easterman when he's writing thrillers) writes good atmospheric horror. Victor Gischler's "Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse", and Alan Kinross' "Longinus the Vampire" series were also fun reads.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I had no idea Aycliffe and Easterman were the same person! Although thinking about it I haven't read either of them. I'll check out those recommendations!

[@ruthfoley2580]

Suckers is a great book. Got it about 25 years or so ago. It's an odd one as none of the main characters have any redeeming features.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@ruthfoley2580 well it is about yuppies…

[@ruthfoley2580]

@@CriminOllyBlog True. I preferred the main vampire. At least she was honest & had a personality.

[@ScientificallyStupid]

I am really excited to check some of these out! Your synopsis of "Chasm" is giving me serious "The Great and Secret Show" (Clive Barker) vibes. Since that's one of my favorite books, I'm going to have to read Chasm. One book I never see on this type of list is "The Mortuary Arts" by John Gregory Hancock- it's about a young woman who finds herself with no resources or job prospects, so, out of desperation, she takes a job at a mortuary. She eventually becomes entangled with the two unmarried brothers who run the place. To say more would be to spoil it! It's a fairly quick read, but it took me a while to finish it. It gave me such a serious case of the creeps that I had to keep putting it down and then coming back to it. It has beautiful illustrations by the author that are done in that jittery "Scary Stories" style, and they add to the overall sense of dread that slowly builds throughout the book. I'm trying to get everyone I know to read it because I want to talk about it so badly!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks Jessica! Going to look that book up now, it sounds great

[@ScientificallyStupid]

@@CriminOllyBlog I hope you enjoy it!

[@johngaffney1671]

A rare video with your library in focus. You should do a video with a trip through the titles?

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I did do a library tour series early on in the life of the channel but definitely worth a refresh. I keep meaning to do it, but it’s a big undertaking!

[@lesliepowell-mccarty7067]

Where on earth do you find these? I have been reading horror since I was 9 years old. I'm 56 now and have never heard of any of the titles discussed. 🎃👻

[@CriminOllyBlog]

LOL - I achieved my goal then!

[@lesliepowell-mccarty7067]

@@CriminOllyBlog 😂

[@thesecondson30]

Lets here Leslies top ten as well!!

[@lesliepowell-mccarty7067]

@@thesecondson30 I have some in my TBR that I picked out based on the covers. I'll have to let you know if they are any good once I have finished them. I have never heard of them before but Olly is making me branch out. 😎✌️👻🖤

[@BartelsBookshelf]

Indeed, the only ones of these I'd heard of before were the ones you'd talked about previously. 😛But I've added Chasm, Dearest, and Tokyo Zodiac Murders to my list!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Excellent! They’re definitely different from all the Star Trek you’ve been reading lately 😂

[@darkphoenix68]

The only one of these I know is Chasm. I have several books by Stephen Laws, including Chasm -- but I haven't actually read it. Must try to get around to it sometime ... but these days I either listen to audiobooks, or read ebooks. (The lighting in this apartment isn't conducive to reading paper... 🙂) While watching this video I bought two or three others from the list: Vivia, The Finite, and The Ancient. (I've also read The Trickster by Muriel Grey; it was great, if memory serves!)

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Excellent! Hope you enjoy those books, Peter, and thanks for watching!

[@Mistersandyrobertson]

I'd heard of the Tim Lucas book, and several of the authors such as Laws and Gray. The Arnopp book sounds disturbingly like a true story I recently heard of where new owners of a house got a series of letters from someone claiming his family had been watchers of the house through generations and that they should beware of something in the walls there. Nothing was found but eventually they sold the house at a loss. I think there's a series about to appear about it.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Oh that is a very creepy story!

[@maxwashingtonmusic7000]

That letter sounds awesome lol! I might order that for someone someday lol. And I also love monsters in enclosed spaces stories! Alien is awesome. Lots of interesting books here! Gonna check them out. Cheers 👍📕📕📕📖📖📖🎃🎃🎃

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thanks, Max. Glad you enjoyed it!

[@jramsey9690]

Great list. Thank you!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Glad you found it useful!

[@andrewrobertson3894]

As a horror novel junkie, this list was just what the doctor ordered. I'm sure many of us have trawled the net, praying for a fresh fix only to wind up getting dealt the same chronically deficient "Top 10" tripe over and over again. Chasm, Dearest and Tokyo Zodiac all sound like my cup of tea. As for recommendations, I'll give a few favorites. (no order or rank, just popping into my head) Adam Nevill - Last Days Jonathan Aycliffe - The Matrix Wrath James White - The Resurrectionist. Gemma Amor - Dear Laura Bernard Taylor - Sweetheart, Sweetheart Brian Evenson - Last Days (another one) Richard Laymon - Night in the Lonesome October Scott Smith - The Ruins S. Craig Zahler - Wraiths of a Broken Land Graham Masterton - Mirror John Shirley - Wetbones

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Glad you enjoyed the list. I’ve read Dear Laura and The Ruins from yours and loved both of them. I’ve also read The Resurrectionist which was…interesting 😂 Reading Wetbones next month 😁

[@andrewrobertson3894]

@@CriminOllyBlog Yeah. The Resurrectionist ... Quite repulsive and nasty. I usually avoid that sort of stuff (Ed Lee and co.) but something about it, the premise maybe ...anyway, enough about that 😅 All I'll say is that after Wetbones, nothing else I've read from Shirley has even come close. Also, just to give it a bit of a plug, Wraith's of a Broken Land is written by the dude who wrote and directed the film Bone Tomahawk.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@andrewrobertson3894 yeah the premise was really great, and some of the gore was effective, but just felt really uneven overall. Ah someone else recommended the Bone Tomahaw guy to me, need to check him out

[@lindas5964]

Appreciate your inclusion of foreign writers. Japanese have a different slant on ghosts, Korean is generally too gory (for me). Authors in Scandinavian countries seem to have a spareness of style I really love but it’s been hard for me to find horror by them.

[@troytradup]

Amazing -- you stumped me! And, hey, I met Venus's American cousin in a toy store in Detroit Lakes, Minnesota today. Lighter gray, but just as vocal and opinionated. I very much wanted to bring her home with me, but the store's owner was having none of it.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Ha! That's great! Venus chattiness is definitely my favourite thing about her

[@massonman9099]

Thanks for your site. Ordered one book out of this video. Love your presentation. Ever read an old ghost/horror called The Toll House (l think) by WW Jacobs? Frightened the pants off me, back in the fifties when I was wee!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thank you! Really glad you enjoyed it. No I've never read that one! I might have to check it out. Thanks for watching and sorry it has taken me so long to reply!

[@massonman9099]

@@CriminOllyBlog it was published I'm a collection of his humorous stories called Sailors' Knots. I found it in my brother's books when I was alone in bed. I was about eight and he had been called up. I read all the funny ones, then hit that! 😂

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@massonman9099 ha! that's brilliant

[@horrorgeekmel196]

Adding several to my list. Thanks!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Hope you enjoy them!

[@georgeparkes3863]

Thanks for the list! I’d love to read these but can’t get hold of most of them even online. All the second hand copies get hoovered up by wholesalers for expensive online resale. I had this trying to find a copy of ‘the song of kali’ by Dan Simmons. (A great book in itself but better known probably!) I’ll keep trying though!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Most of them are available on Kindle if you're happy to go that route!

[@georgeparkes3863]

@@CriminOllyBlog two purchased already 😆

[@kathleenf306]

I've read The Ancient. Also try Muriel Gray's Trickster, and Furnace

[@island_girl]

You had me at "Tanith Lee". 💖😁

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I definitely need to read more by here

[@SuperTbriggs]

You got me I haven't read any of those books but thanks for pointing them in my direction. Here are Six recommendations for you, Six Four by Hideo Yokoyama, City Whitelight by John McKenzie, Beware! by Richard Laymon, Squirm by Richard Curtis, Jennifer Goverment by Max Barry and Consider her ways and others by John Wyndham. Sorry if you have already covered any of these but I have just joined your channel.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Nice list! I’ve have Six Four and Beware! But haven’t read them yet. Read Squirm in the summer and liked it a lot. Thanks for watching and commenting!

[@SuperTbriggs]

@@CriminOllyBlog Thank you. I have suggestions for future reads and will continue to watch your show for books I haven't read. I grew up in the 80s going to village libraries, a mobile library and a city library that was twenty minutes on the train and a one mile walk away. I cut my teeth on a lot of fantasy, horror and sci fi pulp novels and I still love them today so thats why I enjoy your show. My first ever horror read was Carrie and I still remember the front cover being a young scary girls face covered with riverlets of blood lit with silver lightning. What was your first horror read?

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@SuperTbriggs Mine was an HP Lovecraft collection. Christine by King followed not long after

[@chrisgomes5048]

The only one I was failiar with was Throat Sprockets. I think Jonathan Carroll gets recognition as a literary writer, but his stuff is incredibly creepy and atmospheric (as well as having well=developed characters). My personal favorites are: The Voice of Our Shadow, The Land of Laughs, The Bones of the Moon. He's one of those writers who whenever I bring him up in a horror group, someone else nods knowingly "Oh yeah! What's he written lately?"

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I haven't read any Carroll - I'll check him out. Thanks for the recommedation!

[@timcoombs2780]

@@CriminOllyBlog Carroll is quite brilliant. I like to think he's the writer Neil Gaiman wants to be when he grows up. 'Sleeping in Flame' and 'Outside the Dog Museum' are quite haunting.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@timcoombs2780 I love that description!

[@J.S.3259]

Carroll is definitely a slipstream author who is favoured by literary critics. He’s a smarter Neil Gaiman

[@J.S.3259]

or maybe a fraternal twin of Steve Erickson

[@arlem525]

I absolutely love Tanith Lee. Vivia has been on my TBR for ages.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I need to read more by her

[@arlem525]

@@CriminOllyBlog I highly recommend her Tales of the Flat Earth series on Audible. The narrator is magnificent. I have been a fan sine her short story Huzdra appeared in the DAW Year's Best Horror Stories #5. Oh and Dark Dance, the first book in her Blood Opera Sequence. I have been collecting her most of my life. Not everything lands for me though, I have to admit.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@arlem525 Thank you!

[@stews9]

May Sinclair wrote superb ghost stories, and is generally unknown today. Eltonsbrody by Edgar Mittelholzer is a strange, eerie novel that I'd call horror. The Beetle by Richard Marsh, which out-sold Dracula for a year when both were released in 1897, is surprisingly modern horror with an oblique approach that makes it all the more compelling. Few know it these days, alas. More modern books people often overlook is Deadfall Hotel and The Man On the Ceiling by Steve Rasnic-Tem. A Night In the Lonesome October by Roger Zelazny. The Search for Joseph Tully by Wm. H. Hallahan. The Reincarnatin of Peter Proud by Max Erlich is better than the movie would lead one to believe, with more First Nation American lore. I'll stop now. Great episode, superb channel. Found you via Michael Vaughn & Roger.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Some great recommendations! I haven’t read any of these! Thanks for your kind words, really glad you’re enjoying the channel

[@TequilaMockingbrd]

Hey Olly , Great channel! Any faves in the Cosmic Horror Genre? Big fan of Laird Barron in that department - please check out his short stories if you're not familiar.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Hi Maurice, thank you so much! Cosmic horror isn’t something I’ve read that much of tbh (and have never read Barron so will check him out). I do enjoy Lovecraft though and also liked the modern retakes on HPL that Tor put out a while ago by Victor LaValle and Kij Johnson

[@davebrzeski]

I haven't started watching yet, but if I haven't heard of at least half them I will send you a free book! You need to get the PS Publishing reissue of Chasm. The horror boom was over & Stephen Laws had to suffer from editors who really didn't care. The new version is as Stephen intended. I've been a huge Tanith Lee for decades, I have quite a few books signed by her. There were only a couple I hadn't heard of, but I expect I'll send you a free ie at some point. 🙂

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Oh, I didn't know that about Chasm! I'll have a look for that version. And yeah, I figured I'd have been doing very well to have named more than a couple that you didn't know!

[@rrkpo]

I love your KZbin channel and although I’ve been reading horror books for over 47 years you’ve introduced me to some new gems. Thank you. I do however have a question. I read a book about an “idiot savant”!who made machines that killed people, I seem to remember a girl was involved as a carer or friend. I wondered if anyone had a clue as to the title.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Thank you! Really glad you're enjoying the channel! That one doesn't ring any bells I'm afraid...

[@pateris]

I remember it, it's by Bentley Little, but I can't be arsed to remember the exact title. Little is at his best when he goes for surreal stuff… ("The Forgotten" is brilliant this way.)

[@benja6902]

Just ordered 4 of these. Most interesting!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Awesome. Hope you enjoy them

[@jonsmith20766]

"Pumpkin Spice" (Jackie O'Lantern) was replaced by "Baby Spice" (Emma Bunton) at the eleventh hour after "Posh Spice" (Victoria Adams) walked in, after her first date with "Goldenballs Spice" (David Beckham) on the horrific scene of "Sporty Spice" (Melanie Chisholm), "Scary Spice" ( Melanie Brown) and "Ginger Spice" (Geraldine Hallliwell) eating Jackie's head. Victoria, then 19st, projectile vomited out three quarters of her body weight. Rumours that this was orchestrated by manager Simon Fuller (Amoral Capitalist Spice) to both rid Jackie from the group and cynically/clinically deal with Victoria's body issues have always been vigorously refuted, despite persistent rumours from me "Middle Aged Man With Too Much Time on His Hands Spice".

[@CriminOllyBlog]

hahahaha that was brilliant! Thank you!

[@wburris2007]

For Canadian thanksgiving we have pumpkin spice pie. Except we use carrots instead of pumpkin.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

That sounds... odd. I can't really imagine it!

[@whitebread940]

I’m going add all these to my list. I never know what to read and these sound interesting.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Excellent! Hope you enjoy them!

[@adriennelee26]

Of these, I've only read "A Sincere Warning about the Entity in Your Home." I haven't heard of the others. My recommendation for an underappreciated horror novel is The Dead House by Billy O'Callaghan.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Not heard of that one, I'll check it out - thanks Adrienne!

[@mikeholmanlovesyou]

-Cats Eye by William W Johnstone is one of my fav books ever and it seems to just be completely unheard of. -The Predators by Mark Washburn.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I'm reading a Johnstone book at the moment by a weird coincidence!

[@mikeholmanlovesyou]

@@CriminOllyBlog which one? is it one of the Devils series?

[@CriminOllyBlog]

@@mikeholmanlovesyou No, it's The Bats

[@mikeholmanlovesyou]

@@CriminOllyBlog Oh cheers! Gonna add that to my library now! IF you like it. Check out Cats Eye.

[@paulrees3861]

Phantoms by Dean Koontz was a favourite of mine, fantastic build, spoiled a bit by the ending.

[@joanthompson5606]

Try "the Taking" by Koontz

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah Koontz can be fun

[@joanthompson5606]

@@CriminOllyBlog Oops, another blooper: it's the "Taking" by Koontz, not Takers.... so embarrassing 😳

[@pateris]

It also took about 300 pages before things finally happened…

[@mimi31268]

📖 thank you for compiling your list of creepies! 📚 xoxo from south Florida 🏖

[@CriminOllyBlog]

My pleasure! Glad you liked it! :)

[@forestoldboy]

Great choices 👌 only one I have read is 'Chasm' a great read and would be a great movie or tv mini series, Richard laymon is my #1 author of all time but you never hear anyone talk about him nowadays which is a shame ☹️

[@CriminOllyBlog]

I've done a couple of videos on Laymon! Glad you enjoyed the video

[@forestoldboy]

@@CriminOllyBlog I will check them out 😎👍

[@pateris]

I almost translated a Richard Laymon novel, but it all went tits up unfortunately…

[@backawayfromthedonkey]

As someone who doesn't read much horror this is a really interesting list.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Glad you found it useful 😊

[@cobbler88]

I have no idea how well- or little-known Bentley Little is. I only know that once I start one of his novels, I'm turning pages constantly until I'm done. And then I have to take a long shower to wash away the shame.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Ha! You should never feel shame for enjoying a book! I’m familiar with Little but have never actually read him. I need to remedy that!

[@jenniferlovesbooks]

I really want to read the Soji Shimada book. I've read another book by him. Also really want to read The Sinner.

[@CriminOllyBlog]

It's definitely worth reading!

[@AnneAndersonFoxiepaws]

Was the series called Sinner too? One that I really liked but it just disappeared was Outcast, did you see that? Oh and you got me with this list, not one book and that's depressing for me! Lol!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Yeah it was - had Bill Pullman in it. I didn't see Outcast I'm afraid. Please to have got you with the list!

[@leebritnell2405]

You are quite right.As a lifelong horror fan,I've never heard of these!

[@CriminOllyBlog]

Aha! Glad I succeeded!