This post is all about 23 must-read Cosmic Horror Books, you need to read as soon as possible!
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Hey Y’all, thanks for stopping by Booked and Bewitched! This week we are talking about all things Cosmic Horror Books related.
Cosmic horror or Lovecraftian horror is a subgenre of fiction that focuses mainly on the weird fiction or cosmic dread aspects of fiction. Featuring all the goodies such as forbidden knowledge, madness, monsters, cults, religion, superstition, hoodoo, fate, and inevitability. It can also include backdrops and story locations featured around isolated locations, ocean or deep water, haunted houses, hospitals, and space, along with many others.
So without further ado, let’s get into these Cosmic Horror Books! Oh, and if you’re looking for more fun reads, head on over to 19 Thriller Horror Books To Add To Your Library As Soon As Possible!, for more reads!
23 Tales of Existential & Cosmic Horror
1. One of the best cosmic horror novels
by
The rain fell like lead, and its coming seemed to wash away the world. But something else lurked beneath the rising waters and the creeping turmoil growing within, something terrible and omnipotent, as if a great leviathan roamed below the surface ready to breach and devour.
Brad Turner had never read the Bible, but he knew the stories it told. They were a part of the zeitgeist. He’d absorbed them through a lifetime of culture and allegory. But after personal tragedy strikes, the ancient narratives begin to play out around him with deadly consequences.
Only in his desperate search for his missing family does he find the strength to carry on – but every clue uncovered leads to a new mystery, and every turn in the darkness drives him closer to madness. To discover the truth, he must surrender to a new reality and its terrifying implications. Plagued by angels and demons alike, he must make a horrible choice, a choice that will govern the destiny of his eternal soul.
But behind every choice lurks a Monster.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles- If you love plot twists and vivid descriptions mixed into a dark fantasy horror setting, Monster is a must-read for you. Just when you think you know what’s coming the author hits us with an unexpected twist that keeps you guessing until the very end.
2. Must-read cosmic horror books, not Lovecraft
by Andrew C. Piazza (Author)
1853. South China Sea. While on patrol during the Opium Wars, the crew of the steam frigate HMS Charger pursues a fleet of pirates that have been terrorizing the waters surrounding Hong Kong.
But now the hunters have become the hunted. Something else has come to the South China Sea: ancient, powerful, and malevolent.
Now, the crew of the Charger must face their worst nightmares to survive the terrible creature they come to know as the Darkstar.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles- So if you love U.S. Horror Fiction mixed with history and monsters of the deep, A Song For The Void is a must-read. This one will have you jumping at every creek and groaning in the night while turning pages to find out what happens next!
3. One of the finest cosmic horror audiobooks
by John Hornor Jacobs (Author), and Chuck Wendig (Introduction)
Breathtaking and haunting, A Lush and Seething Hell is a terrifying and exhilarating journey into the darkness, an odyssey into the deepest reaches of ourselves that compels us to confront secrets best left hidden.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles- So if you love cosmic horror audiobooks, short stories, or just all-around creepy listening, A Lush And Seething Hell is unputdownable. An amazing mix of genres and styles this is a great listen for the cosmic horror lover.
4. Second-to-none modern cosmic horror books
by Michael Winter (Author)
Tampa Fire Rescue paramedic Andrew Tate thought he had put all of his father’s crazy nonsense behind him. Twenty years ago, John Tate had been the respected dean of biology at the University of Tampa, a coolly intellectual researcher and devoted family man. Certainly not the type prone to outbursts of hysterical dementia. Then one summer afternoon he returned home covered in blood, ranting about bizarre creatures hiding in plain sight and declaring his intention to move out to protect his wife and son from the horrors now stalking him.
For the past two decades, the senior Tate has lived at the periphery of his son’s life, making only occasional contact while conducting what he calls “research” into his discovery. It’s an uneasy relationship, but Andrew is thankful his deranged father has chosen to remain at arm’s length.
All that changes, however, after Andrew is drawn into a hostage standoff. During a tense negation with the captor, he beholds something that seems to validate his father’s claims: a living nightmare exposed for all to see and yet strangely camouflaged, both there and not there. It will be the first in a series of unwanted discoveries that will lead Andrew to the realization that a barely-glimpsed world exists at the edge of our awareness, a shadow ecosystem populated by terrifying denizens lurking in the light, awaiting the return of something vast and ancient and malevolent.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles- So if you love The Relic or The Shining, you have to read Periphery. With amazing characters, plot twists to make the masters proud, and overall horror suspense to have you crawling out of your skin, this is a must-read.
5. Amazing sci-fi cosmic horror books
by Fredrick Niles (Author)
300 years ago, a bolt of cosmic lightning struck Earth, scattering humanity across the stars. Since then, most habitable planets have come under the rule of an authoritarian regime known as the People’s Union Coalition.
Seeking to escape the PUC’s stranglehold, the crew of the Leopold endeavors to steal a Light Core, one of the only means of transportation from star system to star system. But when they come across an old derelict vessel drifting through the outer boundaries of known space, their escape quickly turns into a blood-soaked nightmare.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles- Okay, if you loved playing Dead Space or Doom. Or watched Aliens on repeat, like me, Violent Wonder is a cosmic horror book set in space that you have to read. In need of a hostile trip through the unknown regions of space filled with things that will probably try and eat you, this is a TBR ad.
6. Foremost eldritch horror books
by Cassandra L. Thompson (Author), William Bartlett (Author), Lucas Mann (Author), & 3 more
Welcome to Brackish Harbor. Settled in the 1920s on an island in the Atlantic Ocean, it was once a booming fishing town that attracted tourists who longed for a quiet retreat. It soon became a beautiful escape, and for those who lived there, it was a community. A promise. A home. Until…
Mysteriously, the fishing industry that sustained the small village dried up, and over time, tourists lost interest. Many loyal villagers relocated. But most were forced to remain, scraping by amidst the dilapidated buildings, docked fishing boats, and vestiges of better days. Whispers of curses, strange experiments, and otherworldly creatures floated about the harbor. So many rumors, and so many untold stories. Here are the ones that managed to be told.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles- So if you love horror anthologies with cosmic horror mixed in, Tales from Brackish Harbor is an amazing read. Sometimes you just need a book you can read in bites, keeping the terror to small doses, and this one is amazing.
7. One of the scariest cosmic horror books
by Andrew Van Wey (Author)
When tragedy shatters thirteen-year-old Zelda Ruiz’s adolescence, she retreats with her uncle Mark to the bucolic town of Greywood Bay. It’s a chance to heal, a chance to build a new life together.
But nothing can prepare them for the malignant terror that has long coveted these lands.
It looms over redwood groves and lurks in the foundations of homes. It festers in the dark hearts of the wounded. And now, this cosmic horror has found a new weapon: a means to worm its way into our world.
To save their community—and each other—Zelda and Mark will need to confront their darkest demons, both inside and out. For what stalks Greywood Bay hunger for suffering above all else?
And soon it will feast…
Booked & Bewitched Babbles- Once again we venture into another occult horror and cosmic horror haunted town with By The Light Of Dead Stars. I can’t wait to dive into this one. Not only do you bumps in the night and weird creatures. You also get the great history and odd villagers to keep you reading all night long.
8. One of the greatest cosmic horror books
by Tim Curran (Author)
Journey into a place of unknown humanity. a space between spaces where sea monsters, ghosts ships, and the undead dwell!
From the author of ALIEN HORRORS and HIVE comes DEAD SEA, a nightmarish Lovecraftian journey. When The Mara Corday, an aged freighter, enters the Graveyard of the Atlantic, nightmares become real.
The crew finds themselves trapped in a realm where time doesn’t exist and unimaginable horrors dwell. Lost in a becalmed sea, in a netherworld where evil manifests itself in hideous forms, the survivors of the Mara Corday have an eternity to find a way out – if they aren’t killed first by the creatures stalking them.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles- If you can’t get enough cosmic horror stories about being lost at sea, then the Dead Sea is going to be unputdownable for you. Following the tale of a freighter that finds itself in a waking nightmare will keep you up all night. Throw in Lovecraftian-style monsters and ghost ships, I promise this one will not fail to keep you on the edge of your toes.
9. Best modern cosmic horror books
by Jack Townsend (Author)
Drunk customers. Shoplifting raccoons. Otherworldly visitors. As a night shift clerk at the twenty-four-hour gas station at the edge of town, Jack has pretty much seen it all.
That is, until his best friend reveals the body of a local politician hidden in the trunk of a car, setting off a chain of events with apocalyptic potential. Soon, Jack finds himself entangled in a supernatural conspiracy involving monster hunters, sociopaths, doomsday cultists, and… garden gnomes?
Armed with nothing but his wits, sarcasm, and alarming amounts of coffee, can Jack stay alive long enough to see another morning shift? Or will he, too, fall victim to the dark, ancient force infecting the dreams of everyone around him?
One thing’s for sure. He’s not getting paid enough for this.
Booked & Bewitched Babbles- Okay, if you have a dark sense of humor, love cosmic horror novels, and need something to keep you occupied and unproductive Tales From The Gas Station is your next read. The title grabbed my attention, and the description made me laugh and ask WTF. So needless to say this is high on the TBR list.
10. One of the best cosmic horror authors
by Christopher Hawkins (Author)
The house at the end of the block with an overgrown lawn. The darkened store window in a forgotten corner of the shopping mall. The colorful characters of a children’s TV show. What dark secrets do they hide?
From award-winning author, Christopher Hawkins come thirteen tales of the horrors lurking right next door.
- A shut-in sets out to make a new life for himself by losing weight at the point of a scalpel.
- A store clerk with a mannequin obsession hides a macabre and tragic secret.
- A master thief tries for one last score in a house that doesn’t want him to leave.
- Two friends learn the hard way that having superpowers doesn’t always make you a hero. It might just make you a monster.
- A lonely painter finds freedom with the help of something lurking beneath the ocean waves.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- So show of hands if you think all the creepy stuff is hiding in burbs. You too huh, well Suburban Monsters will most certainly have you thinking so. These horror short stories are an amazing mix of all things cosmic horror and beyond, sure to have you looking at your neighbor in a whole new light.
11. Good cosmic horror books
by J.R. Hamantaschen (Author), Velox Books (Author)
Acclaimed throughout the underground horror world, J.R. Hamantaschen’s stories push the boundaries and refuse to conform to the usual conventions. A mix of nihilism, cosmic horror, and weird fiction, this collection is a must-read for anyone who craves the dark and disturbing.
Following in the footsteps of H. P. Lovecraft, Thomas Ligotti, T.E.D. Klein, and Dennis Etchison, Hamantaschen masterfully weaves tales of horror that articulate what we’ve always suspected: that life is a losing proposition.
Don’t miss out on this groundbreaking collection of stories that will leave you questioning your sanity.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- If you love a story that have you questioning your sanity and what’s real and what isn’t, You Shall Never Know Security is a good place to start. These horror short stories won’t leave you wanting with their mix of cosmic horror and darkness.
12. Best modern cosmic horror books
by Aaron Beardsell (Author)
Hazel Birnam and her team are investigating occult anomalies in the dark forests of Western Australia. People are missing, dead bodies are piling up, and ancient monsters lurk in the woods. Only she can solve the mystery festering at the heart of Coffinwood.
But as her hometown slips into madness, Hazel may already be too late to stop the evil growing beneath the hills. Whatever is down there, it is hungry. A cult is rising to power on twisted promises, and they’ll stop at nothing to achieve their goals.
If Hazel can’t defeat them, she knows that they will open the Gate.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- Okay, shut up and take my money. If you love cults, cosmic horror, occult horror, or small-town horror, Coffinwood is a must-read. I can’t wait to read this one, and if you’re a cosmic horror novel fan, you should read it too.
13. Some of the best cosmic horror books in 2022
by John Llewellyn Probert (Author)
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- So if you’ve ever wondered what happens inside hospitals that you aren’t aware of, Dead Shift is a must-read for you. Filled with cosmic horror monsters, cosmic terror, British horror, horror comedy, and I can’t wait to devour it.
14. Amazing sci-fi cosmic horror books
by Caitlin Starling (Author)
When Gyre Price lied her way into this expedition, she thought she’d be mapping mineral deposits, and that her biggest problems would be cave collapses and gear malfunctions. She also thought that the fat paycheck—enough to get her off-planet and on the trail of her mother—meant she’d get a skilled surface team, monitoring her suit and environment, keeping her safe. Keeping her sane.
Instead, she got Em.
Em sees nothing wrong with controlling Gyre’s body with drugs or withholding critical information to “ensure the smooth operation” of her expedition. Em knows all about Gyre’s falsified credentials and has no qualms about using them as a leash—and a lash. And Em has secrets, too . . .
As Gyre descends, little inconsistencies—missing supplies, unexpected changes in the route, and, worst of all, shifts in Em’s motivations—drive her out of her depths. Lost and disoriented, Gyre finds her sense of control giving way to paranoia and anger. On her own in this mysterious, deadly place, surrounded by darkness and the unknown, Gyre must overcome more than just the dangerous terrain and the Tunneler which calls underground its home if she wants to make it out alive—she must confront the ghosts in her head.
But how come she can’t shake the feeling she’s being followed?
Booked and Bewitched Babbles: Okay if you loved Tremors you have to read The Luminous Dead, and it’s an LGBTQ+ horror novel. This one will keep you up all night long with its anxiety-inducing twists, turns, and cosmic horror-style monsters.
15. Premier Cosmic horror books modern
by Ryan Lockwood (Author)
The first attack occurs in the underwater caverns of the Bahamas. Two professional divers exploring the unknown. A monstrous flesh-ripping predator they never see coming . . .
Now the attacks are coming closer and closer to shore. A sun-soaked playground for sea-loving tourists. A feasting ground for whatever lurks beneath . . .
Now, in a desperate race against time, Eric Watson, an expert on remote control underwater vehicles, and marine biologist Valerie Martell must identify a savage new species of the killer—and piece together one of nature’s most horrific mysteries. But the most terrifying discovery of all waits for Val and her team at the bottom of the sea. A discovery too shocking, to comprehend.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- If you love cosmic horror, and space marine science fiction, all mixed with horror suspense that eats tourists, What Lurks Beneath is a must-read for you. I bought this one and just started reading it, and I can’t wait to see where it leads.
16. Awesome cosmic horror stories online
by David Conyers (Author)
Eldritch gods, cosmic horrors, and weird physics are the enemy, striking from nameless dimensions we can’t perceive, destroying us with strangeness beyond human comprehension. Major Harrison Peel understands these Great Old Ones better than anyone. He wishes he didn’t.
Forced into his latest assignment, Peel must confront an alien Outer God known only as the Impossible Object. Held in a secret facility deep in the Australian desert, no two people perceive it the same way, and it conforms to no known properties of the universe. Then the Impossible Object promises to reveal the secrets of everything or cause all space and time to blink from existence… forever.
Are humans supposed to choose? And if so, can Peel guess the Impossible Object’s intentions? For the fate of everything could rest entirely in his hands…
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- Okay if you love weird sci-fi, cosmic horror stories, Lovecraftian monsters, or horror anthologies you have to read Cthulhu Reloaded. We get an amazing mix with this one and it’s a must-read for any Lovecraft fans or cosmic horror fans out there.
17. Must-Read cosmic horror books 2020
by Eddie Generous (Author)
Anna Narraway has made some bad decisions and has known some bad luck, but she sees a chance at getting her life back on course and, alongside her son, Max, decides to rob the strange old doctor’s mansion while he’s on vacation. The old man is a hermit and has stacks of cash hiding in his home, but it’s what’s beneath his home that is more incredible.
Through a soggy floor, Anna and Max fall deep into the massive laboratory of the maniac scientist and his giant, incredible creatures. Anna and Max must use their wits and their will to survive the ordeal and make it out of the underground lab before they become another meal for the monstrous beasts lurking under the estate.
Can they escape with their lives after discovering what lurks beneath? The odds aren’t very good.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- If you love crazy scientists, cosmic horror monsters, creepy laboratories, or escape stories, you’ll want to read What Lurks Beneath.
18. Crazy good Western cosmic horror book
by David J. West (Author)
Porter Rockwell, wanted for a murder he did not commit, is hiding out in Old California selling whiskey to thirsty forty-niners. When his friends dig up some monstrous bones and a peculiar book and offer to sell it for a helluva price, Porter can’t resist the mystery.
But when both his night bartender and the sellers are murdered at his saloon Porter has to find out what the mysterious artifacts are all about. With some Native American legends, Sasquatch, Lovecraftian horror, and murderous bandits thrown in, not even bullets and blades can stop Rockwell from leaving a swath of righteous carnage in his wake.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- Well if you’ve been looking for cowboys mixed with Lovecraft monsters, Let Sleeping Gods Lie is your next read. With its mix of weird Western, humor, and cosmic horror this is a must-read.
19. Cosmic horror books Goodreads choice
by Andrew Van Wey (Author)
It’s the mid-nineties. Grunge and flannel are fading as the Spice Girls and Hot Topic conquer the malls. Cherry gloss glistens on the lips of the youth. Modems hiss as America comes online.
And in a fog-drenched cove at the edge of New England, something terrible awakens when a fisherman reels in a gruesome catch: the remains of a young woman.
Remains still pulsing with furious life.
For Megan Monroe and her friends, this is how their nightmare begins: a wet whisper over their shoulder, a dark hand reaching out from the edge of their sight, and a name clawing at the back of their minds.
A young woman scratched from their memory.
To stop this devouring terror, Megan will need to mend broken friendships and reassemble her fractured past, for what stalks them hungers to remake itself in their image… piece by bloody piece.
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- So for all the 90’s nostalgia cosmic horror fans out there, Head Like A Hole needs a place on your TBR List. If you’ve been looking for Lovecraftian monsters, u.s. horror fiction, or occult horror, you’ve found what you’ve been looking for.
20. New cosmic horror books
by S.R. Marks (Author)
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- If you have a lovely relationship with your local library, you probably don’t want to read this cosmic horror novel Kraulaak. Mixed full of dark fantasy, occult horror, U.S. Horror fiction, and cosmic horror, this is a must-read!
21. Best cosmic horror books
by Seth W. James (Author)
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- So if you love a good old Cthulhu cult, flavored with some cosmic horror, and action & adventure fiction, Shadow Over Odiome is a good choice for your next read. Racing against the clock to save humanity, stop a cult, and keep the monsters of myth from being brought into this realm. Just another day in the cosmic horror novel.
22. Unputdownable cosmic horror books
by J.S. Douglas (Author)
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- So, a haunted house meets cosmic horror monsters sprinkled with eldritch horror. That is Terror at Twll Du in a nutshell. I can’t wait to dive into this one, just as soon as I finish all the others I have on my TBR list first.
23. Must-read cosmic horror books 2021
by David Barker (Author)
Booked and Bewitched Babbles- If you’d like a cosmic horror novel that takes you deeper into the mythos of Lovecraftian horror The Recluse is a must-have for you. This 30-minute science fiction short story is a great addition to your reading list!
This post was all about 23 monstrous cosmic horror books you need to read right now! Seriously, what are you doing, go? Read something!
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