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Horror

In this section you will find over 3.861 exciting and thrilling books about Horror. At Tales we have all types of good Horror books for each individual to enjoy, whether you want some of the classics, new or children’s horror books. We all need a little scare in our lives, to learn how to deal with the real world and acknowledge the fact that it is indeed okay to be scared. Scary stories also teach kids that Monsters are terrifying, but at the same time they’ll have an understanding of scary situations, and learn how to cope with them. Take a chance and let the mystery begin here.
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  • by Joseph Delaney
    £7.99

    It s a dangerous job, but someone has to do it. For years, the local Spook kept the county safe from evil. But now his time has ended, and there is only one boy who can take over Thomas Ward, barely more than a child himself. Now he too must take on an apprentice, a girl called Jenny who is untested but willing to be trained in the dangerous life of a Spook.When girls start dying in mysterious circumstances, they soon find themselves on the path of a terrifying and deadly beast. Monstrous assassins are loose in the County, and far to the north, a new darkness is rising that threatens to engulf the whole world. Do Tom and Jenny stand a chance against the might of the Kobalos?The first terrifying tale in the Starblade Chronicles, from the bestselling author of The Spook s Apprentice

  • by Victoria Schwab
    £7.99

    When Cass's family heads off to Edinburgh, Cass meets a girl who shares her "gift" of entering the world of the spirits. Cass still has a lot to learn about the Veil - and herself. And fast... A thrillingly spooky and action-packed tale of hauntings, history, mystery, and the bond between friends (even if that friend is a ghost...)

  • by Joseph Delaney
    £11.99

    I have held nothing back, and my hope is that the spook who follows me will continue to keep this record of the practical ways in which we deal with the dark."A companion title to the phenomenally successful Spook's series.

  • by Derek Landy
    £7.99

    Meet the great Skulduggery Pleasant: wise-cracking detective, powerful magician, master of dirty tricks and burglary (in the name of the greater good, of course). Oh yeah. And dead. Then there's his sidekick, Stephanie. She's... well, she's a twelve-year-old girl. With a pair like this on the case, evil had better watch out...

  • by Kiersten White
    £7.99

    The spooky summer adventures of the Sinister-Winterbottom twins continue in another gothic mystery: can Theo and Alexander solve the secret of the Sanguine Spa? The second book in the new Sinister Summer series by #1 NYT bestselling author Kiersten White, called "perfect for fans of Lemony Snicket, Edward Gorey, and Roald Dahl," by Shelf Awareness.After leaving Fathoms of Fun, the kids are on their way to the next odd summer destination their aunt has chosen for them. This time, they find themselves dropped off at the Sanguine Spa in the “little Transylvania Mountains.” There they meet the owners: Mina, her mysterious little sister, Lucy (who is extremely pale, can’t go in the sunlight, and has an affinity for hanging upside down from the ceiling), and their intimidating guardian, the Count.  When the Count sends all the children in the spa on a scavenger hunt, the Sinister-Winterbottoms use the excuse to snoop around and discover that this spa may be more than just eerie—it might also hold clues to what happened to their parents. When Wil starts to show vampiric symptoms, the twins resolve to investigate what’s really going on at the Sanguine Spa.  The second book in the Sinister Summer series continues the adventures of the Sinister-Winterbottoms and their aunt who never saw a discount vacation destination she didn’t love.

  • by Joelle Wellington
    £7.99

    The brand-new chilling YA horror thriller from the author of Their Vicious Games.Devon Harris doesn't have much planned for the summer - until her sister, Drew, invites Devon to a very exclusive private school party.Out of her element, Devon commits to being game at everything. Even when the private school kids ask her if there are fights at her school. Even when they ask her if her box braids are her real hair. Even when those weird ass kids pull out a Ouija board.But this seemingly harmless bit of fun has terrible consequences. Something has been released, and only a week later it's hunting Devon, Drew and their friends. Hunting them in an eerily familiar way . . .The real-life horror movie has begun. The blonde is up first, then the asshole - right up to the Final Girl. Unless the murderous cycle can be broken, they're all going to be next.

  • by Scott Cawthon
    £9.49

    This comprehensive breakdown covering gameplay, secrets, Easter eggs, and alternate endings for both the main game and DLC will deepen the knowledge of even the most enthusiastic player. All the evidence, along with every detail of the newest entry into the world of Five Nights at Freddy's is laid out for fans to explore in this one-of-a-kind guide.

  • by Laura Steven
    £7.99

    A feminist YA horror-thriller retelling of The Picture of Dorian Gray by the bestselling author of The Society for Soulless Girls

  • by Darcy Coates
    £7.99

    "Abby Ward lives in a town haunted by disappearances. People vanish, and when they're found, their bodies have been dismembered and sewn back together in unnatural ways. But is it the work of a human killer . . . or something far darker? She and her younger sister live by a strict set of rules designed to keep them safe--which is why it's such a shock when Hope is taken. Desperate to get her back, Abby tells the police everything she knows, but they claim their hands are tied. With every hour precious, Abby and her friends are caught in a desperate game of cat and mouse. They have to get Hope back. Quickly. Before too much of her is cut away. And before everything they care about is swallowed up by the darkness waiting in the tunnels beneath the home they thought they knew"--Back cover.

  • by Rosie Talbot
    £7.99

  • by Joseph Delaney
    £7.99

    Wulf must face his greatest enemy yet - and this time, he's all alone . . .Wulf is at war - war against the Dark. As Pan's soldier and champion, it's his responsibility to fight for what is right. An early Winter has come to the County, threatening its people with starvation - but there is an even more dangerous foe to face. A demon is trying to become the next ruler of the dark. He has many names but one of them is Loki, the Trickster God. Loki has many, terrible powers - but his most deadly weapon is the one that controls all Wulf's own power . . .Featuring fan-favourite characters Grimalkin, Thorne, Jenny and even Slither, Wulf's War is sure to delight - and fright!

  • by Natalie D. Richards
    £7.99

    A terrifying thriller from the New York Times bestselling author of Five Total Strangers and Seven Dirty Secrets!The last show has ended, but the nightmare is just beginning.Tonight, Riverview Theaters is closing forever, the last remaining business in a defunct shopping mall. The moviegoers have left, and Jo and her six coworkers have the final shift, a shift that quickly takes a dark turn.First a stranger arrives with a chilling accusation. Then the power goes out and their manager disappears, along with the keys to the lobby doors and the theater safe, where the crew's phones are locked each shift. The crew's tension turns to terror when Jo discovers the dead body of one of her co-workers.Now their only chance to escape the murderer in their midst is through the dark, shuttered mall. With its boarded-up exits and disabled fire alarms, the complex is filled with hiding places for both pursuer and pursued. In order to survive this night, Jo and her friends must trust one another, navigate the sprawling ruins of the mall, and outwit a killer before he kills them all.

  • by Nick Eliopulos
    £9.49

    Meet the next big thing in the world of official Minecraft novels: zombies!Looking after a little sibling can be a real headache . . . especially when they’re a zombie trying to eat your brains! Life is good for Bobbie in the sleepy village of Plaintown. Sure, her villager parents only ever say “Hrm,” but you pick up the local language quickly. And maybe her little brother, Johnny, is always getting into trouble, but the village’s iron golem is there to look out for him. And, yeah, things are too busy for exploring when you’re the only one in town who ever takes their hands out of their sleeves. But maybe that’s for the best. After all, there are things out there beyond the torchlight that are better handled by adventurers. But one night, a stranger comes to Plaintown—and he’s followed by a horde of ravenous zombies! Bobbie’s village is overrun, and her world is turned upside down as her friends, family, and neighbors fall victim to the zombies’ endless appetite. Life is not so good for Ben, an adventurer with nothing left to his name but the armor on his back. When dawn’s light shows him an abandoned village, he sees it as a chance to pick through the wreckage and get himself back on track. What he wasn’t expecting to run into was a desperate girl with a baby zombie villager on a leash. Bobbie and Johnny are the only ones left . . . and her brother’s a lot greener and a lot bitier than he was last night. There’s still some of Johnny rattling around the little zombie monster’s mind; Bobbie just knows it. And Ben might know a way to bring him back.As the two journey across the Overworld, dragging Johnny along (literally), they brave dangerous depths, terrifying mobs, and an expanding mystery. Was the zombie attack on Bobbie’s village really just bad luck? Where did the rest of the zombies go? And how exactly do you take care of a little brother who can’t stop trying to eat you? Hold onto your brains—and your bows—and get ready to enter Minecraft: Zombies!

  • by Laura Steven
    £7.99

    A dark and funny YA thriller with a supernatural twist. From the winner of the Comedy Women in Print Prize

  • by Stone Leia Stone & Hall Julie Hall
    £13.49 - 22.49

  • by Ryan Douglass
    £7.99

  • - The Kidnapped Prince
    by Darren Shan
    £26.49

  • by Steve Jackson
    £6.99

    You, the hero, must beat seven deadly serpents to the fortress of Mampang and destroy them before they can warn the Archmage of your mission to find the Crown of Kings.

  • - The Shocking Truth Revealed (UK Edition)
    by Patrick Carman
    £10.49

  • - Skeleton Creek #4 (UK Edition)
    by Patrick Carman
    £10.49

  • - #1 (UK Edition)
    by Carman
    £10.49

  • by Kendare Blake
    £7.99

    For months, a gruesome killer has been plaguing the Midwest. The murderer's calling card? The bodies they leave behind are completely drained of blood. Aspiring journalist Michael Jensen, desperate to escape his small-town life, can hardly believe it when the Bloodless Murders come to sleepy Black Deer Falls, Minnesota. Or that his father, the sheriff, located the only suspect: fifteen-year-old Marie Catherine Hale. Tiny Marie doesn't look capable of committing the grisly, inhumane attacks that are gripping the nation. At least, not on her own. With Marie refusing to talk to anyone but Michael, he agrees to tell her side of the story. But how can Michael trust Marie's confession when it calls into question everything he's ever known . . . when falling for her lies, may cost him his life?All These Bodies by Kendare Blake is the bone-chilling supernatural thriller for older readers, perfect for fans of Rory Powers.

  • by Laura Ellen Anderson
    £6.99

    A brand new title in the bestselling gorgeously gothic and wickedly funny Amelia Fang series - perfect for readers of 7+ MEET AMELIA FANG A little vampire with a big heart.

  • by Melissa Albert
    £7.99

  • by Derek Landy
    £7.99

    The fourteenth thrilling novel in the internationally bestselling Skulduggery Pleasant series.

  • by Lucy Cousins
    £7.99 - 10.99

  • - Book 3
    by Joseph Delaney
    £7.99

    The Spook's Secret is the third book in Joseph Delaney's terrifying Wardstone Chronicles over 3 million copies sold worldwide!'It's going to be a long, hard, cruel winter and there couldn't be a worse place to spend it.'As the nights draw in the Spook decides to travel to his winter house. His apprentice, Tom, hates the desolate place. There are feral witches in the cellar, menacing creatures stirring on the nearby moors and a sinister stranger threatening Tom's master. Is the Spook's past catching up with him? And what dangers will Tom face if his master's secrets are revealed?

  • - Book 4
    by Joseph Delaney
    £7.99

    The Spook's Battle is the fourth book in Joseph Delaney's terrifying Wardstone Chronicles over 3 million copies sold worldwide!'I see your future clearly. Your master will be dead, and you will be alone.'The Spook and his apprentice protect the County from the dark, but not a terrible danger threatens. The witches are rising and the three most powerful clans are uniting to conjure an unimaginable evil the Devil himself. If they succeed, will Tom and his master have the courage to defeat the most powerful enemy of all . . . ?

The Horror Genre
Horror is a cultural genre that is meant to scare, shock and repulse its audience. An important thing to remember about this type of genre is that it elicits a dreadful sense in the reader through frightening and terrifying themes, situations and descriptive images. When we read a horror book, everything is important, such as the storyline, characters and the whole atmosphere. It is meant to provoke and shock the reader with its exploration of the unknown. The depreciating value that horror has, will help us understand why something is indeed scary. Look at it this way, once you see the monster come into the light, and you see it for what it truly is, it will help you to be less afraid. This genre also has several sub-genres, some of them consist of; Gothic, Science fiction, Survival, Occult, Dark fantasy, Paranormal, etc. Each has its own distinct characteristics. 

Classic Horror books
If we think about some of the popular classic horror books, the first author that will pop up is most likely the gothic writer Edgar Allan Poe. The gothic novel is a subgenre under horror that specifically has a focus on death, originated in the 18th century and is mastered by him. In the 19th and 20th century the horror writers focused on something completely different, such as tales involving occult ideas, and the popular books Frankenstein by Mary Shelley and Dracula by Bram Stoker came into the picture and still kept their relevance today. Frankenstein is a classic story about a scientist who accidentally creates a monster when his experiment goes horribly wrong. And Dracula is a gothic novel about a vampyre who has a desire to spread the undead curse to as many mortal humans as possible. These two popular stories are well known worldwide and they will never lose their relevance, no matter how old they get. That is the magic of being a classic.  

New Horror books
As for the newer horror books, 2019-2021 had been some epic years for horror fiction. It is an ever-evolving genre and so many new voices blossomed. Most of the popular horror stories today involve crime writing, especially serial killers, slashers, and the ghost of the past. Something about newly written gothic stories that take place in the Victorian-era is so thrilling to read about, here we find books like the Stalking Jack the Ripper series by Kerri Maniscalo. The author incorporates themes of equality and social justice which takes the mystery of the infamous murderer to a whole new level. The main character Audrey Rose, eschews polite society for the very scandalous pastime of learning burgeoning science of forensic medicine. While she spends her time being captivated by science, there’s a serial killer on the loose. There’s nothing more thrilling and entertaining than reading about an inspiring heroine who solves mystery crimes. 
Children’s horror books are also important to address. Here we find Nightmares by Jason Segel and Kirsten Miller, where the younger audience can explore dark territory but at the same time be comforted. It is a book that’ll reassure you how to overcome the power of fear. The main character Charlie’s and his friends’ adventure in the Netherworld is harrowing, because they’re in constant danger, but together they try to face their fears and conquer their nightmares. 

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