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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 Juliana Haygert
    £14.99

  • by Juliana Haygert
    £14.99

  • by Juliana Haygert
    £14.99

  • Save 11%
    by Jessica Goodman
    £7.99

    The lives of Jill Newman and her friends look perfect, but nothing is as it seems. Jill's best friend, the brilliant, dazzling Shaila, was killed by her boyfriend, but suddenly Jill starts getting texts proclaiming his innocence. But digging deeper could mean putting her friendships, and her future, in jeopardy.

  • by Bryony Pearce
    £7.99

    A team-bonding weekend in a remote castle turns into a nightmare when seven teenagers are locked inside. To escape, they must solve a series of puzzles - each with a deadly consequence. And the clock is ticking...

  • by Hayes Misty Hayes
    £19.99 - 28.99

  • by Julie Hall
    £16.49 - 25.49

  • by Sophie Cleverly
    £7.99

    A breakout new detective series, from the author of the spine-tingling SCARLET AND IVY series, beautifully illustrated by Hannah Peck.

  • by Katrina Leno
    £8.99 - 12.99

    From the author of You Must Not Miss comes a haunting contemporary horror novel that explores themes of mental illness, rage, and grief, twisted with spine-chilling elements of Stephen King and Agatha Christie.

  • by Ellie Marney
    £9.49

    Silence of the Lambs meets Sadie in this YA psychological thriller about two teenagers teaming up with the FBI to track down juvenile serial killers.

  • by Ellington Baddox
    £23.49

  • by Jacob Crawford
    £23.49

    Book two of the Dark Sentinels series, The Assassin continues the adventures of Rosalind as she learns more about her new abilities, works to help others struggling with ghosts, and faces the new Shadow hunting her.It is a young adult paranormal/sci-fi that focuses on friends, family, and creative problem solving in the face of hardship. Elements of mental health and personal growth feature heavily as themes.

  • Save 11%
    - The Complete Series
    by Kel Carpenter
    £39.99

  • by Destinee Munoz
    £12.99

  • - Aftermath
    by Jonathan Pongratz
    £13.49

  • by Ash Parsons
    £7.99

    A wildly entertaining YA thriller-comedy about three best friends who sneak into an influencers-only festival event (gone wrong), only to discover a killer is in their midst.

  • by Simon Tudhope
    £7.99

    This thrilling gamebook plunges you into a story with a difference - one where the hero is YOU. Woken one night by a bang at the door, you creep to the window and see five hooded strangers below. The leader looks up and beckons you down. What do you do? The choice is yours. Open the door, play for time, or escape through the window out back... From this point onwards you are in control of an epic adventure, and your survival depends upon the decisions you make. Which way to run? Which battles to fight? And who to trust? As you race across land, sea and sky, the mysteries of your past are revealed, and it becomes clear that it's not just your fate that hangs in the balance - it's the fate of the entire kingdom. Bringing together a sweeping story, beautifully illustrated picture puzzles and an exciting combat system, this is an adventure that will have you gripped from beginning to end.

  • - The City Under Seattle
    by Thea Thomas
    £12.49 - 16.99

  • - The Chinese Classic of Weird True Tales, H
    by Yun Ji
    £21.99

  • - The Last Red Ship
    by B T Higgins
    £12.49

    Daily survival is a battle for Raykin Smythe, a fifteen-year-old cabin boy aboard a Sardonian slave ship. For years, he has learned to stay a second or two ahead of trouble. When the ten-ship armada raids the island of Rocky Cove for slaves, they are decimated by a little, pale girl named Minty Nothingmore. The Captain and the crew are now dead! Raykin flees for his life with a handful of the surviving raiders. They must sail The Last Red Ship to Sardonia and tell the king of a weapon so great it might threaten the whole empire. Getting home won't be easy with storms, mutinies, starvation, and sea battles threatening.

  • by Taylor Dolan
    £6.99

    A funny two-colour illustrated book, the first in a series about a girl dropped at a summer camp with a very dramatic difference... for readers graduating from picture books.

  • by Matti Silver
    £13.99 - 27.49

  • by Susan McCauley
    £13.99 - 22.49

  • by Darren Shan
    £7.99

    The fourth and final instalment in the epic saga of Larten Crepsley - vampire, hero and victim of fate...Just as Larten is finding a new place for himself in vampire society, and helping vampires escape the Nazi menace, horrifying tragedy falls on his own family thanks to the nefarious Vampaneze.With his old friend Wester calling for war against the ancient enemies of vampires, Larten finds himself a figurehead of the campaign.But there are more evil things than just the Vampaneze stirring. And soon, Larten might find himself grieving again - as he faces the worst and final betrayal...

  • - Terrorlands
    by Marco Kwan Ching Chu
    £10.49

  • by Deborah Remaley
    £20.49

    Chandraloka is the prequel to AbracaDebra. The story explains why Deb, the magician in AbracaDebra, chose to read the tarot cards instead of doing magic shows. This prequel introduces some of the mysteries that evolve in the second book. The intrigue continues with the third and last volume of the saga.

  • by ZEPH PRINCE
    £7.49

  • Save 11%
    by Jennifer Killick
    £7.99

    It's five months since the nightmare Year Six School trip to Crater Lake, and something has gone very wrong in Lance's home town. There's been an explosion at the University, a mysterious test creature is missing. On top of this Lance has lost touch with his friends since starting at his new school. Can Lance reunite his team and save his town?!

  • - Living A Double Life
    by Kiera Forrest
    £15.49

  • by Manuel Ruiz
    £9.99

    Ancient enemies have returned to exact vengeance on the Oracle. The Dead Club is fractured, but they must prepare to fight a final battle that will determine the fate of the Underworld.

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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