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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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  • Save 10%
    by Robert Swindells
    £8.99

    'I'LL FLY,' JENNA WHISPERED TO HERSELF. 'I'LL FLY, WHATEVER NED SAYS. WHATEVER ANYBODY SAYS...'Jenna is thirteen - and has suddenly realized what she wants to do with her life. She wants to fly. Like Grandad's heroine, Amy Johnson... But Jenna's wish for wings has to be put on hold when something awful happens: Grandad's souvenir of his wartime service - a loaded gun - goes missing. And Jenna is almost certain that her brother Ned has taken it...

  • Save 14%
    by Robert Swindells
    £9.49

    It was sick and hungry and a long, long way from home...Something is causing mysterious circles to appear in the cornfields of Cansfield Farm. And someone, or something, has obviously terrified Barry Cansfield, the farmer's bullying son. But when friends Ben and Midge sneak out to the farm to investigate, they discover a secret more terrifying than they could possible have imagined - a truly monstrous horror that simply must be stopped...

  • Save 14%
    by Pete Johnson
    £9.49

    Two terrifying tales from the award-winning Pete JohnsonThe Ghost DogDaniel's story about a bloodthirsty dog goes down well at a spooky party. But then somehow his imagination comes to life and the howling monster begins to haunt his dreams!Winner of the Young Telegraph/Fully Booked AwardThe CreeperLucy finds an old tape of the spine-chilling story of the Creeper - a horrific creature looking for revenge. Lucy knows she has just done something terrible - will the Creeper track her down?Winner of the Stockton Children's Book Award

  • Save 14%
    by Alex Duval
    £9.49

    Jason and his sister have just moved to Malibu - to a town full of rich kids whose lives revolve around money, fashion, cars and parties. Jason gets swept along by the excitement and is flattered to be included - and also very flattered by the apparent interest of the stunning Sienna. But these rich kids hide a dark secret and soon Jason finds that their parties involve a little more than the usual alcohol and music! When their secret is revealed, Jason has to decide if he can accept the status quo. Everyone else seems to be able to... and it might just mean he could get closer to Sienna...A fabulously glam and sexy take on the classic vampire story - these vamps can live pretty normal lives, no garlic or coffins for them!

  • Save 14%
    by Alex Duval
    £9.49

    Jason and his sister have moved to Malibu and now live in a town full of very beautiful, very rich, very cool people - who just happen to be vampires. Jason is pretty obsessed with the sexiest girl in town, Sienna Devereux - and has little time to spend worrying about the rest of the vampires. But as Thanksgiving approaches and Jason's Aunt Megan comes to stay, he realises that there's something weird going on in De Vere Heights. Could Megan be involved somehow? And when his old friend Tyler turns up too, and starts to mess with the wrong people, Jason starts to understand that they're all playing with something much more dangerous than it first seemed . . .

  • Save 14%
    by Alex Duval
    £9.49

    Jason lives in hyper-cool Malibu and hangs out with the cool kids. He thinks he's pretty lucky to be considered a friend of the gorgeous but unattainable Sienna. But only Jason and his friend know the secret behind Sienna's IT crowd - that they are partial to the taste of blood . . . Jason takes his sister to a New Age fair - and they visit a psychic. Jason is given a warning of great danger - and sure enough, he is soon after attacked by a mysterious assailant. When he wakes up in hospital he discovers that he's been shot with a crossbow. Who would use such a weapon - possibly some kind of vampire hunter? Could Sienna be the one who's really in danger?

  • Save 14%
    by Robert Westall
    £9.49

    Is there a barrier that divides the dark unknown from the everyday world around us? If so, is it broken sometimes by the dead returning, by the undead, or by alien creatures? What else could account for the chance meeting (or was it?) between a young student and hitch-hiker who turns out to be so much stranger than she seems? Why else should three successive crews flying a Second World War bomber - Blackham's Wimpey - be driven to madness, despair, even to death, though the plane returns from each mission without a scratch? Who are Fred, Alice and Aunty Lou; the figments of Peter's imagination that become a real life nightmare for Roger and Biddy? There is St Austin Friars, too: a church without a congregation - until a burial service, oddly arranged a month ahead, is attended by a sinister assortment of the living and the dead. And Sergeant Nice, an ordinary policeman in an ordinary seaside town faced with a series of quite extraordinary thefts; the work surely, of no human hand. Chilling, but often humorous as well, these stories creep up on you and take you by surprise.

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    by Tom Pow
    £8.99

    The first time Sam sees the mysterious figure of Janet she vanishes into the deserted fields beyond the town where nothing has ever been built. Sam learns that centuries before this was the place to which plague victims were banished - Scabbit Isle - a place of terror. With the help of Mr Carruthers, the old curator of the local museum, Sam gradually uncovers the horror of Janet's story - consigned to Scabbit Isle by her cruel father and abandoned by her weak lover, Janet suffers without hope. She will continue to do so, if she can't find someone who, for love, will risk all to enter the plague colony to release her. Janet seems to be beckoning Sam to help her and a tragedy within Sam's own family brings Sam even closer to Janet's fate. Janet is the same age that Sam's twin sister Alice would have been had she not been killed in an accident. It is a loss from which Sam's father, in particular,has never recovered. Can Sam summon up the courage to face the terrors of Scabbit Isle and, like Orpheus, venture into the underworld to bring Janet peace?

  • by Charlie Price
    £6.99

    He is waiting...He is watching...He will hunt her down.Angel is on the run. Her mother is dead, her body buried in a shallow grave by her latest boyfriend, Scotty, a ruthless, illegal hunter who is prone to violence and who now wants Angel dead before she can talk to the police. Angel has lived through more than a young girl should have but she's determined to stay alive.But in the scorching heat of the open desert, where can she hide?

  • by Diana Hendry
    £7.99

    There's a mysterious, magical new lodger at gloomy 131 Ballantyre Road: Harvey Angell, whose bright beaming, thousand-watt smile can somehow cheer the most miserable people - even cross, penny-pinching Aunt Agatha! From the moment Harvey walks through the front door, Henry knows there's something very strange and special about his new friend. But where does he disappear to late at night? And why does he have an unusual clock, that tells the time in centuries and years, rather than hours and minutes? Henry's determined to find out Harvey Angell's marvellous secret . . .

  • Save 11%
    - Book 9
    by Joseph Delaney
    £7.99

    I Am Grimalkin is the ninth book in Joseph Delaney's terrifying Wardstone Chronicles over 3 million copies sold worldwide!'I am Grimalkin, and I have already chosen those I will kill . . .'Grimalkin has made it her lifetime ambition to destroy the Fiend. Having assisted the Spook and his apprentice in the binding of the Fiend, she is now on the run. And her mission is deadly. She has to keep the Fiend's severed head in her possession no matter who - or what - comes after it . . .

  • Save 14%
    by Susan Davis
    £9.49

    'I don't do dark stuff. Dark stuff comes back on you three times over.'After bad experiences with spooks Abbie and Lauren have sworn off the dark arts. Then self-proclaimed teen-witch Delilah declares she can use her craft to clear up Lauren's eczema and spice up Abbie's love life . . .It seems like harmless fun. But there's a sinister figure stalking the girls and when Delilah starts to dabble in the dark stuff the girls find themselves in very deep water . . .

  • by Kes Gray
    £7.99

    It s Halloween and Daisy is going trick-or-treating for the very first time. In the dark . . . in the fog . . . with a VAMPIRE . . . armed only with a torch and some silly string. GULP!The funny, spooky and totally troublesome tale from the bestselling Daisy series.

  • Save 11%
    - Book 10
    by Joseph Delaney
    £7.99

    The Spook's Blood is the tenth book in Joseph Delaney's terrifying Wardstone Chronicles over 3 million copies sold worldwide!'I am Siscoi, the Lord of Blood, the Drinker of Souls! Obey me now or you will suffer as few have suffered.'Thomas Ward's final battle with the Fiend is drawing near, but he has never felt more alone in his task. Isolated and afraid, Tom must risk his life against a ferocious vampire god, even as he learns that the final destruction of the Fiend may involve a sacrifice more terrible than he can imagine . . .

  • Save 10%
    by Joseph Delaney
    £8.99

    Joseph Delaney's popular book, The Spook's Apprentice, told the story of Thomas Ward, apprenticed to the local spook to help keep the county safe from the Dark. The novel is the inspiration for the movie Seventh Son, starring Jeff Bridges, Ben Barnes and Julianne Moore, but has now been adapted for the stage by Joseph and his son Stephen.Suitable for casts large and small, this script is ideal for use in drama groups, english lessons and school plays.

  • Save 11%
    - Book 8
    by Joseph Delaney
    £7.99

    The Spook's Destiny is the eighth book in Joseph Delaney's terrifying Wardstone Chronicles over 3 million copies sold worldwide!'You belong to the blade now. You'll belong to it until the day you die . . .'Tom, the Spook's Apprentice, has travelled to Ireland, where he must tackle a group of evil mages. His dangerous mission leads him to the Destiny Blade - a sword with a dark side, and a thirst for blood. Could this new weapon give him a fighting chance against the Fiend? And dare he accept the help of Grimalkin, the terrifying witch assassin?

  • by Kristina Ohlsson
    £7.99

    They thought ghosts didn't exist . . .But when Aladdin s parents discover food is being stolen from their restaurant, he and his friends decide to investigate.Soon, Aladdin notices a strange boy dressed in short trousers, despite the freezing cold. But as hard as he tries to catch him, the boy always disappears leaving no tracks in the fresh snow. Before long, Aladdin and his friends are pulled into a web of secrets and history, treasure and crime.Can they uncover the mystery of the curious Silver Boy?

  • Save 15%
    by Moira Fowley-Doyle
    £10.99

    One stormy summer night, Olive and her best friend, Rose, begin to lose things. It starts with simple items like hair clips and jewellery, but soon it s clear that Rose has lost something bigger; something she won t talk about. Then Olive meets three wild, mysterious strangers: Ivy, Hazel and Rowan. Like Rose, they re mourning losses - and holding tight to secrets. When they discover the ancient spellbook, full of hand-inked charms to conjure back lost things, they realise it might be their chance to set everything right. Unless it s leading them towards secrets that were never meant to be found . . .

  • by Kirsten Miller & Jason Segel
    £7.99

    Charlie Laird has a very bad feeling.1. There s a NEW GIRL at school, and Charlie and his friends have DEFINITELY seen her before. 2. He s been hearing strange noises after dark, which is NEVER a good sign.3. The nightmares are back, and they re WEIRDER THAN EVER.Not since he faced his fears has Charlie had so many bad dreams. Whenever he falls asleep, he finds himself in a Netherworld field, surrounded by a flock of CREEPY BLACK SHEEP.They're not counting sheep. They refuse to jump. In fact, they don't do much at all. EVEN EERIER, THOUGH, is that it s not Charlie s nightmare. Somehow he s trapped in someone else s bad dream. And he s pretty sure the twins ICK and INK are responsible.Charlie and his friends thought they d put the twins out of business, but it seems they didn t quite finish the job. Now the WOOLLY NIGHTMARES are closing in, and INK has shown up at Cypress Creek Elementary! Charlie s convinced that INK is up to NO GOOD. And if he s right, it could be a very long time before anyone s dreams are sweet again.

  • by Kirsten Miller & Jason Segel
    £7.99

    The sequel to the funny and scary bestselling novel Nightmares! by multi-talented actor, Jason Segel, and bestselling author, Kirsten Miller. You thought the nightmares were over? You'd better keep the lights on!Since Charlie escaped from Netherworld, the land of nightmares, he s been sleeping soundly once more. But he can't shake the feeling that something strange is going on his creepy stepmother's plant store is losing customers as everyone heads to the town of Orville Falls. Stranger still, Orvill Falls is suddenly full . . . of zombies? At least, they sure look like the walking dead . . . Could it be that the inhabitants of the town are also starting to lose sleep? Charlie knows one thing for sure: things are about to get weird again.

  • by Kirsten Miller & Jason Segel
    £7.99

    The first book in a terrifyingly spooktastic adventure series by Jason Segel!WELCOME TO THE WORLD OF NIGHTMARES!Sleeping has never been so scary.And now waking up is even worse!Charlie has just moved into the sinister purple mansion that overlooks Cyprus Creek with his dad and new wicked stepmother. He has terrible nightmares every night and now they are slipping into the waking world too. Can Charlie and his friends stop the nightmares taking over and conquer the creatures of the night?

  • Save 10%
    by Colin Dann
    £8.99

    There had been rumours for years about the wealth of old Mr Mackie. But when ben and Richard start snooping around the dead man's house, they're soon plunged into a web of terror. Whose dark face is at the window? Where are the strange footsteps coming from? And what is the secret of the blue ring wrapped in a blanket? Pursued by a villainous tramp, and haunted by ghastly visions, the two boys find themselves on a daring journey through darkest Wales, and into the unearthly territory of the ancient spirits.

  • Save 17%
    by Helen Grant
    £9.99

    A group of story-tellers are disappearing one by one.A young woman is haunted by her past.A serial killer has one target he is desperate to hunt down.Veerle is trying to lie low, to live as 'normal' a life as she possibly can. But when you've thwarted a serial killer, it's hard to do this. Especially when he wants revenge . . .

  • Save 17%
    by Helen Grant
    £9.99

    Veerle has moved to Ghent to start a new life with her father and his girlfriend, she's isolated and alone. But not as alone as she had thought . . .Veerle recognises a familiar face in the crowds one day, a face connected to a past that she has been fighting to get over, a past that involved murder.A spate of deaths hit the city but has Death followed Veerle to Ghent or is this something new?

  • Save 10%
    by Brian Jacques
    £8.99

    Dare you visit the vampire's tomb at midnight when the church bell tolls?Or descend to the fiery pits of hell with a boy who has sold his soul to the devil?If not, read no further. For these are strange and ghostly tales - gruesome, pitiful, spine-chilling . . .But don't be surprised to find that supernatural events can also be wickedly funny - and even raise a ghost of a smile!

  • Save 11%
    by Tony Bradman
    £7.99

    The floor shook. The tables and chairs shook. The children shook. Suddenly, the door creaked open... and a huge figure loomed over them. It was... The Frankenstein Teacher!Class 3F get a very unusual new teacher. Frankenstein! But although Frankenstein looks very very scary, he has a very big heart and Class 3 learn to see beyond his scary appearance to the real person beneath when the class hamster meets a very sticky end...

  • Save 14%
    by Chris Riddell & Paul Stewart
    £9.49

    Barnaby Grimes is a tick-tock lad, running errands in his city, day and night, and high-stacking around the rooftops in search of new mysteries to solve. A fantastic romp through a Dickensian-style city, with a wonderful new hero in the guise of Barnaby. After collecting a strange parcel from a deserted ship in the fog of the docks, and delivering it to the local schoolmaster, Barnaby thinks he's earned a moment to sit on the rooftops and eat his favourite pasty. But soon he realises that all is not well at the school - but is the problem quite as he expects it? A gruesome tale of a school overrun by a terrible curse - who will survive?

  • by Chris Riddell & Paul Stewart
    £7.99

    Barnaby Grimes is a tick-tock lad, running errands in his city, day and night, and 'high-stacking' around the rooftops in search of new mysteries to solve. In this first adventure, Barnaby is attacked one night by an enormous dog. He kills it - but that's not the end of this particular mystery . . . as Barnaby finds himself swept up in a world of crooked doctors, poor and ill-advised patients, strange tonics and very expensive furs... Could there be more to the seemingly respectable Dr Cadwallader and the tonics he doles out to the poor? Is there a link between the tonic and the huge dogs - or possibly wolves - that are roaming the city at night? When Barnaby's old acquaintance Benjamin goes missing, Barnaby fears the worst for him, and decides to dig deeper... A fantastic romp through a Dickensian-style city, with a wonderful new hero in the guise of Barnaby. This new series from the bestselling dream team of Stewart and Riddell is a must for all fans of the Edge Chronicles - but also for fans of Horowitz and Shan, as they move into new territory and deliver a brilliantly exciting thriller-horror for boys.

  • Save 10%
    by Pete Johnson
    £8.99

    When Daniel and his friends make up a ghost story about a terrifying dog what begins as a story turns into a nightmare... A spine tingling tale about a boy haunted by the monsterous creature he created in his own imagination.

  • by Robert Swindells
    £7.99

    Somebody was in there. Somebody - or some thing . . . There is no room thirteen in the creepy Crow's Nest Hotel, where Fliss and her friends are staying on a school trip. Or is there? For at the stroke of midnight, something peculiar happens to the door of the linen cupboard next to room l2. And something is happening to Ellie-May Sunderland, too - something very sinister . . . A gripping page-turner from a master of spooky suspense, award-winning Robert Swindells. Don't read this under the covers at midnight!

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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