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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 Darren Shan
    £7.99

    Darren Shan and Evra Von follow a trail of corpses and confront a foul creature of the night. A new enemy or Mr Crepsley?

  • - The Deadly Cavern
    by Grace Lockhaven & Thomas Lockhaven
    £11.99 - 18.49

    ';Eevie and Tommy brim with personality, energy and emotion, and their spirits soar and plummet dependent on the situation. Female readers will enjoy their witty banter, find Eevie cool and engaging, and perhaps, develop a little crush on Tommy the kind of boy buddy they wish they hadwho's handsome and heroic to boot' - Award-winning author, David ArethaI particularly enjoyed the fact that the children had to think to get out of sticky situations. The tale focuses on magic, imagination, challenges and problem solving and that, in my opinion, makes a perfect recipe for a children's book. I highly recommend this book for parents and their children and look forward to reading more from these authors. - JeyranI first saw it and read the intro and thought wow this would be a very nice read. When it arrived I was in the process of reading the Hobbit. I put that book on hold to read this one. I wasnt disappointed as it hooked me. Solving mysteries and clues. This will delight you until the very end. - TomThe Deadly Cavern has already been described by one reader as ';Harry Potter meets National Treasure', and the book is similar in style to the popular J.K. Rowling creations.If your classmate says a tree attacked him, would you think hes crazy or would you believe him and explore it?Tommy and Eevie get trapped in an underground labyrinth filled with deadly traps and puzzles. They must solve each riddle to survive, but every solution leads them closer to what is certain to be their demise.The Deadly Cavern is the first book of Quest Chasers, a fiction-fantasy series, where characters Tommy and Eevie are taken to a magical adventure you wont soon forget.If you like fantasy, magical lands and puzzles, then youll love Grace and Thomas Lockhavens Quest Chasers!

  • Save 11%
    by H C Chester & Lauren Oliver
    £7.99

    Four extraordinary children must avenge their friend's death, try to save their home, and unravel the secrets of their past . . . before their past unravels them.Pippa, Sam, Thomas, and Max are happy to be out of harm's way now that the notorious villain Nicholas Rattigan is halfway across the country in Chicago. But unfortunately their home, Dumfreys's Dime Museum of Freaks, Oddities, and Wonders, is in danger of closing its doors forever.But their troubles only get worse. The four friends are shocked when their beloved friend, famous sculptor Siegfried Eckleberger, is murdered. As they investigate, they find clues that his death may be tied to the murder of a rich and powerful New York heiress, as well as to their own pasts.

  • - Book 2
    by Curtis Jobling
    £7.99

    Percy Jackson meets Dracula in this action-packed monster hunting series! With the perfect combination of humour and heroism, Max Helsing will keep readers aged nine and up on the edge of their seats.Max Helsing's camping trip to Bone Creek was never going to be a quiet holiday, but even he is caught by surprise at how quickly things get out of control. Trouble starts brewing when a slew of mysterious murders have Bigfoot hunters lining up, guns at the ready. What's more, Max's nemesis, Abel Archer, is in town and itching to be the one to take the beast down. But the appearance of dire wolves and vampires complicate matters - who is really responsible for the murders? With the help of his friends, it's up to Max to find the culprit before the wrong suspect ends up as a trophy on a monster hunter's wall!

  • by Adam Gidwitz
    £7.99

    Reader: beware. Warlocks with dark spells, hunters with deadly aim, and bakers with ovens retrofitted for cooking children lurk within these pages.But if you dare, turn the page and learn the true story of Hansel and Gretel - the story behind (and beyond) the bread crumbs, edible houses and outwitted witches.Come on in. It may be frightening, it's certainly bloody, and it's definitely not for the faint of heart.'Gidwitz manages to balance the grisly violence of the original Grimms' fairy tales with a wonderful sense of humor and narrative voice. Check it out!' Rick Riordan'Unlike any children's book I've ever read. [It] holds up to multiple readings, like the classic I think it will turn out to be' New York Times'An audacious debut that's wicked smart and wicked funny' Publisher's Weekly, starred review'Addictively compelling' School Library Journal, starred review

  • by David Elliott
    £8.49

    Young Jaimie, a high school senior, holes himself up in an isolated cabin on a New Hampshire lake to mourn the tragic death of his girlfriend. He expects to be alone. So who is that swimmer he sees through the mist, out on the lake? What is the wailing he hears as night falls...the cry of the loon? Maybe Jannie had something else in mind when she made him promise they would be together forever. After all, hadn't they been voted The Couple Most Likely to Stay Together?

  • by Jessica Penot
    £7.49

    Gabriel is a boy who has just lost everything. His parents have died and he's forced to move to a strange country, France, to find a new home. He dislikes his crazy aunt, who he has to live with, he doesn't want to learn French, and to make matters worse, the only real family he has left is his whiny baby brother. Despite all this, as soon as Gabriel enters his aunt's ancient castle, he realizes that all these disasters might be the beginning of a grand adventure. In the castle of Chateau Larcher, the walls groan and the attic talks. Shadows take on strange shapes and Gabriel becomes convinced the castle is haunted. But the ghosts in Chateau Larcher aren't what Gabriel expects and he soon learns that skeletons aren't always scary and ghosts can tell the most interesting stories.

  • by Lily Herne
    £6.99

    One of us is dead. One of us is broken. One of us will betray the others. And one of us will have to sell her soul to survive . . .It s been eleven years since South Africa was ravaged by the walking dead. Johannesburg's impoverished survivors are ruled over by a minority of rich self-serving bureaucrats. As the remaining Mall Rats confront the dark heart of the twisted political system - in another part of town, Tommy dreams of joining the Army of the Left, a radical organisation intent on fighting for freedom.While Ash is forced to face his traumatic past, and Ginger struggles to regain his sanity; Lele goes head to head against a powerful foe, and Saint is dead set on a mission of her own: a fight for survival. Welcome back to the Deadlands . . .

  • by Lily Herne
    £6.99

    Some secrets are so unthinkable you can't even admit them to yourself . . . Lele, Ginger, Ash and Saint - aka the Mall Rats - are hiding out in the Deadlands, a once-prosperous area of Cape Town, now swarming with the living dead. Exiled from the city enclave for crimes against the Resurrectionist State, the Rats face a stark choice: return and risk capture - or leave Cape Town and go in search of other survivors.But what if the rest of South Africa is nothing but a zombie-riddled wasteland? Now Lele has discovered the truth about why the lurching dead leave them alone, she can't bring herself to tell the rest of the gang. And she's not the only Mall Rat harbouring a dangerous secret . . . Can the friends' survive on the road if all they have is each other? Or will their secrets tear them apart?

  • by Joseph Delaney
    £7.99

    Following the first year of his apprenticeship as an Arena 13 combatant, Leif seeks information from his late father's people. There he learns more about the man, who was the greatest arena fighter ever seen. The man who came so close to destroying the demon Hob, but paid a terrible price for every victory.Leif returns to the fighting floor with a renewed hunger for revenge. But can he remain focused on his training as his passion for his master's daughter, Kwin, grows? And will his place in his master's greater plan help or hinder him in his personal mission to defeat Hob in a fight to the death?The second instalment in the legend of ARENA 13.Books in the series1: ARENA 132: ARENA 13: THE PREY

  • Save 11%
    by Joseph Delaney
    £7.99

    The first book in the exhilarating new fantasy sequence from Joseph Delaney, the multi-million-selling author of The Spook's Apprentice.Welcome to Arena 13. Here warriors fight. Death is never far away . . .Leif has one ambition: to become the best fighter in the notorious Arena 13. Here, punters place wagers on which fighter will draw first blood. And in grudge matches, they bet on which fighter will die.But the country is terrorized by the creature Hob, an evil being who delights in torturing its people, displaying his devasting power by challenging an Arena 13 combatant in a fight to the death whenever he chooses. And this is exactly what Leif wants . . .For he knows Hob's crimes well. and at the heart of his ambition burns the desire for vengeance. Leif is going to take on the monster who destroyed his family. Even if it kills him.

  • Save 15%
    by Moira Fowley-Doyle
    £10.99

    It's the accident season, the same time every year. Bones break, skin tears, bruises bloom.The accident season has been part of seventeen-year-old Cara's life for as long as she can remember. Towards the end of October, foreshadowed by the deaths of many relatives before them, Cara's family becomes inexplicably accident-prone. They banish knives to locked drawers, cover sharp table edges with padding, switch off electrical items - but injuries follow wherever they go, and the accident season becomes an ever-growing obsession and fear.But why are they so cursed? And how can they break free?

  • by Joseph Delaney
    £6.99

    'This is the entrance to the Witch Well and behind that door you'd face your worst nightmare. Don't ever go through there.'Night falls, the portcullis rises in the moonlight, and young Billy starts his first night as a prison guard. But this is no ordinary prison. There are haunted cells that can't be used, whispers and cries in the night . . . and the dreaded Witch Well. Billy is warned to stay away from the prisoner down in the Witch Well. But who could it be? What prisoner could be so frightening? Billy is about to find out . . .An unforgettable ghost story from the creator of the Wardstone Chronicles (Spook's Apprentice) series.

  • - Book 1
    by Curtis Jobling
    £7.99

    Slaying.... and playing. All part of a day's work for Max Helsing.Descended from a long line of monster hunters, Max Helsing does a pretty good job of being and eighth grader by day and keeping his town safe from demons, ghouls and the occasional mummy by night. That is, until he turns thriteen and discovers he's been cursed by an ancient vampire who wants him dead - at any cost. To save the world - and his life - Max must rely on his wise-cracking best friend, cantankerous monster, computer genius neighbour, and brand-new puppy. He'll need all their help and more to break the Thirteenth Curse!

  • Save 10%
    - Thirteen Days of Midnight Trilogy Book 2
    by Leo Hunt
    £8.99

    A thrilling supernatural adventure: dark, funny, with twists at every turn. The sequel to Thirteen Days of Midnight, shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Prize 2016.Luke Manchett used to be one of the most popular boys at school.That was before his necromancer father died and left him a host of vengeful ghosts that wanted him dead.Now everyone thinks he's a freak.To make matters worse, the mysterious new girl at school is actually the daughter of his father's deadliest enemy...And she's out for revenge.

  • Save 10%
    - Book 1
    by Leo Hunt
    £8.99

    A thrilling supernatural adventure: dark, funny, with twists at every turn. Shortlisted for the Waterstones Children's Prize 2016.When Luke Manchett's estranged father dies suddenly, he leaves his son a dark inheritance. Luke has been left in charge of his father's ghost collection: eight restless spirits. They want revenge for their long enslavement, and in the absence of the father, they're more than happy to take his son. It isn't fair, but you try and reason with the vengeful dead. Halloween, the night when the ghosts reach the height of their power, is fast approaching. With the help of school witchlet Elza Moss, and his cowardly dog Ham, Luke has just thirteen days to uncover the closely guarded secrets of black magic, and send the unquiet spirits to their eternal rest. The alternative doesn't bear thinking about.

  • Save 11%
    by Anthony Horowitz
    £7.99

    Welcome to a strange and twisted world where the spooky, the shocking, and the positively petrifying are lurking just out of sight. A bus ride home ... turns into your worst nightmare. A quaint country cottage ... has a grisly secret.A man returns from holiday ... with bubbling skin and bloodshot eyes.Horowitz Horror. It's all around you. Alive. Waiting. Enter if you dare.

  • Save 10%
    by Kendare Blake
    £8.99

    Cas Lowood is no ordinary guy - he hunts dead people.People like Anna. Anna Dressed in Blood. A beautiful, murderous ghost entangled in curses and rage. Cas knows he must destroy her, but as her tragic past is revealed, he starts to understand why Anna has killed everyone who's ever dared to enter her spooky home.Everyone, that is, except Cas...

  • by Christoph Marzi
    £6.99

    This is a book about a ghost called Story. She's lost in the city - alone, afraid and without her memory. Then she meets Jude, a boy who sees the dead. And he is the only one who can help her remember...

  • by Andrea J. Buchanan
    £10.49

    Daisy has an electrifying secret that could save her lifeor kill herHighschool sophomore Daisy Jones is just trying to get by unnoticed. Itdoesn't help that she's the new girl at school, lives in a trailer park, and doesn'teven own a cell phone. But there's a good reason for all that: Daisy has asecret, unpredictable powerone only her best friend, Danielle, knows about.Despiteher ';gift' (or is it a curse?), Daisy's doing a good job of fitting in, and agorgeous senior named Kevin even seems interested in her! But when Daisytries to help Vivi, a mysterious classmate in a crisis, she soon discovers thather new friend has a secret of her own. Now Daisy and her friends mustdeal with chilling dreams and messages from the beyond. Can Daisy channel thepower she's always tried to hide, before it's too late?Extra features include:*; A short graphic novel telling Vivi's story*; Danielle's journal, revealing her deepest thoughts*; Lyrics and video links for Kevin's music (songs composed by Fredrik Larsson, otherwise known as YouTube sensation FreddeGredde)

  • Save 11%
    by Malorie Blackman
    £7.99

    Kyle has always been afraid of things, especially dying. But when he gets on the train that is taking him and his class on a school trip, he has no idea how close to Death he is going to come. Death enters the train and Kyle moves with him, past his friends, who are frozen in time, in life-or-death situations. Kyle finds that he can pick up on their deepest, darkest fears - real things that have happened to them, or may happen in the future, and sometimes their surreal nightmares too. Kyle realises that he isn't the only one who has buried fears and, more importantly, he now burns with the desire to live, and to live without fear. But will Death release him?

  • by Bram Stoker
    £6.49

    This Ladybird Classic ebook is an abridged retelling of the classic vampire tale of Dracula by Bram Stoker. A perfect introduction to the well-loved legend, it is ideal for adults to read with children, or for newly confident readers to tackle alone. Please note that due to some scary parts in places, content may not be suitable for very young or sensitive readers.Jonathan Harker visits Transylvania for what he thinks is a simple business meeting with a new client. Instead, he encounters the strange and sinister Count Dracula. There will be a battle between good and evil, but who will prevail?Beautiful illustrations throughout this new edition bring the excitement of this classic story to a new generation of children.

  • by R.S. Russell
    £6.99

    When Jana Webster dies in a tragic accident, she finds herself transferred to 'Dead School' in the afterlife, where students fall into distinct cliques. Risers (good kids who died innocently), Sliders (bad kids, who have one foot tied to earth) and Virgins (there are fewer than Jana would expect). Jana's boyfriend and love of her life - Michael - is still in the land of the living. Michael is Romeo to Jana's Juliet and as the story goes... even death can't keep them apart. Tired of waiting for him to kill himself over his grief of losing her, Jana decides she needs to do it for him. To kill Michael she'll need the help of a dangerous and sexy Slider - Mars Dreamcoate. But Mars has a goal of his own: he wants to save a life to atone for having taken one in a drunk-driving accident. And to complicate matters, he was trying to save Jana when she died and saw what was really going on when her 'accident' happened. Jana decides to do whatever it takes to get Michael back, and nothing - not even Mars' warm touch or the devastating secret he holds about her death - will stop her.

  • Save 11%
    by Charlie Higson
    £7.99

    The Fallen by Charlie Higson is the fifth awesome book in The Enemy series. First the sickness rotted the adults' minds. Then their bodies. Now they stalk the streets, hunting human flesh.The Holloway crew are survivors. They've fought their way across London and made it to the Natural History Museum alive - just. But the fight will never end while the Enemy lives, unless there's another way. . . The kids at the museum are looking for a cure. All they need are medical supplies. To get them means a journey down unknown roads. Roads where not only crazed, hungry sickos hide in the shadows. SUDDENLY IT'S NOT SO CLEAR WHO - OR WHAT - THEY'RE FIGHTING.The fourth terrifying part of Charlie Higson's bestselling Enemy series. The Enemy is among us. . . ** 2013 is the year of zombies, with Brad Pitt's World War Z and Nicholas Holt's Warm Bodies films hitting cinemas.** 'Lord of the Flies with zombies' - Rick Riordan, creator of the Percy Jackson series. ** Charlie Higson is the bestselling author of Young Bond, and creator of The Fast Show. ** Perfect for bloodthirsty fans of 28 Days Later and Darren Shan's Zom-B series.

  • Save 11%
    by Charlie Higson
    £7.99

    The sickness destroyed everyone over the age of fourteen. All across London diseased adults are waiting, hungry predators with rotten flesh and ravaged minds.Small Sam and his unlikely ally, The Kid, have survived. They're safe with Ed and his friends at the Tower of London, but Sam is desperate to find his sister. Their search for Ella means Sam and The Kid must cross the forbidden zone. And what awaits them there is more terrifying than any of the horror they've suffered so far . . . ** 'Lord of the Flies with zombies' - Rick Riordan, creator of the Percy Jackson series. ** Charlie Higson is the bestselling author of Young Bond, and creator of The Fast Show. ** Perfect for bloodthirsty fans of Darren Shan and 28 Days Later.

  • Save 11%
    by Charlie Higson
    £7.99

    The second heart-stopping, mind-blowing book in this killer series from the author of the best-selling Young Bond series, and award-winning comedy writer and performer (The Fast Show, Down the Line), Charlie Higson. A terrible disease is striking everyone over the age of fourteen.Death walks the streets.Nowhere is safe.Maxie, Blue and the rest of the Holloway crew aren't the only kids trying to escape the ferocious adults who prey on them.Jack and Ed are best friends, but their battle to stay alive tests their friendship to the limit as they go on the run with a mismatched group of other kids - nerds, fighters, misfits. And one adult. Greg, a butcher, who claims he's immune to the disease. They must work together if they want to make it in this terrifying new world. But as a fresh disaster threatens to overwhelm London, they realize they won't all survive'Lord of the Flies with zombies ... tons of nail-biting action' - Rick Riordan, creator of Percy Jackson

  • Save 11%
    by Charlie Higson
    £7.99

    The Enemy is the first downloadable audiobook in the heart stopping thriller adventure series by Charlie Higson, read unabridged by Paul Whitehouse. When the sickness came, every parent, policeman, politician - every adult fell ill. The lucky ones died. The others are crazed, confused and hungry. Only children under fourteen remain, and theyre fighting to survive. Now there are rumours of a safe place to hide. And so a gang of children begin their quest across London, where all through the city - down alleyways, in deserted houses, underground - the grown-ups lie in wait. But can they make it there - alive?

  • by Allan Ahlberg
    £7.99

    Frances Foggarty, now in her fifties, remembers her childhood.. When she was nine her ten-year-old brother, Tom, was hit by a milk-float and killed. He returns after the funeral and Frances's story is of her new relationship with Tom, the ghost and 'guardian angel'. Frances wears a caliper as a result of polio and she and her young brother live with a rather tyrannical aunt. In this touching tale of loss, hardship and endurance Frances comes to terms with Tom's death and moves on in her life.

  • by Allan Ahlberg
    £7.99

    The Burrell family could never have foreseen the consequences of adopting the tiny stray kitten that appeared when David was twelve. But the sweet cat is not as harmless as it seems, and soon has them completely under its sinister spell. The only one unaffected, David concocts a plan to rescue his family - but will it work?

  • by Jeremy Strong
    £7.99

    Charlie and his great mate Ben have landed in a spooky House of Horror - all because of Charlie's new pyjamas! The mean old Stitcher and her stinky sidekick Grumpfart are planning to take revenge on the entire world . . . Can Charlie and Ben survive the scary house or will they be struck by Stitcher's MONSTERPIECE?!

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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