I’m a pretty fast reader, but sometimes a full length novel is just too long. It’s so hard for me to stop once I start, even if I know I need to! I’ve had to swear off certain authors or series because the books were so long, and compelling, that they consumed entire days of my life (I will never forgive George R.R. Martin for the loss of two weeks of my life to a series where he still hasn’t written the conclusion SIX YEARS LATER) If you aren’t a fast reader, then long novels can be intimidating. That’s what makes novellas great. If you’re a fast reader, you can speed right through them and go back to truly enjoy them again at your leisure. They’re just about perfect for travel– small enough to pack away and long enough to keep you engaged on your flight or train, without taking over your entire vacation. The novella length is perfect for a certain kind of horror story, too– it has to move fast and the words have to be carefully chosen in order to have maximum impact in a compact size. I asked for some recommendations from the people following Monster Librarian’s Facebook page,and checked with a few other horror lovers, and a number of them mentioned the same titles. Here’s a short list of 14 novellas recommended by horror lovers, that will be perfect for your summer reading, if you haven’t picked them up already. And if any of them pique your interest, feel free to click on the book’s image. It will take you straight to Amazon, and since we are an Amazon affiliate, you’ll be helping us out, too. As always, not every book is appropriate for every reader, and while we’ve reviewed some of these, you read at your own risk.
If you feel that the list could use some additions, feel free to contribute your suggestions below!
The Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker
A Boy and His Dog by Harlan Ellison
The Grownup by Gillian Flynn (reviewed here)
Kingdom of Needle and Bone by Mira Grant
Strange Weather by Joe Hill (technically this is a collection of four novellas) reviewed here
Mapping the Interior by Stephen Graham Jones
Agents of Dreamland by Caitlin R. Kiernan
The Ballad of Black Tom by Victor Lavalle
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward by H.P. Lovecraft
I Am Legend by Richard Matheson (reviewed here– you’ll have to scroll down)
The Murders of Molly Southborne by Tade Thompson (a sequel, The Survival of Molly Southborne, comes out in July)
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