Happy Halloween: Explore the History and Hinterlands of Horror with Team Dragonsteel!

Hey Worldhoppers! Jack here, bringing you The Cognitive Realm’s Halloween reading guide.

While we ramp up our spooky season celebrations, we wanted to bring you a few of our favorite thrills and chills. From the darkest corners of the sci-fi galaxy to the dankest dungeons of fantasy, here are some horror stories that left us looking over our shoulders and checking under our beds for weeks after the lights went out.

Fantasy and Sci-Fi Horror Reads for Halloween

The Devils by Joe Abercrombie

“Happy endings are just stories that aren't finished yet.”

Dark fantasy from our friend across the pond, The Devils is Joe Abercrombie’s latest novel. Whether you love his First Law trilogy or you’ve never cracked the spine on a book of his, The Devils is a fantastic place to get to know his humor and heart. A suicide squad of fearsome fantasy characters are all tasked with bringing the lost princess Alexia Pyrogennetos to her throne across the sea, and nothing goes right for them.

The action sequences here are some of my favorites in the genre, with the visceral violence that earned Abercrombie the title Lord Grimdark on full display. Between an unkillable knight, a lycanthropic viking, and a pompous necromancer, there is enough gruesome gore in this one to satisfy the most ghoulish tastes.

Frankenstein by Mary Shelley

“I arrived here yesterday, and my first task is to assure my dear sister of my welfare and increasing confidence in the success of my undertaking.” 

Frankenstein is a classic for a reason: eighteen-year-old Mary Shelley invented modern science fiction while giving gothic horror one of its most beloved icons two centuries ago. The murderous monster and his cowardly creator are staples of Hollywood and Halloween both, and the book is a proven favorite. With a highly anticipated adaptation from director Guillermo del Toro releasing next week, the time has never been better to revisit Shelley’s classic—or if you’re lucky, to read it for the first time. 

Jurassic Park by Micheal Crichton

“Life finds a way.” 

Jurassic Park is a science fiction horror staple with teeth and claws. Crichton builds a Rube-Goldberg machine into the dinosaur amusement park and sets things up to go so wonderfully, terribly wrong. 

If you enjoy watching the pieces of a Sanderlanche come together just to traumatize poor bridgemen, then you’ll love the methodical pacing of this dinosaur debacle. While this cautionary tale of scientific advancement without restraint or humanity focuses on genetic research and giant lizards, it has a lot we can learn from today as technology advances we see profits prioritized over people.

I Am Not A Serial Killer by Dan Wells

“Fear is a weird thing, when you think about it. People are only afraid of other things, they're never afraid of themselves.”

From Dragonsteel’s head honcho of horror, Dan Wells, is I Am Not a Serial Killer about sociopath John Wayne Cleaver and his struggles against his own lack of empathy. In a bloody turn, he becomes the only obstacle between his community and the murderer he fears he could become. If you love intense investigations, compelling characters, and the twists and turns of speculative fiction, this is one of my top picks. 

Hyperion by Dan Simmons

“After fifty-five years of dedicating his life and work to the story of ethical systems, Sol Weintraub had come to a single, unshakable conclusion: any allegiance to a deity or concept or universal principle which put obedience above decent behavior toward an innocent human being was evil.”

Hyperion tells the story of a group of far-future pilgrims on their journey to meet the Shrike, a being whose presence bends the galaxy—and time itself—to its eldritch whims. As each pilgrim’s story is told, they get closer and closer to the inevitable confrontation with the Shrike and their journey’s end. This one had me squirming as I read, and has become my constant recommendation to horror and science fiction fans alike.

How Team Dragonsteel Celebrates Halloween

After I thought about my favorite scary stories, I turned to our fearless leaders and VPs here at Dragonsteel to see how they’d be celebrating All Hallow’s Eve. 

If any of the movie recommendations are available on streaming networks, I've linked them here.

Emily Sanderson

From the queen of Dragonsteel, Emily Sanderson, comes a pair of stories to delight any audience. For the cozier side, Halloween classic film Hocus Pocus; for the thrill seekers among you, Bram Stoker’s original Dracula novel. Recommendations worthy of our very own Sanderson sisters, as Jane Sanderson Horne, Director of Operations at Dragonsteel and the Lightweaver Foundation, also gave Hocus Pocus top marks. 

Adam Horne

Our VP of Publicity and Marketing, Adam, has no bones to pick with these frightful film favs: Shaun of the Dead, Pride and Prejudice and Zombies, The Nightmare Before Christmas, and Coraline. Anytime I hear Queen’s “Don’t Stop Me Now,” I am reminded of the first time I watched Shaun of the Dead. If you’re in the mood for some zombie insanity, this might just be the one for you.

Matt Hatch

VP of Operations Matt Hatch throws it back to his middle grade years with The House with a Clock in Its Walls, John Bellair’s classic spooky mystery novel. It was also adapted to the big screen in 2018, so if you’re in the mood for some Jack Black this Halloween, give it a watch. 

Dan Wells

Dan Wells suggests this grisly gallery of fun frights:

• Comedy horror movies for those who want to laugh as much as they cry, try The Cabin in the Woods, Tucker and Dale vs. Evil, or the original Scream. 
• If you’re thinking about an RPG one-shot, consider picking up Ten Candles. This well-reviewed tabletop horror game might be for you if you don’t mind burning your character sheet at the end of the night. 
• If you prefer narrative horror of the computerized variety, try the interactive Vampire: The Masquerade visual novels. They’re even on sale on Steam today. 
• Following the vampire vein, Dan highly recommends Netflix’s Dracula series. “That first [episode] is phenomenal.”
• For a classic horror film, Dan recommends George C. Scott’s film The Changeling; or for a couple of modern, off-kilter, and very Dan picks, try watching Be My Cat and He Never Died. You’ll know if these ones are for you. 

Brandon Sanderson

Brandon had a few familiar recommendations. Bloodborne is one of his favorite video games of all time, and with its gothic-Victorian style, cosmic horror themes, and a difficulty curve as intimidating as any of its monsters, it isn’t hard to see why. 

At a recent game night, Brandon hosted a Magic: The Gathering Innistrad Draft, with creatures and spells inspired by the best of gothic horror. Brandon wears his love of Magic on his sleeve, and Innistrad is his favorite set. He even wrote a short story set on the plane, and while it is no longer available online, he has a lot to say about his experience writing it.

Happy Halloween, Sanderfans. We hope you enjoy the frightful festivities as much as we do. 

Tune in to Brandon and Emily’s Halloween livestream later tonight and let us know if you enjoyed any of our team's spookiest suggestions in the comments.