In honor of Pride Month, and as part of my Summer of Horror event, I’m thrilled to present a bunch of upcoming queer horror books! All of these feature queer characters, queer themes, and/or are written by queer authors, and most of them were already on my TBR, I only had to do a little research to round out the list. Of course, this isn’t a complete list, otherwise it would be too long. Short descriptions and links to Goodreads are below, and I’ve listed them in alphabetical order.
Black Flame by Gretchen Felker-Martin. August 5, Tor Nightfire. “Manhunt author Gretchen Felker-Martin is back with Black Flame, a historical horror about one woman’s deadly obsession with a haunted film, perfect for fans of Midsommar and Night Film.”
Crafting For Sinners by Jenny Kiefer. October 7, Quirk Books. “A queer woman must fight her way out of a big-box craft store run by a diabolical religious cult in this gripping survival horror novel by Jenny Kiefer, author of This Wretched Valley.”
A Game in Yellow by Hailey Piper. August 12, Saga Press. “Euphoria meets Things Have Gotten Worse Since We Last Spoke in this latest novel by the Bram Stoker Award–winning author Hailey Piper, following a couple whose search to spice up their sex life leads them down a path of madness.”
The Haunting of William Thorn by Ben Alderson. September 9, Angry Robot. “The Notebook meets The Haunting of Hill House in this split timeline queer twisted love story, set against the backdrop of a haunted English manor.”
Hazelthorn by C.G. Drews. October 28, Feiwel & Friends. “CG Drews, acclaimed author of Don’t Let the Forest In, returns with another deeply unsettling and yet hauntingly beautiful tale of murder and botanical body horror, perfect for fans of Andrew Joseph White and We Have Always Lived in the Castle.”
Herculine by Grace Byron. October 7, Saga Press. “Manhunt meets Lord of the Flies in this blistering horror debut following a young trans woman after she arrives at the all-trans girl commune founded by her toxic ex-girlfriend, only to discover that demons, both literal and figurative, haunt her fellow comrades—and she’s their next prey!”
Hollow by Taylor Grothe. September 30, Peachtree Press. “Don’t Let the Forest In meets The Whispering Dark in a queer YA cult horror following a recently diagnosed autistic teen who becomes enmeshed in a community of outcasts harboring sinister secrets.”
Lucky Day by Chuck Tingle. August 12, Tor Nightfire. “Lucky Day is the newest novel of terror from Chuck Tingle, USA Today bestselling author of Bury Your Gays, where one woman must go up against the most horrifying concept of all: nothing.”
The Library at Hellebore by Cassandra Khaw. July 22nd, Tor Nightfire. “A deeply dark academia novel from USA Today bestselling author Cassandra Khaw, perfect for fans of A Deadly Education and The Atlas Six who are hungry for something a little more diabolical.”
Moonflow by Bitter Karella. September 2, Run For It. “Annihilation meets Manhunt in three-time Hugo Award nominee Bitter Karella’s debut horror novel—a gloriously queer and irreverent psychedelic trip into the heart of an eldritch wood and the horrors of (cis)terhood.”
Spread Me by Sarah Gailey. September 23, Tor Nightfire. “Spread Me is a darkly seductive tale of survival from Sarah Gailey, after a routine probe at a research station turns deadly when the team discovers a strange specimen in search of a warm place to stay.”
Teenage Girls Can Be Demons by Hailey Piper. September 16, Titan Books. “13 terrifying coming-of-rage stories from the Bram Stoker Award-winning author of Queen of Teeth, perfect for fans of Clive Barker, Mariana Enriquez and Eric LaRocca”
This Is My Body by Lindsay King-Miller. August 5, Quirk Books. “A gripping, emotional, and darkly funny queer horror novel about family trauma and possession, for fans of Rachel Harrison and Catriona Ward.”
We Are Always Tender With Our Dead by Eric LaRocca. September 9, Titan Books. “Michael McDowell’s Blackwater meets Clive Barker’s The Great and Secret Show in the disturbing first installment of a new trilogy of intense, visceral, beautifully written queer horror set in a small New England town.”
What Stalks the Deep by T. Kingfisher. September 30, Tor Nightfire. “The next novella in the New York Times bestselling Sworn Soldier series, featuring Alex Easton investigating the dark, mysterious depths of a coal mine in America.”
The Works of Vermin by Hiron Ennes. October 14, Tor Books. “Enter the decadent, deadly city of Tiliard, carved into the stump of an ancient tree. In its canopy, the pampered elite warp minds with toxic perfume; in its roots, gangs of exterminators hunt a colossal worm with an appetite for beauty.”
You Watched In Silence by H. Lee Justine. November 1, Blackstone. “A shivery blend of queer psychological thriller and horror, evocatively set in the secluded islands of the Pacific Northwest, You Watched in Silence has the bite of Jessica Knoll with the twists of Verity and the atmospheric tension of The Haunting of Bly Manor.”
You Weren’t Meant to be Human by Andrew Joseph White. September 9, Saga Press. “Alien meets Midsommar in this chilling debut adult novel from award-winning author Andrew Joseph White about identity, survival, and transformation amidst an alien invasion in rural West Virginia.”
VERY much looking forward to the new T Kingfisher – well, always! Quite intrigued now by the Library at Hellebore, might give that a look.
Kingfisher is always a must read:-)
Oh this list is perfection! I’m gonna save this post to my bookmarks so I can come back to the titles when I’m buying books next. Thank you, Tammy!!
Thanks Stephanie!
Happy to see another book in the Kingfisher series, the first was really good.
It looks like there’s a lot of interesting horror around right now 😀
There is a ton of great looking horror. The challenge is going to be trying to read it all:-)
Awesome list! I’m definitely looking forward to the Sarah Gailey; a little on the fence about the Kingfisher, since I didn’t love the 2nd book. So many of these look amazing — looking forward to your reviews!
Thanks Lisa! I feel the same way about the Kingfisher, the second book was nowhere near as good as the first. Hopefully the story will be more interesting in this one.
THE WORKS OF VERMIN looks interesting, but you know me, I’ve got to be in a certain mood for sure to pick up horror. Preferably one that’s not too gross haha.
I totally get it. Even I can’t take the gross ones all the time.
You Weren’t Meant to be Human is an interesting title.
And the worms on the cover are making me very squeamish, lol.
Hazelthorn is making the buzz on O stagtam Tammy!
Is it really? Very cool, I’m even more excited.
There are some truly amazing looking books here. Several are already on my TBR but I’m sure I can add a few more. I know I have a special edition of The Library at Hellebore coming in a subscription box in August. I just received an arc of The Haunting if William Thorn too. Look at that cover on Teenage Girls Can Be Demons. Yes please!
That cover for Teenage Girls Can Be Demons is one of my favorites!
Fantastic list and some pretty scary looking books. Thanks for sharing 😀
Lynn
There are definitely some scary ones on the list:-)
Great list! I’m looking forward to Herculine & Teenage Girls Can Be Demons.
Thank you! I hope we both enjoy them:-)
I can’t wait for Crafting for Sinners! 🙂
Me too, it sounds so funny!
Ive got a couple of these on my TBR and need to double check that it has Hazelthorn. I’m also intrigued by the short story collection. There are a couple that I’m kind of interested in, kind of worried could be too weird or gruesome for me. So I’ll watch out for your reviews for those before deciding.
I agree, some of these are going to be more hard core horror for sure!