13 eerily good books to read this Halloween

In the mood for a frightfully good read this Halloween? We have put together a list of 13 haunting horror books for those looking for a reading trick and treat!

Never Whistle at Night edited by Shane Hawk and Theodore C. Van Alst Jr.

A collection of Indigenous dark fiction short stories, Never Whistle at Night is a book which highlights chilling lore and legacies in contemporary settings. Featuring writing from Cherie Dimaline, Richard Van Camp, Waubgeshig Rice and more, these short stories draw on Indigenous knowledge and imagination while echoing the common belief amongst many: if you do not want to draw evil spirits, never whistle at night.

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Shane Hawk is a history teacher and horror writer of Cheyenne-Arapaho, Hidatsa and Potawatomi descent. He is the author of Anoka: A Collection of Indigenous Horror and currently based in San Diego.

Theodore C. Van Alst Jr. is a Mackinac Bands of Chippewa and Ottawa Indians writer and editor. He is the author of Sacred Smokes which received the Tillie Olsen Award in 2018.

LISTEN | Dark fiction anthology highlights rising Indigenous subgenre: 

The Sunday Magazine9:09Dark fiction anthology highlights rising Indigenous horror subgenre

There's a commonly held belief among many Indigenous communities that whistling at night can bring bad luck, and even summon ghosts. It's why Shane Hawk – a history teacher, horror writer and member of the Cheyenne and Arapaho Tribes of Oklahoma – titled his new dark fiction anthology Never Whistle at Night. The collection of short stories features submissions from Indigenous writers around the globe, including Anishinaabe author and journalist Waubgeshig Rice. Both of them reflect on the utility of the horror genre in Indigenous storytelling.

Linghun by Ai Jiang

Linghun is a debut novella which centres the lives of migrants through a gothic horror lens. Following the perspectives of three characters in the uncanny town of HOME, Wenqi is confused by her family, Liam becomes an unlikely ally and Mrs. seems to have been there forever. Linghun is a ghostly tale of those who are still holding onto the land of the living and burdened in death by their grief. 

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Ai Jiang is a Chinese-Canadian author and poet. She was a finalist for the 2022 Nebula Award for Best Short Story. Linghun is her debut novella. 

The Ojja-Wojja by Magdalene Visaggio, illustrated by Jenn St-Onge

In the small town of Bolingbroke, eighth graders Val and Lanie are the best of friends. The Ojja-Wojja is a middle-grade graphic novel following Val and Lanie as they set out to uncover the mystery of a town legend and accidentally summon a demon hellbent on bullying the town.

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Magdalene Visaggio is an American writer. She is the author of the Eisner and GLAAD Media Award-nominated Eternity Girl, Morning in America and Kim & Kim.

Jenn St-Onge is the comic artist behind Nancy Drew & the Palace of Wisdom and Jem & the Misfits. She lives in Ottawa. 

An Ordinary Violence by Adriana Chartrand

An Ordinary Violence is a darkly funny horror novel about a young Indigenous woman named Dawn trying to find peace in a world where the lines between the spirit realm and the real world are blurred. For most of her life, Dawn has been haunted by cryptic messages from her dead mother and when her life implodes she returns to her childhood home and must face the past. 

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Adriana Chartrand is a mixed-race Métis author originally from Winnipeg and currently based in Toronto. An Ordinary Violence is her debut novel. 

The Grimmer by Naben Ruthnum

The Grimmer is a YA horror novel about a high schooler named Vish who loves heavy metal and literature, but who is uncertain about his future. With his father recently out of treatment for addiction, he can feel the eyes of the town focused on his family — one of few brown families there.  After Vish is attacked by a pale, decaying monster, he finds himself drawn into a world of witches, undead creatures and magic. With the help of an eccentric local bookstore owner and his teenage employee Gisela, Vish tries to stop an inter-dimensional threat that could destroy his whole town.

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Naben Ruthnum is a Toronto-based author and screenwriter who has written everything from short fiction and crime fiction to thrillers, memoir and literary criticism. He is the author of the memoir Curry: Eating, Reading, and Race and the novels Helpmeet and A Hero of Our Time. Under the pen name Nathan Ripley, he is the author of two thrillers: Find You In the Dark and Your Life is Mine. 

LISTEN | Naben Ruthnum on his YA horror novel The Grimmer: 

The Next Chapter17:12Naben Ruthnum’s YA horror novel The Grimmer puts a modern twist on gothic fiction

The Toronto author draws on the mysteries of John Bellairs to tell the story of Vish, a high school student who loves metal music and books. When Vish gets caught up in the world of the occult, he must fight an interdimensional invasion that will destroy his peaceful town.

All These Sunken Souls edited by Circe Moskowitz

Drawing on many tropes and subgenres of horror, All These Sunken Souls is an anthology by Black authors including Toronto-based Liselle Sambury. From stories of terrifying Victorian mansions, to monster infestations and gore, this collection features Black-centred narratives to expand and haunt the mind.

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Circe Moskowitz is an American fiction writer and editor. Her other titles include the graphic novel Good Morning and an anthology called Reclaim the Stars.

Fake Blood by Whitney Gardner

Fake Blood is about a middle-schooler named Nia Winters who is only interested in vampires and AJ, who is only interested in Nia. After an uneventful summer, AJ feels like all of his peers have changed except for him and decides to start dressing up as a vampire to get Nia's attention. Only problem is, Nia's actually a vampire slayer. Now, in this hilarious graphic novel, AJ must save himself and his school from the real monsters beyond the classroom.

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Whitney Gardner is an author and illustrator based in the Pacific Northwest. She is the author of YA novels You're Welcome, Universe and Chaotic Good. Gardner's other graphic novels include  Long Distance and illustrations for Debbie Levy's Becoming RBG.

Reimagining ChinaTOwn edited by Linda Zhang

Reimagining ChinaTOwn is a speculative fiction collection of nine stories written in the aftermath of 2020 in response to rising anti-Asian hate. Illuminating on the often forgotten history of Old Chinatown in Toronto, these narratives collect upon memories of the Chinese diaspora and explore identity, food and what it means to be surrounded by the "ghosts" of a neighborhood.

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Linda Zhang is an editor, artist and architect currently teaching at Waterloo University. 

Eva Chu, Helen Ngo, Amelia Gan, Michael Chong, Tiffany Lam, Razan Samara, Amy Yan, Eveline Lam and Robert Tin comprise the short story writers in this collection.

House of Ash and Bone by Joel A. Sutherland

In the YA horror novel House of Ash and Bone, 17-year-old Josephine and her family have inherited a house in Vermont. Josephine, who can hear voices in her head, visits the house with her family and begins to question what is real and what isn't. She has trouble controlling the voices, feels like she is being watched and even catches a glimpse of a woman in the shadows.

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Joel A. Sutherland is an Ontario author of thriller, horror and fantasy short stories, as well as novels, anthologies and children's and YA books. His work includes Summer's End, Haunted Canada 10, Haunted Canada 11 and Haunted: The House Next Door.

LISTEN | Carol Ann Hoyte recommends four young adult books for fall: 

The Next Chapter17:12Naben Ruthnum’s YA horror novel The Grimmer puts a modern twist on gothic fiction

The Toronto author draws on the mysteries of John Bellairs to tell the story of Vish, a high school student who loves metal music and books. When Vish gets caught up in the world of the occult, he must fight an interdimensional invasion that will destroy his peaceful town.

What Draws Us Near edited by Keith Cadieux & Adam Petrash

What Draws Us Near is a collection of 15 scary stories featuring prominent Canadian writers such as Suzette Mayr, David Demchuk and Erica McKeen. From gore to ghouls and longing conversations, this book explores the terrifying and intriguing darkness that pulls us in.

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Keith Cadieux is a Winnipeg-based writer and editor. He is the author of Signal Decay and is set to release another short story collection in 2024.

Adam Petrash is a writer and editor from Winnipeg. His other editorial titles include Dead Work and Alternate Plains.

The Quiet Is Loud by Samantha Garner

Freya Tanangco has always had prophetic dreams, like when she dreamed that her mother was going to die as a kid. In The Quiet Is Loud, Freya is navigating her hidden life and intergenerational trauma as her dreams become dangerous realities. Inspired by Norse and Filipino mythology, The Quiet Is Loud is about one character's mission to control her narrative.

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Samantha Garner is a writer and poet based in Mississauga, ON. The Quiet Is Loud is her first novel.

No One Will Come Back for Us by Premee Mohamed

Exploring everything terrifying from deep space, to the depths of the ocean, to otherworlds of chaos, No One Will Come Back for Us is a thrilling speculative fiction anthology. Drawing on ancient myths and gods in the modern era, these short stories delve into the subgenres of dark fantasy and comic horror.

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Premee Mohamed is an Indo-Caribbean scientist and speculative fiction writer based in Edmonton. Her series Beneath the Rising received nominations for the Crawford Award, British Fantasy Awards, Locus Awards and Aurora Awards. Her book The Annual Migration of Clouds won the 2022 Aurora Award for best novella.

Bad Medicine by Christopher Twin

Inspired by Cree folklore and modern Cree life, Bad Medicine follows five Cree teens who share chilling horror stories around a campfire. 

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Christopher Twin is from the Swan River First Nations reservation in northern Alberta. Currently based in Edmonton, he does comic work and illustrations as a freelancer.