Happy Goat Horror

Post by Alex Davis, a good friend to the goats

As we push from Autumn to Winter, we move into peak horror season – cold air, nights drawing in and who knows what rustling around in the dark? Not to mention the ever-popular tradition of the festive ghost story.

And to mark the occasion, WINTER HAUNTS returns for a third time on the 16th November, with a loaded line-up of workshops, panels, interviews and more, all happening online.

And in the spirit of the season, today we’re going to explore five of the best horror novels that will send a chill down your spine – not just from the terror, but from the icy conditions they take place in…

Thin Air – by Michelle Paver

To say this was genuinely a toss-up between this and Paver’s also-wonderful Dark Matter is no understatement, but for me Thin Air just wins out. The story hits the notes of Gothic and the ghost story perfectly, with fantastic characterisation and an evocative setting both in time and place that will stay with you long after reading. With that said, you should also read Dark Matter.

Where the Dead Wait – by Ally Wilkes

This book pulls no punches with its depiction of the darkest side of Arctic survival, taking its reader to dark places where characters are driven to the very limits. The blend of subtlety and more extreme horror created by Wilkes is not an easy thing to achieve, but is handed adeptly here. If you like this one, Wilkes’s debut novel All The White Spaces if well worth a look too.

A Haunting in the Arctic – by CJ Cooke

It’s no easy task to write a great dual timeline novel, but Cooke achieves the task with aplomb, with stories from 1901 and 1973 blending seamlessly. The modern angle of urban exploration is a really fascinating one, and the tension builds up brilliantly throughout the novel. I don’t often read a book in the space of a couple of days, but this one was simply so hard to put down!

What Goes There? – by John W Campbell

Even if you’ve never heard of the book, odds are you will have heard of the film it inspired in all-time horror classic The Thing. When an alien entity is unfrozen on an Antarctic research base, what follows is a masterclass in tension and paranoia as everyone comes under suspicion. This novella is a fairly short read but still holds up well today.

The Silent Land – by Graham Joyce

After being caught in an avalanche during a skiing holiday, a young couple try to seek their way to the nearest village for safety. But when they get there, they find themselves unable to leave… Graham Joyce remains one of the best writers ever in the horror and Gothic field, and this story hits its winter theme in an exciting way, and lands a superb range of emotional high notes too.

And if you’re looking for more spooky chills this November, WINTER HAUNTS 3 has you covered, with a line-up including Silvia Moreno-Garcia, Laura Purcell, Jeremy Dyson, Nathan Ballingrud, Christopher Golden, Eric LaRocca and many more! You can pick up a workshop ticket, a ticket for our interviews and panels or a combined ticket for both threads.

For more information, visit https://www.eventbrite.co.uk/e/winter-haunts-2024-tickets-998430531597