There are some authors you come across where their prose haunt you. This is not fixed to thrillers or horrors or generally dark books, as I am sure many romance, lit fic and fantasy readers can agree. This is a power that can be found in any genre and involve any theme. The key is the author’s power to evoke emotion, illustrate their story worlds, create the atmosphere and tone that seeps into every interaction, and simple produce a work that leaves the reader unable to forget the reading experience. Here are some of my haunting author recommendations.

Ruth Sepetys

Ruth Sepetys has been an author I have loved for years now. she has a keen eye for setting establishment and landscape, creating vivid locations and action that stuns and shocks. My favourite reads of hers, and the works I will recommend to the ends of the earth, are Salt to the Sea, The Fountains of Silence, and I Must Betray You. Each of these reads thrusts you into a time that is almost tangible and these are historical fiction books anyone can read and enjoy. They are not so complex a teen wouldn’t be able to understand them, but they also have the depth and detail an adult would lap up, even with their younger protagonists. Ruth Sepetys is an author whose work I will never forget.

H.P. Lovecraft.

I have to have the father of cosmic horror on this list. If you are a horror or science fiction reader and you haven’t read any of H.P. Lovecraft’s work you are missing out my friend. H.P. Lovecraft’s work is some of the most intense and terrifying books I have read. I read At The Mountains of Madness last year for Spooktober but I have been familiar with his work through one of my undergraduate papers (it was a wild paper, let me tell you). You may have heard of his most popular works, The Call of Cthulhu and The Shadow Over Innsmouth, which have garnered him an almost god-like status in the horror genre. They are certainly not for the faith of heart, but if you can stomach it they are legendary reads.

Shirley Jackson

Another Spooktober 2023 author, but how could I not mention her again. Shirley Jackson is a well known horror writer whose work is highly regarded in the community. We Have Always Lived in the Castle, The Haunting of Hill House, The Lottery, and The Road Through the Wall are only some of the incredible works she has brought into the world. She is the mother of domestic horror, and I believe she is also the mother of the haunted house as a result of The Haunting of Hill House. Her work it uncanny and there is a distinct tone in her work that will have you mesmerised. I highly recommend checking her out.

Brom

Brom is a new name for me, but after reading Slewfoot there is no way I could omit him from the list. Slewfoot is an incredible work of art, and I mean that figuratively and literally for the artwork featured is amazing. Not only are elements of dark fairytale horror and historical fiction expertly weaved to create this iconic novel, but the lasting impact is indescribable. I will be keeping an eye out for more work from Brom in the future, not just for the story but the artwork that accompanies it.

Lancali

Another one-name author, but this time the genre is more contemporary. I read I Fell In Love With Hope at the end of last year and it has stuck with me ever since. The poetic prose is beautiful and evokes such strong emotions you feel as if your heart is being ripped from your chest. The story is gut-wrenching and thought-provoking and so precious. It is a book for anyone wanting a good cry, wanting something different to their usual “and they lived happily ever after”, and for anyone you vibes with poetic prose such as On Earth We Are Briefly Gorgeous.

There are many more recommendations, but if I were to list them all this post would be 2000 words long minimum. If you have some favourite books that have stuck with you or authors who you cannot get out of your head, leave a comment to let others know of more fantastic recommendations.