The Bram Stoker Awards, is presented annually for outstanding horror writing in a number of different categories. I thought it would be interesting to pick the creepiest book covers from the 2012 nominees and use it as a Halloween reading list.
The 10 Creepiest Book Covers From the 2011 Bram Stoker Awards Nominees (A Month of Monstrosities)
Flesh Eaters by Joe McKinney. Battered by three devastating hurricanes in a row, the Texas coast is flattened. But for the people of Houston--and soon all of America--the most terrifying events are just beginning. Out of the flooded streets of Houston, they emerge from plague-ridden waters. Dead. Rotting. Hungry. And as human survivors scramble to their rooftops for safety, the zombie hordes circle like sharks. The ultimate killing machines.
Cosmic Forces, Gregory Lamberson. Private investigator Jake Helman has battled a demon, his minions, the walking dead, and beings from the dimensions of the Sphere of Light and the Dark Realm. Now, with earthly and otherworldly forces marshaled against him, Jake battles human assassins and supernatural creatures in his quest to uncover the mystery behind the Order of Avademe and a monster willing to destroy heaven and hell to rule the earth.
Floating Staircase, Ronald Malfi. Following the success of his latest novel, Travis Glasgow and his wife Jodie buy their first house in the seemingly idyllic western Maryland town of Westlake. At first, everything is picture perfect, but soon, though, the new house begins to lose its allure. Strange noises wake Travis at night, and his dreams are plagued by ghosts. Barely glimpsed shapes flit through the darkened hallways, but strangest of all is the bizarre set of wooden stairs that rises cryptically out of the lake behind the house.
Rotters, Daniel Kraus. Joey's mother dies in a tragic accident and he is sent to rural Iowa to live with the father he has never known, a strange, solitary man with unimaginable secrets. At first, Joey's father wants nothing to do with him, but once father and son come to terms with each other, Joey's life takes a turn both macabre and exhilarating.
A Monster Calls, Patrick Ness. 13 year old Conor has been having the same nightmare ever since his mother first got sick, so when the monster shows up one night, just after midnight, Conor is not surprised. However, it isn't the monster he has been expecting. This is a different kind of monster.
Dust & Decay, Jonathan Maberry. The 1st novel in this series, Rot & Ruin, was nominated for best novel in 2011.
In post-apocalyptic America, 15-year-old Benny Imura and his friends set out into the great Rot & Ruin hoping to find a better future but are soon pitted against zombies, wild animals, insane murderers, and the horrors of Gameland.
This Dark Endeavor (The Apprenticeship of Victor Frankenstein #1), Kenneth Oppel. Victor and Konrad are the twin brothers Frankenstein. They are nearly inseparable. Growing up, their lives are filled with imaginary adventures...until the day their adventures turn all too real. They stumble upon The Dark Library, and secret books of alchemy and ancient remedies are discovered. Father forbids that they ever enter the room again, but this only piques Victor's curiosity more. When Konrad falls gravely ill, Victor is not satisfied with the various doctors his parents have called in to help. He is drawn back to The Dark Library where he uncovers an ancient formula for the Elixir of Life. Elizabeth, Henry, and Victor immediately set out to find assistance in a man who was once known for his alchemical works to help create the formula.
The Corn Maiden and Other Nightmares, Joyce Carol Oates. Marissa is a beautiful, sweet, but slow 11-year-old. Judah, an older girl from the same school, has led Marissa to a secluded basement. Remaining an unaware hostage for days, Marissa grows weak as Judah prepares to sacrifice her to the Indian legend, the Corn Maiden.
Ghosts by Gaslight: Stories of Steampunk and Supernatural Suspense, Jack Dann and Nick Gevers (Editors). Modern masters of the supernatural weave their magic to revitalize the chilling Victorian and Edwardian ghostly tale: here are haunted houses, arcane inventions, spirits reaching across the centuries, ghosts in the machine, fateful revelations, gaslit streets scarcely keeping the dark at bay, and other twisted variations on the immortal classics that frighten us still.
Two Worlds and in Between, Caitlín R. Kiernan. A stunning retrospective compilation of dark fantasy and science fiction short stories.
*** Re-posted from March 2012, since I didn't get to finish many of the books on this list - and this it fits our Month of Monstrosities theme perfectly!
Which cover creeps you out the most? Do creepy covers make you want to read a book more or less? ***
See more -> Book Cover Love, Book Lists, Monstrosities Month
Great gasp of creepiness. I can't wait to read Dust & Decay. That cover rocks ;)