6 Horror Books To Keep You Trapped in the Stacks
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I like libraries. They are not only important to me, but they are also important to our democratic society as a whole, and should be fought for (especially in light of the effort) nationwide book ban). Yet, like home, our most important and beloved places can become frightening under the right circumstances. Horror has mastered the art of dismantling the spaces we occupy in our heads. Therefore, libraries are the perfect setting for a good horror story.
I was always a little afraid to go into the cold, dark maze in my huge, undergraduate library. It was thrilling, too – this idea of getting lost, or perhaps finding an ancient book that was never meant to be found (why yes, the 1999 film The Mummy was foundational to my current personality, why do you ask). There are many great stories that either take place in a library or involve a library or librarian.
As I described some medieval horror books, there are horror books that are directly related to libraries or linked to libraries. The list of horror books below will check a few of the library boxes. They range from outright bloody cosmic horror to the blurry line between horror and dark fantasy. Anyhow, I hope this scratches your horror itch.
6 library horror books to keep you up at night
book eaters By SUNY Dean
What better way to start than a library horror/dark fantasy story, where books are literal food? book eaters Follows Devon, who is part of a secret line where books are food. Some family members like stories of heroism, and some like sweet romance. However, Devon, like all the women in the family, is fed a carefully crafted diet of cautionary tales.
When Devon’s son is discovered to have a different appetite – for human minds and not books – Devon must find a way to protect his son and others.
scary thing
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Library in Hellebore By Cassandra Khaw
I’ve been a big fan of Khaw’s work since reading his excellent horror novel nothing but black teeth. Library in Hellebore Follows Alessa Lee, who is forcibly enrolled in the Hellebore Technical Institute for the Gifted, an academy for dangerous, worldwide powerful people. On graduation day, the faculty suddenly engages in a deadly eating spree with Alessa’s class. Alessa and a group of her classmates escape to the institute’s library. But now they are stuck there.
They must make a human sacrifice each night, otherwise the faculty themselves will come in and eat everyone. It takes the story of being trapped in a library and takes it into cosmic, hungry terror.
wolf worm By T. Kingfisher
in the library wolf worm is different from the others on this list, yet no less essential to the plot of this deeply disturbing eco-horror book. When scientific illustrator Sonia Wilson was directed by her new employer, Dr. Halder, to explore his “library” for inspiration, she didn’t expect to find drawers upon drawers of dead bug specimens. Yet this space becomes essential to his education on the subject matter, which he probably regrets learning by the end of the book.
Sonia spends her time photographing parasitic insects, which becomes more sinister when she learns what happened to Dr. Halder’s previous wife and what experiments he has been conducting under the cover of night in the forest. This book took body horror to a whole new level, and I would Never Look at the flies again in the same way.
Parliament By Amy Pokwatka
Like Library in HelleboreA group of characters are trapped in a library. But instead of hordes of hungry faculty members, teenagers and library goers must survive a parliament of murderous owls. Deadly! Owl! I mean, look at that cover. I was addicted from the beginning.
This novel is strongly Hitchcockian. birds Vibes, which is one of my favorite horror movies of all time. When a murderous parliament of owls descends upon Madeleine Purdy’s town library, she and the library’s other visitors must find a way to survive and escape without being destroyed.
death of jane lawrence By Caitlin Starling
This is another example of a story where the library is an important place. Jane Shoringfield knows that to continue her work she must marry. She chooses the reclusive doctor, Augustine Lawrence, who agrees to her proposal. In return he makes her a promise: he will never visit his ancestral home, Lindridge Hall.
Yet on their wedding night, she is stuck there, and her new husband now looks different. Without spoiling anything—and there are plenty of surprises in this story—it’s safe to say that a lot of important moments and events take place in the library of Lindridge Hall. Jane is a curious, capable, and clever heroine, yet she cannot predict the shock and horror that is to come by the end of this story.
Katherine House by Elizabeth Thomas
I think about this book probably weekly since reading it a few years ago. There are dialogues and scenes that irritate me because of their imagery and precise prose. This is a Dark Academia horror book unlike any other. It follows Ines, who is mysteriously accepted into the mysterious and prestigious Katherine House, a school where the world’s elite (politicians, scientists, Supreme Court Justices) are educated. But there’s something else going on at this mysterious school: disappearances, a cult-like atmosphere, and a research topic I still can’t fully describe. Ines discovers some turning points in this school library, and those turns, dear reader, are very intriguing.
Although the above horror stories would not be the ideal experience in the library, the library is a place that needs your love and protection. Especially now, when funding cuts and book restrictions are at an all-time high. Allow me this moment to express my adoration of this sacred space: Libraries are vital to our communities and are useful tools. Visit your local library! Everyone is welcome! Support its librarians and staff, and make sure your voice is heard during local elections and referendums. We need our libraries more than ever, and you, dear reader, are a vital part of keeping this vital institution alive (dreaded faculty, murderous owls and ghosts aside).