Book picks similar to
The Tunnel by Gayne C. Young


horror
monsters
first-in-series
least-favorite

The Scourge


A.G. Henley - 2012
    She's never been able to see her lush forest home, but she knows its secrets. She knows how the shadows shift when she passes under a canopy of trees. She knows how to hide in the cool, damp caves when the Scourge comes. She knows how devious and arrogant the Groundlings' tree-dwelling neighbors, the Lofties, can be. And she's always known this day would come—the day she faces the Scourge alone. The Sightless, like Fenn, are mysteriously protected from the Scourge, the gruesome creatures roaming the forests, reeking of festering flesh and consuming anything—and anyone—living. A Sightless Groundling must brave the Scourge and bring fresh water to the people of the forest. Today, that task becomes Fenn's. Fenn will have a Lofty Keeper, Peree, as her companion. Everyone knows the Lofties wouldn’t hesitate to shoot an arrow through the back of an unsuspecting Groundling like Fenn, but Peree seems different. A boy with warm, rough hands who smells like summer, he is surprisingly kind and thoughtful. Although Fenn knows his people are treacherous, she finds herself wanting to trust him. As their forest community teeters on the brink of war, Fenn and Peree must learn to work together to survive the Scourge and ensure their people’s survival. But when Fenn uncovers a secret that shatters her truths, she’s forced to decide who and what to protect—her people, her growing love for Peree, or the elusive dream of lasting peace in the forest.

Slithers


W.W. Mortensen - 2017
     On a remote country road, heading out to a weekend party, Tobe West and his friends pick up two hitchhikers. It seems like the right thing to do. No-one could have predicted the freak car accident that is about to change their lives. Stranded in the middle of nowhere, Tobe and the others are faced with a landscape suddenly unfamiliar, in a universe that has come loose from its moorings. Strange things slither in the woods, and spectral lights hover just off the road. A petrol station, shining brightly in a world otherwise dark and frightening, promises safe haven, but Tobe learns the biggest threat lies within the very people he’s trying to protect. As reality breaks down and dangers multiply, Tobe must uncover the hidden agenda of one of the survivors... and keep the others safe from something lurking in the darkness. Something that is hunting them all. If they are to survive the night, Tobe must face the horrifying truth—that nothing is as it seems, and that they are all part of a larger plan, part of someone else's unfinished business...

Not Even Bones


Rebecca Schaeffer - 2018
    Nita just dissects the bodies after they’ve been “acquired.” But when her mom brings home a live specimen, Nita decides she wants out — dissecting living people is a step too far.But when she tries to save her mother’s victim, she ends up sold on the black market in his place — because Nita herself is a supernatural being. Now Nita is on the other side of the bars, and there is no line she won’t cross to escape and make sure no one can ever capture her again. Nita did a good deed, and it cost her everything. Now she’s going to do a lot of bad deeds to get it all back.

The Influence


Bentley Little - 2013
    The rich and successful suddenly find themselves facing catastrophic failure while the less well-off are unexpectedly flush with good fortune.This is only the beginning...Soon the citizens of Magdalena are experiencing unnatural desires.Next their children begin to disappear and freakish creatures emerge from the surrounding wilderness.The community is unraveling at a frightening pace.But these are merely the early warning signs of a showdown with a powerful force of darkness that could obliterate the world forever, and only Ross Lowry sees the danger that lurks ahead...

Pyramid Lake


Paul Draker - 2013
    He built it for his own secret reasons--and now there is no untruth he won't tell, no subterfuge he won't pull, to help his estranged young daughter.To protect his troubled little girl, Trevor Lennox will change our world.He will give Amy what no one else can: a world without lies.But there are some secrets that should stay buried forever... When the base around him erupts in murder and mayhem, Trevor himself must face the horrifying truth.The lies we tell ourselves can be the deadliest of all..."Original and profound. Deliciously complicated... Trevor is an alluring protagonist." --Kirkus Reviews

The Dark


Jason Brant - 2013
    She wakes to a dim glow provided by her Kindle’s screen, thankful that she had fallen asleep while reading again. The power has gone out, the world outside her window is eerily dark and silent. And Molly is wary of something that waits in the hallway, hiding in the shadows.A dark cloud has fallen over the city of Aberdeen, MD. The population disappears in an instant. For the handful of survivors, those lucky enough to have a light source not connected to the power grid, it's more than terrifying. They’re left alone, walking through a nightmare, and that is a fate that could be worse than death itself.The darkness is alive and it is the reason we fear the night.

The Monstrumologist


Rick Yancey - 2009
    This is the trust I never betrayed. But he is dead now and has been for more than forty years, the one who gave me his trust, the one for whom I kept these secrets. The one who saved me . . . and the one who cursed me.So starts the diary of Will Henry, orphaned assistant to Dr. Pellinore Warthorpe, a man with a most unusual specialty: monstrumology, the study of monsters. In his time with the doctor, Will has met many a mysterious late-night visitor, and seen things he never imagined were real. But when a grave robber comes calling in the middle of the night with a gruesome find, he brings with him their most deadly case yet.A gothic tour de force that explores the darkest heart of man and monster and asks the question: When does man become the very thing he hunts?

Snow


Ronald Malfi - 2010
    But when a brutal snowstorm cancels his flight from Chicago to Des Moines, Todd and a few other stranded passengers decide to rent a Jeep and make the trip on their own. During the drive, they pick up a man wandering through the snow, who claims to be searching for his lost daughter. He is disoriented and his story seems peculiar. Strangest of all are the mysterious slashes cut into the back of the man’s coat, straight down to the flesh… When they arrive at the nearest town, it appears deserted. Windows dark, car abandoned, fired burning unattended. But Todd and the rest of the travelers soon learn the town is far from deserted, and that they are being watched…

Lemuria


John Triptych - 2018
    So he takes them on what promises to be the ultimate vacation in a tropical paradise. The island, newly built off the southwest coast of India, is named for the mythical land of Lemuria. And it's a world-class private resort to indulge the modern-day rich and famous. But this seemingly luxurious wonderland hides a terrible secret, a nightmare so real and terrifying it will test the outer limits of Nick's courage and resolve if he is to save the ones he loves. In the tradition of Michael Crichton's Jurassic Park and Peter Benchley's Jaws, John Triptych's newest novel combines scientific horror with heart-stopping thrills. Don't miss it! Project Proteus Series: Book 1: Lemuria Book 2: Typhon

Cliche: Episode Three - A Dark Psychological Thriller (Numb Series)


Jeff Menapace - 2020
    He had no idea... Welcome to The Track. An elite club for members whose depraved desires run to the extreme. A place where you can bet on a pony and see how long he can survive...in a deadly scenario decided by a simple spin of the wheel. Step right up. Author's note: "Cliché: Episode Three" is the third installment in an ongoing series. Think literary Netflix! This series of shorts is a follow-up to the novel Numb. However, it can just as easily be enjoyed as a standalone series beginning with episode one. Whichever path you choose, enjoy! Cliche: Episode Three eBook categories: Suspense Thriller Psychological Thriller Crime Fiction Murder Noir Vigilante Justice Suspense Horror Organized Crime Kidnapping Disturbing Hard-boiled Suspense Horror Mystery

Dawn of the Spiders


Brian O'Gorman - 2015
    A large horde of the spiders take over the small village of Newtown, killing all but two of its residents. Laurence Johnson and Chloe Jones have only been together one night after Laurence parted ways with his wife. They find themselves trapped in the house with no way of escaping. Their only hope is to try and stay alive long enough for the army to intervene. Lorna Johnson is on the outskirts of town with nowhere to go and the spider invasion taking control. Her only hope of survival lies with a team headed up by Doctor Michael Briggs. He has a plan to stop the invasion before it gets out of hand. But he is running out of time and he is running out of allies. If he doesn't move quickly then mankind will face the darkest day it has ever known.

Devour


Kurt Anderson - 2016
    A primordial creature frozen in time, it is the oldest, largest, most efficient predator that nature has ever produced. And it is ravenously hungry…  IT HUNTS Thirty-five miles off the Massachussetts coast, a small research ship is attacked. All but one of its crew is killed by the massive serpentine horror that rises from the sea. The creature likes this human prey. The chewy outer hide. The tender saltiness within. And it wants more…  IT FEEDS Responding to a distress signal, fishing-boat captain Brian Hawkins arrives in time to save the ship’s last survivor. But the nightmare is just beginning. A casino cruise ship carrying high-stakes passengers—and a top-secret cargo—becomes the creature’s bloodsoaked hunting ground. Desperate but determined, Hawkins goes after the biggest catch of the century.

Dark Inside


Jeyn Roberts - 2011
    An inner rage has been released and some people cannot fight it. For those who can, life becomes an ongoing battle to survive - at any cost!

Near the Bone


Christina Henry - 2021
    She must never make him upset. But when Mattie discovers the mutilated body of a fox in the woods, she realizes that they're not alone after all.There's something in the woods that wasn't there before, something that makes strange cries in the night, something with sharp teeth and claws.When three strangers appear on the mountaintop looking for the creature in the woods, Mattie knows their presence will anger William. Terrible things happen when William is angry.

Winter Kill


Mike Oliveri - 2009
    But what she finds tests her training and sanity, for what she discovers should not exist. Winter Kill is the first book in the ongoing werewolf noir series, The Pack, by Bram Stoker Award winner Mike Oliveri. Book two, Lie with the Dead, is excerpted in this edition.