Book picks similar to
The Summoning by John Lyon


horror
horror-novels
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Blood Roots


Richie Tankersley Cusick - 1992
    As Olivia grew into a young woman, her mother’s erratic behavior turned to madness, with fits of rage and despair over her childhood home, the grand plantation Devereaux House, which Olivia never knew. During her mother’s dark rages, Olivia dreamed of going to her family home and reclaiming her legacy.After her mother’s death, Olivia yearns to find her roots and meet the grandmother she never knew. Keeping her identity a secret, she travels to Devereaux House, where she is hired as a member of the household staff. At last, the doors to Devereaux House are opened. But Olivia can sense that something is not right, and soon she is drawn into a world of dark secrets, and a poisoned legacy of lust and desecration.

Willard


Stephen Gilbert - 1968
    Instead, he befriends the rats, learning to train and communicate with them. Before long he has the idea of using the rats for revenge against a world in which he has been a failure. His target is his hateful boss, Mr. Jones, who treats him with supreme disrespect and plans to fire him and replace him with someone less expensive. The narrator records his plans in chilling detail as his campaign for vengeance progresses from vandalism to robbery to the most horrific of murders...

The Hell Candidate


Thomas Luke - 1980
    "Thomas Luke" is a pen name of Graham Masterton, prolific author of such books as "The Manitou." "They said Hunter Peale didn't have a hope in hell of getting elected. They were wrong... He was a kindly, moderate man - with a less than moderate chance of winning. Then it all began to change... What power did Peale now have that brought men to their knees in abnormal pain - and made women writhe with unholy pleasure? The answer froze the spirit like a chill, rancid breath from the foul grave-stench mouth of Hell - for Peale had entered into a monstrous pact with none other than the Prince of Darkness himself..."

Maynard's House


Herman Raucher - 1980
    He comes to own it by the generosity of a brother-in-arms—a fellow soldier and confidante, Maynard Whittier, killed in action by a wayward mortar shell. The rugged landscape of Maine is an intoxicating blend of claustrophobic interiors and endless frozen wastelands. Little by little, the mysterious force in the house asserts itself until Austin isn't exactly sure what is in his mind and what is real. And just when our hero's had enough and is ready to quit the place, a blizzard arrives and the real haunting begins.

Deathless (Pressure Book 2)


Jeff Strand - 2021
    Darren is a psychopath who thought he’d found somebody who would kill with him, and when he realized he was wrong, he took everything from Alex. Losing his family—and coping with the heinous act Darren forced him to commit—is too much. Alex is unable to have a normal social life.Until he meets Luna Booth.She’s fun. Intelligent. Sexy. She’s exactly what he needs right now. Alex may not have found his soulmate, but he’s found somebody that he loves spending time with. Somebody who doesn’t mind the nightmarish skeletons in his closet.In fact, she may be too understanding. Too interested. And she may have a very dark and twisted secret…

Slither


John Halkin - 1980
    Out of the murky sewers they suddenly attacked —snapping, biting, ripping at his flesh. After the first sensationalism had died down, the newspapers lost interest ... the experts dismissed them as no more dangerous than ferrets ... people started to forget.But Matt knew different. All the time they were growing in size and numbers — and they preyed on living flesh!For when they returned — slithering out of village ponds, swimming pools, even bath pipes — the fate of the British population was sealed.And there was no more horrifying way to die ....

The Woodwitch


Stephen Gregory - 1988
    But he also has a dark side. When his girlfriend Jennifer laughs at his impotence, he lashes out in a violent rage, knocking her unconscious. At the suggestion of his employer, Andrew heads to an isolated cottage in the dark Welsh countryside to take a break and get a grip on himself. In the woods, he discovers the grotesque stinkhorn mushroom, whose phallic shape seems to rise in obscene mockery of his own shortcomings. But the stinkhorn gives him an idea, a way to win Jennifer back. As the seeds of obsession take root in Andrew’s mind, he embarks on a nightmarish quest, with unexpected and horrifying results. Stephen Gregory earned worldwide acclaim with his first novel, The Cormorant (1986), which won the Somerset Maugham Award and was adapted for a BBC film. In The Woodwitch (1988), his second novel, Gregory once again proves himself a master of disturbing and unsettling horror.

Evil In Disguise


Deborah McClatchey - 2010
    Little do they know that the unsuspecting, yet odd-looking turtle, is a fiend in disguise. The town bully, Victor Lockett, kidnaps the reptile and finds out he’s made a terrible, terrible mistake! The turtle is now on the loose and the killings begin. Elmer Jacks, the pet shop proprietor, finally reveals the true identity of the turtle to the two boys. He says there is an old scroll that was lost which holds the answer to the cursed tortoise and can revert it back to human form. Charlie’s pretty neighbor, Sunni Russell, joins them on their hunt for the beast. With her help, they search the Internet for the answer to the reversal of the curse. But will they find it? And most importantly, if they find the turtle, will the special words on the scroll even work?

Blackwater: Two Stories of Horror and Dark Science Fiction


Christian Galacar
    In "Mercury Rain" a soldier fighting a new enemy learns the importance of holding on to his memories. "Blackwater," the title story of the collection, is an homage to Stephen King's short story, "Graveyard Shift," and it tells the tale of Paul Hawkins, a mine worker who disturbs something terrifying in the Blackwater Hills of Durham, Pennsylvania, in the summer of 1976.

The train


Roger Wheatley - 2020
    

Lilith: A Ghosts in the Burbs Story


Liz Sower - 2019
    And that something is stalking their daughter. Originally released several chapters at a time on the podcast Ghosts in the Burbs, Lilith is a tale of demonic possession, motherhood, and isolation.

The Legacy


John Coyne - 1979
    Six guests of the unseen host who lies wasting away upstairs. Five heirs to a mysterious Legacy watch the body of the sixth float to the side of the pool. Four claim the unspeakable power of the Legacy, while a red stain spreads across the ceiling. Three realize that the Legacy has come to claim them, while outside a dog dines a thing that was once a man. And then there are two......

The Abominations of Yondo


Clark Ashton Smith - 1960
    Lovecraft as 'unexcelled by any other writer, dead or living'. They will take you into unearthly realms of fantasy and horror beyond your wildest nightmares...Contents:1. The Nameless Offspring2. The Witchcraft of Ulua3. The Devotee of Evil4. The Epiphany of Death5. A Vintage From Atlantis6. The Abominations of Yondo7. The White Sybil8. The Ice-Demon9. The Voyage of King Euvoran10. The Master of the Crabs11. The Enchantress of Sylaire12. The Dweller in the Gulf13. The Dark Age14. The Third Episode of Vathek15. Chinoiserie16. The Mirror in the Hall of Ebony17. The Passing of Aphrodite

The Black Death


Gwyneth Cravens - 1977
    Drawing strongly on history, this intriguing story makes us fear for the future.

The Haven


Graham Diamond - 1977
    A young botanist leads a small expedition to find a way out to rescue humanity.