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Tales of zombies and vampires
If you love reading tales about the undead, put these thrillers on your radar.
Published on May 19, 2023
Certain Dark Things: A Novel
Silvia Moreno-GarciaDifferent species of vampires walk the earth, at war with one another and the humans trying to displace them. Atl, a young vampire whose family was massacred, attempts to flee Mexico City aided by the teenaged Domingo. Moreno-Garcia’s vampire-noir unites fantastical world-building with all-too-human issues of culture and colonialism.
Fledgling
Octavia E. ButlerButler masterfully mixes horror with science fiction in this chilling tale of a 50-something, genetically modified vampire who wakes up trapped inside the body of an injured, young Black girl. Suffering from amnesia, she fights to recall her past life and discover who wants to destroy her before it’s too late.
Warm Bodies: A Novel
Isaac MarionR is a zombified teen who makes the choice to try to connect with someone. This book is surprisingly sweet (given that one lead is a zombie) with an unusual love story at its core. R’s gentle romance contrasts startlingly with the visceral feedings that keep the zombies alive.
Cell: A Novel
Stephen KingAs with many of his books, King takes an everyday ubiquitous item — in this case a cell phone — and transforms it into the conduit for a virus that could end the world as we know it.
Bruja Born
Zoraida CórdovaSecond in the Brooklyn Bruja series, a witch loses her boyfriend in a bus crash, but uses her powers to bring him back. But it seems she’s turned all the bus passengers into casi muertos, creatures who occupy the world between the living and the dead. Cordova’s writing is sharp and addictive, and the series is a fresh take on witches.
The Gilda Stories: Expanded 25th Anniversary Edition
Jewelle GomezGilda escapes slavery in 1850s Louisiana before willingly becoming a vampire. You’ll glimpse 200 years of America through her immortal eyes, including the sweeping changes (and stalled progress) of racial divides, ecological devastation, and women’s empowerment — as experienced by a Black lesbian vampire who yearns to belong.
Vampires Never Get Old: Tales with Fresh Bite
Zoraida CórdovaAre you sick of the classic vampire archetype — white, male, and all-powerful? Then this collection of 11 stories is for you. Popular YA authors reinvigorate the genre with refreshing diversity, including a melancholy Latinx blogger and a wheelchair-using teen out for revenge (these relatable protagonists also happen to be vampires, of course).
This Is Not a Test: A Novel
Courtney SummersA teen who’s already got PTSD from a variety of issues holes up in a school with five other students when the zombie apocalypse strikes. An intense and intensely gripping book.
Sunshine
Robin McKinleyHumans and Others attempt to coexist after a devastating war. Sunshine, a coffeehouse cook with a mystical heritage, is captured and imprisoned alongside a Dark Other, Con. Escape is only possible if they protect one another. Sexual tension builds, but Con isn’t your typical tall, dark, and handsome vampire.
Dead Until Dark
Charlaine HarrisSookie is a telepathic waitress in small-town Louisiana. Drowning in the inner dialogue of those around her, she’s relieved to meet Bill — handsome and mysterious with thoughts as silent as the dead. She wants to see him again, even if he’s a blood-sucking vampire. In her first of the “Sookie Stackhouse” series, Harris weaves gore, humor, and romance into an intriguing murder mystery.
Dread Nation
Justina IrelandWhat if the Civil War ended because the undead came to life? That’s the premise of Ireland’s fresh and compelling alternative historical fiction. It’s got twists you won’t expect, making you want to rush immediately to the next book in the series, “Deathless Divide.”
Vampire Weekend
Mike ChenLouise Chao may be a vampire, but she struggles with the same ordinary challenges as any human, including loneliness. When her estranged nephew shows up on her doorstep, Louise experiences a new spark for life — and punk rock. Chen’s (“Light Years from Home”) book is far from your typical vampire novel, using humor and music to address the relatable experience of feeling like an outsider.
Severance: A Novel
Ling MaImagine a crossover episode between “The Office” and “The Walking Dead.” and you’ve got Ma’s terrific novel about how a catastrophic plague sweeping through New York City impacts workplace culture. “Severance” manages to satirize everything from careerism to apocalyptic thrillers without sacrificing empathy or believability. A super smart page-turner.
Dracula
Bram StokerCount Dracula has been the most portrayed character on stage and screen, with over 200 versions frightening (and tantalizing) audiences over the years. But his first appearance in Stoker’s horror novel is still the best. Read the classic for yourself to find out why.
I Am Legend
Richard MathesonWhen a pandemic sweeps the planet in this 1954 post-apocalyptic horror novel by Matheson (“The Twilight Zone”), everyone either dies or becomes a vampire. Except for one man. You may know him as the character played by Will Smith in the 2007 movie adaptation. (Or Vincent Price in the 1964 version “The Last Man on Earth.” Or Charlton Heston in the 1971 version “The Omega Man.”) This winner of the Bram Stoker Lifetime Achievement Award for “Vampire Novel of the Century” defined the zombie-vampire plague genre, where the lone hero battles for survival night after night against invading mutants.
The Strain
Guillermo del ToroIn the first installment of Oscar-winning director del Toro and thriller writer Chuck Hogan’s trilogy-turned-TV series, a virus is engulfing New York City, but it’s like nothing the CDC has encountered before. This high-tech vampire novel will thrill lovers of sci-fi and good-old fashioned horror.
Let the Right One In: A Novel
John Ajvide LindqvistTwelve-year-old Oskar is lonely, bullied, and friendless until he meets his neighbor, Eli. Her odd abilities and behavior make sense when she reveals she’s a vampire. A melancholy story of wholesome friendship with a backdrop of fear, gore, and revenge.
Monster Island: A Zombie Novel
David WellingtonA plague wiped out much of the world, but the dead have risen again — hungry for flesh. Protagonist Dekalb, aided by a troop of schoolgirls-turned-soldiers, embarks on a strategic mission into Manhattan, but he soon realizes the undead are led by Gary, a zombie with eerily human intelligence.
The Reapers Are the Angels: A Novel
Alden BellBold, fierce, and haunted by her past, 15-year-old Temple can’t remember a time before zombies took over a fallen America. However, it’s not just the undead she has to fear but the living as well: There’s a determined killer hot on her trail who will do anything to get to her. In this post-apocalyptic Western thriller, brutality and violence are small prices to pay for survival.
Girls Save the World in This One
Ash ParsonsCosplayers clash with the real deal at ZombieCon in this fun and campy YA fiction. June and her best friends have been eagerly anticipating gathering with fellow zombie enthusiasts but when the event finally arrives, all hell breaks loose as a horde of flesh-eating undead beings takes over. The girl gang will have to use all of their wits and guts to fight back and save the day.
Plague of the Dead: The Morningstar Saga
Z.A. RechtRecht pulls together everything a zombie tale should have: Rigorous, non-stop action, a band of survivors worth rooting for, and a well-researched plot that revolves around the Morningstar strain — a highly contagious virus that turns its victims into shambling monsters that never tire and will track humans down without pause.
Married with Zombies
Jesse PetersenSarah and David’s marriage isn’t the only thing that’s falling apart — on their way to couple’s counseling, a zombie apocalypse breaks out and the dysfunctional couple must put aside their bickering to fight for survival. Keeping the tone light and snarky, Petersen mixes helpful marriage advice with zombie slaying tips. After all, the couple that slays together, stays together, right?
An Unattractive Vampire
Jim McDonielEverybody knows that vampires are irresistibly attractive creatures with sparkling skin and six-pack abs. Everybody, that is, except, Yulric Bile — a thousand-year-old vamp who rises from a deep slumber eager to begin a new reign of terror. The only problem? Nobody believes he’s actually a vampire because he doesn’t fit the GQ model description a post-Twilight world has come to expect. McDoniel’s urban fantasy debut pokes lighthearted fun at the paranormal romance craze and explores the conflict between old-school and new vampires.
They Thirst
Robert McCammonMcCammon (“Swang Song”) slowly builds a foreboding sense of dread in this paranormal thriller that showcases ‘80s horror at its best. Violent bikers, serial killers, gang wars, and the occult all make appearances as Prince Vulcan and his army of vampires set out on a mission to conquer the world with Los Angeles as their first stop.
Midnight Mass
F. Paul WilsonAfter the fall of the Soviet Union, vampires took over Europe and Asia. However, in order to maintain a healthy supply of human blood, they’re strategically slowing their invasion into North America. A small group of New Jersey residents decide to fight back despite the staggering odds stacked against them. Wilson weaves in themes of courage and faith against a bloody backdrop of gruesome deaths and torture scenes. Definitely not for the faint of heart.