ADULT HORROR WRITERS WHO ALSO WRITE YA FICTION (AND VISA-VERSA) PART 1: A-H

10/8/2021

This article looks at authors who started their careers as adult horror writers but at some point, have turned to penning YA fiction, or visa-versa, beginning in YA and then jumping to adult. Interestingly, considering the huge number of horror writers there are, it is not an especially long list, of which this is the first of three parts: A-H.

In this section the awesome Neil Gaiman is a true standout, as an author this guy is unique, effortlessly moving from picture books, up through primary years, YA and onto adult. It is tricky writing for both age groups and if you do not know many of these authors, they are well worth exploring. Interestingly, many of them are much better known for one particular age group and would probably be seen as ‘dabblers’ in the other. Nobody would argue that adult horror legend Shaun Hutson was known for his YA literature. Many featured in the list such as Hutson, you might not know ever wrote a YA or novel for kids.

This is not an authoritative list, which has been compiled mainly from going through my old Ginger Nuts of Horror reviews, which date back to 2015. I would also like to thank the Twitter horror-sphere and the Books of Horror Facebook group who helped with many of the suggestions. I am sure there are many other great examples, so get in touch if there are any glaring omissions and they may feature in a follow-up article.

About the short accompanying reviews: if it is a book I have previously reviewed in the Ginger Nuts of Horror it is introduced with “Here’s what we said about….” Others included might have reviews of books I have read, but I have never posted online before or via Ginger Nuts. The late additions, books I have not read, have blurbs which I have taken from either Fantastic Fiction or Amazon. The dates I have used have also originated on Amazon or Fantastic Fiction. Note, they do not aim to be complete, and I have selected what I believe to be the books which are most relevant to this project.

The authors are listed alphabetically.

CLIVE BARKER

Best known for the Books of Blood (1981-85) series, The Damnation Game (1984), Weaveworld (1987), Cabal (1988) and a host of other novels Clive Barker is one of the modern giants of the genre, who also directed the cult horror film Hellraiser in 1987. However, along the way he has written a few excellent YA and children’s novels which are a clever blend of fantasy and horror. The Thief of Always (1992) is undoubtedly his most famous example, followed closely by Abarat (2002-11), which begins an engaging fantasy trilogy. Barker’s junior fiction was outstanding, and it is a great shame he never wrote more of it.

REVIEW OF ‘THE THIEF OF ALWAYS’ (1992)

I still remember reading this book for the first time in my early twenties, but strangely never associated it with the horror giant that Barker had become in the adult horror world, even though I had seen Hellraiser on video back in the day. In the pre-internet days those connections were not so easy or obvious to make, and I had never read Barker when I was a kid. Although I first read The Thief of Always as an adult, it maintains a steady level of dread as main character Harvey Swick is slowly sucked into the orbit of the dastardly Mr Hood’s house. I reread it a couple of years ago and it remains just as unsettling and sinister, and I still regularly recommend it to kids getting interested in horror. Barker creates a haunting world with well-drawn characters where countless children are welcomed into the dodgy embrace of Mr Hood’s holiday house. It is a place of miracles, a blissful round of treats and seasons, where every childish whim may be satisfied. But there is a price to be paid in this darkest of coming-of-age tale which beautifully blends childhood fantasy and horror. AGE RANGE 10/11+

ALDEN BELL AKA JOSHUA GAYLORD

In 2010 Alden Bell wrote The Reapers are the Angels which is without doubt my favourite ever zombie novel, a prequel Exit Kingdom followed in 2012. It is open for debate whether these stunning novels were YA or adult books, and marketing varied in different counties, however, I have always seen Reapers as YA and in the huge Ginger Nuts of Horror ‘Top Fifty Novels of the Decade 2010-2019’ this book was our proud number one. Alden Bell is a pseudonym for Joshua Gaylord, who wrote the literary fiction novel Hummingbirds (2009) and When We Were Animals (2015) which also had strong YA leadings and was number 11 of 50 in that same Ginger Nuts of Horror decade poll.

WHAT WE SAID ABOUT ‘WHEN WE WERE ANIMALS’ (2015)

When We Were Animals is a strange novel about a small town where when teenagers reach a certain age, they ‘breach’. Although the concept of breaching is never fully explained, it is best described as a strong mental and physical pull where most teens lose control of their inhibitions, running wild in the streets, sometimes naked, abandoning all sense of civility. Their parents do not do anything about this because they did it themselves years earlier and it is seen as a peculiar right-of-passage into adulthood. Is When We Were Animals an adult or a teen novel? It was incredibly different to tell, however, it completely knocked out my fourteen-year-old daughter who found a lot of magic in the novel, particularly in relation to the ‘bad boy’ Blackhat Roy. He was not a main character, but his shadow dominated the book and my daughter felt herself being pulled to his dark, irresistible, side. Blackhat Roy was nasty, interesting, layered, violent and very human character. He was the ultimate outsider.

Lumen, however, swears she will never breach because of what happened to her mother. Soon everyone around her is breaching, including her only friend Polly. When the sound of the teens howling echoes the streets, she hears her classmates calling her name and the pull becomes almost irresistible. The novel also flashes forward to see Lumen as a married adult with a son, as she reflects on her past and begins to feel the urge again, it is a coming-of-age tale like no other. AGE RANGE 13/14+

MAX BRALLIER AKA JACK CHABERT

Max Braillier started his career with the adult ‘choose your own adult adventure novel Can You Survive the Zombie Apocalypse? (2011) which he followed with the sequel Highway to Hell (2016). Between the publication of these adult titles Brallier turned to junior and Middle Grade fiction where he has since concentrated. Between 2015-21 zombies headlined in his six-book series Last Kids on Earth and also wrote a trilogy of horror chillers Mister Shivers (2019-21) and other series, some of which were fantasy comedy. Between 2014-19 his pseudonym Jack Chabert published the ten book Eerie Elementary series which begins with The School is Alive!

BLURB OF THE LAST KIDS ON EARTH

Ever since the monster apocalypse hit town, average thirteen-year-old Jack Sullivan has been living in his tree house, which he's armed to the teeth with catapults and a moat, not to mention video games and an endless supply of Oreos and Mountain Dew scavenged from abandoned stores. But Jack alone is no match for the hordes of Zombies and Winged Wretches and Vine Thingies, and especially not for the eerily intelligent monster known only as Blarg. So, Jack builds a team: his dorky best friend, Quint; the reformed middle school bully, Dirk; Jack's loyal pet monster, Rover; and Jack's crush, June. With their help, Jack is going to slay Blarg, achieve the ultimate Feat of Apocalyptic Success, and be average no longer! Can he do it? AGE RANGE 8+

ADAM CESARE

Adam made a massive splash in 2020 with his YA debut Clown in a Cornfield and I hope he becomes a major new voice in YA horror. As a writer for adults, he is very well known in the indie horror scene and has penned Video Night (2013), The Summer Job (2014), Zero Lives Remaining (2016) and many others. His arrival in the YA world was a breath of fresh air and he thoroughly deserved winning the YA Bram Stoker Award in 2021.

HERE’S WHAT WE SAID ABOUT CLOWN IN A CORNFIELD (2020)

With a title like Clown in a Cornfield you might be forgiven for thinking you had stumbled upon a glorious ‘straight-to-video’ release from the 1980s heyday of lurid but wonderful horror films.

It is not deep, the characters neither ‘change’ or ‘grow’ and it does not have a heavy underlying serious message. I do love a ‘Final Girl’ and although the story is told in the third person, taking in various characters, Quinn Maybrook dominates the book and she is an excellent Final Girl (okay, other characters survive too) when the body count spirals in the second half of the story.

This truly is a book of two halves in which the first sets up the plot and in the second the story explodes. The set up was handled very well, my only concern might be that some readers might be frustrated by the lack of action in the first 50%, however, Quinn Maybrook and the other characters were varied enough to keep the reader invested in how the story would play out and intrigue in what part the clowns might have. Interestingly, the book is set over a very short time of a couple of days, after Quinn and her father Doctor Glen Maybrook arrive in the sleepy and very remote small town of Missouri town of Kettle Strings. Once the action kicks off, like many of the horror films it is inspired by, the action takes place over a single night. If you have watched many of the slasher films Clown in the Cornfield plays homage to, you’ll realise these films were all about the kill sequences and in this regard the novel does not hold back on the gore which involves chainsaws, shotguns and crossbows. This was both fun and gleefully nasty, whilst also being an excellent gateway novel for young teenagers not quite ready to make the jump to adult horror. AGE RANGE 13+

JOHN CHRISTOPHER AKA CHRISTOPHER SAMUEL YOUD

John Christopher prolifically and effortlessly moved between children’s and adult fiction, across multiple genres. He is best known as a science fiction writer who specialised in post-apocalyptic tales such as The Tripods Quartet (1967-68) for children or The Death of Grass (1956) for adults. He rarely wrote what would be regarded as traditional horror, with A Dusk of Demons (1993) being one of the strongest examples for children and The Little People (1966) for adults.

HERE’S THE BLURB FOR A DUSK FOR DEMONS (1993)

Ben, like many others, has heard the stories of the Demons--those being summoned by the Dark One. But they exist only in his nightmares until his father, the Master, dies mysteriously and Ben is told the Demons are responsible. Then the Demons set fire to Ben's home on Old Isle and he and his stepsister must flee their homeland to find their family. Along the way, they face imprisonment, gypies, and terrified countrymen who are seeking a sacrifice to save themselves from the Dark One.

JOHN CONNOLLY

I am a massive, MASSIVE, fan of Connolly’s nineteen book Charlie Parker series, which I completed over the Covid lockdowns. The blend of horror and detective thriller has never been bettered and I cannot recommend this magnificent series highly enough. However, once in a while this exceptionally talented Irish author writes either a children’s novel or a work like The Book of Lost Things (2006), which is totally unclassifiable. His YA fiction to look out for include Samuel Johnson Versus the Devil Quartet (2009-20) Chronicles of the Invaders Trilogy (2012-16). Book four in the Samuel Johnson series arrived eight years after number three and I hope we do not have to wait as long for another. As long as it does not detract from Charlie Parker!

HERE'S WHAT WE SAID ABOUT SAMUEL JOHNSON VERSUS THE DEVIL (2012)

I would highly recommend this great supernatural children’s series which begins with The Gates in which a comedy of errors leads to a gate to hell opening and poor little Samuel (and his pet dog) is just the boy to close it and save the world in an outstanding blend or the supernatural and fantasy. AGE RANGE 10/11+

TOM DEADY

Tom Deady is best known as an adult novelist and novella writer, although very recently he has been edging towards YA. His superb 2021 novella for Crystal Lake Publishing Of Men and Monsters is being sold as an adult release, however, it also has a serious YA vibe to it, and I would happily recommend this quality eighty-page come-of-age tale to any kid thirteen or older. It tackles mature themes, but blends it sensitively with family drama, the supernatural and a cool 1970s vide. Tom has written other adult horror novels Eternal Darkness (2017), Haven (2017) which won the Bram Stoker Award for Best First Novel, and the novellas Weekend Getaway (2017), Backwater (2018) and Coleridge (2020). Tom’s debut YA novel, The Clearing (2021) is really great and is reviewed below. I’ve already ordered this one for my school library.

HERE'S WHAT WE SAID ABOUT ‘THE CLEARING’ (2021)
If you’re after a gateway horror novel for kids aged ten plus, then look no further than Tom Deady’s outstanding The Clearing which is perfect for the top end of primary to the early secondary years. This engrossing read had everything to get keen kids turning the pages; engaging characters, great pace, threat (but not too scary), a taste of early romance, and friendship which is all cleverly built around a snappy mystery, which develops supernatural overtones and conspiracy in the local community. I have already bought a copy for my school library. Bizarrely, something about it made me think of the 1970s cult film Race with the Devil where Warren Oates and friends are stalked by Satanists, who hide in plain sight. Set in a small and sleepy New Hampshire town, two young girls find themselves in danger after deciding to do a Nancy Drew and carry out their own investigation, instead of going to the police. It was the summer holidays, and they were bored, so who can blame them?

The Clearing has a super cool opening hook which is guaranteed to reel any young horror hound in right from the off. Hannah Green is out walking her dog when the pooch makes a grisly find, a decomposing foot. Instead of going to the police she calls her best friend Ashley, and they begin to snoop, which leads them into a decades old mystery which they connect to the disappearance of a local girl. As they begin to join the dots, other characters are introduced and suspicion falls on a reclusive old woman, Mama Bayole. There were not too many suspects, but this mystery was great fun, with the supernatural story convincingly backed by the friendship story between Hannah and Ashley. Another story strands involves Hannah and her father, who is struggling to cope (as is Hannah) with the disappearance of her mother the previous year. The crisp pace, kidnappings and red herrings ensure the intensity keeps up right to the end, which finishes satisfyingly for a potential sequel. As with most Middle Grade horror, it was very clear who were the ‘good’ and who were the ‘bad’ guys, but it was great fun accompanying Hannah and Ashley on their adventure. AGE RANGE 10-13.

JOE DONNELLY

Between 1989 and 2012 Joe Donnelly published ten adult novels which were a mixture of horror and mystery, which include Bane (1989), Stone (1990), The Shee (1992), Incubus (1996), and Full Proof (2012). In 2007 Joe took his first detour into Middle Grade children’s fiction with the Jack Flint trilogy, published between 2007-10 which deals Celtic mythology. He returned to YA fantasy in 2016 with the Book of Ways (2016) trilogy, which opens with Mythlands.

BLURB FOR ‘JACK FLINT AND THE REDTHORN SWORD’ (2007)

Jack Flint is 13. He's never known his mother and has - literally - lost his father. On a stormy Halloween he steps from his humdrum world of school, chores and getting by, into a maelstrom. Scaling the dark-walled coppice known as Cromwath Blackwood he and his best friend, Kerry Malone, find a mysterious circle of thirteen standing stones. Stones that almost seem to be breathing, pulling the boys to a place of myth and mayhem.

From playing fields to battle fields they stumble into the legendary world of Temair. Here Celtic myth comes to life as Jack, Kerry and Corriwen Redthorn, the orphaned daughter of a Temair Chief, face the terrifying cunning of Morrigan, goddess of death and her servants, the Scree and the cruel, black-feathered Roaks.

JG FAHERTY

JG Faherty is one of the very few authors to be nominated for both the YA Bram Stoker Award with Ghosts of Coronado Bay (2011) and the adult Best Novel category in 2015 with The Cure. Faherty moves around the genres and often blends fantasy with horror, but also writes science fiction. His most recent two horror novels Hellrider (2019) and Sins of the Father (2020) were both published by Flame Tree Press, who have been dropping excellent novels over the last few years. Faherty features in many anthologies and has his own collections The Monster Inside (2014) and Houses of the Unholy (2019). The majority of his other work, including many novellas, are adult rather than YA, check out Cemetery Club (2012), Carnival of Fear (2010), The Burning Time (2013) and others. I have read a couple of his adult novels and must look into his YA stuff.

BLURB OF GHOSTS OF CORONADO BAY (2011)
By all accounts, 16-year-old Maya Blair is a typical teen-age girl. She hangs out with her best friend Lucy, has a turbulent relationship with her ex-boyfriend Stuart, and works at her family’s diner. However, Maya has an extraordinary secret – she can see, hear, and talk to ghosts. And when spirits are near her they revert back to solid form. But now there are new ghosts in town and she’s fallen for two of them. The problem is, one of them is an evil spirit who wants her dead. Things were so much simpler when all Maya had to worry about was a date for the dance.

MICHAEL THOMAS FORD AKA MIKE FORD AKA ISOBEL BIRD

There can be very few writers in this A-Z which have the sheer versatility and range of the amazing Michael Thomas Ford who pens mainstream YA, genre fiction for both adults and teens, as well as horror for Middle Grade age groups. His remarkable output of fifty books (and counting) also takes in humour, gay fiction, romance, literary and nonfiction. His Jane Bites Trilogy (2009-12) features Jane Austen as a modern-day vampire and Z (2010) was his spin on the zombie novel. His incredible Lily (2016) was shortlisted for the Shirley Jackson Award and made the preliminary list for the YA Bram Stoker Award. Alas, it was probably just too strange for the HWA! (but I loved it). When writing as Mike Ford, he penned ten of the Indiana Eerie Series between 1997-98 of which The Dollhouse That Time Forgot (1998) was shortlisted for a YA Bram Stoker Award, he resurrected the name in 2020 for the four book Frightville series, aimed at junior and Middle Grade horror fans. His third name, Isobel Bird, wrote the fifteen book Circle of Three fantasy magic series between 2001-02. There is nothing that Mike cannot do.

WHAT WE SAID ABOUT ‘DON’T LET THE DOLL IN’ (FRIGHTVILLE BOOK 1) 2020

The constant in all the stories is the new Frightville store in the local town where the action takes place and kids buy quirky junk store objects from the creepy Odson Ends. In this opening tale Mara is delighted to purchase a small figurine doll called Charlotte. Kids love creepy doll stories, and this is a beauty when odd things happen after Charlotte ends up in Mara’s dollhouse. A fast-paced supernatural story quickly develops, with a very cool ending which your children will love.

PATRICK FREIVALD

Patrick Freivald started his career with two YA zombie novels, Twice Shy and Special Dead (2012-13) before moving onto adult horror and dark thrillers. Between 2014-19 he published four novels in his Matt Rowley series, about a superhuman commando, which opens with Jade Sky. Other novels are Blood List (2013) and Murmur (2020). Patrick has also featured in many anthologies and been nominated for the prestigious Bram Stoker Award four times.

BLURB FOR ‘TWICE SHY’ (2012)
High School Sucks. It's worse when you're dead. Ohneka Falls is a small, Western New York town where everyone knows everyone and nothing of note happens. Ani Romero is a sixteen-year-old girl who wants to play sports, hang out, and kiss Mike, her middle-school crush. A childhood carrier of the zombie virus, she died at fourteen but didn't become a mindless, brain-eating monster. Her controlling mother forces her to join the emo crowd to hide her condition behind a wall of black clothes and makeup, and her friends abandon her.

When creeper Dylan learns her secret, he falls into obsession, with Ani and with death. She bites him in self-defence. Persecuted by the jocks and ignored by Mike, Ani struggles through the motions of life hoping her mother's research unveils a cure, or Dylan dooms them all to a hungry, walking death. As her emo facade crumbles in the face of jealousy and obsession, Ani knows that the worst thing she can do is be true to herself.

NEIL GAIMAN

No author straddles the age groups as naturally or beautifully as Neil Gaiman. From his picture books, including The Wolves in the Walls (2007), to his fiction for the under tens, Fortunately, the Milk (2013), all the way up to the famous adult modern classics he is best known for. The Ocean at the End of the Lane (2013) is my favourite of his novels, is it an adult or YA novel? It is very hard to tell…. His top YA and children’s titles include Coraline (2002) and The Graveyard Book (2008), which is the only novel ever to win both the Carnegie and Newbery Medals, the biggest prizes in children’s literature. Further personal adult favourites include Good Omens (1990), Stardust (1998) and American Gods (2000). The quality of his fiction is so deep than Gaiman fans will argue all day over which is his ‘best’ novel. In Ginger Nuts of Horror recent top 50 YA novels of the decade The Ocean at the End of the Lane was placed number six.

HERE’S WHAT WE SAID ABOUT THE OCEAN AT THE END OF THE LANE (2013)

The Ocean at the End of the Lane is, hands-down, my favourite Neil Gaiman novel and I have read most of them. It is predominately seen through the eyes of a little boy and features the scariest babysitter/nanny of all time who terrifies the child. Hell, she terrified me. This breath-taking blend of fantasy and horror is almost impossible to pigeonhole and possibly takes the best bits from many of Gaiman’s other novels; increasing the fear-factor from Coraline and The Graveyard Book, includes snatches reminiscent of Stardust, but without the huge page length of American Gods. It might very well be Gaiman’s masterpiece with old and dangerous magic filtering into the world.

On one level it reads like a children’s book, on another it is a story of loss, aging, and childhood memories. This is a big question: is this an adult or a YA novel? It is very hard to tell, and I have a special love for novels which blur that boundary. Since its publications I have read it twice with different book clubs at school and readers frequently argue about how it should be categorised. However, if it an adult novel, it is perfect for strong teenage readers and the majority I lend it to adore its strange blend of coming-of-story, childhood fear and nostalgia, not to mention very old magic. Life might not be normal for a boy whose nearest neighbours are a family of ancient witches, including a little girl who he befriends, in this dark and brooding tale of childhood and witchcraft which is half-forgotten and is totally unforgettable to the reader. Genius. But watch out for that babysitter…. AGE RANGE 13+

HELEN GRANT

I am a huge fan of Helen Grant and read the majority of her YA fiction published between 2009-2015, these six novels include her debut, The Vanishing of Katharina Linden (2009) which was shortlisted for the prestigious Carnegie Medal. Other titles are the equally impressive The Glass Demon (2010) and Wish Me Dead (2011), two novels I have enjoyed recommending widely. Helen does not write traditional horror novels, but her fiction often has a convincing flavour of myths, legends and are often set in European countries, including her Forbidden Spaces Trilogy (2013-15). In 2018 Helen made the impressive switch to adult fiction with Ghost and follows that with a second adult novel later in 2021. She is also widely published in many anthologies, and I hope she returns to YA before too long.

HERE’S WHAT WE SAID ABOUT WISH ME DEAD (2011)

Steffi and her friends visit the house of a long-dead local witch and is seemingly given the power to make wishes come true. This is far from a blessing as she is soon plagued with locals wanting her to do their dirty work over the most trivial slights. It is clever in that for a decent chunk of the novel you are not 100% sure whether there is anything supernatural or not. Grant is a British author who lives in Germany, where most of her books are set, often playing with the supernatural and local German superstitions. Others I recommend are The Glass Demon and The Vanishing of Katharina Linden which was a highly successful novel inspired by the Pied Piper story.

MIRA GRANT AKA SEANAN McGUIRE AKA DEBORAH BAKER

I have been a fan of Mira Grant for a number of years and have enjoyed both the Newsflesh/Feed (2011-16) series and the Parasitology (2013-15) trilogy, which although they are adult reads are also highly accessible for YA readers. Also writing (prolifically) as Seanan McGuire and more recently Deborah Baker she still remains best known for the terrific Newsflesh series, rather than the huge number of urban fantasy titles she has since released under her other two names. In 2019 Mira wrote a YA novel to the Aliens franchise which was an entertaining read and is reviewed below.

HERE’S WHAT WE SAID ABOUT ‘ALIEN ECHO’ (2019)

Her latest science fiction horror novel, Alien Echo, is specifically aimed at the YA audience and is set in the Alien universe created by Ridley Scott and developed by James Cameron. For much of the novel (unless you’re aware of the connection) you could be forgiven for not even noticing the connection to the Aliens made famous by Ridley Scott. At a certain point, the creatures are described as having a mouth (within a month) and then the acid for blood is a give-away. Apart from that you could be reading any science fiction novel and this book felt as if it were unnecessarily shoe-horned in a series when, in actual fact, Mira Grant creates enough cool creatures that the famous Aliens were not strictly necessarily.

Alien Echo was an entertaining, if slightly undemanding, YA science fiction horror which was set on the planet of Zagreus. The novel is seen from the point of view of a gay teenager Olivia who is the daughter of two distinguished xenobiologists. She has a twin sister, Viola, who has a serious medical condition which means she cannot go outside. In the early stages of the novel Olivia hooks up with Kora and things are going great, however, after her parents go on a routine expedition they bring something nasty back to the planet which quickly decimates the local wildlife, easily killing off the dangerous apex predators. Along the way there are friendship conflicts, family revelations, lots of killing and a battle for survival. You may well enjoy this better if you know nothing of the famous films it is inspired by it is a decent mix of teen stuff and fast faced action. AGE RANGE 12+

JL HICKEY

JL Hickey started his career writing Middle Grade and YA, including his Secret Seekers Society series, which was republished in 2018-19 by Black Rose Writing, Beast of Bladenboro (book 1), Solomon’s Seal (book 2) and Wrath of the Wendigo (book 3). Earlier he wrote Deity Chronicles: Origins (2015). In recent times Hickey has turned to adult horror and in 2021 has two new novels: It Was Born in the Darkness of the Woods and The Dark and the Darker.

BLURB FOR ‘THE BEAST OF BLADENBORO’ (2018)

Secret Seekers Society and the Beast of Bladenboro follows the young protagonists Hunter Glenn and Elly Ann through an adventure ripe with adversity, paranormal monsters, secret societies, and most haunting of all, a life without their parents. Both siblings suffer emotional struggle from the sudden loss of their parents, as well as their physical journey into a new and strange “home”; an ancient and creepy mansion known only as the Belmonte Estate. The children slowly unravel the secrets of their parents’ true identities, the origin of the strange mansion and their inheritance into an ancient secret society of monster hunters. AGE RANGE 11+

SUSAN HILL

Susan Hill effortlessly moves around the genres and is impressively impossible to pigeonhole, she is also an absolute master of the supernatural novella. Hill is probably still best known for The Woman in Black (1983) which although was released as an adult story, is frequently taught to the age group of 13-15-year-olds in UK schools. Many of her best horror novellas, including The Small Hand (2010) and Dolly (2012), which although are predominately aimed at adults, also have strong YA feels to them. My favourite of the many Hill novels I have read is I’m the King of the Castle (1970), which I have used for book clubs is also technically for adults, but again is popular in schools. Her non-horror output remains incredibly popular, with her detective Simon Serrailler now stretching to eleven books between 2004-2021. Hill has also written many picture books, literary fiction and the occasional children’s or teen fantasy novel, The Glass Angels (1991). Other highly recommended adult horror novels include The Mist in the Mirror (1992) and The Man in the Picture (2007).

BLURB FOR ‘THE BATTLE FOR GULLYWITH’ (2008)
A stone army, an enchanted castle, mysterious ancient powers - and some very clever tortoises - Olly finds there's more than meets the eye at Gullywith. When his family move to Gullywith Farm in the Lake District, Olly just can't imagine being happy in his new home. Gullywith is the coldest house in the world and no one has lived there for years. Then Olly meets KK and she tells him locals won't go near the place. It does seem to be jinxed - the roof falls in, walls collapse but even more strangely, Olly notices that there are stones at Gullywith that can move around of their own accord - stones with ancient markings on them. He feels sure that they are angry about something. KK takes Olly to see the mysterious Nonny Dreever to ask his advice and he tells them they must return the stones to Withern Mere. As they search for the answer to Gullywith's secret, Olly is drawn into a world of myth, magic and midnight adventure deep inside the surrounding hills. What is the ancient power that controls the stones, and can anything be done to end their hold over Gullywith? Susan Hill deftly weaves a tale of real life and enchantment to delight young readers. AGE RANGE 11+

NANCY HOLDER

Nancy Holder has regularly moved between adult fiction, YA and novelisations of TV shows in a long career which has seen her win four Bram Stoker Awards, three for short stories and the fourth for her adult novel Dead in the Water (1994). Her adult output has included science fiction, Gambler’s Star (1998-2000), romance novels and relatively recent novelisations of the films Crimson Peak (2015), Ghostbusters (2016) and Wonder Woman (2017). Earlier in her career she did similar novelisations for Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, Sabrina the Teenage Witch and Highlander. Further YA releases include Wicked series (2002-9), Gifted (2006-8), Possessions trilogy (2009-11), Wolf Springs Chronicles (2011-13), often dabbling in Paranormal Romance, werewolves or other areas of supernatural fiction.

BLURB FOR ‘POSSESSIONS’ BOOK ONE (2009)

New-girl Lindsay discovers all is not right at the prestigious Marlwood Academy for Girls. Ethereal, popular Mandy and her clique are plotting something dangerous. Lindsay overhears them performing strange rituals, and sees their eyes turn black. It doesn't help that the school itself is totally eerie, with ancient, dilapidated buildings tucked into the Northern California woods, a thick white fog swirling through campus. There are hidden passageways, odd reflections in the windows at night, and scariest of all is the vast lake rumoured to have captured the ghost of a girl who drowned many years ago.

What Lindsay doesn't yet realize is that Mandy and her cohorts are becoming possessed by spirits who have haunted the school for two hundred years. Spirits who want someone dead...

GREGG HURWITZ

Gregg is almost exclusively known as an adult thriller writer rather than horror, with his best-known books being The Tim Rackley Series (2003-06) and the Orphan X Series (2016-21) with more on the way. In addition, he has written a host of standalone thrillers including You’re Next (2010) and Tell No Lies (2013). However, between 2016-17 Gregg made a brief, but highly impressive foray into YA horror/science fiction, with the outstanding Rains Duology. I’m not sure whether these books were successful enough to entice Gregg back to YA, but they were a killer blend of end of the world, alien invasion horror and deserve to be much better known than they probably are. I would love to see Gregg return to YA one of these days as these books seriously rocked.

HERE’S WHAT WE SAID ABOUT ‘THE RAINS’ (2016)

The Rains is a brutally successful mash-up of horror, science fiction and adrenaline pumping adventure. In fact, you’re unlikely to find a faster paced YA novel this year if you tried. It stops for the odd breather, but on the whole is unrelenting from beginning to end and I found myself reading it very fast through the multiple mini climaxes, which keep the book moving at a furious lick, helped by the fact the plot plays out in just one highly explosive week. The fast-paced zombie style action should be brilliant for the bored teenage boy and once you get sucked into the breath-taking pace, you’ll forget you even have a mobile phone and have sheer tunnel vision for the Rain brothers and their fight for survival and saving their small town from destruction. AGE RANGE 12+

WILLIAM HUSSEY

In 2008 and 2009 ‘Bill’ Hussey wrote two adult horror novels Through a Glass, Darkly and The Absence before later turning to YA fiction in 2010. Between his debut Dawn of the Demontide (2010) and Jekyll’s Mirror in 2015 he wrote five excellent YA horror novels. In 2020 he abandoned horror for the critically acclaimed Hideous Beauty and The Outrage (2021), two novels with strong diversity themes and gay central characters, the latter using a modern dystopia which is so realistically portrayed it is close to horror. I hope Bill returns to the supernatural one of these days as he was one of my favourite YA writers and I regularly recommend his horror fiction to a lot of kids. However, I must also point out that his non-horror YA fiction is truly stunning. Jekyll’s Mirror was also ranked 48 in the Ginger Nuts of Horror top 50 YA horror novels of the decade.

HERE’S WHAT WE SAID ABOUT JEKYLL’S MIRROR (2015)

Jekyll’s Mirror is an outstanding modern twist of RL Stevenson’s Jekyll and Hyde story, written for the social media generation as users of an experimental website called ‘Project Hyde’ are sucked into something much nastier as they turn against each other, have their fears manipulated and many aspects of the modern online world surface including trolling, cyber bullying and horrific violence collide fusing with dodgy magic. It is very easy to take liberties with the Stevenson masterpiece, but Hussey both updates it for the online generation whilst retains the subtleties of the original.

The main character Sam is easy to get behind because of the internal conflicts he struggles with. His father had anger management problems so severe that he is now in prison for killing Sam’s mother. Sam feels some of that same family rage and is fearful that too much of his father lurks inside him, in another clever nod to Jekyll and Hyde. Other great Hussey YA novels to check out include Witchfinder and Haunted. AGE RANGE 11+

SHAUN HUTSON AKA NICK SHADOW AKA SPIKE T. ADAMS

If you’re serious about horror, then the legendary Shaun Hutson needs no introduction. This dude is a genuine giant of the genre and although his best-known work dates back to the eighties, the likes of Slugs (1982) and Spawn (1983) are as influential as anything King or Herbert wrote in the golden 1980s horror period. Hutson is also famous for having more pseudonyms than you can swing a cat at. He was prolific under his own name, and when you factor in his eight or nine aliases his output becomes truly staggering. When I was a teenager, I read his Wolf Kruger war novels (such as Kessler’s Raid from 1982) before realising they were Hutson, in the pre-internet days pseudonyms really were a secret! Until calling on Twitter to help with this article I was also unaware that Hutson had also penned children’s novels under the name Nick Shadow, specifically the twelve-book series The Midnight Library (2005-07) and apparently other authors have also written under this same name. When he got bored of Nick Shadow, Hutson then moved onto Spike T Adams and wrote a series of books called EDGE: last Lane which were a blend of genres aimed at reluctant readers, published in 2008, including Bad Brother and Burn Up.

BLURB FOR VOICES (BOOK 1 IN THE MIDNIGHT LIBRARY SERIES) 2008
Damien Graves has spent a lifetime searching for the most terrifying stories in existence. Now, for the first time, he offers the best of his collection. Dare to be scared! Damien Graves has spent many years searching for the most spine-chilling stories in existence. Now, at last, he has chosen to share with you the best of his collection....

Kate hears startling voices in her head--voices that reveal a terrifying future. Justin fears for his life when his running shoes begin running after him. Tim wants an apple from the neighbour’s perfect orchard--no matter what the cost. Welcome to a realm of heart-stopping fear. Welcome to The Midnight Library.

Stay tuned for part two of this massive feature soon, I-R.

Tony Jones