STAMINA ESSENTIAL….THE LONGEST RUNNING SERIES IN YA HORROR AND DARK FICTION

This is the final entry (of six) in our massive feature examining the best long running series in YA horror and dark fiction. I’m not going to pretend I have read all these featured books to the bitter end but have certainly started them all before raising the white flag. The shortest included are a mere seven books, the longest a monstrous sixteen.
 
Over our sequences of six articles we have taken in a huge number of books, make sure you click back on the other articles should you have missed them. Thanks for checking the articles out and we hope you find something to read or buy for your favourite niece or nephew. If you shop around you might even find the odd box-set!
 
Six book series:
https://gingernutsofhorror.com/young-blood/the-six-book-ya-serieshow-many-of-us-get-that-far 
Quintets:
https://gingernutsofhorror.com/young-blood/the-quintet-in-ya-dark-fictionor-is-this-just-one-book-too-many
 
Quartets:
https://gingernutsofhorror.com/young-blood/when-three-becomes-fourthe-quartet-in-ya-fiction
 
Trilogies:
https://gingernutsofhorror.com/young-blood/three-is-the-magic-number-the-power-of-the-trilogy
 
Duologies:
https://gingernutsofhorror.com/young-blood/why-not-give-two-christmas-gifts-instead-of-onethe-power-of-the-ya-duology

RACHEL CAINE: MORGANVIILLE VAMPIRES (16 BOOK SERIES 2006-16)

Glass Houses is the opening novel in the long running Morganville Vampires series, set in Morganville, Texas, where nobody stays out after dark, basically because the whole town is secretly run by vampires. The story revolves around college student Claire Danvers who after personal and friendship problems moves off campus into an old house which has very dodgy housemates. For the most part the series is about how vampires and humans coexist in harmony (or unease, depending on how you look at it) in Morganville and once Claire is aware of the bigger picture, many of the books can be read as standalone stories. They are relatively easy to read, have a romantic centre, but are also very dark. They were amongst the most popular series during the Paranormal Romance fad. AGE 13+

PC CAST/KRISTEN CAST: HOUSE OF NIGHT (12 BOOK SERIES 2007-12)

The House of Night series was one of the most successful to follow in the wake of the massively successful Twilight, written by a mother and daughter team who have jointed written many novels together. For a few years they were seriously hot property, but they quickly became repetitive and have the feel of a trashy vampire soap opera which were very popular with teenage girls. The opening novel, Marked, follows the trials and adventures of sixteen-year-old Zoey Redbird who is a teenage vampire waiting to undergo a change in which she will become a full adult vampire. This vampire coming of age trial happens at the House of Night, a school where she will be trained into becoming an adult bloodsucker. On top of this she has special powers and soon gets involved in a supernatural power struggle, which is not that different from normal high school. The second book, Lost, is a direct sequel where Zoey has grown in power and is now the leader of a secret society, the Dark Daughters. Trashy, but bitchy fun, with a drop of teen sleaze thrown in to add extra spice. AGE 13+
 
MELISSA DE LA CRUZ: BLUE BLOODS (7 BOOK SERIES 2007-12)

Schuyler Van Alen is a new pupil at the prestigious Duchese School and when she turns fifteen her life is turned upside down. To readers of the Paranormal Romance subgenre you have probably been here before, however, this is an entertaining look at the lives of the teen rich and privileged with a strong supernatural theme. Before long Schuyler discovers that she is a half vampire, the only one of her kind alive, however, most of the rest of the school are also vampires known as ‘blue bloods’. Soon the novel is dealing with the usual mix of teen drama whilst Schuyler and her new friends investigate the suspicious deaths of other blue bloods. Is someone killing off vampires?  As more and more curious things happen, Schuyler must confront her family and friends to discover the truth behind her blue blood destiny which is revealed over the course of the series.  AGE 13+
 
JOSEPH DELANEY: SPOOK’S APPRENTICE (13 BOOK SERIES 2004-13)
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This thrilling and exciting tale of a seventh son of a seventh son, begins with The Spook’s Apprentice, a young boy apprenticed to an exorcist or ghost hunter (the ‘Spook’ of the title), who funnily enough, keeps losing his trainees to horrible accidents and unexplained mishaps. It’s a dangerous job, but somebody has got to do it! This series is a fusion of fantasy, horror and adventure which was turned into a forgotten Nicholas Cage film called The Seventh Son which really botched a great book lifting various ideas from the first couple of novels. This thirteen-book series undoubtedly goes on too long, but the first few were terrific, and the world the author creates, brimming with creatures such as boggarts is incredibly well drawn. There are also, lesser successful, spin off series including the Starblade Chronicles and other inter-connected short stories, so many I have lost track. The Spook’s series was very popular for a few years and is ripe for rediscovery and an excellent introduction to horror with an outstanding sense of time and place. AGE 9+

MICHAEL GRANT: GONE (9 BOOK SERIES 2008-19)

I was a huge fan of Gone which is an outstanding science fiction series with strong elements of horror, however, it went on too long and I do not know that many kids who made it to the end of book six Light in 2013 when the series looked done and dusted. However, Grant revived it in 2017 with the very tame Monster which is both billed as ‘book seven’ or ‘book one’ of a new second series. Either way, I found it disappointing, but don’t let that put you off Gone, which has an outstanding opening three books and has been a massive hit with young teenagers. In the blink of an eye all adults disappear into thin air. For a couple of days this is exciting; no school, no rules and everybody goes crazy. However, soon gangs start forming, everybody is raiding shops, and nobody is looking after the babies, little kids or working in McDonalds. The way this immediate collapse is portrayed is incredibly convincing, and in the background, there is a 400-hour count-down, but to what? As the oldest kids continue to disappear at an alarming rate… An outstanding series which begins like a lion but goes out like a lamb. AGE 12+
 
CHARLIE HIGSON: THE ENEMY (7 BOOK SERIES 2009-15)

In this huge selling teen series everyone over the age of fourteen succumbs to a deadly ‘sickness’ virus and now the kids must keep themselves alive by hiding in empty shops in central London, adopting a gang lifestyle whilst they are stalked by the zombie-like and very hungry adults and parents. Bring on ‘The Waitrose Gang’, ‘The Morrison Gang’ who are hiding near Baker Street and the battle across London looking for sanctuary with the resistance which is rumoured to be grouping at Buckingham Palace. But to get there, the kids need to watch out for what lurks in London Zoo and other dangers as they battle across the very dangerous capital city. A top-quality series, which just went on a bit too long as it starts much better than it finishes, with many kids I know struggling around book five or six, but a few do make it to the end.  AGE 11+
 
JULIE KAGAWA: IRON FEY (7 BOOK SERIES 7 BOOK SERIES 2010-15)

If you fancy a dark fantasy with a nice dose of romance then the Iron Fey series, which combines old legends, is worth closer inspection. Megan Chase is bullied at school and if not for her best friend Robbie then life would be unbearable. By chance Megan discovers she is part fey (faery) and ventures into the land of NeverNever only to find she is the daughter of Oberon, the Summer King which makes her a target for many of his enemies. Megan attracts the attention of Ash, the Winter Prince, and friction soon develops. Winter and Summer have always been foes, but Ash may be the one person who can help her in the dangerous adventures which follow. Kagawa has created a vivid world which combines old legends with a wide range of characters to keep the story going. The romance was tender and bittersweet, the humour dark and twisted. AGE 12+
 
SHERRILYN KENYON: CHRONICLES OF NICK (8 BOOK SERIES 2010-17)

The Chronicles of Nick series begins with Infinity, which is itself a prequel to the Dark-Hunter series, a long-running sequence I have not read which includes the first appearance of main character Nick Gauntier. Nick is fourteen when Infinity opens and after getting into a fight and being saved by a weird superhero style character is sucked into the world of the Dark Hunters, immortal vampire slayers who are waging an endless fight to save humanity. Although this is probably categorised at Urban Fantasy, it does have a lot of horror and supernatural creatures from zombies, to werewolves and an endless supply of demons. The plot is reminiscent of Cassandra Clare’s Mortal Instrument series where the human world is a veil for a much larger and more dangerous battleground in which she becomes one of the Hunters, whilst trying to negotiate high school at the same time. It’s good fun, easy to read and moves at an entertaining lick.  AGE 13+
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DEREK LANDY: SKULDUGGERY PLEASANT (12 BOOK SERIES 2007-20)

Book thirteen, Seasons of War, in the long running Skulduggery Pleasant is released later this year, I’m not sure how many kids have had the stamina to battle this deep, most I know gave up the ghost around book four of five. One poor parent I chatted with was tearing their hair out as they were reading them out loud to their kid and were onto book eight! Ouch. It looked like Landy had ended the series after book nine The Dying of the Light, but after a five-year hiatus it was back. Skulduggery Pleasant is a skeleton wizard detective who befriends teenager Stephanie Edgley after she inherits a house after the death of her horror author Uncle Gordon. Her uncle and the detective were friends and soon she realises many of the characters from his books are dangerously real. This was a very entertaining series and Skulduggery Pleasant is a brilliant character, and together they explore the mysterious circumstances around her Uncle’s death, meeting danger at every turn. Each novel can be read as a standalone adventure which blends fantasy, horror and lots of action. AGE 9+
 
PITTACUS LORE: LORIEN LEGACIES (7 BOOK SERIES 2010-16)

The original Lorien Legacies series was seven books and beyond that it is hard to keep track, with well over twenty other books, novellas or ‘lost files’ and I have no idea how many kids follow them. I’m guessing not many get beyond the main series, which is much more science fiction than horror, with the first book I Am Number Four also being turned into a forgettable film of the same name in 2011. Nine aliens are hiding on earth, disguised as humans, they are being hunted to extinction by their mortal enemies, another alien race. However, the nine aliens have a certain amount of protection; they can only be killed in a certain order (hence the title) ‘Number One’ is caught in Malaysia, ‘Number Two’ in England, ‘Number Three’ in Kenya, all of which are killed. The story centres upon ‘Number Four’ who is a teenage boy, hiding with his handler, in the American high school system, who can also feel the alien exterminators climbing up their hitlist closer to him. AGE 11+
 
JAMES PATTERSON: MAXIMUM RIDE (9 BOOK SERIES 2005-15)

Many readers might have a doubletake when they see the mainstream writing machine James Patterson appear on a YA horror list, but this is a very entertaining fantasy/science fiction series which Patterson apparently wrote without his legion of familiar co-authors who probably do most of the heavy literary lifting. The story revolves around six teenagers who are 98% human and 2% bird after a series of scientific experiments. The six kids can fly and when the bloodthirsty Erasers who are half men, half-wolves genetically engineered by sick and sinister scientists, kidnap one of the group they have to go on a rescue mission with fourteen-year-old Max leading the group on a dangerous adventure where they might just have to save the world along the way. This was fast paced exciting fun, that heads into post-apocalyptic fiction as the series develops. AGE 11+
 
MICHELLE PAVER: CHRONICLES OF ANCIENT DARKNESS (7 BOOK SERIES 2004-2020)

I was recently surprised to read that later in 2020 The Viper’s Daughter will become book seven in Michelle Paver’s outstanding Chronicles of Ancient Darkness series, a full eleven years after book six. This is even more surprising as Paver has had great success writing adult horror such as Dark Matter, Thin Air and more recently Wakenhyrst.  Book one Wolf Brother is an amazing story, the boy Torak befriends an orphaned wolf cub after the death of his father and sets out to find the Mountain of the World Spirit in order to defeat a terrifying demon in the shape of a bear that’s terrorising the surrounding forest. This is also a story about loss, friendship and bravery in the face of adversity, all described in vivid detail that brings the period of early man incredibly to life. The chapters are short and snappy, written in clear and engaging prose which is loaded with entertaining cliff-hangers. This is a simply outstanding series and an outstanding gift to fire the mind of a kid at the top end of primary school. AGE 9+

ALEX SCARROW: TIMERIDERS (9 BOOK SERIES 2010-14)

I was a massive fan of Alex Scarrow’s Timeriders series but nine books in less than five years was a lot of reading and no matter how good the writer it is hard to keep the plot fresh. The story is built around a classic time-traveling idea; moments before their natural death, such as on the Titanic or in deadly fires, selected teenagers are pulled out of real time at the moment of their death and recruited by an organisation which only has one purpose: to fix broken history. Their job is to go backwards and forwards in time to change the past and ultimately to stop time travel from destroying the world. Each of the novels reads like a standalone adventure but I would recommend reading them in order and the opening trilogy is top-notch. AGE 11+
 
DARREN SHAN: ZOM-B (12 BOOK SERIES 2012-16)

Darren Shan set the YA world alight with both The Saga of Darren Shan (12 books) and The Demonata (10 books) but although it had its moments, ZOM-B failed to have the same impact. The whole series was published over a brief four years and perhaps should have been spread over a longer period or the stories merged in some way, as most children lost interest in the series very quickly and they just never took off in my school library. Ultimately, the zombie fiction craze did not have the same impact in YA fiction that it did with adult horror and ZOM-B is presented as an apocalyptic survival story which begins in Ireland and then spreads out. Initially everyone thinks the outbreak in Ireland is some type of hoax, but it is already too late. As well as zombies the story does deal with more serious themes of racism, bullying and abuse, but lacks the magic the previous Shan series had. As the series develops the apocalypse worsens and there are episodic adventures and other characters thrown into the mix. AGE 11+
 
LEMONY SNICKET: A SERIES OF UNFORTUNATE EVENTS (13 BOOK SERIES 1999-06)

This beautifully constructed series has been turned both into a cinematic vehicle for the talents of Jim Carey and three successful Netflix series built around the thirteen-book series. Although the books were a huge hit, I’ve wondered whether they would have been even more successful if they had been released at a slower pace, thirteen books in a mere seven years was some rate! After the sudden death of their parents, the three Baudelaire children must depend on each other and their wits when it turns out that the distant relative who is appointed their guardian is determined to use any means necessary to snatch their fortune. Enter the dreaded uncle, Count Olaf, who is the real star of the show in this wonderful comic series which has an incredibly dark heart beating throughout its paces. Few series can keep the intensity going for thirteen books and even though there is a dip between books nine and eleven it is a stunningly well-crafted series and is one of the very best children’s series in modern fiction and has all the beauty of the most cynical of fairy tales. Even adults who read this should marvel as the quality of writing and sly hidden jokes. AGE 9+ 
 
RACHEL VINCENT: SOUL SCREAMERS (7 BOOKS 2009-13)

This smooth and silky supernatural thriller opens with My Soul to Take, enticingly built about a girl who senses when someone near her is going to die, and when it happens involuntarily unleashes a deafening banshee like scream. This is a very enjoyable horror thriller series to try from a highly prolific author who likes to mix romance with her urban fantasy/horror. Overall, I wasn’t a huge fan of the Paranormal Romance sub-genre of horror, but this series was a cut above many of the others and I know lots of kids who gulped down the whole series. AGE 11+