The Best Horror Authors - the Best Kept Secrets

When we think about horror novelists, Stephen King, Dean Koontz, and Anne Rice come to mind. Unfortunately there is a drop off there and few others have reached that level of fame and success. There are many more horror authors who I believe belong on that short list. Here are a few of my favorite horror authors who have not made it to the A-List yet.

Richard Laymon passed away right after the millennium after authoring some 35 of the best horror novels I have ever read. I rate him higher than even Stephen King for his consistently good novels that just can't be put down. His novels The Stake, Island, Body Rides and In The Dark just can't be topped. He wrote the Beast House trilogy which includes The Cellar, The Beast House and Midnight Tour which are the scariest horror novels I have ever read. If You want a good read buy any of these which have been republished by Leisure Publications. To find out more about this author visit the Richard Laymon Kills website. You will be glad you did.

Jack Ketchum is another of my favorites. If you get a copy of The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum your tastes may change away from the A-List to the next generation of horror writers. This book is based on a true story of a teenage girl who was tortured and killed by family friends who were supposed to be taking care of her while they ran a carnival concession. The unique thing about this book is that lets you see this crime unravel through the eyes of a teenage boy who is seduced into becoming a co-conspirator. Also read his novels Off Season and Offspring which are accounts feral humans who take up cannibalism near the rugged coast of Maine.

Lucy Taylor is an author of erotic terror. I suggest one of my favorite books The Safety Of Unknown Cities, which is a trip like none you have ever experienced before. It is not easy to find but can be purchased from Ebay or Amazon Books in the soft covered edition. One warning, it is for adults only due to the highly erotic content, so stash it away from the kids.

Perhaps one of the most under rated horror authors writing today is Bentley Little. I can't understand why he hasn't moved to the top of the New York Times Bestselling fiction charts. He writes consistently brilliant horror novels. My personal favorites are The Store, The Association, The University and The Ignored. The Store is the first one you should read. It is a satire on Walmart gone crazy. It is scary, sexy, and great satire about this giant boxstore (even though he says it is not about that mega-chain of boxstores.) Don't believe it. You will be very afraid next time you enter this monolithic acreage of isles and goods.

I also suggest reading the works of F. Paul Wilson, Robert McCammon, Edward Lee, Ray Garton. For some reason these authors have not become as well known as Stephen King, Dean Koontz and Anne Rice but have produced bodies of work that of rival these well known authors. I have reviewed some of their books on Amazon and may do so here as well.

If you like horror novels, you will love these authors who have written some of the finest works of horror in the last thirty years.