The fall season approaches, and with it comes a bounty of great horror stories, both on the big screen and on the bookshelf. We’re not quite to spooky season yet, though, and August has quite a bit to offer in the horror genre. In theaters, you can check out the promising The Last Voyage of the Demeter, a Dracula story aboard a ship at sea in the 19th century. Movies only get to have some of the late-summer fun, though, as plenty of great horror books are coming in August 2023.
Many authors considered heavyweights in the horror genre have new releases coming in September and October. However, discovering new authors and stories is a lot of fun, and August releases have a ton of potential in that department. August is full of original stories, written by accomplished authors and newcomers to the horror genre — but there will surely be something for everyone to enjoy.
Horror Books to Watch in August 2023
Mister Magic – Kiersten White, August 8 (August 1 UK)
I first discovered Kiersten White when I read the excellent Star Wars: Padawan, a novel about Obi-Wan Kenobi’s struggles with finding a place to belong. Then I picked up Hide and fell in love with her horror work. White’s latest effort is Mister Magic, a novel that reunites castmates on a children’s TV show years after tragedy drove them all apart.
After an accident ended the production of the children’s show Mister Magic, the cast members all went their separate ways. Years later, they are brought back together in a remote compound where they begin to face their past and ask why they have never been able to recapture the happiness they had while part of the show. Together, they realize that they might not have been reunited by accident and might be caught in an elaborate trap.
The Handyman Method – Nick Cutter and Andrew F. Sullivan, August 8
If you’re the DIY type, you’ll really enjoy (or be scared by) the newest novel from the author of The Troop and The Deep. Nick Cutter, with Andrew F. Sullivan, crafts a story about a young family moving into a new home in an unfinished development in The Handyman Method. As they attempt to take on the fixer-upper, they take advice from a mysterious online DIY expert who gives them a lot more than they asked for.
The instructor’s subliminal messages about fixing problems at home send the family into a crisis where they must face much more than fixing the house. They must battle their insecurities and fix what’s broken in their lives.
Mother Nature – Jamie Lee Curtis, August 8
Acclaimed actress Jamie Lee Curtis, known especially for the Halloween series, pens Mother Nature, a graphic novel adapting the screenplay from Curtis’ film that is hitting theaters soon. Nova Terrell’s father died a mysterious death while working for the Cobalt Corporation, a gigantic oil company. While Nova hates the company, her entire town of Catch Creek, New Mexico has grown dependent on the oil behemoth.
While Nova is attempting to sabotage the corporation, she learns the terrible secrets about “Mother Nature,” the project her father was working on when he died. The discovery unleashes unspeakable horror, and Nova must use her supernatural powers to fight back.
Vampires of El Norte – Isabel Cañas, August 15
Isabel Cañas creates a tale where vampires and westerns collide, resulting in an intriguing book with Vampires of El Norte. Set in the 1840s, Vampires of El Norte features two childhood sweethearts reuniting after being separated years before and learning that a greater evil threatens them both unless they can resolve their differences from the past.
Nena was attacked nine years ago by an evil entity that preys upon the ranch at night, and Nestor fled for his life, fearing Nena dead. The American invasion of Mexico in 1846 has brought them back together, and Nena must work through the rage she feels over Nestor abandoning her. Their relationship and past isn’t their only problem, however. The evil creature that attacked Nena is ready to strike at them both again.
Fever House – Keith Rosson, August 15
The first book in a planned duology by Keith Rosson, Fever House is half terrifying funhouse and half X-Files. But it’s also entirely crazy, in the best way possible. Fever House begins when Hutch Holtz arrives at an Oregon apartment complex to collect some drug money and rough up the guilty party. When he finds a severed hand in the refrigerator, his life changes forever. Because the hand has power that causes anyone near it to have a gigantic compulsion for violence.
Soon, Hutch has government agents on his tail and is surrounded by a city that is becoming more and more violent. When Hutch tries to pass the hand off to Katherine Moriarty and her son Nick, the mother and son must fight for their lives against the hordes of violence and the shadowy government agents trying to catch them.
Let us know if there are any other horror books coming in August 2023 that might take you by the hand.
