Reading Fantasy/Horror in October 2026

[Hobbit]

Welcome to October!


Cover of "The Magazine of Fantasy & SF", October 1979 - my favourite F & SF issue of all time!)
Last month's thread is HERE.

The usual message here - this thread is where you tell us about what you've been reading in Fantasy and Horror this month.

Remember, good or bad, we still want to know what you think.

As it is October, I'll also remind you that we're doing our usual Countdown to Halloween, with reviews and ideas related towards Halloween until the end of the month. Feel free to join in!

Hobbit/Mark

 

[Randy M.]

In the spirit of October and Halloween, I'm within 50 pages of the end of Fog Heart, a novel by Thomas Tessier first published in 1998. Unless it collapses at the end, I don't know how this book, so well reviewed and nominated for several awards (winning the International Horror Guild Award for Best Novel*) has somehow disappeared from sight.

*There's an International Horror Guild? you might say. Well, there was, from 1994 until 2007 when, no one having noticed there was an IHG, it disbanded. Or maybe it was because the '80s boom in horror had well and truly busted by then.

 

[RedMage]

I have several Halloween reads queued up. A few include vampires--even The vampire himself--as well as a few others as well.

Speaking of The vampire, I'm reading Bram Stoker's Dracula for the first time. Well, listening to an audiobook of it. I posted last Saturday in the General Fiction Forum's thread 2027 'Classics' Reading Challenge for Voracious Reader about the version and my experience with it and trying a different audiobook version which I didn't like. Here's what I posted there:

I've begun listening to a 2010 audiobook of Dracula by Bram Stoker, narrated by Tavia Gilbert and J. P. Guimont. This is the first time I've read/listened to the book! It's one of several books I'm reading for Halloween this year, a few of which are audiobook and some on Kindle or actual paperbacks.

I tried another audiobook version of Dracula a few years ago and DNF'd it. It had 6 or so narrators and, I think, was made as an anniversary version. I want to say the narrators were all horror authors or maybe horror narrators... I can't remember. The narrators alternated chapters/diary entries and letters. Whichever. Most of the narrators were at least decent to listen to, though I struggled with so many different voices portraying the same character. Coupled with, IMO, one really terrible narrator casting choice and I didn't even make it to Mina and Lucy's first set of correspondence, which I've just now reached in the current audiobook. I'm enjoying this 2 narrator, 2010 version much better. So far, Guimont read Harker's portion with Gilbert taking over once Mina and Lucy's correspondence began.

I've made progress in the 2010 audiobook since that post and am nearly to the end now. Tragedies have befallen the heroes, but they've picked themselves up and the Count is fleeing and... I honestly don't know how it turns out. So NO spoilers! Please?

 

[Fryan]

T

In the spirit of October and Halloween, I'm within 50 pages of the end of Fog Heart, a novel by Thomas Tessier first published in 1998. Unless it collapses at the end, I don't know how this book, so well reviewed and nominated for several awards (winning the International Horror Guild Award for Best Novel*) has somehow disappeared from sight.

*There's an International Horror Guild? you might say. Well, there was, from 1994 until 2007 when, no one having noticed there was an IHG, it disbanded. Or maybe it was because the '80s boom in horror had well and truly busted by then.

This one sounds really good, I’ve added it to my wishlist!

 

[RedMage]

And,, of course, I just woke up this morning to find an ad email from Audible saying the full cast version of Dracula is now available there, led by Ella Purnell and Jonathan Bailey and playing up the character Mina Harker's role against the Count. LOL

 

[Cicero]

I have several Halloween reads queued up. A few include vampires--even The vampire himself--as well as a few others as well.

Speaking of The vampire, I'm reading Bram Stoker's Dracula for the first time. Well, listening to an audiobook of it. I posted last Saturday in the General Fiction Forum's thread 2027 'Classics' Reading Challenge for Voracious Reader about the version and my experience with it and trying a different audiobook version which I didn't like. Here's what I posted there:


I've made progress in the 2010 audiobook since that post and am nearly to the end now. Tragedies have befallen the heroes, but they've picked themselves up and the Count is fleeing and... I honestly don't know how it turns out. So NO spoilers! Please?

under Vampires Robert MCCammon's They Thirst is a fun read and Brian Stableford' Empire of Fear.

 

[Cicero]

T

This one sounds really good, I’ve added it to my wishlist!

Unde Werwwolfr novels Darker Than You Think by Jack Williamson

 

[Raf]

I've got a couple of reads lined up for Halloween / October after I finish the one I'm reading. It is a lot longer than I thought & pushing a 1000 pages. "A Soldier of the Great War" by Mark Helprin. Will review after I finish. Whenever that is.

 

[Hobbit]

Brian Stableford' Empire of Fear.

Had that one in the pile for a while: really must get to reading it!