Reading Fantasy/Horror in October 2026

[Hobbit]

Finished this one today.



There's quite a backstory to this one, in that one of the Alaric the minstrel stories was where I started with adult fantasy. (And, of course, it was the next story in this series, not in this book!) So this is a return, of sorts - I have read some but not all of the stories before in this fix-up novel.

It's an interesting read, quite traditional fantasy in lots of ways, but at the same time surprisingly harsh and definitely 'of a time' in its treatment of 'strong' men characters and subservient women. Teleporting minstrels in a medieval fantasy world - is it SF or Fantasy?


(Only joking - it's really Fantasy.)

And now I'm trying again, for what might be the third or fourth time - Stephen King/Peter Straub's The Talisman. Defeated me every time before, but am determined to get further this time - you never know, I might finish it this time!

 

[RedMage]

And Kim: great books too. Lots of fun - the number of Easter Eggs to films and books Kim includes is insane. It's not essential to know them but it is lots of fun spotting them.

I'm a huge Fan of Kim's work here as well. You may not know, being outside the UK, but he writes film reviews for magazines as well (Total Film, Empire) although he's been going lots of video commentary lately on old films as well. His knowledge of old Horror stuff is amazing!

I'm going to also say that I've known him for quite a while - he sends me birthday messages, which I'm always surprised by.

All in all, good stuff - pleased to see you get into the October/Halloween thing.

Ha! I love Halloween! I'm not much into horror, but I do love Halloween.

You're so lucky to know him! Tell him Happy Halloween, and that he has another fan.

I saw something, once, about his writing things apart from novels and short fiction. But I hadn't known the extent. Very cool! And, yes, his knowledge of the horror genre, books and films and all of it, just wells up from the page. His mixing of real history and historical figures with fictional characters leads me to keep my phone handy when I read--to look up all the names and places that ring a bell, but I don't entirely remember.

 

[blailock]

That caused SUCH a reaction when it first came out. Amazing to think that it's now 50+ years old. Pleased that it still holds up.

I thought it held up great. It didn't feel dated at all to me.

 

[blailock]

And now I'm trying again, for what might be the third or fourth time - Stephen King/Peter Straub's The Talisman. Defeated me every time before, but am determined to get further this time - you never know, I might finish it this time!

I failed on my first attempt, too. I did audio this time and made it through.

 

[Fryan]

I’ve really bogged down on the second Riddle-Master book, Heir of Sea and Fire. The whole books sort of feels like a side-quest, as it has steered away from the main character from the previous book and is now featuring characters who played a minor, though interesting part in the first book. I initially thought it would be more exciting as it’s a group of young women on a quest, but it just feels a bit flat.

My main issue is that the world feels a bit small, travel doesn’t seem to take much time at all and it feels like there’s only a couple dozen people living in it. Also, the rulers of the various countries all seem to get along too well, and news travels far incredibly quickly.

Anyway, I’ll try to make it through to the end.

 

[Fryan]

I managed to finish up Heir of Sea and Fire with a burst of focused reading time. It really didn’t do it for me. I doubt I’ll read the final book in the series. Now I’m onto the first Murderbot book for my book club.

 

[blailock]

I started and bounced pretty hard off of The Only Good Indians. It was audio, so I don't know if it was the narrator or what, but I didn't like the beginning at all.

 

[blailock]

I finished We Have Always Lived in the Castle
This was my first Shirley Jackson. I liked it, but it was weird. It had the gothic, haunting setting which I loved. It had one sister who is a psychopath and one who is an agoraphobe. I enjoyed it a lot, but I'm not sure how much horror I got of it for a Spooky Season read.

 

[Raf]

I've yet to find a satisfactory horror novel this year. Reading Jame's short story collection in between failed horror novels. DNF'd 3 novels so far. Not a favorite genre anyway. I have one more on tap (downloaded) that looks promising...and quirky. We'll see.

 

[Raf]

Finished "Krelloy" by Michal Polgar. Stefan and Linet are expats working in a small fishing community on an isolated island off the Norwegian coast. Linet is a Kenyan borne Nurse and Stefan works at the fish processing plant. The community is a company town dependent on monthly supply shipments. Especially during the long winter months.

But something is changing the very nature of reality. Preceded by a strange fog, an anomaly develops atop the the largest island mountain. Emanating a strange tone that is driving people mad and literally changing their bodies and the world around them.

Good story that is as much a character story about community, love and relationships in the face of the unthinkable.

Yay. My first successful horror novel of the year. I think I prefer adult themed horror over stories that play on the terror of children. Which kind of bothers me on a basic level and was the basis of the last 3 dnf's. Although all were highly recommended on Amazon & Reddit.

 

[Fryan]

Finished "Krelloy" by Michal Polgar. Stefan and Linet are expats working in a small fishing community on an isolated island off the Norwegian coast. Linet is a Kenyan borne Nurse and Stefan works at the fish processing plant. The community is a company town dependent on monthly supply shipments. Especially during the long winter months.

But something is changing the very nature of reality. Preceded by a strange fog, an anomaly develops atop the the largest island mountain. Emanating a strange tone that is driving people mad and literally changing their bodies and the world around them.

Good story that is as much a character story about community, love and relationships in the face of the unthinkable.

Yay. My first successful horror novel of the year. I think I prefer adult themed horror over stories that play on the terror of children. Which kind of bothers me on a basic level and was the basis of the last 3 dnf's. Although all were highly recommended on Amazon & Reddit.

Really nice looking cover on that one!

 

[Ubergeek]

I finished Coffin Moon by Keith Rosson.
This was so good. It's a vampire story set in the late 70's. I love the writing here. Great characters with excellent backstories. Yes, please! This was an awesome start to Spooky Season.

blailock , I've just finished that . Great thrilling page turner .

 

[Raf]

Finished Joshua D. Koester's, "Mr Whiskers, Lord of the Void". Probably the most fun I've had with any book in quite awhile. The MC is, technically, an Omega Class Cosmic Entity brought into being by the Great Mother and sent to Earth, Chicago, circa 1982. Somehow in the translation to this reality, he manifests on Earth as a small black cat with an attitude.

And along the way wreaking chaos with the masters of this reality. Which are sort of a pan-dimensional bureaucracy somewhat like a cross between Hitchhikers Guide and Jupiter Rising. Attempting to catalog all of reality. Even a stray godling. Much to their chagrin.

Apothis is an ancient Serpent God that has consumed thousands of Earths in as many realities. Now a group of Serpent Cultists is trying to open it a doorway to this reality. And it's up to Mr. Whiskers and his human friends to stop them and the approaching apocalypse.

 

[Cicero]

The 37th Mandala by Mark Laid-law
The Great White Space by Basil Copper
The Weird Company by Pete Rawlik
Waking the Moon by Elizabeth Hand

 

[blailock]

blailock , I've just finished that . Great thrilling page turner .

I'm glad you liked it. I thought the same.

 

[blailock]

I finished Boys in the Valley
This was an awesome story. Good vs. Evil. An orphanage run by priests encounters something they weren't prepared for and chaos breaks out.

 

[Ropie]

Just finished Walking On Glass - it's Iain Banks but it has strong fantasy and horror threads to it, like a few of his non 'M' books. I first read this about 20 years ago and decided on a re read as I was in the mood for something a bit dark, and it certainly is.

It's his second novel (though apparently he had finished it before The Wasp Factory was published) and although the plot is somewhat confused and the characters are dated, the prose is instantly recognisable as Banks and the ambition of the book is apparent. The main thread is a love story involving two young people in 1980s London, with connected stories involving a paranoid man and a couple who live in the far future playing un-winnable games (sound familiar?)

It's a strange book, populated almost exclusively by unlikeable characters and with some darkly surreal passages that really stay with you. There are loose threads and it doesn't quite make sense but if you go with it, it is very entertaining.

3/5

 

[Prairie_Dog]

I just finished reading All Hallows Eve which is a 2026 collection of original fiction commissioned by legendary editor Ellen Datlow. The theme of this anthology is obviously Halloween, but it includes stories of Samhain, el Día de los Muertos, and any other occasion where the veil between the worlds thins. It’s all pretty much horror, although some is darker than others. I found some stories quite disturbing.

While the majority of stories are set in America, there are a variety of international tales as well, including a story of a vengeful Māori spirit in New Zealand, and a “Auld Woman” in Scotland who comes to clean with her broom when summoned. There are many points of view, from those of bereaved parents receiving a strange visitation, to a pair of married ghouls celebrating “The Night of the Welcome Stranger.” One thing that all of these stories do share is they are fresh and contemporary, even if they concern ancient folklore.

I found this to be a great anthology to read in celebration of spooky season. The stories were well selected, and included a good variety of points of view as well as themes. Of course in any such collection, some stories will appeal to the reader more than others, this is the nature of such works. However, I found the majority of these were enjoyable. I would recommend this to the horror fan, or anyone looking for some fresh October reading material!

 

[Hobbit]

I just finished reading All Hallows Eve which is a 2026 collection of original fiction commissioned by legendary editor Ellen Datlow. The theme of this anthology is obviously Halloween, but it includes stories of Samhain, el Día de los Muertos, and any other occasion where the veil between the worlds thins. It’s all pretty much horror, although some is darker than others. I found some stories quite disturbing.

While the majority of stories are set in America, there are a variety of international tales as well, including a story of a vengeful Māori spirit in New Zealand, and a “Auld Woman” in Scotland who comes to clean with her broom when summoned. There are many points of view, from those of bereaved parents receiving a strange visitation, to a pair of married ghouls celebrating “The Night of the Welcome Stranger.” One thing that all of these stories do share is they are fresh and contemporary, even if they concern ancient folklore.

I found this to be a great anthology to read in celebration of spooky season. The stories were well selected, and included a good variety of points of view as well as themes. Of course in any such collection, some stories will appeal to the reader more than others, this is the nature of such works. However, I found the majority of these were enjoyable. I would recommend this to the horror fan, or anyone looking for some fresh October reading material!

Nice review, PD! Just checked the calendar: the SFFWorld review goes live on the 29th October - although I wrote it a while ago now, we felt it was better nearer Halloween.

From the review: "In summary, All Hallow’s Eve is what it should be - a solid collection of horrors, worth a read on a dark Halloween night. The book manages to do what these collections do best – provide a varied range of stories from both new authors and better-known ones that amuse, horrify and generally entertain."

We have pretty much a new review going up every day from now until the end of the month. I am very pleased that all that effort from the SFFWorld team is paying off.