Book List: Georgia writers offer everything from paranormal romance to folk horror this season

It’s October again, which means the spooky season is upon us. This year brings a wealth of Georgia-centric titles, from folk horror and classic monsters to ancient beasts, spicy romance and chilling horror. Whether you like them scary, heartwarming or somewhere in between, there’s something for everyone in the four books below. 

The Henchperson’s Guide to Unionizing by Marshall J. Moore (Bantam, September 22)

Read this if you’re into: mad science, re-animated corpses, ragtag gangs of misfits, labor rights.

Monsters are mad as hell, and they’re not gonna take it anymore in this funny and heartfelt novel by Atlanta author Marshall J. Moore, who will appear at this year’s Decatur Book Festival. After being driven out of yet another Gothic village, clever, hardworking and hunchbacked Igor and the domineering doctor he serves set up shop in the abandoned castle of Ravenwald. There, Igor learns he’s not the only monster being taken for granted, making friends for the first time in his life. 

It’s a quirky premise that unfolds into the lighthearted-but-earnest tale of a bunch of weirdos who learn that they’re stronger when they work together. If you like Seth Grahame-Smith’s Pride and Prejudice and Zombies or FX’s What We Do in the Shadows, this one’s probably up your alley.

Fear factor: 2 out of 5

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Nightjars by Michael Wehunt (St. Martin’s Press, September 29)

Read this if you’re into: things that stalk the night, murder mysteries, blended families, buried secrets.

Local author Michael Wehunt’s second novel begins on a disastrous first date that leads its protagonist, Luke, to a series of terrifying recovered memories that force him to confront his childhood abuse with the help of his ex-wife, Kristen. The pair’s excavations into Luke’s past take them to an incomprehensible danger that’s more perilous than ever … and coming after their young daughter. 

Horror through and through, Nightjars is a tense, blood-soaked journey into the Georgia Appalachians that explores the generational repercussions of abuse and the unconditional love that can interrupt them. This surprisingly tender and hopeful book will appeal to fans of Paul Tremblay and Rachel Yoder. 

Fear factor: 4.5 out of 5

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Damned If I Do by Alexandria Bellefleur (Berkeley Romance, September 22)

Read this if you’re into: sexy devils, enemies-to-lovers stories, light heresy, smut.

Set in the fictional town of Silver Springs, Georgia, Alexandria Bellefleur’s irreverent comic romantasy follows Effie, a recently-engaged demon who must secure a divorce from Finn, the re-incarnation of the human husband she still mourns, before she can marry her prince-of-hell fiancé. Effie is funny and engaging, and the push-and-pull between her and Finn is compelling, if not innovative. 

Horror elements are softened almost to the point of cartoonishness, with evil characters coming off as selfish rather than frightening. Lucifer, for example, feels more like Mr. Burns than Stalin. It’s Sweet Home Alabama meets Rachel Harrison, with graphic sex scenes and little violence. Frequent use of explicit language and irreverence toward religious themes may turn off some readers.

Fear factor: 1 out of 5

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When the Night Comes Knocking by Katherine Daniel (Berkeley, October 20)

Read this if you’re into: Appalachian folklore, family drama, strangers trapped together, monsters.

While picking up marshmallows at a convenience store two months after the car accident that nearly killed them, semi-estranged siblings Thomas and Jane become trapped with a handful of strangers by a monster in search of a guilty heart. Set on North Georgia’s Blood Mountain, local author Katherine Daniel’s propulsive new horror novel is inspired by the folklore of the region with a monster born out of (and perfectly suited to) its Appalachian setting. 

When the Night Comes Knocking is in the vein of Silvia Moreno-Garcia and Stephen Graham Jones: a decidedly post-pandemic novel that explores the conflicts that arise when people can’t agree on what’s real and what’s not, as well as how they might come back together.

Fear factor: 4 out of 5

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Rachel Wright has a Ph.D. from Georgia State University and an MA from the University College Dublin, both in creative writing. Her work has appeared in The Stinging Fly and elsewhere. She is currently at work on a novel.