Stephen King is best known for his horror novels, but he’s also written in many other genres and voices, including dark fantasy, science fiction, and psychological thrillers.

His books have sold a whopping 350 million copies worldwide! That, along with his writing prowess, has made him one of the most successful writers in the world commercially, culturally, and artistically.

Since the release of Carrie, King’s first published novel, he’s created a whole new market for horror and suspense, and influenced new generations of authors seeking to explore these genres.

Authors Like Stephen King

Although Stephen King is known as a prolific author, sooner or later you’ll have read all his books. Rather than re-reading his novels (which is still a lot of fun), how about checking out authors who have similarities with King, and dare we say it, might be the inheritors of his horror legacy? Read on below!

1. Alma Katsu

Book to Read: The Hunger

First up is an author King himself has acknowledged. Alma Katsu is an American writer of adult fiction known for weaving elements of history, psychological horror, and the supernatural into her haunting storytelling.

The Hunger, in particular, is set during one of the most tragic events of American western expansion, the Donner Party. A group of 90 or so pioneers headed westward is plagued by bad luck and treacherous landscapes. As members of the group disappear, the survivors begin to wonder if there’s something evil stalking their journey.

2. Paul Tremblay

Book to Read: A Head Full of Ghosts

Paul Tremblay specializes in creating peaceful, idyllic settings, and then setting them up for destruction—right when you’re already invested. It’s one of King’s most effective tricks, but Tremblay’s elevated it into his own art form.

King once said in a tweet that Tremblay’s book, A Head Full of Ghosts, was something that scared the Master of Horror himself. It concerns a family being torn apart by a daughter who exhibits signs of demonic possession. But is she really possessed?

3. C. J. Tudor

Book to Read: The Chalk Man

C. J. Tudor likes to examine her characters’ lives in both the largest and most minute details. This allows you to sink deeper into her characters’ minds, and lets their horrible traits and circumstances feel more fatal.

The Chalk Man is set in London, where a group of friends have devised a secret code using chalk men. But one morning, a chalk man leads them to discover the dead body of a teenage girl. Years later, they receive a message containing the same figure, and soon they die one after the other.

4. Stephen Graham Jones

Book to Read: The Only Good Indians

Being a Blackfeet Native, Stephen Graham Jones creates stories that showcase Native history, tradition, and culture. His stories often take place in small-town settings and include psychological horror and supernatural elements that’ll leave you wanting the lights on.

The Only Good Indians follows four American Indian men struggling with a disturbing event that happened during their youth. Stalked by a sinister force, they must rediscover the culture and traditions that they left behind before it kills them.

5. Scott Thomas

Book to Read: Kill Creek

Much like King, Scott Thomas is as preoccupied with his human characters as they are about the terrors that stalk them. A guy who writes for Disney and CW might not seem like a great horror writer, but he can definitely hold his ground against writers who primarily write horror.

Kill Creek follows four master writers of the macabre who are invited to spend Halloween in one of the country’s most infamous haunted houses. What started out as a simple publicity stunt turns horrifying when they awaken a supernatural entity intent on adding them to the house’s many victims.

6. Kanae Minato

Book to Read: Confessions

If you’re more into King’s psychological horrors, then you’ll love Kanae Minato. Only two of her books have been translated so far, but boy are they dark, twisty reads. Known in her home country as “queen of iyamisu,” or “eww mystery,” her books will make you utter that near-involuntary “eww” that gave her genre it’s name.

Confessions follows Yuko Moriguchi, a middle school teacher who has just lost everything when her daughter dies on the school playground. Tendering her resignation, she has one last lecture for those responsible for her daughter’s death.

7. Lauren Beukes

Book to Read: The Shining Girls

Lauren Beukes understands the terror of unpredictable violence—of suddenly being tortured and taunted for reasons you can’t comprehend, or for no reason at all. It’s what makes her books stand out, even without supernatural elements.

The Shining Girls follows Harper Curtis, a time-jumping serial killer who searches through time for women with a specific trait. He’s the ultimate assassin, disposing of his victims before smoothly escaping to another era. But one of his victims survives and starts hunting him back.

8. Edgar Cantero

Book to Read: Meddling Kids

Edgar Cantero’s writings are characterized by tongue-in-cheek pop culture references, dark humor, and horror. If you’re looking for horror that adds a bit of fun on the side, then his books are for you. And if you loved It, The Mist, and Lovecraftian fiction, then he’s definitely a must-read.

In Meddling Kids, the Blyton Summer Detective Club encounters a horrifying case that ends their amateur detective careers, with the members moving on to different places. Thirteen years later, they are all drawn back to their hometown to confront their demons.

9. Laird Barron

Book to Read: The Croning

Laird Barron excels in making you feel that the evil you’re reading about is in the same room as you, in the dark, just watching and waiting for you to sleep. That’s how deep his works dig into your mind, making your imagination run wild. It’s something King has certainly done with most of his books.

The Croning follows Donald Miller, an aging geologist who spends his retirement in his countryside home with his wife, an anthropologist interested in “lost” tribes. But he struggles with an unexplained fear of the dark, and the gaps in his memories start weighing down on him—gaps that have something to do with dark secrets about his family.

10. Joe Hill

Book to Read: NOS4A2

The list is not complete without Stephen King’s own son! Joe Hill has followed in his father’s footsteps and forged his own career as writer. Similar to his dad, his writings are chockfull of atmospheric storytelling, supernatural creatures, psychological horror, and the good old small town setting.

NOS4A2 follows Vic McQueen who escapes abduction from Charles Manx, a man who can turn kids into monsters. That was years ago, and an older Vic wants nothing more than to forget. But Charles has different plans, and is out to get the only kid who’s ever escaped him.

Reading Horror Authors

Horror’s one of the super genres that has never faded away from any entertainment medium, whether it’s on paper, the radio, or on the big screen. And how could it, when it tackles the primal fears that that lurk in the back of our minds, fueling our darker imaginations? It’s safe to say that whatever era we live in, horror’s here to stay.

If you’re a fan of the genre, hopefully, this article has given you some ideas on who and what to read next. If you’re a newcomer, then this is a good opportunity to check out authors that are less mainstream than the Master of Horror, Stephen King.

Do you think we missed anyone? Share your thoughts in the comment section below!

 

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