The Damned vs The Hour Before Dark: Which Should You Read?
Both live on shelves: Horror
The Damned
The Damned is a chilling tale of supernatural horror from one of the great masters of horror fiction, Algernon Blackwood.
vs
The Hour Before Dark
Home is where the haunt is. "Fans of Stephen King and Dean Koontz will appreciate this atmospheric gem." ★★★★★ "Kept me on the edge of my seat!"★★★★★  A children's game played in the dark brings on a terrifying…
Side by side
The verdict
- Ratings are close across the board — any is a safe pick by score.
- The Damned is the quickest read — about 2 hours vs 5 for The Hour Before Dark.
- The Hour Before Dark has the widest readership — 1515 ratings behind its score.
- The Hour Before Dark runs the darker storyline; The Damned stays the lighter read.
How to choose
Scores by source
| The Damned | The Hour Before Dark | |
|---|---|---|
| Goodreads | — | 3.8 (1515) |
| Hardcover | 4.3 (3) | 3.5 (6) |
| Apple Books | 4.0 (26) | 4.0 (85) |
Reception
| The Damned | The Hour Before Dark | |
|---|---|---|
| Ratings | 26 | 1515 |
| Editions | 106 | — |
| Film adaptations | 1 | — |
| Want to read | — | 1352 |
| Reading it now | — | 204 |
| Written reviews | — | 119 |
| Wikipedia attention | 188 | — |
| Pages | 110 | 323 |