18 books like The best ghost stories

What to read after The best ghost stories — books similar to it, matched on shared themes.

The Damned Thing Ambrose Bierce · 2007 · ★ 4.4 · 24p · ≈ 48m · Moderate "The Damned Thing" is a horror short story written by American Civil War soldier, wit, and writer Ambrose Bierce. It first appeared in Town Topics on December 7, 1893. Shares: Mountain Lions, Coroners, Inquests, Short Stories

The Dark Descent David G. Hartwell · 1987 · ★ 4.3 · 1011p · ≈ 33h · Challenging pt. 1. The color of evil. The reach / Stephen King -- Evening primrose / John Collier -- The ash-tree / M.R. James -- The new mother / Lucy Clifford -- There's a long, long trail a-winding / Russell Kirk -- The call of Cthulhu / H.P. Lovecraft -- The summer people / Shirley Jackson -- The whimper of whipped dogs / Harlan Ellison -- Young Goodman Brown / Nathaniel Hawthorne -- Mr. Justice… Shares: Mountain Lions, Coroners, Inquests, Short Stories

Can Such Things Be? [24 stories] Ambrose Bierce · 1924 · ★ 3.8 · 205p · ≈ 6h · Challenging Shares: Mountain Lions, Coroners, Inquests, Short Stories Shares: Mountain Lions, Coroners, Inquests, Short Stories

Short Stories Washington Irving · 1989 · ★ 4.0 · 299p · ≈ 9h · Moderate Rip Van Winkle / Washington Irving Young Goodman Brown / Nathaniel Hawthorne Fall of the House of Usher / Edgar Allan Poe The lightning-rod man / Herman Melville The diamond lens / Fitzjames O'Brien The celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County / Mark Twain The outcasts of Poker Flat / Bret Harte Damned Thing / Ambrose Bierce The turn of the screw / Henry James The Hiltons' holiday / Sarah Orne… Shares: Mountain Lions, Coroners, Inquests, Short Stories

Great American Short Stories [48 stories] Washington Irving · 1984 · 699p · ≈ 23h · Moderate Anthology contains: The legend of Sleepy Hollow -- Rip Van Winkle -- The spectre bridegroom -- Young Goodman Brown Rappaccini's daughter The fall of the House of Usher The gold bug -- Pit and the pendulum The cask of amontillad Captain Kidd's money -- Benito Cereno -- The lightning-rod man -- The diamond lens -- The celebrated jumping frog of Calaveras County -- The £1,000,000 bank-note -- The… Shares: Mountain Lions, Coroners, Inquests, Short Stories

A Fine and Private Place Peter S. Beagle · 1960 · ★ 3.9 · 256p · ≈ 8h · Moderate This classic ghost story from the author of The Last Unicorn follows Jonathan who’s been living in a cemetery with a raven as his only friend amongst the newly dead until he discovers a pair of ghostly lovers bearing an extraordinary gift—the final chance for his own happiness.For nineteen years, Jonathan Rebeck has hidden from the world within the confines of a Bronx’s cemetery, making an… Shares: Ghost Stories, Horror

The Empty House and Other Ghost Stories Algernon Blackwood · 1906 · ★ 3.7 · 320p · ≈ 10h · Challenging Collection of short fiction horror stories by the weird fiction writer Algernon Blackwood (1869-1951). Shares: Short Stories, Horror

Never Whistle at Night Shane Hawk & Theodore C. Van Alst, Jr. · 2023 · ★ 3.8 · 444p · ≈ 14h · Moderate Many Indigenous people believe that one should never whistle at night. This belief takes many forms: for instance, Native Hawaiians believe it summons the Hukai’po, the spirits of ancient warriors, and Native Mexicans say it calls Lechuza, a witch that can transform into an owl. But what all these legends hold in common is the certainty that whistling at night can cause evil spirits to appear—and… Shares: Short Stories, Horror

A Twist in the Tale Jeffrey Archer · 1988 · ★ 3.9 · 253p · ≈ 8h · Moderate Jeffrey Archer's collection of twelve spellbinding stories, A Twist in the Tale, will sweep you on a journey of thwarted ambition, undying passion, and unswerving honor that you'll never forget. No one can weave a web of suspense, deliver a jolt of surprise, or teach a lesson in living like bestselling author Jeffrey Archer. From Africa to the Middle East, and from London to Beijing, Archer… Shares: Short Stories

Byways of ghost-land Elliott O'Donnell · 1911 · 246p · ≈ 8h · Challenging This book is perfectly adapted and layout for a pleasant reading on a tablet, smartphone or computer. To improve your reading experience, this digital version has been edited and formatted according to the requirements of this platform. Shares: Ghost Stories

The Damned Algernon Blackwood · 2002 · ★ 4.0 · 110p · ≈ 3h · Moderate The Damned is a chilling tale of supernatural horror from one of the great masters of horror fiction, Algernon Blackwood. Shares: Horror

Present at a Hanging and Other Ghost Stories Ambrose Bierce · 1913 · 67p · ≈ 2h · Challenging This book is about stories that encounters with the ghosts of the dead and dying. The spirits of the dead reach out to the living, to pass on a message or to pursue a killer. Shares: Horror

Darkness Comes Dean Koontz · 1984 · ★ 3.9 · 352p · ≈ 11h · Moderate A blizzard brings a city to a standstill-and ushers in an evil that defies imagination. Shares: Horror

The Manitou Graham Masterton · 1975 · ★ 3.7 · 208p · ≈ 6h · Moderate It only grows at night. Karen Tandy was a sweet and unassuming girl until she discovers the mysterious lump growing underneath her skin. As the doctors and specialists are puzzling over the growth, Karen's personality is beginning to drastically change. The doctors decide there is only one thing to do, cut out the lump. But then it moved. Now a chain reaction has begun and everyone who comes… Shares: Horror

Captain quad Sean Costello · 2001 · 550p · ≈ 18h · Moderate A tragic accident leaves Peter Gardner paralyzed from the neck down. The former prodigy of music, sports, and flying is confined to his hospital bed. As rage and hatred intensify, he fantasizes about leaving his broken body and traveling anywhere. Then, one day... he can! But by then he is a Frankenstein monster -- breaking all the rules of morality. Shares: Horror

Eden's eyes Sean Costello · 1989 · 244p · ≈ 8h · Moderate Karen Lockhart has been blind all her life. Now she can see with a dead man's eyes but with her new blessing come an even greater curse: terror. Karen's world had grown dark until a vicious punk named Eden Crowell is killed one night in a barroom brawl and doctors salvage what they can from his ruined body. His heart goest to an old drunk, his kidney to a young girl, and his silver blue eyes… Shares: Horror

Austin And His Friends Frederic H. Balfour · 2005 · 160p · ≈ 5h · Moderate The old-fashioned ghost-story was always terrifying and ghastly; something that made people afraid to go to bed, or to look over their shoulders, or to enter a room in the dark. It dealt with apparitions in a white sheet, and clanking chains, and dreadful faces that peered out from behind the window curtains in a haunted chamber. And the more blood-curdling it was, the more keenly people enjoyed… Shares: Horror

The Dorians Nick Cutter The USA TODAY bestselling novel of terror from “one of the hottest horror authors on the planet” (Paste) and writer of the #HorrorBookTok sensation The Troop follows five elderly volunteers in an aging-reversal experiment where an ancient biological agent unleashes a terrifying fight for survival!On a remote island in the Canadian wilderness, five elderly volunteers from different walks of life… Shares: Horror

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