Books Like...
Cold Hand in Mine by Robert Aickman is a collection of strange and eerie tales that verge on the supernatural, creating a melancholic and haunting atmosphere. The stories often lack clear conclusions, leaving readers with a sense of unease and mystery. Aickman's writing style is described as subtle, disquieting, and uniquely disturbing, focusing on the inner landscape of psychology and the uncanny in everyday settings.
If you liked Cold Hand in Mine, here are the top 100 books to read next:
- #1
Save:'Compulsory Games' by Robert Aickman is a collection of strange and vivid stories that stick with the reader, often ending with unexpected twists. The writing style is eloquent and eerie, capturing everyday experiences and transforming them into disturbing and surreal narratives. Aickman's stories delve into themes of control in relationships, the ordinary mingled with the bizarre, and the blurring of reality, leaving readers questioning the nature of fear and the boundaries of perception.
The book features a series of short stories and novellas that explore the complexities of human relationships, often with a dark and ambiguous tone. Aickman's writing style is poetic and evocative, drawing readers into a dreamlike world where the line between reality and nightmare is blurred. The stories range from subtle horror to unsettling surrealism, creating a sense of unease and mystery that lingers long after the final page.
- #2
Save:'The Wine-Dark Sea' by Robert Aickman is a collection of unsettling and atmospheric horror stories that delve into themes of psychological unease, supernatural encounters, and mysterious occurrences. Aickman's writing style is described as quiet, subtle, and masterfully crafted, evoking a sense of disquiet and uncanniness that lingers long after the stories are finished. The narratives often revolve around characters with hidden secrets and dark pasts, leading them into eerie and inexplicable situations that challenge their perceptions of reality.
Aickman at his best was this century’s most profound writer of what we call horror stories and he, with greater accuracy, preferred to call strange stories. In his work is a vast disparity between the... 'The Great God Pan and Other Horror Stories' by Arthur Machen is a collection of creepy and mysterious tales that delve into themes of witchcraft, secret knowledge, Old Religion, and the darker side of the supernatural. The stories are known for their atmospheric and suggestive writing style that requires deep attention from the reader. Machen's narratives often have bleak or open endings, leaving room for interpretation and imagination. The book is filled with disturbing and macabre elements that evoke a sense of mystery and dread, similar to the works of H.P. Lovecraft.
One hot afternoon in August a gorgeous young gentleman, one would say the last of his race in London, set out from the Circus end, and proceeded to stroll along the lonely expanse of Piccadilly Desert...- #4
Save:M.R. James's 'Collected Ghost Stories' is a hefty volume of chilling tales that explore the eerie intersection of the academic world and supernatural occurrences. Set mostly in England, these stories often feature subtle, implied horror rooted in historical artifacts and manuscripts. James's writing style is elegant and understated, creating an atmosphere of lurking menace and dread that is both captivating and chilling. The stories range from encounters with ghosts in English manors to disturbing discoveries of haunted objects, all masterfully crafted to evoke a sense of unease and fear.
ST. BERTRAND DE COMMINGES* is a decayed town on the spurs of the Pyrenees, not very far from Toulouse, and still nearer to Bagnères-de-Luchon. It was the site of a bishopric until the Revolution, and ... 'Haunted Castles: The Complete Gothic Stories' by Ray Russell is a collection of modern Gothic horror tales set in various time periods, featuring themes of deformity, torture chambers, beautiful women, and insanity. The stories are a blend of the mysterious and grotesque, with a focus on modern Gothic castles and horror elements. The book includes novellas like 'Sardonicus', 'Sagittarius', and 'Sanguinarius', as well as shorter pieces like 'Comet Wine' and 'The Vendetta', all interconnected subtly to create a dark and atmospheric fictional universe.
There is no god but this mirror that thou seest, for this is the Mirror of Wisdom. And it reflecteth all things that are in heaven and on earth, save only the face of him who looketh into it. This it ...- #6
Save:'The Street of Crocodiles' by Bruno Schulz is a collection of stories that revolve primarily around the narrator's childhood, focusing on his father, mother, and housekeeper. The book is set in a gloomy Eastern European city and portrays a world filled with decaying marvels, cryptic artifacts, and quirky characters. Schulz's writing style is described as exquisite, hallucinatory, dreamlike, and surreal, with very real characters and a unique blend of magical possibilities in a prosaic world.
He was small, unattractive and sickly, with a thin angular body and brown, deep-set eyes in a pale triangular face. He taught art at a secondary school for boys at Drogobych in southeastern Poland, wh... - #7
Save:Teatro Grottesco by Thomas Ligotti is a collection of short stories that delve into themes of pure pessimistic nihilism, loneliness, isolation, and the annihilation of existence. Ligotti's writing style is described as dense, precise, and full of ambiguity, creating a sense of existence as a nightmare. The stories in this collection distort perceptions of everyday life, leaving behind a sense of creeping dread and surreal melancholy.
We were living in a rented house, neither the first nor the last of a long succession of such places that the family inhabited throughout my childhood years. It was shortly after we had moved into thi... - #8
Save:'Songs of a Dead Dreamer' by Thomas Ligotti is a collection of horror stories that delve into the eerie and unsettling aspects of the genre. The book showcases Ligotti's unique writing style, which is described as poetic and atmospheric, creating a sense of dread and unease throughout the stories. The plots often revolve around bizarre and surreal scenarios, blurring the lines between reality and nightmare.
- #9
Save:Stranger Things Happen by Kelly Link is a collection of short stories that are described as ghost stories without ghosts. The stories are eerie and surreal, blending elements of reality with the supernatural. The book covers a variety of themes and genres, including sci-fi, fantasy, fairy tales, horror, and comedy, creating a unique reading experience that leaves a lasting impression on the reader.
Rachel Rook took Carroll home to meet her parents two months after she first slept with him. For a generous girl, a girl who took off her clothes with abandon, she was remarkably close-mouthed about s... - #10
Save:'Dark Gods' by T.E.D. Klein is a collection of four novellas that delve into various themes of horror and the supernatural. Each story offers a unique take on different subgenres of horror, from urban paranoia to Lovecraftian cosmic horror. The writing style is described as atmospheric, thought-provoking, and dripping with creepy ambiance, showcasing Klein's ability to paint a mundane world surrounded by unnameable horror and malice.
The stories in 'Dark Gods' explore themes such as urban paranoia, Lovecraftian cosmic horror, and the consequences of creating one's own dark god. Klein's writing style is praised for its originality, depth, and ability to evoke a sense of terror through subtle hints and glimpses rather than graphic descriptions of malevolence.
'Let's face it, Doctor, if an inmate's suicidal there ain't a hell of a lot you can do. Sure, you can take away his shoes so he don't strangle himself with his shoelaces, and you take away his clothes...
