BOOktober Reading List!

October 1, 2020

Monsters, witches, ghosts, vampires, oh my! Spooky season is here. It’s the perfect time to sink your teeth into some good blood-curdling reads. 

So, turn on all the lights and curl up with one of these spine-chilling stories to get you in the Halloween spirit! And... if you hear some scary sounds that go bump in the night, don't be afraid, hopefully it’s only your cat!

Happy Halloween! 

1 The Station

The Station

Clifford Beck | Horror-Gothic

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A Story of The Paranormal. Taking place in Norway, Maine, Samantha and Henry are brought together by the one thing they have in common, an interest in the paranormal. But their decision to explore a former ambulance station with a traumatic past acts as the catalyst for something that changes them both, and at the same time, brings tragedy to the town of Norway.

2 Natural Predators of Man

Natural Predators of Man

Ed Bowie | Horror-Gothic

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As the bitterest race war in human history grinds to its bloody climax, a group of soldiers encounter a primal hate, far deeper than race or belief or religion could ever instill — an ancient hate from before the dawn of recorded time. Can enemies overcome their petty prejudices and collaborate together — when they are confronted by a threat to the very survival of humanity?

3 Phantoms: A Collection of Dark Poetry and Fiction

Phantoms: A Collection of Dark Poetry and Fiction

Kelvin Bueckert | Horror-Gothic

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What was that? That noise out there in the hallway? That high pitched singing...do you hear it? It's coming closer. I don't know. Should we take a look? Hmmm...Perhaps some things are better left buried...then again...perhaps those things are the most interesting...What will we see as I pull open the door and peer out into that darkened hallway? Who knows. What we do know is that Phantoms is a collection of previously published science fiction, fantasy, and horror themed poetry. The first person tales, Devil in a Bottle, Personal Judas, Ol’Zeke and Flirting With the Enemy are also included. With that said, let's open that door, shall we? I mean, what could go wrong?

4 Wicked John: A Victorian Mysterie

Wicked John: A Victorian Mysterie

Joseph R. Doze | Horror-Gothic

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In private detective Clayton Lane's world, the glass is always half-empty, and it's usually half empty of cheap whiskey. When a timid little man walks into Lane's office hoping to find his runaway wife, Clayton assumes it will be much of the same old thing; a wife hitting the sheets with another man and a brokenhearted husband left behind. What he wasn't ready for was a case that kept going further down the rabbit hole. What started as a simple case leads Clayton into a world of prostitution, sapphic trysts, drugs, and the Montreal Mafia culminating in a tangled web of deceit and political intrigue. Join Clayton Lane, P.I. as he navigates the dangerous streets of 1950's Albuquerque and tries to untangle the web of lies and find the truth that lies atop the Ivory Tower.

5 A Reunion

A Reunion

EC Byrne | Horror-Gothic

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A meeting between old business associates brings to light unpleasant truths. Mature. Horror.

6 Jolimont Street Ghost

Jolimont Street Ghost

Jeremy Tyrrell | Horror-Gothic

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From the events this past autumn, I am compelled to relate my perilous trial. The supposition that darkness is merely the absence of light is both popular and false, as those who practice the occult can affirm. In the dark cellar of number thirteen Jolimont Street, a house the Professor had assumed benign, I unwittingly brought forth an ancient evil that first threatened our reputations, then our souls. This is the fourth book in the Paranormology Series.

7 Grosvenor Lane Ghost

Grosvenor Lane Ghost

Jeremy Tyrrell | Horror-Gothic

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As the Professor's assistant, it was my duty to perform whatever tasks he laid out for me. It was a simple enough arrangement, until he took me on my first investigation at a run-down house in South Entrance. The house at Grosvenor Lane showed me a brief glimpse of the world beyond, a world that exists with or without my blessing. But my investigations also revealed that the application of science to an ethereal plane is anything but straightforward.

8 The Burning Tree

The Burning Tree

Rory Dwane | Horror-Gothic

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Ben Wells fears being at home, and for good reason. Will Ben's love for his spouse be enough for him to face what he doesn't understand, or will fear overcome courage? Follow the spiraling events as a family is torn apart and devoured by the flames... In Rory Dwane's horror/thriller novelette, follow this fast-paced, suspenseful tale of a family in the grips of otherworldly power.

9 Tales Of An Enchanted Twelve

Tales Of An Enchanted Twelve

H.L. Dowless | Horror-Gothic

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This work is a collection of horror stories for ages 12 to 112. Read at your own risk. A print version may be purchased online at The Book Patch.

10 And Next, Darkness

And Next, Darkness

David Dwan | Horror-Gothic

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A supernatural thriller revolving around a series of mysterious voices accidentally recorded on an old reel to reel tape recorder. Seemingly they are the voices of the dead, lost in limbo, reaching out through the darkness for someone to hear them, to help them find peace. The story follows one woman’s descend into the dark world of a reluctant serial killer as she endeavors to unlock the whereabouts of his victims through in-depth and potentially sanity shredding analysis of the tapes. And with that discovery she hopes to finally lay the tormented dead and her own dwindling sanity to rest.

11 For They Shall Inherit The Earth

For They Shall Inherit The Earth

Graeme Winton | Horror-Gothic

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The book can be read as the sequel to The Dark Key or as a standalone story. Thomson, a demon who has lived for millennia, escapes a dimensional prison and re-enters the Earth where he gathers power from dark souls. After a power overload he remembers who he is: Satan. Along with the Antichrist and other evil entities Thomson raises an army: the Dark Army, with a view to taking the planet. Standing in their way, however, is David and Matthew two half-human demons. With the two super powers, USA and Russia, about to clash the race is on to see who inherits the Earth in a modern-age play out of the Book of Revelation.

12 The Soul King

The Soul King

Ray Patino | Horror-Gothic

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A Battle between two supernatural forces is bringing the Earth to it's knees , One wants Blood , The other Souls. Only a special group of people with individual powers can stop them. Welcome to the 9th circle of hell within the streamline savage dimensions. The bond between the group to find the young boy and embrace their destinies will eventually tear them apart. The world will never be the same. Editors note: not suitable for minors.

13 Author Of Pain: Minor Mayhem

Author Of Pain: Minor Mayhem

David Dwan | Horror-Gothic

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Someone was after career criminal Larry McCulloch, but for Larry that was nothing new. Down through the decades he had amassed a quite remarkable number of enemies on both sides of the law. But this time it was different. Almost overnight that list, which had at its height reached three figures, had now been reduced to just one. And it wasn’t someone; it was something that wanted him in the most terrible of ways. Some of the hardest, cruelest criminals in Europe had been scared off their pursuit of Larry. And all because of one double cross too many.

14 The Angel Maker

The Angel Maker

David Dwan | Horror-Gothic

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The Angel Maker is a supernatural horror novella: Welcome to sleepy little Widow’s Bay island, where nothing interesting ever happens, usually. In the midst of a violent storm which has cut off the island from the mainland, a young woman is found wandering in a near catatonic state with someone else’s blood on her. She has witnessed something horrific for sure, but the reality is far worse.

15 The Ritual

The Ritual

Sergejs V. Andrejevs, M.Ed. | Horror-Gothic

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In 'The Ritual', the first part of the duology Amanda inherits a mansion from her Grandpa Simon. She moves in, and is haunted by her childhood memories. However, which Amanda was sacrificed in the name of the Greatest Superior?The Greatest Superior makes His appearance in the second part of the duology 'The Price of Knowledge'. Can the quiet Ignatius be him?Too many questions and not enough answers in the horror duology...

16 Joe's Choice

Joe's Choice

Myra Nour | Horror-Gothic

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Waking from unconsciousness after being mugged, Joe staggers out of the alley toward the street. He finds chaos as he enters a zombie outbreak in progress. Scenes of gruesome horror make him want to run away, but Joe must quickly decide how he wants to handle a zombie apocalypse.

17 Vampire Roadtrip

Vampire Roadtrip

Doreen Serrano and Wade Lijewski | Horror-Gothic

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The writing team of Serrano and Lijewski bring forth a world of discontent amidst a group of vampires living in New York City. Internal demons and a non-glorified existence lead the close-knit pack of undead upon an incredible journey towards New Orleans, and the truth. Along the way, the travelers are hunted and opposed by both the mortal and the immortal and are forced to rely upon their primal instincts to pave a safe route. Unsettled by elements of their existence, the group of five set out on a trek comparable to one towards Oz as they seek out answers, revenge, resolution, and closure; believing that what they seek lies at the end of the dark and twisted trail.

18 Highway to Hell

Highway to Hell

Alex Laybourne | Horror-Gothic

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Marcus, Becky, Richard, Helen, Sammy, and Graham. All complete strangers, different ages, backgrounds and even countries, but they have one major thing in common…they all must DIE.Heaven and Hell, Angels and Demons, these things were once considered opposites, but what happens when they become neighbors, allies…friends?

19 The Preternatural

The Preternatural

Daryl Hajek | Horror-Gothic

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A supernatural horror/paranormal thriller about a deaf family battling the unseen -- and unheard -- evil. Story is narrated from a deaf perspective.

20 The Cthuhlu Mythos

The Cthuhlu Mythos

August Derleth | Horror-Gothic

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The Cthulhu Mythos is a shared fictional universe, based on the work of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was first coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent of Lovecraft, who used the name of the creature Cthulhu-a central figure in Lovecraft literature and the focus of Lovecraft's short story. "The Call of Cthulhu" (first published in pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928)-to identify the system of lore employed by Lovecraft and his literary successors. The writer Richard L. Tierney later applied the term "Derleth Mythos" to distinguish between Lovecraft's works and Derleth's later stories. Authors writing in the Lovecraftian milieu use elements of the Mythos in an ongoing expansion of the fictional universe Robert M. Price described, in his essay "H. P. Lovecraft.

21 See Jack Die (PART 1)

See Jack Die (PART 1)

Nicholas Black | Horror-Gothic

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See Jack Die (Part 1 of 5) Jack Pagan might as well be 4½ months old. He awoke in a hospital after suffering a head injury that left him dead for over 67 minutes. All of his long term memories were destroyed. Now he has to start his life again. But his accidental flirts with death left him a special gift. In those few minutes as he fades off to sleep each night, and in those early hours of the morning as he numbly awakens... He sees them. In a series of incredible twists and turns, Jack finds out that the worlds of the living and of the dead are much closer than any of us can possibly imagine. And monsters... are real. Also in the Series: See Jack Hunt

22 The War on Horror: Tales From A Post-Zombie Society

The War on Horror: Tales From A Post-Zombie Society

Nathan Allen | Horror-Gothic

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What happens when the zombie apocalypse turns out to be a zombie aberration?

23 Kept

Kept

Zoe Winters | Horror-Gothic

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Download this FREE e-book that focuses on Greta, a werecat whose tribe plans to sacrifice her during the next full moon. Her only hope for survival is Dayne--a sorcerer who once massacred most of the tribe.

24 12 Days in Hell

12 Days in Hell

Patrick A. Walston | Horror-Gothic

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It's been days since the plague hit America. Most of the population has turned into mindless creatures that hunger for human flesh and blood. Danny Hefner and a handful of others might live through this hellish nightmare, but to be truthful they would be better off dead. Danny watched and read plenty of Zombie fiction in his lifetime, but nothing could have prepared him for this unthinkable, unimaginable hell.

25 A House of Haunted People

A House of Haunted People

Alan Combes | Horror-Gothic

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The title story, itself a novella about a strange house in my village, leads into a collection of modern ghost stories in unusual, often cosmopolitan settings. 'Mia' is about putting down a much-loved dog. 'Going to the match' is about a supernatural presence amid the crowd. 'The make of sticks' concerns a mysterious character who is mistaken for a good Samaritan. 'Overcoat' tells of a haunted garment. 'Dr Singh' is the worst kind of doctor; one who ignores his patients' pain. 'Ginny Spring' tells of a mysterious local pond...

26 Jaded

Jaded

Renath Van Estefan | Horror-Gothic

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The world isn't the same anymore as Vampires come out of hiding, planning to overthrow the humans and eradicate their kind. But a certain secret organization that has kept vampires in the dark, hidden from humans for many years, has one thing on their side that the rebellious vampires don't. They have Dracula himself and he isn't amused.

27 Darlings of Decay

Darlings of Decay

Chrissy Peebles | Horror-Gothic

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With over 325,000 words and featuring some of Amazon's Best Selling Female Authors of Horror, this is certainly not your typical anthology book! Sit back as your favorite authors of zombie lit take you on a wild, horrifying ride that will leave you breathless. Come and meet the women who love to entertain you with their own unique versions of the zombie apocalypse.   Zombie stories from thirty-two of your favorite female authors! Featuring- Tamara Rose Blodgett Vanessa Booke Chantal Boudreau Laura Bretz Tonia Brown Catt Dahman Mia Darien CM Doporto Jacqueline Druga Dana Fredsti Belinda Frisch April Grey Michelle Kilmer Rebecca Hansen Lori R. Lopez Suzi M. Tara Maya Shannon Mayer Lyra McKen Cynthia Melton Kristen Middleton Chrissy Peebles Jeannie Rae Suza...

28 Tethered

Tethered

Jonathan Pidduck | Horror-Gothic

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BOOK 2 of the "WEDDING FEAST" TRILOGY Abigail awakes, naked and vulnerable, in pitch darkness. Her wrists and ankles have been manacled to the floor. One by one, her brutal, troll-like captors come to visit her. Time is short; she is to be the feast at their wedding. No-one else can rescue her. But can she save herself before they dismember her? Elsewhere, three friends spring a young woman from her cage at an animal experimentation center. To survive, they must stay one step ahead of the agent who is determined to recapture her. But was it wise for them to leave her alone in an old caravan in the woods whilst they went off for tea and custard-creams with two unexpectedly frisky old-aged pensioners? *WARNING: Contains nudity, fantasy, horror and inappropriate use of custard creams*

29 The Haunting of Reindeer Manor

The Haunting of Reindeer Manor

Kevin Guest | Horror-Gothic

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See the video trailer on YouTube! http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bznv-3hNQUc PART 1 OF: THE HAUNTED HOUSES OF ANDERSON The Haunting of Reindeer Manor: Dr. Jonathan Anderson, chair of the psychology department of Dallas's most prestigious university, received a rejection letter for his life's work. The next day, October 31, 2008, he got a second chance, an article confirming the existence of ghosts at the infamous Reindeer Manor. The current owner, who only goes by Andy, has been running the property as a Halloween attraction for years. However, it's not the attraction that is of interest to Anderson, but rather its true history. Upon visiting the manor, he strikes a deal with the owner to rent the entire property for five days, under the condition that all Halloween props are removed. Unfortunately Dr. Anderson got his way...

30 Untakenable

Untakenable

C O Wyler | Mystery

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What would you do if your husband was missing, you do not want to be pregnant, you witness a horrific airplane accident, and you learn all babies and young children have disappeared? Twenty-eight-year-old Sarah Colton may think she is in control, but she is far from the truth, not realizing the Rapture has occurred. Enter the writer's mind as she deals with this imminent, amazing event.

31 The Lost Symbol - Devil's Bible

The Lost Symbol - Devil's Bible

Richard Stan Brown (German) | Fiction

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The German author, writer of detective stories and well known under the pseudonym Ron B. Dawn, travels to the Baltic, finally to write the story of his life. A thriller about the perfect crime. During his journey on various trains, the writer comes to know a fellow traveler, one who makes him understand, that no perfect human crime will ever be comfortable. Only one existed, and that took place some 2000 years ago. Furthermore, the stranger warns strictly to read any books, defining books to be of a dangerous nature. Especially the mysterious Devil's Bible, as this book turns the Holy Bible completely upside down.

32 A Season of Revenge

A Season of Revenge

P. J. Dunn | Mystery

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Description Retired Detective Mac O’Hara returns to the St. Louis Police Department to help solve a murder, only to find out there are four bodies and about to be more. The evidence points to the implications of voodoo and black magic. But, the investigation takes on a new light, when Mac’s wife is kidnapped. Set in 1890's St. Louis, where serial murder, revenge, and the occult, all add mystery and intrigue to the Mound City Serial Murder File.

33 Screaming Batfish Blues

Screaming Batfish Blues

Scott L. Anderson | Mystery

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Fact is often mixed with fiction. That's also the case in this story of two men who decide to escape the drudgery of small town living in Minnesota by joining the post Vietnam-era Navy. They soon join in the flourishing drug trade, with horrifying results for both men. It's a story full of rock and roll, drugs, military espionage, sex, prison, and eventually murder. Screaming Batfish Blues runs from the farmlands of Minnesota to the islands of Hawaii to the seedy underbelly of Los Angeles as both men try to flee from the personal hell they have created for themselves.

34 An Uncollected Death

An Uncollected Death

Meg Wolfe | Mystery

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Broke, friendless, and career in freefall--will solve a murder get her life back on track? An Uncollected Death introduces Charlotte Anthony, a forty-something divorcée, single mother and magazine editor who suddenly finds herself an empty-nester, unemployed, and on the verge of bankruptcy. She gratefully takes the job of editing the journals of Olivia Bernadin, a long-lost nouveau roman author. Things rapidly deteriorate, however, when she finds Olivia left for dead the first day on the job--and herself a suspect in the crime.

35 Blind Angel of Wrath

Blind Angel of Wrath

Nick Aaron | Mystery

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Swinging London in 1967. A man approaches the now middle-aged Daisy and makes demands she cannot ignore. He is a desperate father whose fifteen-year-old daughter—a hippie girl—has disappeared without a trace a year before. The police are powerless, or indifferent, or both. “You must help me to find her, Daisy Hayes. And you know why I’m asking you? It’s because I know that you’re a real killer.” This is not so much a crime mystery as a thriller. And thrillers can be brutal. Be warned. On the other hand, most thrillers are also morality tales at heart, and so is this one.

36 The Vampyre

The Vampyre

John William Polidori | Horror Classics

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The "Vampyre" is a short work of prose fiction written in 1819 by John William Polidori. The work is often viewed as the progenitor of the romantic vampire genre of fantasy fiction. The work is described by Christopher Frayling as "the first story successfully to fuse the disparate elements of vampirism into a coherent literary genre. Aubrey, a young Englishman, meets Lord Ruthven, a man of mysterious origins who has entered London society. Aubrey accompanies Ruthven to Rome, but leaves him after Ruthven seduces the daughter of a mutual acquaintance. Aubrey travels to Greece, where he becomes attracted to Ianthe, an innkeeper's daughter. Ianthe tells Aubrey about the legends of the vampire. Ruthven arrives at the scene and shortly thereafter Ianthe is killed by a vampire.

37 Wieland or the Transformation

Wieland or the Transformation

Charles Brockden Brown | Horror Classics

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In this Gothic thriller, American novelist Charles Brockden Brown (1771-1810), tells the tale of a man beset by religious guilt that erupts into mania, making him an extreme danger to others. Download it now!

38 The Great God Pan

The Great God Pan

Arthur Machen | Horror Classics

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This FREE e-Book literally caused a furor in London by readers who believed that the horrific events described within its covers were real. Download it today!

39 The Lady of the Shroud

The Lady of the Shroud

Bram Stoker | Horror Classics

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Rupert is the outcast in his family and must endure the difficult life of living in a castle in the Blue Mountains in order to inherit a fortune from his uncle.

40 The Monk

The Monk

Matthew Lewis | Horror Classics

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Ambrosio, a monk, succumbs to the temptations of the young, Antonia.

41 The History of Caliph Vathek

The History of Caliph Vathek

William Beckford | Horror Classics

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The descriptions of Vathek's palaces and diversions, and of his scheming sorceress-mother Carathis and her witch-tower, are triumphs of weird coloring that raise this literary work to a permanent place in English letters. Download it today!

42 The Return

The Return

Walter de la Mare | Horror Classics

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This FREE e-Book features one of the best occult classics by famed English author, Walter de la Mare. Download it today!

43 Dracula

Dracula

Bram Stoker | Horror Classics

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Count Dracula is a vampire who terrifies the countryside in his quest for human blood, but the residents soon learn his real identity and vow to destroy him.

44 The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain

The Haunted Man and the Ghost's Bargain

Charles Dickens | Horror Classics

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After a spirit offers to rid Redlaw of his guilt over his past transgressions, he loses all memory of the painful events but continues to feel an unexplainable anger.

45 The Lair of the White Worm

The Lair of the White Worm

Bram Stoker | Horror Classics

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When Adam Salton moves to his uncle's house, he begins to experience strange and unexplainable events.

46 Carmilla

Carmilla

Sheridan Le Fanu | Horror Classics

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Lonely Laura is thrilled when she becomes friends with Carmilla, a mysterious stranger in this Gothic vampire tale.

47 Bat Wing

Bat Wing

Sax Rohmer | Mystery Classics

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Paul Harley is a private detective who investigates a strange case in London which involves murder, voodoo, and vampires.

48 The Moon Pool

The Moon Pool

A. Merritt | Sci-Fi Classics

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The Dweller reawakened on the island of Ponape where an ancient civilization once existed by a Dr. David Throckmartin and his group of scientist explorers is a vampire seeking new souls to devour.