| Last Ones Left Alive by Sarah Davis-GoffStarring: battle-ready Orpen, raised on a small island in post-apocalyptic Ireland, who must venture to the mainland after tragedy strikes.
What's she fighting? a menacing horde of zombies (aka skrakes); her own fears of life beyond the safety of home.
Why you might like it: With a charming, capable heroine at its center and atmospheric world-building, this action-packed novel will appeal to fans of Cormac McCarthy's The Road and zombie flick 28 Days Later. |
|
| The Possession by Michael RutgerBack at it: Licking his wounds after a terrifying encounter with an ancient evil (and perhaps an even more terrifying dearth of sales from the book based on his experiences), rogue archaeologist Nolan Moore is ready to investigate a new case for his YouTube series.
Read it for: an intensifying pace centered on witchcraft and possession, a darkly humorous tone, and flawed yet relatable characters.
Series alert: The Possession is the 2nd in the Anomaly Files series, following 2018's The Anomaly. |
|
| The Last Astronaut by David WellingtonThen: In 2034, the Orion 6 mission to Mars ended in tragedy, shuttering the space program and Commander Sally Jansen's career along with it.
Now: Twenty years later, Sally is called out of retirement to make contact with a mysterious alien object hurtling toward Earth. The stakes have never been higher -- for both the future of mankind and Sally's own redemption.
Reviewers say: "Readers will be riveted -- and will want to keep all the lights on" (Publishers Weekly). |
|
|
The Warlow experiment : a novel
by Alix Nathan
Unforeseen consequences arise after an aspiring behavioral scientist in Enlightenment-era London concocts an experiment in solitude that has a subject living in the handsomely-equipped basement of his manor house for seven years, cut off from all social contact.
|
|
| The Bus on Thursday by Shirley BarrettWelcome to... the seemingly idyllic yet isolated town of Talbingo, where hard-drinking 30-something breast cancer survivor Eleanor hopes to make a fresh start as a teacher in a one-room schoolhouse.
What happens: Beset by strange circumstances (a fellow teacher's disappearance, a cabin with too many locks on the door) and even stranger townsfolk (a demonic love interest, an exorcism-obsessed pastor), Eleanor suspects she may be in danger.
Read it for: a wickedly funny storyline that unfolds via blog posts. |
|
| The Dead Path by Stephen M. IrwinWhat it's about: Returning to his hometown in Tallong, second sight-afflicted Nicholas investigates the murder of his childhood best friend, whose ghost is among those he sees reenacting their deaths. Will his sleuthing put him in the path of a menacing woodland presence? (Yes.)
Why you might like it: This creepy modern fairy tale features vivid imagery and evocative descriptions of Nicholas' escalating unease.
Want a taste? "Clouds, heavy as slate and swollen like the underbellies of diseased beasts, were rolling across the sky." |
|
| Picnic at Hanging Rock by Joan LindsayWhat it is: the haunting story of three schoolgirls' disappearance from a trip in the Australian bush; when one student returns, she has no memory of where she's been...or what happened to her classmates.
Media buzz: Adapted for screens big and small, Picnic at Hanging Rock was most recently revisited in the 2018 Amazon Prime miniseries starring Natalie Dormer.
Try this next: Riley Sager's contemporary psychological suspense novel The Last Time I Lied, itself an homage to Joan Lindsay's 1967 classic. |
|
| The Natural Way of Things by Charlotte WoodWhat it is: a surreal and disturbing tale of captivity and survival, centered on a group of women imprisoned in the Australian Outback for their perceived sexual misdeeds involving rich and powerful men.
Is it for you? This award-winning and thought-provoking allegorical novel confronts real-life monstrosity, exploring the horrors of sexual politics and misogyny.
For fans of: The Handmaid's Tale and Lord of the Flies. |
|
Contact your librarian for more great books!
|
|
|