A few years ago I read The Shining, Stephen King’s masterpiece. I couldn’t sleep for nights after. Since then, I have tended to avoid his books in particular, and other books that seem too scary. In recent months, I have felt “upset” at having excluded this category of literature. So when I saw this Guardian list, I thought it might be a good idea to reintroduce horror into my reading through short stories. The series is introduced by Simon Crook. His book, Silverweed Road, was published in 2022 and is described as a “chilling collection of horror short stories”, all set behind the doors of houses on the same suburban street. In explaining that short stories are not failed novels, Simon Crook quotes Stephen King’s book ‘Skeleton Crew’, which begins by describing short stories as: “a quick kiss in the dark with a stranger … but those kisses can be sweet”. The next step? The Guardian’s top ten horror novels.
Short stories read
Survivor Type – Stephen King (1982)
The Landlady – Roald Dahl (1959)
The Horla – Guy de Maupassant (1887)
In the Bag – Ramsey Campbell (1978)
The Tower – Marghanita Laski (1955)
Oh, Whistle, and I’ll Comme To You, My Lad – M. R. James (1904)
The Lottery – Shirley Jackson (1948)
The October Game – Ray Bradbury (1948)
The Dunwich Horror – H. P. Lovecraft (1929)
The Forbidden – Clive Barker (1985)