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Ah, the horror novella. A bite-sized scream in your palms. Horror novellas are one in all my favourite genres. They’re tales of horror which might be quick sufficient to take a day or two to get via, and but the depth continues to be as fierce as that of a novel– maybe even fiercer with the shorter phrase depend and knife-sharp execution.
I’ve described in a few of my earlier E-book Riot posts the variations between novels, novellas, and the even shorter novelettes. To recap: All three are longer than a brief story, which is often beneath 7,500 phrases. Novelettes are typically 7,500-20,000 phrases, novellas 20,000 to 40,000 phrases, and novels typically make up the remaining at 50,000 or extra phrases.
So a novella is shorter than a novel, however lengthy sufficient to be printed equally to a novel. You would possibly see novellas with hardcovers, particularly from bigger publishers like Tor/Tordotcom. However small presses, too, have been significantly adept at curating and publishing novellas. One instance is Psychopomp, which printed my novella. Small presses are a powerful method to learn genre-bending and revolutionary work as a result of they’re typically extra prepared to take dangers than among the massive names.
The horror novella is a improbable method to get a bite-sized fright. In the event you’re new to studying horror, or in case you have a low tolerance for horror, novellas may very well be a manner into the style. Don’t get me mistaken, although: novellas can nonetheless be as traumatic and terrifying as novels in using horror, however you’ll get to the top a lot sooner.
Here’s a sampling of 4 horror novellas which have or might be launched in 2025. Get your TBR checklist prepared!
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4 Horror Novellas For Chew-Sized Frights
However Not Too Daring by Hache Pueyo
I’m a sucker for any and all Bluebeard retellings. I gobble them up, and after I learn the synopsis for However Not Too Daring, I instantly ordered it. Hache Pueyo writes a fantastically terrifying story that follows the Girl of the Capricious Home, Anatema, who killed the previous keeper of the keys and has a deep starvation for human brides. Did I point out that Anatema can be a large humanoid spider?
Dália, the previous keeper’s protégée, should now take cost of locking the drawers of Anatema’s recollections whereas determining the crime that led to her grasp’s execution. However Anatema can not resist a lovely lady, and he or she’ll eat any bride in her path. Cue sapphic monster romance!
The Monster of Elendhaven by Jennifer Giesbrecht (July 2025)
This initially launched in 2019, and I used to be delighted to see it releasing in paperback later this yr. I tore via the Superior Reader Copy I had earlier than its preliminary launch, and there are a lot of pictures of this guide that hang-out me to at the present time.
It’s a couple of monster and a magician who love one another and who each like to homicide. It’s a couple of dank, darkish city settling into its personal demise, and the promise of darkness spreading additional all through the world. It’s a queer love story and darkish fairy story.
What Stalks the Deep (Sworn Soldier #3) by T. Kingfisher (September 2025)
In the event you loved the earlier Sworn Soldier books, What Strikes the Lifeless and What Feasts at Evening, and had nightmares from each of them as I did, then I’m certain you can also’t watch for the subsequent episode of our favourite drained soldier Alex Easton. This time, Alex finds a brand new thriller in an American coal mine, and issues might be simply as creepy as within the earlier books.
Don’t Sleep With the Lifeless by Nghi Vo
In the event you’re searching for one thing a bit of lighter on horror however nonetheless teeming with ghosts, darkish secrets and techniques, and hauntings of the previous, I provide the gorgeously written Don’t Sleep with the Lifeless. This guide is a companion novella to Vo’s The Chosen and the Lovely, which is a retelling of The Nice Gatsby. This novella continues that story.
Nick Carroway can not neglect the summer season of 1922, although he tries. As an alternative, he wallows and watches the mad, magical spectacle of New York excessive society. All the time watching. However then Nick realizes that somebody has been watching him as properly, and that the previous, together with Jay Gatsby, isn’t completed with him.
Might your 2025 be filled with frights and pleasant reads, no matter your style choice. In the event you’re searching for extra horror suggestions, take a look at these E-book Riot posts:
The next involves you from the Editorial Desk.
This week, we’re highlighting a information to studying quick tales! In the event you’ve been interested by what quick tales have to supply and need to make them a part of your studying life, get to know the shape and study the place yow will discover some good ones so you may get began straight away. Learn on for an excerpt and turn into an All Entry member to unlock the total publish.
Might is Brief Story month, so what’s in your studying checklist this month? Brief tales are one in all my favourite issues to learn proper now. Life’s busy, and quick tales are fiction that may match into a busy day. As an alternative of utilizing the one-chapter-per-night technique to work your manner via a novel, what would possibly it appear like to learn a brief story every night?
I like quick tales exactly as a result of they’re each bit as fascinating, advanced, and delightful as longer fiction, however they’re extra life like to learn while you’ve received rather a lot happening.
I’ve a confession: I used to hate quick tales. Okay, okay, perhaps “hate” is simply too robust a phrase. Let’s simply say that I principally refused to learn them. You could be questioning why I might have such a robust aversion to quick tales.
Signal as much as turn into an All Entry member for under $6/month after which click on right here to learn the total, unlocked article. Degree up your studying life with All Entry membership and discover a full library of unique bonus content material, together with must-reads, deep dives, and studying problem suggestions.
