Halloween Book Week: Horror and witchcraft

I went through a big horror phase when I was a teenager (after the Mills & Boon phase). I mentioned on Monday about Friday night horror movie night at my friend’s house, but we also read loads of horror fiction, then, too. I think the appeal of horror was that you have a physical emotional reaction to it. You physically tense up and hold your breath, your stomach tightens and sometimes you even feel queasy. The best thing about the horror, though, is the anticipation. It’s that time while you’re holding your breath, turning the pages quickly to see what’s on the other side, waiting to find out what’s behind that door, or round that corner. Some of the best horror can keep you in a prolonged state of anticipation, jumping from one tense moment to the next, sometimes holding back the pay off again and again.

The authors I loved back then were James Herbert and Stephen King. I must have read James Herbert’s rat books so many times. I can still see tube tunnels teeming with rats when I think about it.

Witches have always fascinated me, but I don’t have any strong recollections of witchy literature, until Terry Pratchett’s witches and then J K Rowling’s. I’m sure there must have been others. We received two great witchy books to review for Halloween Book Week – a YA book called Burn Mark by Laura Powell (see yesterday’s YA fiction post) and a collection of witchy short stories, edited by Jonathan Strahan (see yesterday’s other children’s books post).

I’d love to hear about your favourite horror and witchcraft books.