While the horror genre is ever-growing, spanning various sub-genres, there is one author who stands out above the rest, whose name is synonymous with horror - Stephen King.
Fans of King’s gripping tales of horror and the supernatural have a treasure trove of chilling classics to choose from in his expansive collection of published work. But when it’s time to explore the genre through the eyes of another writer, where should King fans turn? There might not be any book written to mimic the gruesome but entertaining novelist but there are authors like Stephen King.
We’ve carefully curated a selection of horror authors that offer a spectrum of terrifying tales that linger long after the final page. Many share King’s abilities to create uncanny tales and thrilling narratives. From psychological horrors to dark fantasy, if readers seek stories of haunted houses, supernatural creatures, survival, and the unknown, these authors can deliver.
This collection of horror authors has carved out their place in the realm of horror and suspense. So, let’s dive into the pages of these authors like Stephen King (yet can stand on their own independently as well) and find fresh nightmares to explore.
13 Authors Like Stephen King
1. Joe Hill
The terrifying apple doesn’t fall far from the horror tree. Author Joe Hill’s first novel, Heart-Shaped Box came out in 2007 and soon became a best seller. Since then, Hill has written a number of novels, short stories, comics, poetry, and screenplays. What’s more, much of his work has been adapted for film, including Horns, Locke & Key, and NOS4A2. But being a prolific writer of horror seems to run in the family - Joe Hill is Stephen King’s son.
Heart-Shaped Box
by Joe Hill
Sooner or later, the dead catch up . . .
Judas Coyne is a collector of the macabre: a cookbook for cannibals, a used hangman's noose, a snuff film. Many of these objects were gifts from the black-clad fans who made his metal band a legend and made him rich. But not all. When his personal assistant told him there was a ghost for sale on the Internet, Jude knew he had to have it for his private collection. He didn't think twice.
He should have.
2- Victor Lavalle
Two of Stephen King’s most recognizable stories take place in a prison, The Green Mile and Rita Haywood and the Shawshank Redemption. While both are classic stories, there is a novel that adds just an extra layer of horror to a imprisonment story. The Devil in Silver, by Victor Lavalle takes place in a mental hospital where a Devil with the body of an old man and the head of a bison roams the halls at night. Much like in King’s tales, the patients must band together to fight back while slaying their personal demons.
The Devil in Silver
by Victor Lavalle
ONE OF THE BEST BOOKS OF THE YEAR: The New York Times Book Review, The Washington Post, Publishers Weekly
Pepper is the surprised inmate of a mental institution in Queens, New York. In the darkness of his room, on his first night, a terrifying creature with the body of an old man and the head of a bison nearly kills him before being hustled away by the hospital staff. It's no delusion: The other patients confirm that a devil roams the hallways when the sun goes down. Pepper rallies three other inmates in a plot to kill the monster that's stalking them. But can the Devil die?
3- Cherie Priest
For a dip into the world of gothic horror, The Toll, by Cherie Priest is a great introduction. Priest’s novels have been nominated for prestigious awards, such as the Hugo Award, the Bran Stoker Award, and the Locus Award, which The Toll was a finalist for in 2020. Fans of King’s The Shinning, will fall in love with The Toll, and Priest’s way of using atmospheric horror and the macabre.
The Toll
by Cherie Priest
A 2020 LOCUS AWARD FINALIST FOR BEST HORROR NOVEL
Titus and Melanie Bell are on their honeymoon and have reservations in the Okefenokee Swamp cabins for a canoeing trip. But shortly before they reach their destination, the road narrows into a rickety bridge with old stone pilings, with room for only one car.
4- Alison Rumfitt
Fans of King’s novels Carrie, Firestarter, and The Outsider, will enjoy Alison Rumfitt’s debut novel Tell Me I’m Worthless. This novel follows Alice, a trans woman whose life is changed after spending the night in a haunted house. She is othered, living in a world of hate and haunted by facets in her everyday life. Rumfitt’s work is terrifying and gorey, while shining a light on the experiences of those considered different today.
Tell Me I'm Worthless
by Alison Rumfitt
Alison Rumfitt's Tell Me I'm Worthless is a dark, unflinching haunted house story that confronts both supernatural and real-world horrors through the lens of the modern-day trans experience.
Three years ago, Alice spent one night in an abandoned house with her friends, Ila and Hannah. Since then, Alice's life has spiraled. She lives a haunted existence, selling videos of herself for money, going to parties she hates, drinking herself to sleep. That night haunts her still.
5- Cassandra Khaw
For fans that wish Stephen King’s “Rose Red” was a novel and not a miniseries, this is a must-read. Nothing But Blackened Teeth, by Cassandra Khaw offers everything horror fans love about a great haunted house story, with a bit of a twist. Both Rose Red mansion and Heian mansion have terrifying secrets hiding inside.
Nothing But Blackened Teeth
by Cassandra Khaw
A USA TODAY BESTSELLER - An October LibraryReads Pick! - 2022 RUSA Reading List: Horror Winner!
A Heian-era mansion stands abandoned, its foundations resting on the bones of a bride and its walls packed with the remains of the girls sacrificed to keep her company. It's the perfect venue for a group of thrill-seeking friends, brought back together to celebrate a wedding. A night of food, drinks, and games quickly spirals into a nightmare as secrets get dragged out and relationships are tested.
6- Tananarive Due
When looking at authors like Stephen King, Tananarive Due needs to always be on the list. Stephen King has done a lot for the horror genre all throughout his career, but he isn’t alone in shaping it into what it is today. Due has made significant contributions to horror and addresses themes of identity, race, and the supernatural. Not only has she written a handful of novels, but she has written for shows such as Jordan Peele’s “The Twilight Zone” and Shudder’s Horror Noire.
The Good House
by Tananarive Due
The home that belonged to Angela Toussaint's late grandmother is so beloved that the townspeople in Sacajawea, Washington call it the Good House. But that all changes one summer when an unexpected tragedy takes place behind its closed doors, and the Toussaint's family history--and future--is dramatically transformed.
7- Grady Hendrix
If you are a Stephen King fan looking for the next big horror writer that everyone will be talking about for years to come, look no further than Grady Hendrix. Hendrix already has numerous novels under his belt, including Horrorstor, about a haunted Scandinavian furniture store. His work covers everything from haunted houses to vampires to exorcisms all with a touch of humor and a bit of satire.
How to Sell a Haunted House
by Grady Hendrix
AN INSTANT NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER
When Louise finds out her parents have died, she dreads going home. She doesn't want to leave her daughter with her ex and fly to Charleston. She doesn't want to deal with her family home, stuffed to the rafters with the remnants of her father's academic career and her mother's lifelong obsession with puppets and dolls. She doesn't want to learn how to live without the two people who knew and loved her best in the world.
8- Catriona Ward
Catriona Ward won the August Derleth Award for Best Horror Novel in 2016 and 2018, as well as the prestigious Shirley Jackson Award. She is a master of suspense who knows how to tell a terrifying tale. The King of Horror himself remarked that he was “blown away” by her novel, The House on Needless Street.
The Last House on Needless Street
by Catriona Ward
Winner of the British Fantasy Award for Best Horror Novel
Named one of the "50 Best Horror Books of All Time" by Esquire!
Catriona Ward's The Last House on Needless Street is a shocking and immersive read perfect for fans of Gone Girl and The Haunting of Hill House.
In a boarded-up house on a dead-end street at the edge of the wild Washington woods lives a family of three. A teenage girl who isn't allowed outside, not after last time. A man who drinks alone in front of his TV, trying to ignore the gaps in his memory. And a house cat who loves napping and reading the Bible.
9- Glen Hirshberg
Three time International horror Guild Award Winner, Glen Hirshberg is known for his atmospheric and psychological horror, Much like King, Hirshberg’s work dive into the dark complexities of human nature. His newest release, Tell Me When I Disappear, is a short story collection of terrifying tales of the consequences of humankind.
Tell Me When I Disappear
by Glen Hirshberg
In a decaying northern California fishing town, the last locals attempt to save a vengeful widow from herself as yet another storm bears down. But this storm is bringing something worse than waves or wind…
10- Daryl Gregory
Not all horror novels are written to scare readers. Some are heartwarming or funny and optimistic. Fans of King looking for something a little lighter, perhaps something that feels more like adult fiction with a horror twist will enjoy Daryl Gregory. His novel, Raising Stony Mayhall, a moving tale of a family raising a zombie orphan in secret, was named one of the best science fiction books of the year in 2011. This moving tale of family love and self discovery just happens to take place during a zombie outbreak.
by Daryl Gregory
In 1968, after the first zombie outbreak, Wanda Mayhall and her three young daughters discover the body of a teenage mother during a snowstorm. Wrapped in the woman's arms is a baby, stone-cold, not breathing, and without a pulse. But then his eyes open and look up at Wanda--and he begins to move.
11- Ramsey Campbell
Ramsey Campbell is considered Britain’s most respected living horror writer. Even King himself speaks highly of Campbel and his work. In an overview of the horror genre written in 1981, King wrote that Campbell’s true strength was in his mesmerizing prose and the way his characters view the world. In King’s eyes, Campbell is as important a writer to the genre as other greats such as Ray Bradbury and Shirley Jackson.
Thirteen Days by Sunset Beach
by Ramsey Campbell
It's Ray's and Sandra's first family holiday in Greece, on the island of Vasilema. The skies are cloudier than anywhere else in Greece, and they're intrigued by local eccentricities--the lack of mirrors, the outsize beach umbrellas, the saint's day celebrated with an odd nocturnal ritual.
12- V Castro
For King fans who enjoy his stories that pull from myth and legends, author V Castro is a must-read. Castro has been writing horror stories since she was a child. Much of her work is inspired by Mexican folklore and Texas urban legends, stories she grew up with. Her novel The Queen of the Cicadas was nominated for a Bram Stoker award and is a spectacular blend murder, mystery, haunts, and myth.
The Queen of the Cicadas
by V Castro
NOMINATED FOR A BRAM STOKER AWARD FOR SUPERIOR ACHIEVEMENT IN A NOVEL
In 1950s south Texas a farmworker- Milagros from San Luis Potosi, Mexico, is murdered. Her death is ignored by the town, but not the Aztec goddess of death, Mictecacíhuatl. The goddess hears the dying cries of Milagros and creates a plan for both to be physically reborn by feeding on vengeance and worship.
13- Alma Katsu
Stephen King’s work has kept people scared for decades. But what kinds of stories keep him awake at night? Apparently, The Hunger by Alma Katsu. This reimagagining of the story of the Donner Party as become a new classic in horror, making her a must-read horror author.
The Hunger
by Alma Katsu
"Deeply, deeply disturbing, hard to put down, not recommended reading after dark." --Stephen King
Evil is invisible, and it is everywhere. That is the only way to explain the series of misfortunes that have plagued the wagon train known as the Donner Party. Depleted rations, bitter quarrels, and the mysterious death of a little boy have driven the isolated travelers to the brink of madness.
Which book will you read next? Be sure to keep a light on when you do… you never know what's lurking in the shadows.
In the vast and chilling landscape of horror, Stephen King may remain the King of Horror, but there are authors who stand to make an impact on the genre. Whether you're seeking psychological thrills, heartwarming scares, or a touch of the supernatural, these authors have something for everyone.
So, if you are ready to explore horror outside the realm of the Stephen King universe, check out the latest books by these thirteen incredible authors. Your’e in good hands, and are in for a spine-tingling, unforgettable ride.