My Favorite Horror Books of 2010

Now for my annual list of my favorite books from 2010. I managed to read 56 books this year, basically one a week. That is along with various magazines that I manage to squeeze in also; Diabetic Forecast; Home Theater Magazine, Cemetery Dance, Morpheus Tales etc. Also, along with spending time with the amazing new woman in my life, working on my sites, taking care of my dog, training in mixed martial arts, taking care of my Diabetes and writing my own stuff. I need another me. But all in all it was a great year for horror fiction in my opinion. So without further adieu here they are:

1.) By Wizard Oak – Peter Crowther
By far my favorite book this year. Mr. Crowther took witches to a whole new level. It was decadent, dark, nasty and scary as hell. Loved every second of it. If I had read this instead of seeing the Wicked Witch of the West as a child, I would probably still be hiding under my parent’s kitchen table.

2.) The Passage – Justin Cronin
A new vampire trilogy that stood head shoulders and necks above the fierce competition in the vampire genre. I may have not read every vampire book that came out in 2010 but this one would be hard to beat.

3.) The Painted Darkness – Brian Freeman
An experiment in releasing the story digitally for free before publication was a stroke of genius. This tale of a child grown into an artist and the horror he sees as a child that continues to haunt him is horror fiction at its best.

4.) Mr. Slaughter – Robert McCammon
Another exceptional book in Mr. McCammon’s Matthew Corbett series. This guy continues to amaze me with his books. I have been reading him for well over 25 years and he never disappoints.

5.) The Wild Hunt – James A . Moore
Why does this man have to work a day job. A werewolf story that will knock your socks off. Mr. Moore is one of the best writers in the genre today…period.

6.) A Gathering of Crows – Brian Keene
Brian Keene continues to put out top of the line fiction. A Gathering Of Crows might just be his best yet.

7.) The Killing Kind – Bryan Smith
A totally brutal, blood bath with a cast of characters that are some of the most sick and demented ever put to paper…I loved it.

8.) Sparrow Rock – Nate Kenyon
An end of the year apocalyptic tale that will make your skin crawl.

9.) The Castle of Los Angeles – Lisa Morton
Lisa put a new spin on the “haunted house tale” with a fantastic story of a haunted theater that put the haunt back into haunted.

10) They That Dwell In Dark Places – Daniel McGachey
A superb collection of ghost stories from our friends at Dark Regions Press.  Mr. McGachey knows what scares us and these stories will keep you awake at night.

A few more of my favorites from 2010

The Dreadful Dr. Faust – K.H. Koehler

The Vampire Hunters – Scott M. Baker

The Flock – James Robert Smith

The Butcher Bride – Vince Churchill

Night Souls – L.H. Maynard & M.P. Sims

Skeletons In The Swimmin’ Hole – Kristi Petersen Schonover