Scary AI, Vampires, and More Terrors
It’s the 9th, and because of scheduling, this is the first Fright Stuff of September! How wild, how unfair, considering September marks the true beginning of Spooky Season. So, to make it up to you, this week I don’t really have a theme. I’m just throwing all the terrors at you. Because September is all about getting scary and priming yourself for the scariest (and best) month of all (October, duh).
Bookish Goods
Theatre des Vampires Poster by MovieManiacsDesign
Looking for a subtle but striking reference to Anne Rice’s Interview with the Vampire to hang in your home? Check out this beautiful vintage-style poster of Theatre des Vampires. Available as a postcard for $6 or as a print poster starting at $38.
New Releases
William by Mason Coile
AI is getting freakier and freakier in real life, and yet AI horror is still hitting. This is an AI horror story you won’t be able to put down. After countless hours of work, engineer Henry has finally done it. He’s created an artificially intelligent consciousness, which he names (you guessed it) William. But no one knows about William, not even Henry’s pregnant wife, Lily. When Henry finally decides to introduce William to the world, starting with Lily and her friends and coworkers, things go terribly wrong.
So Thirsty by Rachel Harrison
There are just never enough vampire stories, and now we’re getting Rachel Harrison’s take on one of the most popular horror subgenres. Sloane Parker is feeling dissatisfied with her life, so she’s not super excited about her upcoming birthday. But then her husband surprises her with a weekend getaway with her best friend, Naomi. Sloane is anticipating a quiet, relaxing weekend of lounging and wine tasting, but Naomi has something else in mind. It all starts with a wild night out with some exciting strangers. After that night, nothing will ever be the same.
For a more comprehensive list of new releases, check out our New Books newsletter.
Riot Recommendations
Because we missed last week, I have a few horror novel new releases to share with you that came out earlier in the month.
We Came to Welcome You by Vincent Tirado
Listen up, y’all. Here is my advice: if it’s a gated community, walk away. There’s always something sinister going on behind those walls. That’s certainly the case when Sol Reyes and her wife, Alice Song, buy a house in the gated community of Maneless Grove. Immediately, Sol is uneasy about their neighbors and their fake friendly attitude. Alice, however, is convinced that they’re just being neighborly. Then Sol discovers the journal of a resident who disappeared a few years ago. And, yeah, gated communities…they are dangerous. You heard it here first.
Immortal Dark by Tigest Girma
Okay, so maybe there’s a little bit of a theme this week. We started with vampires. I threw a little bit of vampire there in the middle, and now we’re ending with more vampires. And I’m not even sorry about it. Especially because this one is a fun mix of elite boarding school and vampire fiction. Two of my favorite things to read about! Kidan Adane’s sister, June, is the only living family member she has left. So when June goes missing, Kidan will stop at nothing to find her. Even when that means infiltrating the elite Uxlay University, a school where humans and vampires coexist. She suspects the one responsible for her sister’s disappearance is the vampire Susenyos Sagad. As cruel as Susenyos may be, however, he is equally alluring.
I hope your September is going amazing so far. I will be back next Monday to hype the season up even more. Until then, you can follow me (and message me) on Instagram at emandhercat. Sweet dreams, horror fans!
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