Science fiction and horror often represent two completely different genres. However, the two can come together sometimes and offer some of the scariest and intense stories. These best sci-fi horror books are the ones every fan of the two genres should check out in 2024. These are the books to read to get your blood pumping and help you stay awake at night. With a preference for more recent novels, these are the 10 best sci-fi horror books we recommend.
10. The Cursed Moon
The Cursed Moon starts out as a pretty simple horror affair: a kid dreams up a fictional killer known as the Caretaker and tells stories of it to his friends. It all takes a twist on a blood moon night when his tall tales about the Caretaker start to come true. The main character, Rafa, has to stay alive through the night and defeat the ghost he seemingly invented with his mind.
9. The House at the End of the World
This novel from Dean Koontz has a pretty classic eerie vibe to it. It doesn’t too much or little too; finding the right pacing of doling out spooky moments. It tells the story of an artist who retreats to a secluded island, only to find out the government is searching for a sinister creation there. Her fight to survive is an unforgettable one.
8. The Switch
The Switch grounds itself in reality and near-future science fiction. It tells the story of a pseudo-modern world where the power shuts off and everything goes dark, including phones, TVs, and more. Its grounded take extends to its central story, which focuses not on the core mystery so much as a boy trying to survive in the darkness and find his father. Its creepiness comes from the familiar, realistic horrors of the world.
7. Ghost Station
The title says it all: this is classic sci-fi research station horror at its finest. A crew find themselves on a mysterious planet with an ancient secret, as they look for the cure of a deadly disease. It all comes to a head as some of the scientists start to be found dead and mangled. Ghost Station is gruesome in ways Dead Space fans will certainly appreciate.
6. The Watchers
A woman’s car breaks down in a mysterious forest. After hearing a nearby scream, she finds herself in a bunker with glass windows. She is now trapped there, held captive by the “Watchers,” a group of mysterious creatures. They kidnap people and observe them at night through the windows like subjects. If someone is outside of the bunker at night, something terrible happens to them. The twist on humans as the pet subjects makes for an intriguing sci-fi horror novel.
5. The Last Colony
The Last Colony feels like a pretty standard space war book at first. A married couple come out of retirement to use their superhuman powers to lead a new frontier planet against an alien invasion. But the alien enemies and secrets of the new planet lead to some horrifying attacks against their colonists. This is one book full of action from start to finish.
4. Dead Silence
The author S.A. Barnes is on this list twice for a reason, as Barnes knows how to craft compelling science fiction horror stories. This 2023 novel is essentially haunted Titanic in space. A spaceship repair crew are on the way home when they think they’ve hit the jackpot by locating the once-lost Aurora space cruise liner. They think they’re in for the theft of their lives when they find there’s a reason seemingly no one is onboard the ship.
3. After Death
After Death follows a guard at a top-level government facility who comes back to life. His second chance comes with a ghost-like superpower, which he uses to take care of his friends from threats in Los Angeles. This book has superhero vibes to it, which gives it a more mainstream appeal, but it also doesn’t hold back in its graphic nature and spookier elements.
2. Paradise-1
This sci-fi horror novel is the right blend of the two genres in equal measure. A lot of times, books favor one side over the other, but Paradise-1 nails both sci-fi and horror in equal measure. A group of agents are on the way to the furthest colony in space, only to intercept with an abandoned ship from said colony that reveals everyone there is dead. Thus begins an intense mystery, as the agents search for the answer to what happened while staying alive against the unknown threat.
1. The Blighted Stars
The lead character, Naira Sharp, is an intergalactic spy investigating a powerful family. In the midst of her travels, she becomes stranded on a deserted planet, save for one person: her main target, Tarquin Mercator. They have to work together to survive on this terrifying alien planet. The mix of drama, intensity, and heavy political themes ensures this book has a wide scope worth checking out.
