Science fiction and horror has become quite the popular genre in the past few years. Many famous authors have written about this, though some are more popular than others. The popularity of books over time is due to writers taking inspiration from everything around them and re-writing it into a new story that may or may not draw people in. One of the most important things to consider when reading these books is the amount of gore. Science fiction relies on factual information for its stories, so if there are any gory scenes, there will probably be accurate depictions. This could turn off some readers but might also interest them enough to stick with it all the way through.
Top 7 Popular Sci-Fi Horror Books
The modern world is constantly changing, and so are the books representing it. Authors write about what they know or what they believe to be true. They only need to find a sci-fi publisher for their work to become available to the public. Here are some of the most popular science fiction horror books that you might find helpful, interesting, or both.
“Altered Carbon”
This is a popular book among readers who enjoy thrilling stories with edge-of-your-seat suspense and fast-paced action scenes. It takes place in the future, where people can download their consciousness into new bodies at any time they desire. Any previous event in their life is replayed in the form of a flashback, but the way it’s written might confuse some readers. Anyone who has enough money can own many copies of themselves, meaning they can become compelling without ever having to deal with death. The story follows Takeshi Kovacs as he goes through an investigation related to this way of life.
“The Girl With All the Gifts”
This book takes place in England, making it attractive to anyone who loves to travel without leaving home. People are turned into zombies by something known as the fungal strain that eats away at their brains and turns them violent. There are also children being experimented on, though they’re smart enough to know what’s going on around them more than the others do. The whole idea may not appeal to everyone because of its darkness and heaviness, but it does get credit for giving people something new to read about – even if it seems more like a nightmare.
“I Am Legend”
This book is an example of science fiction horror at its best because the protagonist finds himself all alone in a world that vampires have taken over. After he wakes up from a coma, all he can remember are his wife’s final moments before she passed away to the virus that destroyed everyone. The writing style will appeal to readers who don’t mind slower-paced mysteries where they have time to guess at what could happen next. It has plenty of action scenes, but it also gives people time to imagine how things might play out for this last man standing against creatures with superior strength and intelligence.
“The Martian Chronicles”
Ray Bradbury wrote this science fiction book, then into a television series in the 1980s. The story takes place on Mars and focuses on colonization. It does not detail what happens once humans make their way there, but instead, it tells its readers a story about how people perceive themselves when they try to imitate life from another planet. People can learn a lot from Bradbury’s writing, especially since it was back in the 1950s. This is a popular book in many high school English classes because of its straightforwardness and simplicity. Anyone looking for a good read should consider giving it a chance.
“The Passage”
This story takes place at the end of civilization after military experiments to create human beings who do not need to sleep causes them to become vampires, or virals as they are called here. A young girl named Amy has been kept safe from these creatures her whole life, but when she becomes lost and ends up in their midst, only one man can save her: an agent turned prisoner known as Wolgast. Amy is the key to saving humanity, but time is running out, and no one can figure out why. This is a popular book that has premiered on Fox and is loved by people who like books with vast and detailed worlds and all the answers to their questions included in one place.
“The Shining”
One of Stephen King’s best-known books, “The Shining,” takes place in the 1970s when Jack Torrance accepts a job as an off-season caretaker for a hotel few people visit during winter. He takes his wife and son with him, but something terrible stirs inside his ten-year-old boy named Danny, who discovers he can communicate with the dead inhabitants of the hotel. As winter approaches, it becomes clear that something evil resides in the hotel and could threaten everyone inside if given a chance. This is one of King’s more popular horror novels, and for a good reason: it has all the elements of a great story and will leave people wondering about what might happen once they’ve turned the last page.
“The Strain”
This series unveils an ancient strain of vampirism where people constantly travel between Europe and America. When these creatures attack humans, they spread their disease somehow until there is no turning back. A medical doctor who knows what’s happening tries to stop them before everything is too late. Still, he has help from unexpected allies, including the head of The Vampire Club, Abraham Setrakian. This series is a fan favorite because of its different take on vampirism and how it incorporates the Holocaust into its story while still retaining a solid modern feel.
There are so many other great science fiction horror books out there that it would be impossible to list them all here, but this list is a great place to start if you’re looking to read something new. Some of these books are old and relatively new, but they’re all worth reading as long as you enjoy the genre. Everyone has different tastes in books, so perhaps this list will help you find new material.
