Von Gänsehaut bis Göttergrauen 👻
Passend zur düsteren Jahreszeit wird es beim heutigen Top Ten Thursday ein wenig unheimlicher, denn aus zehn Buchtiteln soll das Wort GRUSELFILM entstehen. Eine Aufgabe, bei der ich natürlich nicht einfach irgendwelche passenden Titel aus meinem Regal ziehen wollte.
Stattdessen habe ich versucht, auch thematisch möglichst nah am Gruselfaktor zu bleiben. So haben sich vor allem Horror und Dark Fantasy in meine Auswahl geschlichen, inklusive verdammter Imperien, Schatten, Monster und natürlich eines echten Klassikers mit Frankenstein. Ein paar kleine Ausreißer mussten zwar sein, aber insgesamt kann sich meine literarische Gruseltruppe doch ziemlich gut sehen lassen.
Also Licht aus, Leselampe an und Vorhang auf für mein buchiges GRUSELFILM. 🕯️📚👹
Der Top Ten Thursday wird gehostet von Aleshanee auf ihrem Blog Weltenwanderer.



10 Titel bilden das Wort GRUSELFILM
Top Ten Thursday №186

Grave Empire
Richard Swan
Grave Empire by Richard SwanSeries: The Great Silence #1
Published: 14. October 2025 by Orbit
Format: Paperback, 509 pages/minutes
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Gothic, Horror, Steampunk
Language: English
Audience: Adult
Shelve: SuBventur
Source: Amazon
Link to Goodreads
Blood once turned the wheels of empire. Now it is money.
A new age of exploration and innovation has dawned, and the Empire of the Wolf stands to take its place as the foremost power in the known world. Glory and riches await.
But dark days are coming. A mysterious plague has broken out in the pagan kingdoms to the north, while in the south, the Empire's proxy war in the lands of the wolfmen is weeks away from total collapse.
Worse still is the message brought to the Empress by two heretic monks, who claim to have lost contact with the spirits of the afterlife. The monks believe this is the start of an ancient prophecy heralding the end of days-the Great Silence.
It falls to Renata Rainer, a low-ranking ambassador to an enigmatic and vicious race of mermen, to seek answers from those who still practice the arcane arts. But with the road south beset by war and the Empire on the brink of supernatural catastrophe, soon there may not be a world left to save . . .
Buy the Book at: Amazon*

Red Queen
Christina Henry
Red Queen by Christina HenrySeries: The Chronicles of Alice #2
Published: 16. July 2016 by Titan Books Ltd
Format: Paperback, 313 pages/minutes
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Fairy Tales, Horror, Magic, Retelling, Romance
Language: English
Audience: Adult
Shelve: SuBventur
Source: Thalia
Link to Goodreads
The land outside of the Old City was supposed to be green, lush, hopeful. But the verdant fields are nothing but ash and hope is nowhere to be found. Still, Alice and Hatcher are on a mission to find his daughter: a quest they will not forsake even as it takes them deep into the clutches of the mad White Queen or into the realm of the twisted and cruel Black King. The pieces are set and the game has begun, and each move brings Alice closer to her destiny.
Buy the Book at: Amazon*

Unheil
Wolfgang Hohlbein
Unheil by Wolfgang HohlbeinPublished: 1. October 2007 by Piper Verlag
Format: Hardcover, 640 pages/minutes
Genre: Horror, Thriller, Urban Fantasy
Tropes: Vampires
Language: German
Audience: Adult
Shelve: SuBventur
Source: Tauschticket
Link to Goodreads
Mitten unter uns lauert eine tödliche Bedrohung: der Vampir. Der erbarmungslose Killer foltert seine Opfer und saugt ihnen das Blut aus. Als ihm die Ermittlerin Conny in einer finsteren Gothic-Disco auf die Spur kommt, gerät sie in einen Albtraum: Immer wieder erscheint ihr ein Phantom mit offenbar übernatürlichen Kräften. Unheimliche Geschöpfe eröffnen die Jagd auf sie. Conny wird in eine tödliche Intrige verstrickt. Und diejenigen, die sie immer für ihre engsten Verbündeten gehalten hat, entpuppen sich als undurchsichtige Gegner …
Buy the Book at: Amazon*

Steel Gods
Richard Swan
➥ dt. Ausgabe*
Steel Gods by Richard SwanSeries: The Great Silence #2
Published: 24. November 2026 by Orbit
Format: Paperback, 576 pages/minutes
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Horror
Language: English
Audience: Adult
Shelve: Preordered
Source: Amazon
Link to Goodreads
THE EMPIRE OF THE WOLF TEETERS ON THE BRINK
The true horror of the Great Silence has been revealed. As nation after nation succumbs to the mind-plague and Sova scrambles to enlist help from across the globe, Ambassador Renata Rainer has been given a simple task: save the world.
While she travels to the Principality of Casimir to enlist the help of the Empire's oldest enemy, Lieutenant Peter Kleist returns to the haunted forests of the New East to search for ancient answers - and finally confront the terrible fate that awaits him. In their wake, a task force of engineers, soldiers, and arcane experts will try and unpick the final secrets of the Great Silence - on both sides of the mortal plane.
But time is running out. Count Lamprecht von Oldenburg has returned to the capital, armed with a terrible vision and enough madness to see it through. Those who stand in his way face a simple choice: join the revolution, or die.
As the world tips towards chaos, all paths converge on the Eye of the Sea, where the fabric of reality wears thin - and where the Empire of the Wolf must confront the most terrible enemy it has ever known.
Steel Gods is the second novel in the Great Silence trilogy from Sunday Times bestselling author Richard Swan - a dark flintlock fantasy filled with epic adventure, arcane mysteries and creeping dread.
Buy the Book at: Amazon*

Empire of the Damned
Jay Kristoff
Empire of the Damned by Jay KristoffSeries: Empire of the Vampire #2
Published: 29. February 2024 by HarperVoyager
Format: Hardcover, 646 pages/minutes
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Epic Fantasy, Gothic, Horror, Paranormal
Tropes: Blood magic, Vampires
Language: English
Audience: Adult
Shelve: Read 2024
Source: Amazon
Link to Goodreads
Rating:
Gabriel de León has saved the Holy Grail from death, but his chance to end the endless night is lost.
After turning his back on his silversaint brothers once and for all, Gabriel and the Grail set out to learn the truth of how Daysdeath might finally be undone.
But the last silversaint faces peril, within and without. Pursued by children of the Forever King, drawn into wars and webs centuries in the weaving, and ravaged by his own rising bloodlust, Gabriel may not survive to see the truth of the Grail revealed.
A truth that may be too awful for any to imagine.
Buy the Book at: Amazon*

Last to Leave the Room
Caitlin Starling
➥ dt. Übersetzung bisher nicht bekannt
Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin StarlingPublished: 10. October 2023 by St Martin's Press
Format: Hardcover, 310 pages/minutes
Genre: Horror, LGBTQIA+, Mystery, Thriller
Language: English
Audience: Adult
Shelve: SuBventur
Source: Evernight
Link to Goodreads
A new novel of genre-busting speculative horror from the acclaimed author of The Death of Jane Lawrence.
The city of San Siroco is sinking. The basement of Dr. Tamsin Rivers, the arrogant, selfish head of the research team assigned to find the source of the subsidence, is sinking faster. As Tamsin grows obsessed with the distorting dimensions of the room at the bottom of the stairs, she finds a door that didn’t exist before - and one night, it opens to reveal an exact physical copy of her. This doppelgänger is sweet and biddable where Tamsin is calculating and cruel. It appears fully, terribly human, passing every test Tamsin can devise. But the longer the double exists, the more Tamsin begins to forget pieces of her life, to lose track of time, to grow terrified of the outside world. As her employer grows increasingly suspicious, Tamsin must try to hold herself together long enough to figure out what her double wants from her, and just where the mysterious door leads…

Frankenstein
Mary W. Shelley
➥ dt. Ausgabe*
Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft ShelleyPublished: 28. May 2024 by Aeons Classics
Format: Kindle Edition, 248 pages/minutes
Genre: Classics, Gothic, Historical Fantasy, Horror
Tropes: Creatures / Monsters
Language: English
Audience: Adult, New Adult
Shelve: Read 2026, Stuff Your Kindle
Source: Amazon
Link to Goodreads
In a dark laboratory shrouded in mystery and secrets, a young scientist defies the laws of nature and embarks on a perilous quest for immortality. Driven by ambition and haunted by a relentless curiosity, Victor Frankenstein hurls himself into a realm where life and death blur into a macabre dance.
Assembling body parts stolen from the grave, he stitches together a grotesque being, an abomination that awakens with a spark of electricity. But what he creates is far more than he bargained for—a creature with a mind as tormented as its disfigured form.
Frankenstein, a timeless tale of science and morality, explores the boundaries of human knowledge and the weighty consequences of playing god. As the creature grapples with its existence and yearns for acceptance, Frankenstein must confront the horrors he has unleashed upon the world.
From the icy peaks of the Swiss Alps to the mist-laden streets of 19th-century Europe, this Gothic masterpiece delves deep into the darkest corners of the human psyche. Mary Shelley's enduring classic delves into themes of love, loneliness, and the search for identity, challenging our understanding of what it means to be human.
With its atmospheric prose and haunting narrative, Frankenstein continues to captivate readers across generations. Dive into the depths of this chilling tale and discover the tragic consequences of tampering with life's eternal mysteries. Will Victor Frankenstein find redemption, or will his creation become the instrument of his ultimate downfall? The answers lie within the pages of this timeless masterpiece.
Buy the Book at: Amazon*

In the Shadows
L.B. August
➥ dt. Übersetzung bisher nicht bekannt
In the Shadows by L.B. AugustSeries: The Amari #1
Published: 4. June 2024 by Ink of Fate Publishing
Format: Kindle Edition, 496 pages/minutes
Genre: Dark Fantasy, Dark Romance, Magic
Tropes: Court Intrigue / Royalty, Enemies to Lovers, Fae / Fairies, Fated Mates / Soulmates, Forbidden Desire
Language: English
Audience: Adult
Shelve: Unread
Source: Amazon
Link to Goodreads
Damned by gods and threaded by fates, two mortals must embrace the darkness to find their true destinies.
Lilith Clarke is supposed to be dead: murdered by the vicious King Oren, her blood staining a field of daisies. But death would have been merciful.
After years of having no name, she is finally given a title: Queen of Umbra. But it will cost her everything. Lily is now bound to King Asher, the most powerful and brutal shadow divinus in all of Omnia. Forced to rule in secret, she slowly loses herself to the darkness. She fears it will swallow her whole.
Until he arrives, tugging an ancient thread deep within her soul.
Theodore Kincaid seeks justice in Umbra but falls captive to his sworn enemy, the ruthless King Asher. Trapped in the kingdom that killed his beloved, his fate seems sealed until a chance encounter with the secret Queen of Umbra offers him an opportunity he can’t resist.
Theo and the Queen each believe that they are in full control, but neither is prepared for what the fates have in store.
Amidst a realm on the brink of chaos, two souls collide in a heart-wrenching tale of unveiling secrets, conquering the darkness, and igniting a love that could save or destroy.
Buy the Book at: Amazon*

Let the Right One In
John Ajvide Lindqvist
➥ dt. Ausgabe*
Let the Right One In by John Ajvide LindqvistPublished: 28. October 2008 by St. Martin's Griffin
Format: Paperback, 472 pages/minutes
Genre: Horror, Mystery, Paranormal, Thriller, Urban Fantasy
Tropes: Vampires
Language: English
Audience: Adult
Shelve: Unread
Link to Goodreads
Twelve-year-old Oskar is obsessed by the murder that's taken place in his neighborhood. Then he meets the new girl from next door. She's a bit weird, though. And she only comes out at night....

Murder Road
Simone St. James
➥ dt. Übersetzung bisher nicht bekannt
Murder Road by Simone St. JamesPublished: 28. March 2024 by Michael Joseph
Format: Hardcover, 358 pages/minutes
Genre: Cozy Mystery, Horror, Paranormal, Suspense, Thriller
Tropes: Family Secrets, Ghosts
Language: English
Audience: Adult
Shelve: Read 2026
Source: Evernight, Illumicrate
Link to Goodreads
A young couple find themselves haunted by a string of gruesome murders committed along an old deserted road in this terrifying new novel.
July 1995. April and Eddie have taken a wrong turn. They’re looking for the small resort town where they plan to spend their honeymoon. When they spot what appears to a lone hitchhiker along the deserted road, they stop to help. But not long after the hitchiker gets into their car, they see the blood seeping from her jacket and a truck barreling down Atticus Line after them.
When the hitchhiker dies at the local hospital, April and Eddie find themselves in the crosshairs of the Coldlake Falls police. Unexplained murders have been happening along Atticus Line for years and the cops finally have two witnesses who easily become their only suspects. As April and Eddie start to dig into the history of the town and that horrible stretch of road to clear their names, they soon learn that there is something supernatural at work, something that could not only tear the town and its dark secrets apart, but take April and Eddie down with it all.
Buy the Book at: Amazon*
Welche dieser Bücher kennst und/oder hast du vielleicht bereits gelesen? Konnte ich dein Interesse durch die Beschreibungen für ein Buch, oder vielleicht sogar mehrere, wecken?
Bei diesem Thema bin ich nächstes Mal dabei: 10 Buchtitel mit einem Adelstitel
Alle von mir genutzten Bilder zu Buchcovern sind Eigentum der jeweiligen Verlage und/oder AutorInnen bzw. anderer Rechteinhaber.
All book cover images I use are the property of the respective publishers and/or authors or other rights holders.
Es wäre schön, wenn du meinen Beitrag bewerten würdest. 😍
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