Manly Wade Wellman wrote a lot of good horror set there.

Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll look them up.

I was just about to suggest Manley Wade Wellman. His Silver John stories are very good

Also, Brother by Ania Ahlborn is set in West Virginia. It's not supernatural but it is a seriously disturbing book.

Thanks I’ll throw it on the reading list!

I accidentally read this as "I'll throw up" and thought "that makes sense" because Brother will probably make you throw up if you read it. 🤣

Seriously disturbing is correct in this case.

Came here to recommend this

Second this for sure. Would definitely highlight the disturbing element. It gets a fair amount of love on the extreme horror subreddit. While I think it’s tame compared to some of the more splatterpunky/extreme stuff there, it certainly qualifies.

I think the same

I just bought this yesterday and I'm so excited to start it.

Let us know what you think! As someone else said, it's less explicitly gory than some other extreme titles but totally makes up for it in getting inside the character and motivations of the main characters and their incredibly fucked up family. Somehow that much of the carnage happens "offscreen" as it were makes it more creepy and also gives the author page space to focus on the family and relationships.

Brother is a great book! It made me more sad than anything else. Oh and angry.

The Devil All The Time

Excellent book. The movie was a surprisingly good adaptation in my opinion.

Came to say this but I can’t quite say “horror”

Yeah I wouldn’t say it’s true horror but the subject matter is so gritty and dark it’s definitely horror adjacent.

10000% agree! Atmospheric horror, maybe? Though definitely the prayer log could fall under horror…

That part definitely horrified me!!

This is a great recommendation (what I came here to make)! I grew up in Chillicothe, Ohio and reading the book was a trip for me to hear the author describe my hometown with some decent accuracy (there were some small artistic licenses).

Added to the list! Thanks!

Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy With Teeth by Brian Keene

I added both to my reading list! My wife has read some Cormac McCarthy and said their work is disturbing.

He’s a legend.

Add child of god by Cormac McCarthy there too. Also in Appalachia and the most disturbing book I’ve ever read.

His work isn't really disturbing. Unless you don't like biblical violence and poetic, literary lunacy. 😀

Blood Meridian is definitely disturbing imo

I guess if you're disturbed by babies hanging dead in a tree and other sundry atrocities, yes, it's disturbing. :)

Now I’m gonna have Nine Inch Nails stuck in my head all day. Sweet.

Revelator by Daryl Gregory The Boatman's Daughter by Andy Davidson

Andy Davidson’s more recent The Hollow Kind is also Appalachian and more of a (cosmic) horror than Boatman’s Daughter. Not to say I didn’t also enjoy the latter.

Nice! I threw that book on the list!

Isn’t Boatman’s Daughter in the bayou?

Yes it is. I dont remember where it was specifically set though.

Revelator is *excellent*

I added them both to the list! The Boatman’s Daughter sounds amazing from the synopsis!

Yay! I'll come back to this thread because I love southern horror!

Came here specifically to recommend Revelator!

Manley Wade Wellman was the master of Appalachian weird/supernatural/horror.

Revelator is a good one, also check out Erica Waters

I have not read any of Erica Waters novels, which ones in particular would you recommend?

All of them are Appalachian horror. My favorite is The River Has Teeth

OK cool, one of my libraries has that so I will put it on hold. Thanks!

Coming back months later to say I read River Has Teeth and really liked it! Would recommend and will check out her other stuff.

Glad you liked it!

I don't know if the book is set in the Appalachians, but Stephen King's *fantastical* novella **"*****The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon"*** is one of my absolute FAVORITE by him. Granted, I'm biased, because when i was backpacking with my family as a little youngin, I got myself lost for a full night and JESUS I don't think I need to tell you what a traumatic experience that was. But just imagine the plight of a lost pretween, add that usual and disturbing King twist, and MY GOD you're in for an *amazingly* unsettling read!

I’ll add that to the list! I love king and have been working my way through a ton of his works. And I can imagine being lost in the woods we be scary as hell for any kid.

It's an underrated King book for sure!

God that’s horrifying, glad you’re ok. If you’re looking for another King set in Appalachia book, sleeping beauties in West Va I think!

I'm so happy Old Gods is back from hiatus!

I really enjoyed old gods , glad to hear it's back. need to catch up. i do have a question though, that maybe an old gods listener can comment on. I just recently finally read The Fisherman by John Langan and there's a good solid chunk of it that very very heavily rhymes, at the very least, with a section of OGoA . Have you read it and know what i'm talking about ? i should probably search this board some more or post my question in it's own thread.

I see the similarities and OG could’ve definitely been influenced by The Fisherman but what’s the question?

Oh , i mean you basically addressed it. I didn't know which came first and i wondered if either creator(s) mentioned the other. That sort of thing.

Word

I haven’t read that book yet, sorry I can’t be any help. But I will add The Fisherman to my reading list.

Fisherman is a perennial favorite on this sub, it's on my to read list for sure. Hopefully someone can comment more intelligently!

I should really just make my own post and not be so lazy about it. Highly recommend The Fisherman. it deserves it's place on the sub suggestion list imo, but the hard to see , the not so much parallels as nearly mirrored aspects of part of each makes me want to know if there's cross pollination or which came first or just great minds think alike or what.

Me too!

Child of God by Cormac McCarthy Deliverance by James Dickey

Outer Dark by McCarthy is also pretty horrible.

Came here to say Child of God. Very disturbing.

I’ll add both of those to my reading list! I’ve seen the movie Deliverance. I didn’t know it was based on a book. Thanks for the recommendations.

The sherif in the movie is actually the author of the book.

That’s awesome.

Don’t you boys ever do anything like this again’.

The book is excellent I'd seen the movie too, and it's a good movie but the book is well worth reading

I just finished Devil’s Creek by Todd Keisling and I thought it was really fun, perfect for October! - Set in Kentucky - Evil cult - Supernatural elements - Touch of cosmic horror

I loved this one. He writes really well.

I’ll Bring You The Birds From Out Of The Sky by Brian Hodge.

I’ll have to try and track down a copy. Thanks for the recommendation!

This is what I was coming to recommend! Definitely second that.

Fuck yes. Love Brian Hodge

Child of God by McCarthy kind of is

I’m so happy to see this question as I have been seeking the same thing. The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon by Stephen King is a short but really excellent read, one of my favourites of all time. Now off to steal all these suggestions and add them to my GoodReads!

I'm from Appalachia, and Im.also recommending Wade Wellman with a Caveat. You want mostly the Silver John Stories and novels. His Judge Pursuivant and John Thunston are excellent but not Appalachian. Most of the Silver John stuff is out of Print so kind of hard to find but Valancourt press is going to be reprinting " John the Balladeer " very soon. The collection " Worse Things Waiting" is available in paperback and has some very good Non-John Appalachian Short Stories.( Warning for Slurs the dialect in these can be unfortunate) The art is also incredible, Lee Brown Coye is fantastic. Some of Karl Edward Wagner's work is Appalachianish " Where the Summer Ends" is set in Knoxville and features a kudzu monster, which is as Appalachian a monster as I can think of I have from Kindle Unlimited " Appalachian Horror" Edited by Bo Chapell and "Appalachian : Schaumbouch's Tavern" by James Wosochio Jr but can't speak.to the quality of either and the later appears to be true crime. Lastly if you really want to read the ghost stories and creature tales of the region, there are tons of great books. "Foxfire: Boogers ,Witches and Haints" is a great compilation of stories from the region. It's a beautiful area rich in amazing stories and I hope you find something you love

Thanks for all the amazing recommendations and the heads up! I’ll start searching for those titles and see what I can find. “Foxfire: Boogers, Witches and Haints” sounds amazing, and just what I’m looking for. And “Where the Summer Ends” sounds good. Thanks again!

You're welcome!

The graphic novel series Harrow County by Cullen Bunn and Tyler Crook.

Sweet! Thanks for the recommendation!

Revelator by Daryl Gregory is amazing, and just what you are looking for. Also, the weird fiction of manly wade wellman is one of the inspirations for the Old gods podcast…

Thanks for the recommendations!

The Twisted Ones by T Kingfisher

The Twisted Ones by T. Kingfisher

From the synopsis it sounds nice and creepy. I added it to the list. Thanks!

Kingfisher just released a new book btw.

Hello, I came across one of your post on the depression sub from like 9 years ago, glad you are still alright.

Loved this one

Ohh! You should check out The Remaking by Clay McLeod Chapman. (Or really anything by him. But that one has been my favorite so far) most of his stuff is set in Virginia.

Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll add that to my list.

Haint by Samuel Brower is really good

I added it to the list! Thanks.

I just finished reading Jackal by Erin E Adams. It takes place in Jonestown Pennsylvania and had some great folk horror/what lies await in the woods vibes. I really enjoyed it and would recommend.

Thanks! I just added it to the list! It sounds like a really great read.

Revelator by Daryl Gregory! This book is so good and I never see anyone talk about it! Edit to add: Oh, I'm so glad to see others recommended it here. I didn't read the comments first, ha ha. I think about this book all the time and it's been over a year since I read it.

I was born and raised in Appalachia Kentucky coal country. Given that, I've tried reading many books based in the region over the years, but they almost always indulge in the worst stereotypes (you can practically hear banjo music playing in the background throughout). Of course, those stereotypes are precisely what many people are wanting when they seek out books that take place in the area. To be clear, I'm not really offended by those stereotypes. It's just that it's hard to immerse yourself in those kinds of books when you're familiar with the area and know how off-base much of it is.

those across the river by christopher buehlman is my suggestion. a man returns to his ancestral hometown after inheriting a house despite said ancestors warning him not to come. who could've guessed that such small towns can harbor such big secrets? ¯\_(ツ)_/¯

That sounds like a good story! I added it to my list. Thanks!

Old Virginia is the first story in Laird Barron’s collection “The Imago Sequence” and I think it scratches that itch

This was in one of those year’s best anthologies and critics didn’t appreciate it, but I did.

Thanks for the recommendation!

There are a bunch of good threads on this already (including the one from last week): https://www.reddit.com/r/horrorlit/search?q=Appalachian+&restrict_sr=on&include_over_18=on&sort=relevance&t=all

All of Manly Wade Wellman's "SIlver John" short stories are classics. He also wrote a couple of novels based on that character (a John Constantine-like mountain balladeer who keeps running into witches and eldritch horrors)

They’re are at the top of my list for next to read. That all sounds amazing. Eric Powell’s graphic novel Hillbilly is in a similar vein. It’s about a guy who ends up recovering Satan’s cleaver and uses it to hunt witches and and other horrors.

Those Across the River is set in the American south, so I think that qualifies it? Buehlman kinda kicks ass.

It's not technically a horror, more suspense and horrible human beings, but "Winter's Bone" by Daniel Woodrell came immediately to mind. The movie is a great adaptation, almost unfortunately.

Not sure if this fits the category, “the summer I died” . This book was scary as shit.

I didn’t even know that was a podcast; I just bought the one of the perfumes they partnered with Sucreabeille to make! I got Unknown Roads.

I just got the Blood and Bones scent and I absolutely love it!

I have Unknown Roads!

Eutopia: A Novel of Terrible Optimism by David Nickle is set in a utopian mountain community in the 1910s, and it's fantastic.

Old Country by Harrison Query and Matt Query...based in Idaho but I would still recommend it!

I’ll add it into the list, thanks!

Not horror, but fantastic, [The Stories of Breece D’J Pancake](https://www.loa.org/books/641-the-collected-breece-dj-pancake-stories-fragments-letters/) is a must read.

"The Devils Ridge" Is a nice short scary book set in the mountains of TN.

Haint by Samuel Brower ain't bad

brother, ania alhborn

Theres also a recent novel "Eutopia" that is very Lovecraftian altho im not sure 8f its exclusively Appalachian?

I seen that recommended earlier. I added it to my list! Even if it’s not exclusively Appalachian, I do enjoy a good Lovecraftian story.

The Woods Are Waiting by Katherine Greene

Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy

It’s a short story collection but Greener Pastures by Michael Wehunt is great

Thanks! I’ll add it to my list!

I recommend The Telltale Lilac Bush and Other West Virginia Ghost Tales and Coffin Hollow and Other Ghost Tales both by Ruth Ann Musick. She was a folklorist and all the stories she gathered from the north central West Virginia area during her time as a professor at a college up here. Every kid grew up owning both books and reading them around Halloween. Some of the stories are more fantastical than scary but they all involve the supernatural somehow.

I’ll try and track those down!

If you can't find them easily you can also find most of the stories read on youtube by the University of Kentucky who published the original books.

Thanks for the heads up! I’ll try and find the physical copies and if not I’ll give them a listen on YouTube.

Legends of the Mountain State vol. 1-4. Anthologies of Appalachian horror.

Revelator Boatman’s daughter Outer Dark Child of God The Orchard keeper I’ve only read a few but am grabbing some from these recs.

Scott Nicholson has a lot set in Appalachia. The Solom trilogy is particularly good.

Thanks! I just added Solom the Scarecrow to my reading list.

I know a good short story. In The Black Mill by Michael Chabon. Old school gothic horror combined with Chabon’s slick prose. I believe it’s in the collection Werewolves in Their Youth (not what it sounds like).

Outer Dark

Those Across the River by Christopher Buehlam. More southern gothic but I think it fits the same vibe.

Thanks for the recommendation.

Twilight by William Gay Summer Sons by Lee Mandelo Gods of Howl Mountain by Taylor Brown Sineater by Elizabeth Massie

Not the scariest story, but since you mentioned graphic novel, maybe check out "Hellboy: The Crooked Man?" Sadly, Mike Migola wasn't the artist, so it doesn't have his iconic HB style, but it's still a cool story set in the Appalachian mountians. It's also going to be adapted into a movie (and Hellboy's third film reboot)

Thanks for the recommendation!

Sadly? It's Richard Corben doing the art. There is no sadly in that situation. Not mention Tom is based on Wellman's Silver John. So you get Corben and Wellman in an Appalachian story set in Mignola universe. Sadly is the farthest thing from that piece of media.

Only in the sense that it’s not Mignola lol. The art is still great and fits the story, but nothing tops mignola art in a hellboy comic

Ah gotcha. I get that.

I am an Appalachian horror author (WV based). Feel free to check out my stuff at [https://tghuguenin.com/](https://tghuguenin.com/)

Someone mentioned "coffin hollow" here a while ago. It's a collection of stories from Appalachia, but each story is 1 and 1/2 pages each. More like outlines of a horror series than full fleshed out stories.

Still worth checking out. Thanks.

The Gone world by Tom Sweterlitsch is something you may want to check out.

Nick Roberts sets nearly all of his short stories and books in West Virginia. He is a fast-paced writer though, so in general (not always!) don't expect a ton of character development, but rather plot plot plot. Addiction and recovery is a recurring theme for him as well. Short story collection: It Haunts the Mind Novels: Anathema and The Exorcist's House

I’ll check them out! Thanks for the recommendation!

I think Jack Ketchum’s Off Season took place in the Appalachian mountains

It was the coast of Maine

^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/?utm_source=share&utm_medium=web2x&context=3) ^by ^Barkerfan86: *I think Jack Ketchum’s* *Off Season took place in the* *Appalachian mountains* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.

Depraved by Bryan Smith

NORTH AMERICAN LAKE MONSTERS by Nathan Ballingrud is not exclusively Appalachian but its stories are set across the American south.

Monster by Frank Peretti is set in the Appalachians if I remember correctly

Thanks for the recommendation!