Darkest Books of All Time (1314 books)

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1	1984 by George Orwell 4.20 avg rating — 5,685,386 ratings score: 29,857, and 305 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
2	American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis 3.80 avg rating — 376,610 ratings score: 29,601, and 310 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
3	The Road by Cormac McCarthy really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,075,367 ratings score: 24,250, and 249 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
4	A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 787,282 ratings score: 22,483, and 237 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
5	Lord of the Flies by William Golding 3.70 avg rating — 3,286,767 ratings score: 20,993, and 218 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
6	The Shining (The Shining, #1) by Stephen King (Goodreads Author) 4.28 avg rating — 1,753,252 ratings score: 17,724, and 187 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
7	Dracula by Bram Stoker 4.03 avg rating — 1,524,884 ratings score: 17,290, and 183 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
8	Animal Farm by George Orwell 4.03 avg rating — 4,748,165 ratings score: 16,421, and 174 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
9	The Picture of Dorian Gray by Oscar Wilde 4.13 avg rating — 1,969,629 ratings score: 15,808, and 170 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
10	Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov 3.87 avg rating — 970,581 ratings score: 15,301, and 165 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
11	Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury 3.97 avg rating — 2,950,547 ratings score: 14,975, and 164 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
12	Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 659,222 ratings score: 14,386, and 158 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
13	The Handmaid’s Tale (The Handmaid's Tale, #1) by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) 4.16 avg rating — 2,526,863 ratings score: 13,113, and 137 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
14	The Silence of the Lambs (Hannibal Lecter, #2) by Thomas Harris 4.26 avg rating — 598,274 ratings score: 12,724, and 139 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
15	Brave New World by Aldous Huxley 3.98 avg rating — 2,133,595 ratings score: 12,718, and 135 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
16	It by Stephen King (Goodreads Author) 4.24 avg rating — 1,307,540 ratings score: 12,227, and 133 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
17	One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest by Ken Kesey 4.20 avg rating — 792,112 ratings score: 12,132, and 137 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
18	Interview with the Vampire (The Vampire Chronicles, #1) by Anne Rice 4.02 avg rating — 664,965 ratings score: 11,423, and 126 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
19	The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks 3.76 avg rating — 114,278 ratings score: 10,516, and 116 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
20	Frankenstein by Mary Wollstonecraft Shelley 3.92 avg rating — 1,976,880 ratings score: 10,062, and 108 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
21	Requiem for a Dream by Hubert Selby Jr. 4.12 avg rating — 69,559 ratings score: 9,652, and 106 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
22	Glamorama by Bret Easton Ellis 3.56 avg rating — 26,206 ratings score: 9,314, and 100 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
23	Eaters of the Dead by Michael Crichton 3.72 avg rating — 47,774 ratings score: 9,155, and 97 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
24	Blood Meridian, or, the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy 4.15 avg rating — 238,589 ratings score: 8,452, and 86 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
25	A Scanner Darkly by Philip K. Dick 4.03 avg rating — 112,777 ratings score: 8,398, and 91 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
26	Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky 4.29 avg rating — 1,136,485 ratings score: 8,351, and 89 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
27	Invisible Monsters by Chuck Palahniuk (Goodreads Author) 3.99 avg rating — 153,694 ratings score: 8,343, and 93 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
28	The Complete Stories and Poems by Edgar Allan Poe 4.40 avg rating — 299,815 ratings score: 8,295, and 92 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
29	Trainspotting (Mark Renton, #2) by Irvine Welsh 4.12 avg rating — 184,828 ratings score: 8,128, and 92 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
30	Wuthering Heights by Emily Brontë 3.89 avg rating — 2,263,285 ratings score: 7,856, and 84 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
31	The Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka 3.91 avg rating — 1,518,141 ratings score: 7,637, and 82 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
32	Lunar Park by Bret Easton Ellis 3.65 avg rating — 31,340 ratings score: 7,612, and 84 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
33	Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad 3.43 avg rating — 571,258 ratings score: 7,501, and 81 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
34	Battle Royale by Koushun Takami 4.26 avg rating — 88,157 ratings score: 7,411, and 82 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
35	The Beasts of Success by Jasun Ether (Goodreads Author) 4.35 avg rating — 918 ratings score: 7,315, and 76 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
36	Factotum by Charles Bukowski 3.92 avg rating — 77,481 ratings score: 7,209, and 79 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
37	The Book With No Name (Bourbon Kid, #1) by Anonymous 3.87 avg rating — 7,713 ratings score: 7,041, and 74 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
38	The Bell Jar by Sylvia Plath 4.04 avg rating — 1,289,521 ratings score: 7,010, and 76 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
39	The Exorcist (The Exorcist, #1) by William Peter Blatty 4.21 avg rating — 279,813 ratings score: 6,971, and 75 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
40	Skagboys (Mark Renton, #1) by Irvine Welsh 4.07 avg rating — 18,314 ratings score: 6,933, and 78 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
41	The Stranger by Albert Camus 4.03 avg rating — 1,492,519 ratings score: 6,875, and 74 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
42	Inferno by Dante Alighieri 4.03 avg rating — 211,423 ratings score: 6,838, and 76 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
43	Night by Elie Wiesel 4.38 avg rating — 1,394,531 ratings score: 6,750, and 73 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
44	The Stand by Stephen King (Goodreads Author) 4.35 avg rating — 856,442 ratings score: 6,439, and 70 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
45	Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind 4.04 avg rating — 577,391 ratings score: 6,369, and 70 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
46	The Trial by Franz Kafka 3.93 avg rating — 414,885 ratings score: 6,290, and 69 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
47	Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro (Goodreads Author) 3.85 avg rating — 898,675 ratings score: 6,270, and 69 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
48	Misery by Stephen King (Goodreads Author) 4.22 avg rating — 848,632 ratings score: 6,062, and 66 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
49	House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 210,048 ratings score: 5,859, and 64 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
50	Sharp Objects by Gillian Flynn (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 1,266,864 ratings score: 5,804, and 61 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
51	The Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides 3.78 avg rating — 433,506 ratings score: 5,724, and 64 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
52	Let the Right One In by John Ajvide Lindqvist 4.03 avg rating — 123,158 ratings score: 5,698, and 61 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
53	The Diary of a Young Girl by Anne Frank 4.20 avg rating — 4,296,059 ratings score: 5,697, and 63 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
54	Pet Sematary by Stephen King (Goodreads Author) 4.09 avg rating — 724,242 ratings score: 5,484, and 62 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
55	Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut Jr. 4.10 avg rating — 1,516,225 ratings score: 5,232, and 58 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
56	Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier 4.25 avg rating — 753,587 ratings score: 5,154, and 61 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
57	Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick 4.09 avg rating — 529,154 ratings score: 4,750, and 56 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
58	Framed & Hunted: A True Story of Occult Persecution by Edward Williams (Goodreads Author) 4.32 avg rating — 6,538 ratings score: 4,729, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
59	The Girl With the Dragon Tattoo (Millennium, #1) by Stieg Larsson 4.18 avg rating — 3,507,245 ratings score: 4,697, and 54 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
60	No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy 4.17 avg rating — 263,951 ratings score: 4,650, and 50 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
61	Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde by Robert Louis Stevenson 3.83 avg rating — 688,974 ratings score: 4,533, and 53 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
62	Needful Things by Stephen King (Goodreads Author) 3.99 avg rating — 285,574 ratings score: 4,464, and 51 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
63	Gone Girl by Gillian Flynn (Goodreads Author) 4.15 avg rating — 3,529,504 ratings score: 4,316, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
64	Macbeth by William Shakespeare 3.89 avg rating — 1,047,511 ratings score: 4,307, and 49 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
65	All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque 4.12 avg rating — 535,411 ratings score: 4,296, and 48 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
66	Mean Spirited by Nick Roberts (Goodreads Author) 4.22 avg rating — 8,859 ratings score: 4,192, and 44 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
67	Red Dragon (Hannibal Lecter, #1) by Thomas Harris 4.07 avg rating — 381,597 ratings score: 3,958, and 48 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
68	The Witches of Scotland (The Dream Dancers: Akashic Chronicles, #1) by Steven P. Aitchison (Goodreads Author) 3.92 avg rating — 8,427 ratings score: 3,736, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
69	Watership Down (Watership Down, #1) by Richard Adams 4.10 avg rating — 512,628 ratings score: 3,665, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
70	Dark Places by Gillian Flynn (Goodreads Author) 3.94 avg rating — 861,173 ratings score: 3,652, and 41 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
71	The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum 3.91 avg rating — 59,040 ratings score: 3,602, and 38 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
72	The Raven by Edgar Allan Poe 4.29 avg rating — 174,642 ratings score: 3,456, and 39 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
73	Child of God by Cormac McCarthy 3.81 avg rating — 58,071 ratings score: 3,414, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
74	The Standoff (Jack Widow, #12) by Scott Blade (Goodreads Author) 4.43 avg rating — 2,758 ratings score: 3,388, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
75	The Innocent Man: Murder and Injustice in a Small Town by John Grisham (Goodreads Author) 3.87 avg rating — 86,675 ratings score: 3,334, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
76	Framed: Astonishing True Stories of Wrongful Convictions by John Grisham (Goodreads Author) 4.10 avg rating — 27,794 ratings score: 3,331, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
77	Blindness by José Saramago 4.18 avg rating — 353,238 ratings score: 3,320, and 37 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
78	A Child Called "It" (Dave Pelzer, #1) by Dave Pelzer (Goodreads Author) 4.14 avg rating — 466,029 ratings score: 3,273, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
79	The Book of the Dead (Pendergast, #7; Diogenes, #3) by Douglas Preston (Goodreads Author) 4.18 avg rating — 40,323 ratings score: 3,254, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
80	The Girls Are Gone by Michael Brodkorb (Goodreads Author) 3.70 avg rating — 8,206 ratings score: 3,196, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
81	A Very Bad Thing by J.T. Ellison (Goodreads Author) 4.13 avg rating — 49,240 ratings score: 3,185, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
82	Last Exit to Brooklyn by Hubert Selby Jr. 3.96 avg rating — 33,800 ratings score: 3,159, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
83	We Need to Talk About Kevin by Lionel Shriver (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 221,164 ratings score: 3,082, and 34 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
84	The Call of Cthulhu and Other Weird Stories by H.P. Lovecraft 4.03 avg rating — 109,993 ratings score: 3,022, and 36 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
85	Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam, #1) by Margaret Atwood (Goodreads Author) really liked it 4.00 avg rating — 293,417 ratings score: 2,974, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
86	The Last Guest House by Caroline Mitchell (Goodreads Author) 3.77 avg rating — 4,195 ratings score: 2,966, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
87	Wayward Spirits (Witches of Palmetto Point #2) by Wendy Wang (Goodreads Author) 4.42 avg rating — 7,596 ratings score: 2,948, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
88	The Killer Inside Me by Jim Thompson 3.90 avg rating — 30,294 ratings score: 2,923, and 33 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
89	The Catcher in the Rye by J.D. Salinger 3.80 avg rating — 3,981,452 ratings score: 2,901, and 35 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
90	Devil's Snare (Witches of Palmetto Point #3) by Wendy Wang (Goodreads Author) 4.40 avg rating — 6,204 ratings score: 2,849, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
91	On the Beach by Nevil Shute 3.99 avg rating — 51,209 ratings score: 2,823, and 31 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
92	Black Fox: An Indigenous Horror Novel by Jack Moffet 3.98 avg rating — 559 ratings score: 2,765, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
93	The Giving Tree by Shel Silverstein 4.39 avg rating — 1,257,615 ratings score: 2,723, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
94	As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner 3.72 avg rating — 192,418 ratings score: 2,626, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
95	Naked Lunch: The Restored Text by William S. Burroughs 3.46 avg rating — 100,262 ratings score: 2,590, and 30 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
96	The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allan Poe 4.07 avg rating — 90,137 ratings score: 2,529, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
97	Haunted by Chuck Palahniuk (Goodreads Author) 3.59 avg rating — 112,781 ratings score: 2,521, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
98	Room by Emma Donoghue (Goodreads Author) 4.08 avg rating — 846,229 ratings score: 2,519, and 29 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
99	Apt Pupil by Stephen King (Goodreads Author) 3.93 avg rating — 43,918 ratings score: 2,382, and 26 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars
100	The Pit and the Pendulum by Edgar Allan Poe 4.14 avg rating — 73,327 ratings score: 2,309, and 27 people voted	Error rating book. Refresh and try again. Rate this book Clear rating 1 of 5 stars 2 of 5 stars 3 of 5 stars 4 of 5 stars 5 of 5 stars

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1,314 books · 1,736 voters · list created September 2nd, 2009 by Edgar Mollere (votes) .

Tags: dark, fiction, horror, myth

759 likes · Like

Lists are re-scored approximately every 5 minutes.

People Who Voted On This List (1736)

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Comments Showing 1-23 of 23 (23 new)

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message 1: by Taylor (new)

Sep 23, 2011 12:50PM

Watership Down?? Really??

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message 2: by Stephen (last edited Nov 28, 2011 11:36PM) (new)

Nov 28, 2011 11:35PM

Stephanie wrote: "Watership Down?? Really??"

At least Bambi didn't make the list! But then for real Darkness check out plays and non-fiction. Mein Kampf didn't make the list yet either!

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message 3: by Donna semi-hiatus (new)

Nov 17, 2012 11:32PM

This is a strong list. There were a couple of titles I didn't agree with, and I have no doubt there were many more that I'd vote for if I'd read them. My main difficulty was in comparing fiction to non. The Holocaust, or Poe? Real-life murder and rape, or Johnny Got His Gun? I also think, from the way the votes fall off drastically after the first couple of pages, that a lot of people either voted in consecutive order w/o checking all of the pages for their #1 vote, or else didn't go past the first 2 pages at all. Still, this is one of the best listopias I have seen.

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message 4: by Madeline (new)

Dec 09, 2013 07:51PM

Stephanie wrote: "Watership Down?? Really??"

I disagree, I think Watership Down is really dark.

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message 5: by Slowlygainingknowlege (last edited Aug 05, 2015 08:19AM) (new)

Aug 05, 2015 08:17AM

For me, Slaughterhouse Five is the tippy top. Most despairing, nihilistic book I've ever read.

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message 6: by Naughtee (new)

Sep 23, 2015 03:19PM

"the road" is a love story

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message 7: by Donna semi-hiatus (last edited Sep 23, 2015 06:49PM) (new)

Sep 23, 2015 06:14PM

Madeline wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Watership Down?? Really??"

I disagree, I think Watership Down is really dark."
Yeah it is...assuming of course that one finishes it!
I notice that although the list-maker initially just said "Dark" and "Books", the tags say "fiction" and "myth". The tags appear to have lost the struggle, since 40 people have voted for Night, Eli Wiesel's holocaust memoir. I think the tags lost and the general designation won here. In that spirit, I felt free to add the new Stalin bio along with some Nixon stuff. What a fun list!

The system found and eliminated 20 duplicates.

It's a curious question: do you vote in order of which dark books you believe are the best written, or in order of darkness? I mostly went with the latter, because it seemed more interesting.

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message 8: by Chris (new)

Jan 16, 2016 12:10PM

The Far Side is an odd choice. I mean, some of the jokers kinda dark, but it isn't all that bleak.

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message 9: by Tommy (new)

Feb 11, 2016 10:26AM

That lover of horror Stephen King once wrote that his greatest ambition was to undergo the writing of a book that he would find too scary to finish, and I count among my rejections a lover of dark fiction (unable to conceive that my story was true) who wrote that MONSTROUS: The Autobiography of a Serial Killer but for the Grace of God was too dark even for her.

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message 10: by Donna semi-hiatus (new)

Feb 11, 2016 12:02PM

Chris wrote: "The Far Side is an odd choice. I mean, some of the jokers kinda dark, but it isn't all that bleak."

"Kinda" dark? I regard Larson as the king of the dark comic. Real gallows humor. "Bleak" is more hopeless, and more specific than "dark"...it is not in the list-maker's subscript; in fact there is no subscript. And I like that the list allows us to include horror, humor, cartoons, nonfiction...if all we wanted was horror, there are multiple listopias already serving that purpose.

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message 11: by [deleted user] (new)

Mar 03, 2016 09:48AM

Stephen wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Watership Down?? Really??"

At least Bambi didn't make the list! But then for real Darkness check out plays and non-fiction. Mein Kampf didn't make the list yet either!"

Mein Kampf is not a 'dark' book in the way meant in this list

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message 12: by Donna semi-hiatus (new)

Mar 03, 2016 05:14PM

David wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Watership Down?? Really??"

At least Bambi didn't make the list! But then for real Darkness check out plays and non-fiction. Mein Kampf didn't make the list yet ei..."
I see the tags include the word fiction, but I wish the list-maker had included this in the subscript. A lot of people--especially those relatively new to Goodreads--are not going to check the tags, and the title simply says "Dark" and "Books", which is a big house with a lot of rooms. I would not add Mein Kampf to this list or vote for it, but at the same time, I wouldn't be comfortable removing it if someone else added it.

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message 13: by ~☆~Autumn (new)

Jul 09, 2016 05:02PM

Slowlygainingknowlege wrote: "For me, Slaughterhouse Five is the tippy top. Most despairing, nihilistic book I've ever read."

Which is why I will never read it! I suspected as much about it.

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message 14: by Donna semi-hiatus (new)

Jul 09, 2016 08:32PM

The system found and removed 1 duplicate.

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message 15: by Joshua (new)

Apr 05, 2017 01:49PM

most books on the top 50 of this list aren't even remotely dark... wuthering heights??

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message 16: by Donna semi-hiatus (new)

Apr 05, 2017 02:30PM

The system found and removed 5 duplicates.

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message 17: by Jim (new)

Jul 01, 2018 09:36AM

I'm really disturbed by the number of books on this list that I've read! I'm re-reading 1984 right now (or just finished it) because of the disturbing parallels with the world today, and it's currently at #1.

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message 18: by Donna semi-hiatus (new)

Jul 01, 2018 01:04PM

Jim wrote: "I'm really disturbed by the number of books on this list that I've read! I'm re-reading 1984 right now (or just finished it) because of the disturbing parallels with the world today, and it's curre..."

I was required to read it in high school, and at the time I gave it an eye roll. Sure. Right. But now, not so much.

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message 19: by Naughtee (new)

Jan 21, 2019 11:19PM

Donna wrote: "Jim wrote: "I'm really disturbed by the number of books on this list that I've read! I'm re-reading 1984 right now (or just finished it) because of the disturbing parallels with the world today, an..."

re-read brave new world... we're pretty close now. it's almost like this stuff is being rubbed in our faces BEFORE they are enacted.

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message 20: by Donna semi-hiatus (new)

Jan 22, 2019 12:44AM

The duplicates link is broken. I entered this problem on the Feedback page, and now we should cross our fingers and hope for the best. This is way too cool a collection to be left unfixable.

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message 21: by Stef (new)

Oct 15, 2024 10:37PM

If anyone didn't find Watership Down dark, they weren't reading very carefully. What did you think it was a kids book? ROFLMAO

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message 22: by Donna semi-hiatus (new)

Oct 19, 2024 11:02PM

Stef wrote: "If anyone didn't find Watership Down dark, they weren't reading very carefully. What did you think it was a kids book? ROFLMAO"
*snerk!* Right you are, Stef. A terrible secret: some people vote on these things when they have never even opened the book. A dark truth to go with the dark list.

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message 23: by slauderdale (new)

Apr 04, 2026 10:45AM

deleted user wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Stephanie wrote: "Watership Down?? Really??"

At least Bambi didn't make the list! But then for real Darkness check out plays and non-fiction. Mein Kampf didn't make the list yet ei..."

FWIW, I find "Bambi" (the book) darker than "Watership Down" (the book). The movie adaptations of these two books take inverse approaches: "Bambi"-the-movie keeps some of the darkness of the book with a lot of cuteness added, and most of the deaths left out (including the character/trajectory of Faline's brother Gobo); "Watership Down"-the-movie pares down the story and characters dramatically but receives a much more horrifying overlay, with several characters dying that don't in the book, including the death of Violet (who was really only created so they could kill her off), and Blackavar. Graphic, direct depictions of violence with rabbits being mauled or killed, and also non-graphic but effective, highly stylized depictions of death, such as the gassing of the Sandleford Warren.

Speaking as someone who likes/appreciates all four works: both books and both film adaptations.

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