Horror Aficionados discussion

What are your favorite Coming of Age horror stories?

Something Wicked This Way Comes
Boy's Life
The Graveyard Book
The Ocean at the End of the Lane
The Traveling Vampire Show
Summer of Night
Bay's End
The Halloween Tree

The Shadow Year

This one seems to fly under the radar a little - I’d highly recommend to anyone who enjoys the genre.

I think Boy's Life by Robert R. McCammon and
It by Stephen King are considered the gold standards, and rightfully so. But, there are some great coming of age fiction that’s hit the shelves in the last 15 years or so.

Here are some more of my favorites:
Fear by Ronald Kelly
The Bottoms by Joe R. Lansdale
Summer of Night by Dan Simmons
Cricket Hunters by Jeremy Hepler
Of Foster Homes and Flies by Chad Lutzke
The Girl Next Door by Jack Ketchum
and another author that is probably kicking out some of the best coming of age tales here currently is James Newman. He has
Midnight Rain, Odd Man Out, and In The Scrape.

I second Bay's End and A Boy's Life (although I don't consider the second horror)

Also Summer of Night, great book, and of course IT

I'll throw in Children of the Dark

Greg wrote: "The Shadow Year

This one seems to fly under the radar a little - I’d highly recommend to anyone who enjoys the genre."

Seconded. Also seconding and . Really, also fits the sub-genre.

I loved this book. Don't think it got the attention it deserved.

My favorite coming of age novel is definately , but , , , , , are also excellent.

Summer of Night and It

The Body maybe could be in this category too.

I need to add The Narrows by Ronald Malfi to the list. I recently finished that and it was a 5-star read all the way.

Haven't read it yet...but December Park by Ronald Malfi sounded like a coming of age story from what I have heard about it.

McCammon
Boy’s life

Dan Simmons
Summer of night

Dathan Auerbach
Penpal
Bad man *

Stephen King
Hearts in Atlantis
The body

Ronald Malfi
December park
Black mouth
The narrows*

Richard Laymon
Traveling vampire show

Brett McBean
The awakening

Philip Fracassi
Boys in the valley

Guilty pleasure?

I would like to share a little moral dilemma and hear your thoughts on it. I like to read horror novels and yesterday started ‘Kin’ by Kealan Patrick Burke. On the one hand I thought it well written and was caught by the story. On the other hand it was full of cruelty. During the night I deleted the book. Had read a tenth of it. Kindle warned: you have to buy it again if you change your mind. This morning I thought about buying it again. Now I am not certain if I will pay for it twice; what with the chance I’ll delete it again, but that is not my question.
It is more in general: on the one hand I like horror novels, on the other hand I do not like cruelty (at least I hope so). Maybe I like soft horror. My favorite is ‘Boy’s life’. I especially like childhood horror, or coming of age horror as it is called. I like to read about boys being friends and still safe at home and free and dreaming and imagining and living in the here and now and all is wonder… And then there appears some danger from outside and they have to fight it together. It is as if the outside danger by contrast strengthens the cosiness of the group of friends and their safety at home.
But I did ‘like’ the beginning of ‘Kin’ too. It is about a crazy family torturing people, and a boy wanting to help a girl who escaped.
The guilt says: ‘So you like cruelty? You like people being skinned?’ Or it says: ‘So you need a kick and preferable a strong one? You think searching outside of yourself for fulfillment is going to do you good? Do you really want to fill the ‘emptiness’ with empty fill that leaves you but with self-hate, instead of sinking right through the emptiness by facing in it in honest meditating and reaching your Self?’

I was raised with regular, old fashioned religion. I left that behind in favor of spirituality / mysticism and the concept of God as unconditional love. I know He or She or It doesn’t mind me reading horror. ‘Don’t take it seriously’, He maybe says, ‘your dark side needs some air too’.
When I started reading horror novels (after much doubt) some time after I’d left the Old Testament god behind, I happened to begin with Richard Laymon. That upset me too much and I deleted it. But then I came across a YouTube talk by CriminOlly, who reviews horror novels on YouTube, about Laymon and his (Olly’s) trouble with this writer.
After seeing that even a hardcore horror reader like Olly had difficulty with Laymon, I decided to give horror a second chance.
And I did find several good books – made a list of ‘childhood horror’ books I liked, will share that beneath.
But sometimes I come across a book that makes me wonder: is it only the ‘Old Testament god’ in me that has trouble with it, or is it my own true conscience speaking? Is it only false guilt that judges my horror reading? Or would I better just admit I am one of the ‘soft hearted’ and consequently throw away every book with too much cruelty for me, even though I then ‘sacrifice’ the good parts?
After explaining all this I realize only I can decide my horror course, but thanks for reading anyway and above are my childhood horror tips.

I would love to find coming of age horror novels that include teenage romance.
The only one I know yet is ‘The traveling vampire show’ by Richard Laymon.
Thanks for suggestions!

WendyB wrote: " I loved this book. Don't think it got the attention it deserved."

Just finished this one. Great book! Gave it 5 STARS.

Not sure I would categorize it as horror though. Still a great recommendation!

Razoemichin wrote: "Guilty pleasure?

I would like to share a little moral dilemma and hear your thoughts on it. I like to read horror novels and yesterday started ‘Kin’ by Kealan Patrick Burke. On the one hand I thou..."

I watch CriminOlly, I'm one of his patrons haha, and I do remember picking up a Richard Laymon book in my local Barnes & Noble that I visited at the opening and then years later was sad at it's closing at Lincoln Center, the book was No Sanctuary and it was my intro to him, I think as we are young we tolerate much more stuff, as I age i love horror the most but I'm such a softie these days! I can handle intense books but as I get older my empathy I guess you can say grows so that's a good thing. Also having a toddler now makes me read stories differently, I feel like my brain is constantly adjusting to real life experiences and what I do love in fiction, which I keep reminding myself is fiction that means to shake you and make you feel things. Horror is just sooooo damn creative as a genre, I could never not love it <3

Per Kin, I did like it, just fyi.

Jon Recluse wrote: ""

Still giving the best book advice, thank you sweet friend.

Thomas Tryon ~ Night of the Moonbow

My Heart Is a Chainsaw
Don't Fear the Reaper
The Angel of Indian Lake
all by Stephen Graham Jones and so reminded that girls come of age, too.