is horror speculative fiction

Is horror speculative fiction? Exploring the terrifying realms of imagination

Horror and speculative fiction have always captured the minds and hearts of readers who crave chilling tales and journeys into the unknown. But can we categorize horror as a type of speculative fiction? In this article, we'll delve into the similarities and differences between these genres and recommend some gripping novels that will leave you on the edge of your seat.

Speculative fiction, defined

Before we delve into the relationship between horror and speculative fiction, let's first understand what exactly speculative fiction is. Speculative fiction is an umbrella term that encompasses various genres, including science fiction, fantasy, and horror. It dares to ask, "What if?" and transports readers to alternative worlds, timelines, or realities. It delves into imaginative possibilities, exploring ideas and concepts that may not exist in our current reality.

Horror in the realm of speculative fiction

When it comes to horror and speculative fiction, there is indeed a strong connection. Horror literature often involves supernatural elements, monsters, and the exploration of fear and the macabre. These elements align with the speculative nature of the genre, as they go beyond what is considered normal or possible in our world.

In horror speculative fiction, authors push the boundaries of our imagination by introducing terrifying concepts and creatures. From haunted houses to malevolent spirits and otherworldly beings, horror speculative fiction taps into our deepest fears and takes us on spine-tingling journeys where anything can happen.

Top horror speculative fiction novels and authors to explore

1. "The Haunting of Hill House" by Shirley Jackson: Considered a classic in the horror genre, this novel takes readers on a chilling exploration of a haunted mansion. Shirley Jackson's atmospheric writing and psychological suspense will leave you mesmerized.

2. "Annihilation" by Jeff VanderMeer: This mind-bending novel combines elements of horror, science fiction, and mystery. Follow the expedition into the mysterious Area X, where strange phenomena and unimaginable horrors await.

3. "Bird Box" by Josh Malerman: This gripping psychological thriller unleashes a post-apocalyptic nightmare where creatures drive people to madness when seen. Filled with suspense and a sense of claustrophobic tension, this novel will keep you hooked until the very end.

4. "The Southern Book Club's Guide to Slaying Vampires" by Grady Hendrix: Blending horror with humor, this novel follows a book club of eccentric Southern women who discover that their charming neighbor is a vampire. Hendrix's unique writing style and witty storytelling make for an entertaining read.

Finding the best horror speculative fiction resources

If you are craving more horror speculative fiction after exploring these recommendations, there are various online resources dedicated to this genre. Websites like "Nightmare Magazine" and "Tor.com" offer a wealth of information, including reviews, author interviews, and recommendations to satisfy your appetite for terror.

In conclusion, while horror can be considered a subgenre within speculative fiction, it holds its own unique place in the literary world. The infusion of supernatural elements and the exploration of fear and the macabre take readers on thrilling rides that both genre enthusiasts and casual readers can enjoy. So, prepare to be captivated by the unknown and dive into the chilling depths of horror speculative fiction.
Baby Dao Ye Fiction
Baby Dao Ye

My name is Ji Chengbao, a handsome boy who loves to fight. The most unforgettable thing in my life was that one night on the street, a ghost pressed its bruised hand on my chest, clouding my mind. It was my master who brought me back with a copper coin, making me become the "Precious Baby Dao Ye." The school has always been a filthy place. There are haunted rings, abandoned baby spirits in the restroom, suicide of girls, and ghost games hidden in the dormitory at night. Mingnan No.11 High School, where my nightmare begins. The person I ultimately have to kill is myself! Mystery + Taoist magic + school + underworld + romance. Those who have read "The Corpse" should understand my writing style. This story still follows that tone, but with the addition of some content related to the school underworld. If you don't like it, please refrain from criticizing.

83.59 Million words | 2020-10-16 10:06Update

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Mysterious Husband, Arriving Late at Night Fiction
Mysterious Husband, Arriving Late at Night

"You are my wife, satisfying my needs is more important than anything else." She was manipulated by her twin sister and got entangled with that mysterious dangerous man she couldn't afford to provoke or escape from. After marriage, he enveloped her with passionate love, indulging her to an outrageous extent. She wanted a divorce, but he forcefully pursued her. Unable to bear it any longer, she said, "Sir, please have some self-respect!" The man raised an eyebrow and smirked, "Do you want me to remind you how heavy I can be?"

511.92 Million words | 2023-06-28 05:48Update

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Infinite Origin Fiction
Infinite Origin

Luchen sat in front of his computer and clicked on the author's frequently visited website: Qidian. 'Wow, you Earthlings are really powerful, aren't you? Are these things real or fake?' Luchen looked at those fantasy novels, his face filled with shock. Guningyu casually sat next to him and said, 'You twisted Alien beings really lack culture. Even my little Fei from kindergarten knows that those things are imagined by humans.' Unconvinced, Luchen directly used the author's ID number to create a new novel and wrote solemnly in the synopsis, 'Telling the story of our alien beings.' The author shouted, 'Hey, who's that stranger? Someone stole my computer and hacked my account. Please come quickly...' The moderator, Jingtashushu, said, '...Yao Yaling can't save you. Please dial Yao Ai Ling, scan your brain CT for no problem, and contact the local psychiatric hospital directly afterward.'

502.04 Million words | 2021-11-03 00:22Update

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The Record of Humans and Ghosts Fiction
The Record of Humans and Ghosts

The child prodigy isn't as impressive as one might think. The arts of Daoism and the secret techniques of Buddhist Tantra are not as mystical as they seem. Being a disciple was not by choice, but it seems that I am a genius who has mastered all these arts. In this world where humans and ghosts coexist, all I want is to be an ordinary person. Who is scarier, humans or ghosts? I don't know. Are the appearances of water ghosts, little ghosts, and monstrous ghosts predestined or created by humans? In this age of decline, perhaps catching ghosts is my mission. Enter the world of humans and ghosts in 'The Record of Humans and Ghosts' on ZHULANG Chinese website.

349.43 Million words | 2020-09-15 21:03Update

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Subway Mysterious Events Fiction
Subway Mysterious Events

There are often strange incidents reported in the subway of the capital city: people carrying sedan chairs in the tunnel of Yonghegong station, the last train at half past eleven without any lights on, passengers mysteriously dying on the tracks only to be revealed by the last surveillance footage that they were pushed by invisible hands... Are these rumors or actual occurrences? I used to disbelieve them too, until one night when I unintentionally ventured into the subway and witnessed some supernatural events firsthand. It was then that I realized these things were not mere ghost stories, but actually happening right before our eyes...

595.27 Million words | 2022-08-11 06:25Update

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Let me take my time, I arrived late. Fiction
Let me take my time, I arrived late.

"This article is first published on the Chuwen Literature website. Please do not repost without permission, otherwise legal responsibility will be pursued. Also, please respect the author." "Since you refuse to call off the wedding, I will take your purity away now. This way, the Chi family won't want you as their daughter-in-law anymore. Qiao Ningsi, you can only belong to me...only me. As long as I'm alive, you won't be able to marry any other man." On her wedding day, her ex locked her in a room and violated her on the sofa. But she chose to continue with her wedding, willingly marrying into the Chi family and becoming a tool for bearing their heir. Her husband at the age of 35 was unbelievably handsome and worth billions. He was a renowned figure in the medical field. However, he held onto his love for his ex-girlfriend for over a decade. He had attempted suicide multiple times for her sake and, for some reason, married Qiao Ningsi. On their wedding night, he whispered his ex-girlfriend's name affectionately in her ear, treating her as a substitute. He understood everything a woman wanted and liked, dressing her in luxurious clothing and jewelry, pitying and spoiling her. He fulfilled all her demands, making him probably the most perfect husband in the world, with no boundaries or principles when it came to his wife in the eyes of others. But the one thing he couldn't give her was love, yet he also refused to let her go. When she attempted to escape, he cleverly made her willingly return, firmly pressing her against the door and capturing her lips fiercely. "I will only marry one woman in my lifetime, and that's you. Even if I can't fall in love with you, we can just keep this up forever..." She said she didn't like the bed he had slept with his ex-girlfriend on, so the next day he had the entire house demolished. She said she didn't want all his habits to remind her of his ex-girlfriend, so from then on, her preferences became his preferences, and her habits became his habits. She said she didn't want to see his ex-girlfriend wandering under his nose, so... Later on, she couldn't help but be moved. ***** An older man's doting story, a bit of teasing, a male lead who appears kind and loving on the surface, but is secretly calculating, and a female lead who is definitely not naive. Love blossoming within a conspiracy — you have to believe that the same beginning will give you a different process and outcome.

103.08 Million words | 2021-10-18 11:25Update

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The Survival Rules of The Walking Dead. Fiction
The Survival Rules of The Walking Dead.

(Title: The Arrival of the Apocalypse) (New book link: http://www.motie.com/book/) On the day the apocalypse arrived, no one had privileges anymore. Whether you were a child, a man, a woman, or a person with disabilities, to survive, you had to quickly figure out the rules of survival. Our only goal was to stay alive and keep on living. Chen Yang, an elementary school language teacher, had no assistants, no firearms, and no superpowers. When the apocalypse suddenly broke out, she had to push herself to learn how to survive in panic, all for the sake of protecting her younger brother and staying alive. Gradually, members joined in, people with different professions and distinct personalities. Police officers, supermarket cashiers, naive students, and mothers carrying babies in their bellies. Faced with a collapsing world, they struggled to stick together. Base human nature or noble souls. At the moment the apocalypse arrived, no one would attain

281.61 Million words | 2023-03-06 04:38Update

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Death Memories Fiction
Death Memories

After awakening from a bizarre dream, I realize that I have lost three years of my memory. As my memories slowly unfold, I discover that my girlfriend is not human...

465.62 Million words | 2020-07-05 02:04Update

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My boss is always the dominant one. Fiction
My boss is always the dominant one.

Zhou Xuan always wondered why he fell head over heels for Ye Zhiyuan at first sight. Wouldn't it be possible to see through his true nature sooner if they took the time to get to know each other? And then stay far away from him? But when he glared at someone with a pillow in his arms, he ultimately cowered when that person shot him a cold gaze. "I'm not afraid of you!" he muttered under his breath. Ye Zhiyuan turned a blind eye, ignoring him. The synopsis is inadequate. ⊙﹏⊙b How embarrassing! A smart but twisted sensitive uke X a slightly twisted cold-hearted seme, their path to happiness filled with bumps and bruises. The whole story is heartwarming?!

503.55 Million words | 2021-10-17 07:56Update

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Heart Like a Small Town Fiction
Heart Like a Small Town

Ever since I accidentally saved a homeless man named Sheng Shiyao, my life has taken a path that is contrary to the ordinary. Layers of illusions blind my eyes, testing my resolve with the simplest and most complex challenges. When the outer appearance is peeled away, I discover that the golden box my grandmother gave me holds a earth-shattering secret! But before I could react, he deceived me and ran away! Clouds and sunset colors dance in the sky, and I repeat a dream that I will never know, like the cycles of reincarnation on the other shore. Standing in the lonely wind, carrying loneliness, I pursue his footsteps. Along the journey, the scenery becomes scarcer, and amidst this obsession, I cannot find any traces he left behind, as if I were only the most familiar passerby in his life. Sheng Shiyao, tell me, is it true? I heard that a ring can lock the heart of a loved one, the kind of fate that lasts till old age; I hope to give it to you, if only you understood me, how wonderful would that be.

18.60 Million words | 2022-12-07 11:49Update

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After reincarnation, I became the cause of calamity as a captivating beauty. Fiction
After reincarnation, I became the cause of calamity as a captivating beauty.

The cold-hearted and noble young man, famous in the imperial capital, somehow got entangled with that infamous woman. Everyone worried that one day she might be struck down in a single blow. But later on, he broke off his engagement, defied the imperial decree, and insisted on marrying her! The always ruthless and unbeatable General transformed into a doting husband. In his eyes: She is gentle and sincere, burning with passion. She is calm and composed, adept at military strategy. She is majestic, adorned in armor. She charges into the realm of death, saving him from peril.

402.59 Million words | 2022-06-18 01:24Update

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Infernal Investigation Fiction
Infernal Investigation

From a special department in the netherworld called the Department of Underworld Investigations, this mysterious department was established during the Song Dynasty and is little known in the mortal realm. The members of this department mostly come from the mortal realm and are humans with special abilities, with only a few being ghost envoys from the netherworld. The Department of Underworld Investigations is responsible for investigating cases in the mortal realm, with mortal investigators responsible for tracing these cases and reporting to the ghost envoys of the Department, who then report to the Department of Punishments for judgment, carried out by the envoys of Yin and Yang, and finally judged and sentenced by Judge Cui. Lu Ming is a mortal investigator of this century and the story unfolds through his experiences...

151.05 Million words | 2020-07-25 23:15Update

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Meeting you is the most beautiful encounter. Fiction
Meeting you is the most beautiful encounter.

Luo Qingli thought her husband, whom she married in a rush, was just a lawyer. However, she later discovered that he had multiple identities - a scion of a prestigious family, a university professor, a mysterious CEO... In the eyes of outsiders, Gu Yuying was a successful man with outstanding looks, maturity, and elegant speech. Moreover, there was not a trace of scandal surrounding him. He was the perfect man for both domestic life and travel. But in Luo Qingli's eyes, he was a handsome and cunning old man. Gu Yuying said, "There is a poison in this world called Luo Qingli. Once you love her, you'll become addicted and can never quit spoiling her." Luo Qingli said, "Never divorce a lawyer; you will lose everything, down to the last bit." [Beautiful and seductive martial arts champion vs. Affectionate and cunning lawyer]

409.55 Million words | 2020-08-04 14:59Update

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An Unexpected Night of Marriage Fiction
An Unexpected Night of Marriage

【This work is exclusively authorized by Mochizuki Chinese Website. Please do not reprint without permission!】 Three years ago, he was the dream guy she mistakenly fell in love with, while she became the woman he had to marry due to a mistake. Three years later, when she was exhausted and decided to turn her back, he suddenly woke up... realizing that she had already become the irreplaceable one in his life! PS: Crown rewards for an extra update~ Diamond rewards for a small theater~

380.57 Million words | 2021-02-25 20:09Update

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You Are My Most Beautiful Dream Fiction
You Are My Most Beautiful Dream

He loses himself in dreams, while she waits for him in dreams. Lin Xiran: 'I will wait for you in dreams, until you appear.'

103.52 Million words | 2022-02-06 04:07Update

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Emperor Reigns in the Martial World Fiction
Emperor Reigns in the Martial World

A purple bead, an immortal legend, and a person who travels through different dimensions. Feng Rui's first time crossing into a different dimension took him to a cultivation world. After going through countless hardships, he was finally accepted into the Clear Void Sect, one of the seven major sects. However, due to stealing cultivation techniques from the Scripture Pavilion, he narrowly escaped being killed by a Foundation Establishment cultivator and had no choice but to flee back to Earth. In short, this is the story of a cultivator who constantly travels through countless dimensions in search of immortality and everlasting life.

569.27 Million words | 2021-12-02 14:31Update

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From This Land and Rivers With You Fiction
From This Land and Rivers With You

Over a thousand mountains, across snowy plains! Journeying far and wide to be by his side, only to have her heart shattered by his words, 'On the coronation day, why not embroider a wedding gown for her in the style of the Night Country?' Tears of anguish fall from her eyes as she kneels on the ground. She suppresses her own pain and responds, 'As you command.' Little did she know, he only waited for a moment with her, and the so-called wedding gown was merely one she would stitch for herself...

110.28 Million words | 2022-10-25 10:28Update

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Phoenix Crown Reigns Supreme. Fiction
Phoenix Crown Reigns Supreme.

Offering my life for the country, reborn in ancient times. The once beautiful appearance is no longer, only a flawed face and a body waiting for punishment. Originally planned to live in silence for the rest of my life, but unexpectedly entangled in endless conspiracies and power struggles. In the chaotic world, a brilliant light cannot be concealed. Palace intrigues, political maneuvers, internal and external threats, the sound of weapons never ceases. Forced to marry and humiliated, body and mind devastated by a conspiracy of turning love into hatred. Siding with each other in battles, intertwined with gratitude and resentment, bound to seek revenge, unexpectedly turning into a song of sacrifices. Two husbands, three marriages, hearts grow cold, innocent of the disfigurement, can she still sit back and enjoy the world? He destroyed her face, broke her heartstrings, then turned around and embraced her. She owed him a debt and gave him a kingdom, but wasted her time in her prime. Former sinners now wear the phoenix crown, old grievances ruin a youthful appearance, in this chaotic world, red wedding attire adorns the rivers and mountains, only waiting for his favor and indulgence. ... ... ... Originally titled "One Love Greed," published by Meili Culture, but the physical version renamed "Don't Mess with the Princess."

509.54 Million words | 2021-01-22 09:28Update

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Yan Judge Fiction
Yan Judge

Di Ming, an ordinary pharmaceutical sales representative, had his life changed by a kind gesture combined with devout awe while on a trip. Cui Pan, the number one judge in the underworld, became his partner and teacher. Can this honest and eloquent judge lead Di Ming onto the path of great fortune? By the way, it is important to note that while you have received the benefits, you must also complete the assigned tasks. Do you remember what your task is? Remember! Then hasten to take action! (This story is purely fictional, any resemblance is purely coincidental.)

565.97 Million words | 2020-08-19 13:49Update

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The evil peasant woman has been reincarnated. Fiction
The evil peasant woman has been reincarnated.

In her previous life, Cheng Jiaoyue, from a fallen family, was forced to marry a learned scholar in a village. Filled with resentment, she indulged in laziness, treating her family as slaves, and constantly abusing her husband. She was known as the village's notorious shrew, causing people to itch with hatred. However, her luck was good. Her weak-willed husband achieved great success in the imperial examination, becoming the top scholar. Within three years, he rose to become a high-ranking official. Everyone expected that she would be divorced, but he remained faithful to her. She had thought she would live a life of wealth and power, oppressing her husband, but little did she know, her husband rebelled against the dynasty and their entire household was executed. Upon awakening, Cheng Jiaoyue found herself back on the morning after her wedding.

73.71 Million words | 2021-10-06 11:42Update

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The Last Onmyoji. Fiction
The Last Onmyoji.

My grandfather, who had been missing for twenty years, suddenly returned home, but the people in the family started dying one after another... If you like the story, please click follow. If you have diamonds and recommendation tickets, please send them to me.

454.62 Million words | 2023-01-06 12:25Update

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