Best Horror Books That Feature Zombies

Since the Night of the Living Dead, zombies have captured the imagination of readers, film lovers, and everyone in between. Horror novels in particular frequently feature these sorts of monsters, with causes varying between the heat of the moon, supernatural curses, necromancy, and modern-day viruses. With such a varied genre, there’s always something for every reader.

But how can you find a zombie horror novel that cuts through the chaff? And what constitutes a zombie in the first place, given that the idea of them is so varied? If you’re looking for some horror novels that feature zombies as a primary force, this is the list for you. Here are our suggestions for some of the best horror novels that feature zombies.

Updated on October 5, 2024, by Sai Vsr: In this update, we’ve added The Haunting Of The Hill House, an old-school classic. Check out more about it below.

Best Horror Books

This book still stands tall as one of the genre’s most influential works years after hitting shelves. It follows Dr. Montague, a paranormal investigator, renting out the infamously ghost-ridden Hill House for the summer to study psychic phenomena. He brings along two strangers, Eleanor, an extremely lonely and troubled soul, and Theodora, a bold and brazen artist. Also joining is Luke, the future inheritor of the property.

Jackson’s writing is a masterclass in psychological tension, using an unparalleled atmosphere of unease built with evocative descriptions of the unnerving, isolated manor rather than lean on graphic scares. The true frights instead come from the unraveling of the characters’ minds, especially the increasingly unhinged Eleanor, whose precarious mental state becomes inextricably intertwined with the sinister forces of Hill House.

What makes it so iconic in horror is the ambiguity. Jackson leaves much open to interpretation, obscuring the lines separating the paranormal from the psychological.

You can’t talk zombie novels without looking at one of the most famous zombie novels to come out in history. World War Z took the world by storm when it was released and is still one of the best-selling novels in the genre. But for fans who look for the book after watching the movie adaptation, it might surprise you to learn that it isn’t a novel at all!

World War Z is an anthology of collected short stories that all take place in the same universe, a post-apocalypse after the Zombie War, or “World War Z.” Set in Humanity’s attempts to rebuild, each story is an oral history of someone who experienced the events in one way or another. It’s a riveting set of tales that has something for everyone due to its form as a story collection.

Does this count as a zombie novel? To us, anything that crawls its way out of the ground after being buried as a corpse definitely qualifies as a zombie. By that logic, Stephen King’s iconic novel Pet Sematary is one of the most riveting and chilling tales of zombies ever to hit the shelves.

Taking place in an idyllic township in Maine, this story follows a father who discovers an old, semi-abandoned pet cemetery in the woods near his house. Warned not to go further by locals, the protagonist predictably chooses to indeed go farther and discovers haunting truths that unravel through the novel. We won’t spoil anything here, but there are a few twists to this novel that are certain to keep you up at night. We don’t recommend this book for kids due to some graphic adult content.

When you think about zombies and horror, it’s most likely that you think about nighttime settings, shambling unstoppable monsters, and terrified townspeople. Richard Kadrey doesn’t agree. In Kill the Dead, readers are treated to a non-stop zombie slaughter fest conducted by the titular James “Sandman Slim” Stark. This story is the second in the series, and while we strongly recommend you read the first novel, this novel can stand on its own relatively well.

Kill the Dead follows Stark in his new role as the personal bodyguard of the one and only Lucifer, which also puts him in close contact with renowned French actress Brigitte Bardo. While this is plenty for any man to handle, Stark finds himself with his hands a bit more than full after he’s bitten by a zombie during a sudden outbreak. But Stark is no ordinary man, and his search for a cure leads him to decide whether that’s the best way to go about the issue.

This novel contains extreme amounts of profanity, graphic sex, intense violence, and demonic themes. While that’s an incredible list of selling points for most of us, it’s also a good reason to make sure you aren’t handing this book over to readers too young or sensitive for such themes.

Horror as a whole is more often directed towards adult readers. While there’s plenty of horror fiction for younger readers, the genre inherently often features themes that aren’t quite suitable for kids. But for young adult readers, there are still plenty of options, and Carrie Ryan’s The Forest of Hands & Teeth is one of the best ones out there.

On top of having what might simply be the coolest name of any zombie novel, The Forest of Hands & Teeth has a unique setting. Taking place in a sanctuary village surrounded by the titular zombie-filled forest, this novel features heavy themes that are still safe for young adults to tackle. It’s also the first in a trilogy, so if you love this one, you’ll have two more books to enjoy!

Looking for a story that can kick off a franchise for you? Mira Grant’s Feed is one of the most impressive and riveting stories to come out of the Zombie Boom of the late 2000s and early 2010s. This novel is the first of a series of four, giving you plenty more options if you enjoy what you’ve found.

Taking place in a (depressingly-fast-approaching) hypothetical 2034, it’s been about 20 years since the Rising, an apocalyptic event wherein the dead and infected began to feed on the flesh of the living. In this post-apocalypse, Georgia and Shaun Mason find themselves investigating a conspiracy that could be the biggest story of their lives. What the pair uncovers could change what everyone knows about the Rising and how the infected came to be.

Most zombie novels are grim and intense, alternating between graphic violence, tragedy, and horror. But does that always need to be the case? While most of us associate the undead with such themes, Robin Becker’s Brains: A Zombie Memoir presents a new take: horror-comedy.

Told from the point of view of a zombie who’s retained their intelligence, this story follows a group of “survivors” who are also victims of the zombie plague. Stuck somewhere between reanimation and humanity, these zombies find themselves trying to contact humans while also battling their base instincts. Full of strange twists and dark humour moments, this is a can’t-miss for zombie horror lovers.

Most zombie novels take place sometime after the apocalypse. John Ajvide Lindqvist’s Handling the Undead instead takes place as the apocalypse is occurring, filling every page with the fear, uncertainty, and anxiety that comes with such a thing.

Stuck in a sudden heat wave, residents find that their appliances are refusing to shut off, as well as most people also dealing with severe migraines. As the freshly dead begin to reanimate, this story brings non-stop twists – and a story that’s recently been adapted to film!

FAQ

What Makes A Monster A Zombie?

There’s a good deal of debate about that! Most people attribute traits of mindlessness and a hunger for human flesh as integral factors in zombie mythology, which is why Frankenstein isn’t considered a zombie novel. Being undead also isn’t a crucial factor, as many modern franchises look at infection and sickness as sources of zombification, such as the 28 Days Later franchise.

Are Zombies Still Popular?

Definitely! If The Walking Dead is still making spin-offs, there’s got to be something to the genre. In literature, most zombie novels came out when the trend peaked in the late 2000s and early 2010s. Some are still coming out, but they’ve dropped off slightly. The Last of Us video game and TV show is also responsible for popularizing the ‘infected zombie’ concept recently.

Are Zombie Novels Safe For Children?

Zombie novels are typically inherently horror, which means they’re not usually safe for children. Some will have more acceptable themes for kids, but it’s best to read the book yourself and decide before you give the book to a child.