With days till October arrives, book lovers across the globe are preparing for spooky reads full of ghosts, vampires, werewolves and crime — enough to satisfy a Horror fan’s gothic heart. After attending a recent book club meet last week, where the session ended with each members suggestion for the next read, I was inspired to find my own spooky read… which lead to a long scroll on the inafamous review site Goodreads.
Gothic Horror is an established literary genre which followed Gothic Terror, popularised in the late 18th century. Full of themes of religion, morality, supernatural villainy and human temptation, these novels are a whirlwind of adventure and romance — arguably the foundation for YA angst and the tidal wave of ‘Romatasy’ stores are now witness to.
Sublime and bleak scenes set up a true gothic horror novel, perfect for nights-in escaping the colder weather. With a variety of subgenres including Gothic Romance and American Gothic, examples of the Gothic have become lasting household names. Mary Shelley, Matthew Lewis and Edgar Allan Poe acting as forefathers for today’s Halloween specials — Netflix‘s Wednesday by Tim Burton being a prime example. Grab a hot chocolate (or pumpkin spiced latte) and scroll for your next read.
An obvious choice for October recommendations, Mary Shelley’s Frankenstein or The Modern Prometheus is the Gothic’s headliner. A household name, the battle between scientist and creation presents a moral debate that has stood the test of time: who is the monster? Is it the ‘zombie’ of mismatched parts desperate for acceptance and love… or the mastermind behind his suffering.
Interestingly, against common knowledge, the title’s namesake refers to the father of the monster, Victor Frankenstein. Note that the text recieved a 4.4/5 star rating on Amazon Prime.
Indulge in the text that revolutionised Victorian writing, birthed from the Bohemian movement, and find out just why readers keep returning to Shelley’s haunting work.
(Image: Getty)
And for fans of Mary Shelley, try The Unkillable Frank Lightning by Josh Roundtree.
Rated a 4.24 on Goodreads, this new fiction, published in July 2025, is described as reimagining of the Frankenstein horror in the Wild West. A modern twist rebirths the original scientist as a grieving Catherine Coldbridge. Consumed by the loss of her husband, the formidable widow sets out to ressurect her lost love.
What was once a parent-child relationship has now been re-evaluated as one of marriage and lasting love. “Roundtree creates memorable characters that stand out,” writes one reviewer, who added: “I flew through this book in just a few days and was saddened when it was over”.
With the cultural wave of Western themed shows such as Yellowstone — to the return of cowboy boots and fringe bags — clearly the Wild West is a trend that always return.
(Image: AMAZON/Josh Rountree Josh Rountree)
A personal favourite, The Monk by Matthew Gregory Lewis is a sensational piece of text. Exploring Catholicism in the 19th century, this classic is wonderfully peverse, with scandalous plot twists you’ll never see coming.
Beautifully written, Lewis’ depiction of overzealous piety starved of temptation leads the protagonist down a treacherous path as he discovers sin and obsession, in the form of a new church-goer of his esteemed sermons.
Lewis’ writing is pure talent. A 4.3/5 on Amazon, his religious setting a startling hypotheses on the patriarchy is definitely worth trying — a true star of the Gothic.
(Image: AMAZON/Matthew Gregory Lewis)
Dracula by Bram Stoker is another classic that many have yet to read. Perhaps collecting dust on your shelf, or a constant on your ‘want to read’ list, the legendary count has made vampires a ‘romcom’ classic.
With Dracula taking the first steps so heartthrobs like Buffy the Vampire Slayer’s Spike and The Vampire Diaries Damon could run, it is undeniable the impact Stoker’s novel has had on pop culture. A trend for the genre, the Gothic tale of the supernatural and longing romance is perfect for true romantics.
(Image: AMAZON/Bram Stoker)
