The best books to read if you love Stranger Things

Why read this: This is the latest twisted, unforgettable horror novel from bestseller Grady Hendrix (author of My Best Friend's Exorcism, also often suggested as a great read for Stranger Things fans). Travel back even further than the '80s, to St. Augustine, Florida, in 1970. Fifteen-year-old Fern has just arrived at Wellwood House, a 'home' for unwed mothers. Every second of her and the other teenagers' days is rigidly controlled by adults who claim to know what's best. Then Fern is given a book about witchcraft, and the balance of power suddenly shifts. But such gifts always come with a price. And it's usually paid in blood.

If you’re looking for: Witches, an entry read to the horror genre, female rage, Southern Gothic. 

What the experts think: 'A morally complex and genuinely haunting and moving tale. I couldn't put it down once I started' – Paul Tremblay, author of The Cabin at the End of the World.

Why read this: Two strangers work together to protect a girl with extraordinary powers from the forces that want to control her, in this heartwarming adventure from T J Klune. Parentless, disowned by his older brother, and recently fired, Nate Cartwright travels to Oregon, and his family's summer cabin. There he meets Alex, and a little girl who says her name is Artemis Darth Vader. They are not supposed to be there. But when it becomes clear just how powerful Art really is, Nate must decide whether to fight for her, or drown in his past.

If you’re looking for: sci-fi romance, LGBTQIA+ stories, found family. 

What the experts think: ‘The sci-fi romance adventure you never knew you needed’ – Jennifer L. Armentrout, author of Fall of Ruin and Wrath.

Why read this: We could have chosen any one of China Miéville's works of 'weird fiction' (his words, not ours), but we've gone with this genre-bending London-set novel which weaves the real with the inconceivable. Deep in the research wing of the Natural History Museum is a prize specimen, something that comes along much less often than once in a lifetime: a perfect, and perfectly preserved, giant squid. But what does it mean when the creature suddenly and impossibly disappears? For curator Billy Harrow it's the start of a headlong pitch into a London of warring cults, surreal magic, apostates and assassins. It might just be that the creature he's been preserving is more than a biological rarity: there are those who are sure it's a god, who will one day end the world. 

If you’re looking for: Dark comedy, tales of the absurd, science-fiction, adventure.

Why read this: If the Upside Down has got you hooked on alternate dimensions, Blake Crouch's ingenious sci-fi thriller is for you. Knocked unconscious by an anonymous attacker, Jason Dessen comes round in a new life. He has a different wife. No son. And he's not a college professor, but a renowned genius who has just achieved the impossible. Is it this world or the other that's the dream? And if his memories of his old life are real, how can he get back to it?

If you’re looking for: Parallel universes, science fiction, thriller. 

What the experts think: 'Brilliant. A book to remember. I think Blake Crouch just invented something new.' – Lee Child, author of the Jack Reacher series. 'It's been a long time since a novel sucked me in and kept me turning pages the way this one did. Exceptional.' – Andy Weir, author of The Martian.

Why read this: Perfect for fans of Eleven, Frances Hardinge's brilliant YA novel stars a courageous girl with a mysterious past. Makepeace spends every night defending herself from ghosts trying to possess her. When a terrible event causes her to drop her guard, a wild, brutish spirit takes their chance. Makepeace is horrified, but soon learns that the ghost may be her only defence in a time of dark suspicion and fear. As the English Civil War erupts, she must decide which is worse: possession – or death.

If you’re looking for: Historical fiction, fantasy, supernatural, strong female main characters.

What the experts think: 'Makepeace is a vital and engaging presence amid a cast of extraordinary and villainous characters, and she had my heart from the first. It's rare to find a book which is every bit as intelligent and stylish as it is riveting – I was enthralled.' Sarah Perry, author of The Essex Serpent

Why read this: A coming-of-age story with a dark, supernatural backdrop? Check. A young female lead who discovers new powers? Check. White is for Witching by Helen Oyeyemi is a haunting, macabre read. Ever since her mother died, Miranda has become newly attuned to the spirits of her ancestors, who reside in her mercurial, unpredictable house. Indeed, the house itself has a magic about it: forcing apples to grow in winter, revealing and concealing secret floors. And it's becoming increasingly possessive of Miranda. . .

If you’re looking for: Atmospheric reads, magic, haunted house, books about grief. 

Why read this: Cracks that rip the Earth apart, malevolent forces that seem to come from another realm, and secret government missions abound in James Herbert's horror classic. A malignant fog is leaking across the country, leaving a deadly trail in its wake. John Holman, on a secret assignment from the Department of the Environment, is dragged into its clutches: realising, after a series of grisly axe murders, rampaging livestock and the near-loss of his own sanity, that this unstoppable fog is destined to twist the minds and devastate the lives of all those it encounters.

If you’re looking for: Psychological horror, a British classic, a bestseller. 

What the experts think: 'James Herbert comes at us with both hands, not willing to simply engage our attention, he seizes us by the lapels and begins to scream in our faces.' – Stephen King.

Why read this: The cosmic terror, hostile alien dimension and creepy entities from alternate realities of Stranger Things owe a lot to author H P Lovecraft, as does this modern riff on his work, Lovecraft Country. This is dark fantasy horror that combines the mundane terrors of white America with malevolent spirits and a secret ritualistic cabal to entertaining and thought-provoking effect. In 1950s Chicago, Army veteran Atticus Turner sets out to find his missing father, alongside his Uncle George and childhood friend Letitia. They're aiming for New England, and the home of Samuel Braithwaite, heir to the estate that owned one of Atticus's ancestors, and what they find there is even more sinister than they imagined.

If you’re looking for: Cult fiction, American noir, thought-provoking reads.

What the experts think: 'Takes the unlikeliest of premises and spins it into a funny, fast, exciting, and affecting read.' Neal Stephenson, author of Snow Crash and Cryptonomicon

Why read this: Welcome to a real-life Stranger Things, as we enter the world of government-investigated conspiracy theories and paranormal experiments. In 1979, a secret unit was established by the most gifted minds within the US Army. Defying all known accepted military practice – and indeed, the laws of physics – they believed that a soldier could adopt a cloak of invisibility, pass cleanly through walls and, perhaps most chillingly, kill goats just by staring at them. In the early 2000s, the First Earth Battalion returned to help fight George W. Bush’s War on Terror. From blasting Iraqi prisoners-of-war with the theme tune to the Barney the Purple Dinosaur show to the mysterious mass-suicide of a strange cult from San Diego, Jon Ronson tells a story so unbelievable it has to be true.

If you’re looking for: Investigative narrative non-fiction, humour, inside stories.