Every genre has its stereotypes, but even fellow fright fans recognize that those embedded in horror—such as violence against women, racial stereotypes, and transphobia—are some of the worst. Horror’s history with these offensive tropes has put many marginalized people off the genre altogether.
Fortunately, authors of color have revolutionized horror, enriching it with their voices and gifts of great storytelling while using the conventions of the genre to unpack the traumas of racism, sexism, classism, and more. The writers collected here are game changers, their mastery of the craft extraordinary. So much so that whether you’re listening at home or on the go, you might want to make sure the area is brightly lit...and that there’s nothing lurking in the shadows. Check out the best horror authors of color and some of their most terrifying tales below.
If you're going to make a list of the best horror authors, Victor LaValle better be at the top. He is one of the foremost Black horror authors writing today. LaValle is an expert at exploring staples of the genre and picking them apart to see what makes them tick: He covered asylums in , changelings in , and even H.P. Lovecraft's racist legacy in , which won the 2016 Shirley Jackson Award for best novella. Seasoned audiobook narrator Kevin R. Free brings the scary up a notch as his narration adds even more chills to the final product.
Lending fresh, Indigenous perspective to a genre that often relies upon characters to trust their intuition, debut author Jessica Johns illuminates the wisdom that thrives where dreams begin and reality (supposedly) ends. opens on a chilling scene as Mackenzie finds the crow’s skull from her nightmares staring back at her and knows it can only mean one thing: She must return to the family she left behind because in their culture, “you aren’t ravens, you are crows,” meaning “you travel together everywhere.” Still, as narrator Tanis Parenteau (of Plains Cree descent) reveals in a tender performance, the realities of processing grief are rarely so straightforward.
Alma Katsu has lent her writing talents to multiple genres, penning spy novels like and paranormal adventures such as . Her horror entries also tend to blur the lines between historical fiction and horror. In her modern horror classic , for example, Katsu reimagines the wagon train known as the Donner Party with mystical prose and a supernatural atmosphere. Even better, Kristen Potter's narration will drop you deep into the California mountains—where hunger and evil lie in wait.
It's impossible to overstate how much Octavia Butler changed the horror and science fiction genres—we'll be studying her works for decades to come. From the dystopian Parable of the Sower to the historical epic Kindred, Butler showed the publishing world that African American authors could sell to and influence audiences in a new way. In her horror novel Dawn, Butler begins a series about aliens who make contact with humanity. But these aren't the nice green men humanity has been imagining. No, they're absolutely terrifying, and they want something from Lilith that will change the future of the human race.
As this best-selling South Korean author's work has taught us, horror translates well. A master of haunting and grotesque imagery, Hye-young Pyun often tells stories of ordinary people in situations you soon realize won't end well. Take, for instance, Pyun's Shirley Jackson Award-winning novel The Hole. Everything starts off relatively normal: Oghi, now paralyzed and widowed after a terrible accident, is under the care of his mother-in-law as he recovers. But why is she digging a hole in their yard? Narrator Tim Campbell expertly eases the listener into this quiet, claustrophobic journey about neglect and grief.
Stephen Graham Jones has been in the horror scene for quite a while, having published 22 books so far. Some of his past hits include Mongrels and Mapping the Interior, both excellent examples of his very character-focused, inwardly terrifying novels. Among our favorites? The Only Good Indians, a skillful exploration of revenge, identity, and horror as four Native American protagonists reckon with their past. Actor Shaun Taylor-Corbett—who, like Jones, belongs to the Blackfeet Tribe—provides a haunting atmosphere through his arresting narration.
Another long-time horror writer, Silvia Moreno-Garcia is a master of both short and long fiction, having published multiple collections of short stories and 10 novels since 2013. If you’re not familiar with any of her award-winning works, we suggest starting with her most popular. The gorgeous cover of Moreno-Garcia's Mexican Gothicaccurately reflects the enchanting beauty within, and the spellbinding prose brings you deep into the Mexican countryside as main character Noemí navigates the eerie and mysterious High Place.
Having written several deliciously creepy works of short fiction, Cassandra Khaw is a perfect choice if you're looking for a short, scary listen. One of her best is Nothing but Blackened Teeth, which follows a group of estranged friends who reunite for a wedding. Unfortunately, they decide to stay the night in an old mansion that brings nothing but trouble and chaos to those inside.
Tananarive Due is a scholar of Black horror, and her fiction,effortlessly puts Black characters in situations in which we rarely get to see them represented. In her African Immortals series, she invites listeners to discover a new type of vampire and the costs of such a life. In The Good House, an absolute masterpiece, Due writes about a Black family who moves into a haunted house. It's an unrelenting experience, and one you won't forget for years after—especially with legendary narrator Robin Miles bringing every character to life.
In so many horror classics, we've sadly seen Native American characters and concepts watered down or completely disrespected in the name of the genre. Thankfully, Owl Goingback works to disrupt those familiar narratives, drawing from real Native American mythology and heritage to create suspense and scares without exploitation. Darker Than Night is a retelling of the haunted house plotline, and his Bram Stoker award-winning Crota invokes a mythical beast that terrorizes a small town.
Just because a book is for young adults doesn't mean it isn't incredibly spooky—just ask any of Rin Chupeco's fans. The nonbinary Chinese Filipino writer, who was born and raised in the Philippines, always features strong women, making sure sexist horror tropes never make it into their work. There's the mystical, magic-centered story of The Bone Witch, or the creeping, suffocating suspense of The Girl From the Well. The start of a series, this novel involves a sister accidentally resurrecting her brother from the dead. Necromancy, anyone?
Jewelle Gomez is so many things: a playwright, a scholar, a poet, a critic, and, of course, an author. She's also considered one of the foremothers of "Afrofuturism," a speculative genre that specifically centers Black stories in science fiction. Her foray into horror resulted in The Gilda Stories, a cult classic that made waves for its portrayal of its Black and lesbian protagonist—who just so happens to be a vampire as well. Narrator Adenrele Ojo brings her extensive theater expertise to this audiobook, infusing rhythm and life in every line.
Best-selling writer Carmen Maria Machado represents a very different type of horror author from the others on this list. Her work is incredibly unique and strange; it also draws heavily on metaphor, often creating entirely new worlds and rules. Take, for example, "The Husband Stitch," one of the award-winning stories in Her Body and Other Parties, which took the world by storm. In this story's universe, every woman has a ribbon around their necks, which is a very private part of their body. Absurd and completely mystifying, this is just one of the entries in her collection of horror unlike anything we've seen or heard before.
The scariest things in life don't even need to be invented, as British novelist and Fellow of the American Academy in Berlin Hari Kunzru knows very well. Consider his latest work, Red Pill, which traps the listener in the nihilistic mind of a blocked writer at a German think tank, or his most straightforwardly scary title, White Tears. Performed by three different narrators, this audiobook about music, cultural appropriation, and revenge will have you deep in the dark world of the music underground.
New York Times best-selling author Justina Ireland has not only changed the landscape of the young adult genre by being a fierce advocate for diversity and authentic representation; she's also reinvigorated of one of the most overly saturated horror tropes: zombies. Even diehard fans of the undead were getting a bit tired—then came Ireland, with a spin unlike any other. In her Dread Nation, an alternate history unfolds: the Civil War ended in this story because the undead started rising from their graves. And it's up to girls like Jane to train and protect the wealthy elite from those zombie clutches. Refreshing and jam-packed with action, that audiobook veteran Bahni Turpin tells Jane's story makes this a must-have-listen.
Argentinian writer Agustina Bazterrica has won numerous awards for her work, including one of the most prestigious literary awards in Latin America, so it should come as no surprise that Tender Is the Flesh is both extremely unnerving and also thought-provoking. This dystopian novel offers a disturbingly provocative critique of capitalism through its exploration of a post-"Transition" world in which humans must decide between veganism and cannibalism in order to survive. With exquisite narration from lauded voice actor Joseph Balderrama, this audiobook will give you plenty to chew on.
Amanda Jayatissa is a versatile storyteller who incorporates elements of Sri Lankan culture and folklore into her work. While her first two books lean more toward the thriller genre than horror, her latest book is downright scary, an exciting in its foray into horror territory. Island Witch weaves together Sri Lankan myths and Gothic elements to deliver a feminist tale that will haunt you well beyond the last words of Isuri Wijesundara's powerful narration.
Gabino Iglesias's The Devil Takes You Home is so gruesomeand so well-crafted that it won both the Shirley Jackson and Bram Stoker awards. Melding horror and noir to create an unforgettable narrative, the story follows Mario as he contends with the all-too-real horrors of his young daughter's death from cancer, the resultant crushing medical debt, and his crumbling marriage. With nowhere else to turn, Mario gets tangled up with a drug cartel and all hell breaks loose—literally. Compellingly narrated by Jean-Marc Berne, whose bilingual expertise brings the characters to life, The Devil Takes You Home will chill you to the core.
Erika T. Wurth identifies as an "urban Native of Chickasaw, Cherokee, and Apache descent," a heritage she brings to White Horse, a horror tale centered on Denver's Indigenous community. White Horse is, at its heart, a ghost story. It begins when Kari's cousin gives her a bracelet that once belonged to Kari's mother. From the moment she touches the charmed bangle, energy shifts and nightmares begin. With Indigenous actress and musician Tonantzin Carmelo expertly narrating the story, it only takes a couple of minutes to get swept up in Kari's paranormal ordeal.
Mariana Enriquez is renowned for her journalism and fiction alike. Having been shortlisted for the International Booker Prize in 2021, her work has received a lot of attention lately. Our Share of Night traverses several decades as Gaspar and his father try to grieve the death of Gaspar's mother. It's as much about collective trauma and Argentinian history as it is about the characters' relationships. Brought to life by multiple award-winning narrator Frankie Corzo, this audiobook is unforgettably spine-tingling.
Nick Medina
Author Nick Medina, a member of the Tunica-Biloxi Tribe of Louisiana, has multiple audiobooks to his name, but we recommend starting with the one that put him on the map. Told from bullied teen Anna Horn's perspective in the wake of her younger sister's disappearance, Sisters of the Lost Nation grapples with the disproportionate rates of violence facing Native women. The skillful narration by actor Elva Guerra (best known for playing Jackie in Reservation Dogs) perfectly captures the essence of a teen who is being terrorized by other kids—and something far more deadly.
Trang Thanh Tran
Trang Thanh Tran's debut novel is the kind of creepy that sticks with you. A YA tale set in the Vietnamese countryside, She Is a Hauntingcenters on Jade, a teenager about to head off to college. She grudgingly agrees to help her estranged father renovate a colonial manor in Vietnam to help her pay for college but, as her dad's erratic behavior becomes increasingly difficult to ignore, Jade begins to glimpse the truth about this very haunted house. Emi Ray's evocative narration highlights the uncanny elements of the story to make this audiobook unforgettable.
Nyasha Hatendi
Nyasha Hatendi is best known for his work in cinema and theater, but he's recently turned to audio as a medium uniquely suited for exploring complex topics that range from family dynamics to colonialism. The Audible Original Sacrilege: Curse of the Mbirwi focuses on the Wallaces, an African American family vacationing on a game reserve in Zimbabwe, braiding together horror and African folklore. This multi-cast listen stars another horror cinema star: Caleb McLaughlin of Stranger Things and The Deliverance, whose narration powerfully animates Hatendi's story.
