The Benefits of Reading Scary Books
Start reading free novels with the Horror Classics Book Club!
A frightening new moderator
Using artificial intelligence technology, we’ve created a digital version of Dracula who can share insights from his centuries of undead life, deliver sophisticated answers to your questions, and bring the shadows of night to our community conversations!As the club reads together, Dracula will post A.I.-generated commentary every week, and you can ask him questions directly by typing @Dracula. Fable’s editorial team will review every post from Dracula to ensure his commentary is appropriate and accurate.How horror books can help you
Some readers shy away from scary novels, but they actually have therapeutic benefits. Teen librarian Sara Harrington wrote about how the horror genre helped her cope with anxiety disorders in a heartfelt essay at Electric Literature. Instead of being overwhelmed by her obsessions, scary books helped her find "a safe haven" where she didn't have to be controlled by her anxiety."The generalized fear of an anxiety disorder creates a fight-or-flight response to an intangible threat, a threat that can’t be fought nor fled from. Reading horror allowed me to take all that adrenaline and pour it into something outside of myself, something that I could see resolved at the end of the story. It gave me the gift of catharsis."
But that's not all! Other readers and researchers have found more evidence that reading scary stories can help you...Five wellness benefits of horror novels
- You can learn that "everything is surmountable and survivable"
- You can cope better with frightening aspects of life
- You can become more resilient
- You can develop long-term anxiety coping skills
- You can "build stronger relationships and memories" with shared scary reading experiences
Free Scary Books on Fable
So what are you waiting for? Try a free horror novel and enjoy some of these benefits for yourself!Start with these classics, it's the perfect way to explore our social reading platform and launch a book club with friends!
Frankenstein
By Mary ShelleyA literary classic that asks us to question our own conceptions of what it means to be human, what makes us human, and what creatures do we create with each of our actions.
Dracula
By Bram StokerDracula is one of the most famous public-domain horror novels in existence, responsible not just for introducing the eponymous Count Dracula, but for introducing many of the common tropes we see in modern horror fiction.
Turn of the Screw
By Henry JamesOne of the most famous ghost stories in literature, The Turn of the Screw earned its place in the annals of influential English novellas not for its qualities as a gothic ghost story, but rather for the many complex and subtle twists.
Short Fiction
By M. R. JamesThe stereotypical Jamesian ghost story involves a scholar or gentleman in a European village who, through his own curiosity, greed, or simple bad luck, has a horrifying supernatural encounter. James’ stories find their horror in their atmosphere and mood.
The Beetle
By Richard MarshThis novel is steeped in the evil mysteries of an ancient horror: a mysterious ancient Egyptian creature bent on revenge. The story is told through the points of view of middle-class Victorians who find themselves enmeshed in the creature’s plot.
The Dark Other
By Stanley G. WeinbaumPatricia Lane, a spirited young woman, in a passionate relationship with Nicholas Devine, a writer with a fascination with horror. When his personality shifts, Patricia turns to a talented psychologist to discover the source of the outbursts.
Brood of the Witch-Queen
By Sax RohmerAfter a mystical attack on Robert, Dr. Cairn and his son become involved in a series of supernatural events as they work to prevent Antony Ferrara from inflicting his dark magic on more victims.
Short Fiction
By H. P. LovecraftModern fantasy and horror features take shape in Lovecraft’s stories, creating a backdrop of the bizarre and evil behind seemingly day-to-day lives. A thread of cosmic horror soon turns anything normal towards madness.
In a Glass Darkly
By J. Sheridan Le FanuIn a Glass Darkly is a collection of five short stories, presented as posthumous papers of cases of the “metaphysical” doctor Dr. Martin Hesselius, one of the first literary occult detectives..
The King in Yellow
By Robert W. ChambersThe King in Yellow is a fascinating, almost two-faced work. The first half consists of five legendary weird tales, loosely tied together by a fictional play—the eponymous King in Yellow—that drives those who read it mad.
The House on the Borderland
By William Hope HodgsonThis novel is one of the earliest examples of the departure of horror fiction from the Gothic style of supernatural, psychological hauntings, to more realist, science-fiction/cosmic horror themes.
Short Fiction
By Arthur MachenArthur Machen was a Welsh man of letters who wrote his most famous work in the late 1890s and early 1900s. While his body of work is wide, he’s perhaps best known for his supernaturally-flavored proto-horror short stories.
The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde
By Robert Louis StevensonThis story follows a London lawyer as he investigates the relationship between a brilliant scientist and a misshapen misanthrope. As the link between the two becomes clearer, Jekyll and Hyde develops into an allegory on the nature of good and evil.
The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket
By Edgar Allan PoePym begins as a swashbuckling adventure novel, and after growing increasingly weirder, ends on a surreal note worthy of the best of Poe’s short stories. It influenced the themes of weird fiction writers like H. P. Lovecraft.
Read more free books on Fable
Even if you aren't a fan of horror novels, Fable has plenty of free books in every genre!You can also start your own scary book list or start a book club dedicated to one of these classic horror novels. Also try Russian Classics From Dark Days: Elif Batuman. In that Folio from a Pulitzer Prize finalist, you’ll see a few of Elif Batuman’s favorite Russian fiction classics from days darker than ours, featuring some great free novels.