eBooks

FRIGHTENING FICTION

A closeup glimpse of the antlers on a stag’s head

The Only Good Indians by Stephen Graham Jones

A novel that is equal parts psychological horror and cutting social commentary on identity politics and the American Indian experience... as it follows the lives of four American Indian men and their families, all haunted by a disturbing, deadly event that took place in their youth. Years later, they find themselves tracked by an entity bent on revenge, totally helpless as the culture and traditions they left behind catch up to them in a violent, vengeful way.

The closed door of Room 217 has light streaming from the splintered wood and the word “redrum” scrawled upon it in red

The Shining by Stephen King

Jack Torrance's new job at the Overlook Hotel is the perfect chance for a fresh start. As the off-season caretaker at the atmospheric old hotel, he'll have plenty of time to spend reconnecting with his family and working on his writing. But as the harsh winter weather sets in, the idyllic location feels ever more remote... and more sinister. And the only one to notice the strange and terrible forces gathering around the Overlook is Danny Torrance, a uniquely gifted five-year-old.

An illustration of a grey Victorian manor in front of a full moon and barbed red vines

The selection includes tales of terror by Bram Stoker, H. P. Lovecraft, and Percival Landon; studies of creeping dread by Edgar Allan Poe and Henry James; short, sharp shockers by Ambrose Bierce, M.R. James and Lafcadio Hearn; and comedic masterpieces by Oscar Wilde and Saki. Mr. Landis' own introduction explores each tale's fascinating impact on the contemporary horror genre.

TEXAS TRUE CRIME & TERRORS

Text reading "The Unsolved Murders that Rocked a Texas Town" is over the faces of the female victims

On December 6, 1991, the...bodies of the four girls-each one shot in the head-were found in an I Can't Believe It's Yogurt! shop in Austin, Texas...Over the decades, the story has grown to include DNA technology, false confessions, and other developments facing crime and punishment in contemporary life.

 A cartoon yellow ghost with red eyes rises from a tombstone that resembles the Texas flag

"Texas is a land of legends and folktales. Some of them are based on characters like Pecos Bill, Bigfoot Wallace, and Davy Crockett—loud, outgoing, bigger ­than ­life "daytime" kinds of people. Others concern themselves with mysterious, shadowy things: huge, footless birds, river spirits, and phantom lights." -Fowler

 A full moon hangs over the San Antonio skyline

Once again, well-known ghost story writer Docia Williams brings us an all-new book about recent ghost sightings and mysterious happenings in the Alamo City. A chilling book for those wanting a guide to places where spirits are known to rendezvous or for those who just like a good ghost story.

NIGHTMARISH NON-FICTION

Actor William Marshall, portraying a classic vampire, bares his teeth behind a distracted man

From King Kong to Candyman, the boundary-pushing genre of the horror film has always been a site for provocative explorations of race in American popular culture. Coleman traces the history of notable characterizations of blackness in horror cinema, and examines key levels of black participation on screen and behind the camera.

he text “A Grisly History” beside a colorful illustration of a wide-eyed man being beheaded by a guillotine

The Horror Comic Never Dies by Michael Walton

People love to be scared. From the earliest gothic horror novels to the Victorian tradition of telling ghost stories at Christmastime, tales of horror have been a part of human culture nearly as long as humans have told stories to one another. Horror has found its way into all areas of our culture—from books to television shows to movies. The comic book is no exception.

Black rot is spreading across the face of a young woman who has a blooming flower in her hair and a tattered Japanese parasol resting on her shoulder

Zombies by Jennifer Rutherford

Not so long ago zombies rarely shuffled out of B-grade horror movies and cult comic books, but today they are everywhere. Zombies would appear to be unthinkable, the ultimate nightmare of a world devoured by the dead, and yet more and more often this horror-scape provides a form of figurative capture for the way things are.

Beneath the title are several  red, black, and yellow cubes

"This book suggests methods of working that will help you to find ideas, characters and themes, so that you can create believable stories. You will avoid the basic pitfalls that plague most writers, while developing an approach to writing that suits you best." -Kenworthy

 A monster with a white, skeletal, eyeless face is dressed in a black suit, tie, and trench coat

The essays in this volume explore the menacing figure of Slender Man—the blank-faced, long-limbed bogeyman born of a 2009 Photoshop contest...This first folkloric examination of the phenomenon of Slender Man is a must-read for anyone interested in folklore, horror, urban legends, new media, or digital cultures.

Library materials are vetted based on the adopted ACC Library Services Collection Development policy. As part of the ACC collection, these materials are available for currently registered ACC students.