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10 best sci-fi horror books for 2024

Spooky in space.

Science fiction and horror often represent two completely different genres. However, the two can come together sometimes and offer som♕e of the scariest and intense stories. These best sci-fi horror books are the ones every fan of the two genres should check💫 out in 2024. These are the books to read to get your blood pumping and help you stay awake at night. With a preference for more recent novels, these are the 10 best sci-fi horror books we recommend.

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10. The Cursed Moon

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starts out as a pretty simple horror affair: a kid dreams up a fictional killer known as the Caretaker and tells st𓄧ories of it to his friends. It all takes a twist on a blood moon night when his tall tales about the Caretaker start to come true. The main character, Rafa, has to stay alive through the night and defeat the ghost he seemingly invented with his mind.

9. The House at the End of the World

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This from Dean Koontz has a pretty classic eerie vibe to it. It doesn’t too much or🐻 little too; finding the right pacing of doling out spooky moments. It tells the story of an artist who retreats to a secluded island, only to find out the government is searching for a sinister creation there. Her fight to survive is an unforgettable one.

8. The Switch

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grounds itself in reality and near-future science fiction. It tells the story of a pseudo-modern world where the power shuts off and every꧙thing goes dark, including phones, TVs, and more. Its grounded take extends to its central story, which focuses not on the core mystery so much as a boy trying to survive in the darkne𒈔ss and find his father. Its creepiness comes from the familiar, realistic horrors of the world.

7. Ghost Station

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The title says it all: this is classic sci-fi research station horror at its finest. A crew find themselves on a mysterious planet with an ancient secret, as they look for the cure of a deadly disease. It all comes to a head as some of the scientists start to be found dead and mangled. is gruesome in ways Dead Space fans will certainly appreciate.

6. The Watchers

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A woman’s car breaks down in a mysterious forest. After hearing a nearby scream, she finds herself in a bunker with g🙈lass windows. She is n༒ow trapped there, held captive by the “Watchers,” a group of mysterious creatures. They kidnap people and observe them at night through the windows like subjects. If someone is outside of the bunker at night, something terrible happens to them. The twist on humans as the pet subjects makes for .

5. The Last Colony

10 best sci-fi horror books in 2024
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feels like a pretty standard space war book at first. A married couple come out of retirement to use their superhuman powers to lead a new frontier planet against an alien invasion. But the al꧑ien enemies and secrets of the new planet lead to some horrifying attacks against their colonists. This is one book full of action from start to finish.

4. Dead Silence

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The author S.A. Barnes is on this list twice for a reason, as Barnes knows how to craft compelling science fiction horror stories. is essentially haunted Titanic in space. A spaceship repair crew are on the wa🎉y home when they think they’ve hit the jackpot by locating the once-lost Aurora space cruise liner. They think they’re in for the theft of their lives when t🐷hey find there’s a reason seemingly no one is onboard the ship.

3. After Death

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follows a guard at a top-level government facility who comes back to life. His second chance comes with a ghost-like superpower, which he uses to take care of his friends from threats in Los Angeles. This book has superhero vibes to it, whic𝓀h gives it a more mainstream appeal, but it also doesn’t h𝔉old back in its graphic nature and spookier elements.

2. Paradise-1

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This sci-fi horror novel is the right blend of the two genres in equal measure. A lot of times, books favor one side over the other, but nails both sci-fi and horror in equal mea💎sure. A group of agents are on the way to the furthest colony in space, only to intercept with an abandoned ship from said colony that reveals everyone there is dead. Thus be🌱gins an intense mystery, as the agents search for the answer to what happened while staying alive against the unknown threat.

1. The Blighted Stars

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The lead character, Naira Sharp, is an intergalactic spy investigating a powerful family. In the midst of her travels, she becomes stranded on a deserted planet, save f🦩or one person: her main target, Tarquin Mercator. They have to work together to survive on this terrifying alien p𒊎lanet. The mix of drama, intensity, and heavy political themes ensures has a wide scope worth checking out.


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Cody Perez
Contributing Writer - Cody has been a huge fan of Destructoid for more than a decade as well as a freelance writer for various publications. Now working for Destructoid, he has the chance to share his passion for Final Fantasy XIV, Pokemon, Call of Duty, and many more games.