River Street pals, it’s officially spooky season. What better way to celebrate than with shivers up your spine, goosebumps upon your flesh, and a feeling like something—or someone—is creeping behind you… and by that I mean, diving into some spooky Canadian must-read books! These nine titles are from Canadian authors who delve into the supernatural, the mysterious, or the whimsical, all with unnerving and eerie (and sometimes fun) undertones. Without further ado, let’s sink our teeth into these five spooky books by Canadian authors!

The Haunting of Modesto O'Brien by Brit Griffin

Deep into the boreal forest, circa 1907, Modesto O’Brien is out for revenge. Arm in arm with the mysterious Nail sisters, something sinister awaits this trio. For when one sister goes missing, O’Brien is thrown head-first into a world of ancient myths, magic, and violence. With nightmarish creatures lurking around the corner and darkness emanating off of the landscape, the most sinister part may just be O’Brien’s own past. A gothic tale of loyalty, sacrifice, and revenge, this historical thriller will be sure to leave you unsettled and thoroughly entertained.

Villain Hitting for Vicious Little Nobodies by Lindsay Wong (out January 13, 2026)

A cast of witch-grandmothers and undead corpse-kid-sisters set the scene for an at once funny and horrific– beautiful and gruesome– tale of trying– and failing– to outrun your ghosts. Locinda Lo signs her life away to become a corpse bride to a highest bidder in order to solve her financial woes, and before she knows it, she’s preparing to be an afterlife bride-to-be. Only, her grandmother’s past, both a feared and revered Villain Hitter and a witchy curse-monger with a long legacy that precedes her, intertwines with Locinda’s own. Speaking on the societal pressures placed on Chinese women, you’re going to want to preorder (or request from your library) this daring upcoming Canadian horror novel.

The Wonder Lands War by Peter Darbyshire

We first met Cross, immortal angel hunter, in The Mona Lisa Sacrifice, where a mortal soul was trapped in deceased Christ’s body. Now, Cross is back for a new quest; a hunt to find Alice who was taken through a whirlpool by a mad Noah and his apocalyptic ark. Cross journeys across the world to rescue Alice, encountering murderous immortals, famous libraries, and magical texts, all while aided by the faerie queen. Finally reaching the Wonder Lands, will Cross find Alice before the angels do? At once entertaining and magical, with a dash of mythology and folklore, Darbyshire’s fourth addition to the Cross series will leave you hooked.

Green Fuse Burning by Tiffany Morris

After her father dies, Mi’kmaq artist Rita grieves the loss of the connection to her culture, history and family. Rita’s girlfriend, in response to her grief, wins Rita an isolated week away to paint– exactly where her recently deceased father grew up. But when she arrives at the cabin, things are not as they seem; suspicious neighbours, mysterious sounds outside the cabin, and dark visions swarm Rita, becoming more and more all-consuming. Haunting, creepy, and oh-so mesmerizing, this eco-horror book from a Mi’kmaw writer promises strangeness and spookiness to the max.

Queer Little Nightmares edited by David Ly & Daniel Zomparelli

This anthology flips the monsters you know and love on their head, giving them a queer twist that celebrates the identities that have always been a metaphor for the marginalized in monstrous literature. What if your favourite cosplayer was actually a real-life minotaur? What if that howling you hear at night is really a pubescent werewolf? What if that monster you have feared is now shown to you in a different, more queer light? In a world where queers and monsters have been portrayed as one and the same, the queer writers of the anthology ask their readers to consider what it means to be– and love– a monster? Spooky, philosophical, and oh-so human (sometimes in a very not-human way), this collection is a must-read for any time of the year.

The Midnight Project by Christy Climenhage

On the eve of an ecological collapse, billionaire Burton Sykes visits Re-Gene-eration to look into genetically engineering a way for all of humanity to survive. Raina and Cedric, both genetic engineers, know their work is partially at fault for the upcoming catastrophe, and agree to help Sykes—whether they want to or not. But trust is a fickle thing, and this highly entertaining near-future sci-fi thriller novel explores just how far one will go to stop clinging to the past—maybe even to save humanity in the process. This at once hopeful and horrific story is sure to leave you questioning what it means to be human in an unsettling world frighteningly close to our own.

The Dark King Swallows the World by Robert G. Penner

In WWII era Cornwall, a tragic car crash claims Nora’s brother’s life. Only Nora believes his death was not an accident: she believes her mother’s new acquaintance, self-professed necromancer Olaf Winter, is responsible. What follows is Nora’s journey– full of faeries, giants, and homunculi– to get back her brother, and ultimately her mother’s heart. Nora eventually confronts the Dark King in the land of the dead in this spellbinding, thought-provoking mystical-realism novel by a Canadian author.

River, Diverted by Jamie Tennant

Step into this dark fairytale that is at once a tale of creativity, hope, grief, and an exploration of the fickleness of memory. When super successful slasher writer River Black receives a strange book in the mail, she travels to Japan to seek answers and recount past memories. Only her memory may not be as reliable as she once thought, and the mysterious book is only posing more questions. For lovers of monster movies, pop culture references, and self discovery stories, this captivating read is as mystical as it comes.

The Creation of Half-Broken People by Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu

Gloriously gothic and beautifully bold, Yale University’s Windham–Campbell Prize winner Siphiwe Gloria Ndlovu weaves a tale of a woman with no name who has mysterious visions. Working at a museum filled with the owner’s artifacts from exploits in Africa, she is at first happy with her position, until crossing paths with protestors outside of the museum, the leader of whom is, to our nameless heroine, not real. The story takes readers through a haunted castle as the nameless woman confronts the secrets of her past. Exploring complex colonial history through the present people “half-broken” by the stigmas of race and mental illness, this ode to the classic gothic genre is a haunting tale of magic and love.

Your spooky TBR wishes are our command with these nine monstrous, mysterious, mythical and magical reads that are sure to rock your senses, entertain your mind, and transport you to new and exciting lands full of intrigue and mystery. You’re welcome, fellow readers– get ready for some spooks!!