Novels of Pagan Horrors and Ancient Ways Best Forgotten

“The White People:” The diary of a deceased girl whose body was found near an ancient pagan altar recounts the story of her initiation into a hidden world of ancient cults and mythical horrors.

“The Little People:” Robert E. Howard was fascinated by the ancient Celts, and the possibility that they displaced an aboriginal culture. In this story, a woman visits a sacred mound and almost falls victim to its subterranean inhabitants: twisted horrors descended from the land’s original inhabitants.

An English policeman travels to an isolated island to investigate the disappearance of a child. He learns, much to his horror, that the islanders are the practitioners of a savage faith. A sacrifice is due, and he’s arrived just in time. This novel is based on the excellent 1973 film starring Christopher Lee.

The present slams head-on with the distant past in this horror novel from a master of modern fantasy. A man moves his family to a house on the edge of an old forest, one haunted by a being his children call the “The Bad Thing.”

Over twenty years ago, three boys went into the woods. Only one returned, and he couldn’t remember anything about what happened. Now he’s a detective, and another child has disappeared in the same forest. To solve the case, he’ll have to face his own past once and for all.

Decades ago, 15 year-old Tara set off into the woods with a stranger and vanished. Now she’s returned and seems not to have aged at all. Her disappearance shook her family to its core, and her return threatens to do the same again.

A new dad suffers an imaginable tragedy when his wife kills their child and disappears. Unable to accept what happened, the man goes on a journey into a world of ancient myth and modern evil.

A family receives an unusual gift: a mummified monkey’s paw that grants wishes. Initially delighted, their fortune turns to horror after they make an exceptionally ill-advised request.

“The Lottery:” The inhabitants of a small town are convinced that the only way to ensure their continued fortune is by participating in a yearly drawing. Unlike most lotteries, this is one no one wants to win.