The Most Unsettling Sci-fi Books | The Horrors of Science Fiction

🎃 Get ready for a spooky journey into the darkest corners of science fiction and horror literature on Quinn's Ideas! This Halloween, join us for a special episode where I into the eerie and mysterious world of sci-fi horror to make some recommendations for you guys. From classics to contemporary gems, we've got a bone-chilling selection of books that will have you reading with the lights on!

In this, my third Halloween special, I recommend an array of terrifying tales to set the mood for your spooky night:

🌫️ Stephen King's "The Mist" - Enter a world enveloped in a sinister fog, where unknown horrors lurk in the shadows. Will you escape the terror that awaits?
🧟 "Frankenstein" - Delve into the roots of science fiction with Mary Shelley's groundbreaking masterpiece. Witness the birth of a literary genre and the creation of a monster that still haunts our nightmares.
🌌 "Book of the New Sun" by Gene Wolfe - Immerse yourself in the mind-bending world of Severian the Torturer. This complex and beautifully written series is a must-read for any sci-fi enthusiast.
🌕 AND MORE!

Prepare to be spooked, thrilled, and inspired to pick up a sci-fi horror book for your Halloween night. Don't forget to hit that subscribe button and ring the notification bell to stay updated with Quinn's Ideas, where we explore the world of science fiction. Happy Halloween! 🎃📚🌌

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[steveo]

Interesting fun fact: Mary Shelly wrote Frankenstein during “the year without a summer” which was a 3 year stretch where a volcanic eruption pushed the earth into a frozen red-sky hellscape.

[RichardWelter]

My favourite creepy sci-fi Stephen King is The Jaunt, not knowing what happens during a jaunt except that it is horrific enough to drive you mad is a terrifying idea.

[CrossfitSW]

The Gunslinger is one of my favorite books! The first line is perfect: "The man in black fled across the desert, and the gunslinger followed"

[extrantice]

possibly the worst thing, for me, about Hyperion, was subsequently learning that the Shrike was named after a real life bird with a very particular set of behaviours D=

[jlshel]

Quinn, I was excited/scared when you said 1984. Read it in high school, again in college a few times…didn’t become terrifying until I worked in the US federal government for 14 years. The more life experience you have, the more some books just hit.

[LimeofTheLord]

Ooh! Man made horrors beyond my comprehension!

[spacebees]

Was expecting a Three-Body shout-out but you've already talked a lot about it, and are the reason I read it. Death's End in particular was scary for me. Just, , , all of it. Existentially horrifying.

[davidkleinman]

Ive been reading scifi for 50 plus years. I grew up in a house full of the classics from the 40s, 50s and 60s. Its great to have a literate and well read fellow to give me a network of books and ideas I havent come across. You and your channel are a great resource.

[summerkagan]

As horror goes " I Have No Mouth But I Must Scream" by Harlen Ellison is memorable. " A Colder War" by Charles Stross and "The Ones Who Walked Away From Omelas" by Ursula K LeGuin and "Empire Star" by Samuel R Delaney all have elements of horror that have stuck with me.

[KHATVAR]

My personal favorite from Skeleton Crew was "The Jaunt." Very sci-fi and ultimately creepy. Might even hint at Todash Space.

[Severian]

Glad you mentioned Gene Wolfe's masterpiece. Hopefully more people will give it a try. Definitely not for everyone but man, what a book. I love it so much.

[michaelstearns]

I think "Blood Child" the short story by Octavia Butler, was the most scary and gruesome story i have every read! Truly unbelievablely frighting!

[chrisspleit]

Halloween is my favorite season and with you providing some of my favorite content on Youtube, this made my day. Thanks Quinn!

[PC-nibp]

Love the Frankenstein shout out. Solid contender for my favorite book ever, no matter how much analysis and rereading I do with it, it always leaves me with more to think about

[jakert]

You cited Fascism here, but I think Orwell was speaking of totalitarianism in all of its forms. In fact, Stalin’s propaganda and information machine (and ideological suppression) would have been his easiest citation of the situation in the book playing out in real life.

[mymthegreyful]

I was so satisfied with " Gun Slinger " that it was years & years before i read the rest of the million and a half words of the story. Bonus ; usually when i look for a copy of The Gunslinger i use the ISBN of the first paperback edition so i can avoid the update to the story. It's his best work.

[TheReaper]

Production quality is insane! Another great video! Thank you for this Halloween Special!

[xXBranflakeXx]

It makes me so happy to see The Passage get some attention. It is such a good trilogy!

[joeclerkin]

The Dark Tower series is one of my all time favorite book series. The layers that King puts into it along with how it links to his other novels is well worth the time it takes to read all of them.

[tiduswhiteblade]

Quinn-
I’ve commented before telling you that you’ve really turned me on to sci-fi reading. It started with the Three Body Problem. I read that based on one of your videos and absolutely loved it. Now I’m starting the first half of the Book of the New Sun. Thank you for having such awesome book recommendations. It came at just the right time. I’ve been wanting something new to read and now im jumping in. Thanks, mate. Keep up the awesome work. You’re spreading the good word about awesome books!