Nordic Nightmares: The Best of Nordic Horror

Nightmarish tales of mystery and horror, from the best voices in contemporary Nordic fiction.

You know them from the stories whispered around the campfire. Sometimes, they’re dark creatures from tall forests or murky bogs, luring their victims to their death, or the apocalyptic roar of a volcanic eruption. Other times, they’re closer to home: an unsettling new neighbour, or the overly friendly people you meet on the train, or the bureaucrat who thinks he's saving the world. The haunting smile of the dead man you ran over with your car; the rustling sounds coming from the other side of the bed, the side that was your wife's when she was alive.

With tales of folkloric monsters, natural disasters, and all-too-human terrors, Nordic Nightmares opens a window into the horror landscape of the Nordic countries, from Finland to Greenland. The anthology is expertly curated to showcase the work of twenty modern masters of horror – the majority appearing in English for the first time – to keep you company during long, cold nights.

Featuring stories by John Ajvide Lindqvist, Marko Hautala, Steinar Bragi, Hildur Knútsdóttir, Pasi Ilmari Jääskeläinen, Martin Schjönning, Rakel Helmsdal, Johanna Sinisalo, Markus Sköld, Boel Bermann, Jon Ewo, Aleksander Brun, Madeleine Bäck, Nanna Árnadottir, Pivinnguaq Mørch, Mikkel Harris Carlsen, AR Frederiksen, Sólrún Michelsen, Gertrud-Marie Kreutzmann, and Tor Åge Bringsværd.