Weird fiction sets fantasy, supernatural and horror fiction in a new light, making for some awe-inspiring tales. Here, genre-bending author Lena Valencia on the best radical reinterpretations of weird fiction.
Smothermoss by Alisa Alering
Two sparring sisters must set aside their differences to face down a murderer who has taken up residence on their mountain in 1980s rural Appalachia. Part queer coming-of-age tale, part folk horror, part murder mystery, Smothermoss refuses to fit neatly into any one genre convention.
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Lakewood by Megan Giddings
A young black woman becomes a test subject in a medical research facility to help her family with their debt and endures a series of outlandish and increasingly sadistic experiments at the hands of white doctors. A bleak premise, but Giddings’s mordant humor and masterful execution of suspense make this a page-turner.
Tears of the Trufflepig by Fernando A Flores
A surreal, madcap noir set in near-future South Texas where drugs are legal and extinct animals are brought back to life to be sold on the black market and consumed by the ultra-wealthy.
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The Garden by Clare Beams
In a house-turned-hospital for high-risk pregnancies, a garden holds a bizarre secret that a group of patients set out to investigate. The Secret Garden meets Rosemary’s Baby by way of Shirley Jackson.
