Alma Katsu

Alma Katsu is the author of The Hunger, a reimagining of the story of the Donner Party with a horror twist. The Hunger made NPR’s list of the 100 Best Horror Stories, was named one of the best novels of 2018 by the Observer, Barnes & Noble, Powell’s Books (and more), and was nominated for a Stoker and Locus Award for best horror novel.

The Taker, her debut novel, has been compared to the early works of Anne Rice and Diana Gabaldon’s Outlander for combining historical, the supernatural, and fantasy into one story. The Taker was named a Top Ten Debut Novel of 2011 by Booklist, was nominated for a Goodreads Readers Choice award, and has been published in over 10 languages. It is the first in an award-winning trilogy that includes The Reckoning and The Descent.

Katsu's new novel is The Deep.

Recently I asked the author about what she was reading. Her reply:

My most interesting recent read is The Ancestor by Danielle Trussoni. It feels familiar at the start, in a cozy, comfortable your-favorite-bathrobe kind of way. A young woman going through a bad patch is informed, out of the blue, that she is the last of a noble European family. She will inherit everything if she travels to the family estate high in the Alps. She soon finds she’s stranded and that the family has a lot of secrets. Still comfy? From there it goes in a direction that is inevitable and yet quite daring. Only a writer as strong and fearless as Trussoni could pull it off. A must-read for fans of the Gothic, or anyone who likes a great story. The Ancestor comes out April 7.

Speaking of Gothic novels, if that’s your jam then you will also want to pick up Andrew Pyper’s The Residence when it comes out in September. It takes the true facts of the Franklin Pierce presidency and gives it a supernatural slant. He creates a wonderfully eerie atmosphere. No wonder the book’s been picked up for television already.

Another read I can’t stop talking about is The Ship of Dreams by Gareth Russell, a non-fiction book about the Titanic. It came out after I turned in the manuscript for The Deep, which I was pretty unhappy about because Russell was able to find a lot of tiny yet important details that had eluded me. He also does a great job putting the tragedy into historical context. Highly recommended for all Titanic fans or anyone who admires well-done historical research.

Visit Alma Katsu's website.

The Page 69 Test: The Taker.

My Book, The Movie: The Hunger.

The Page 69 Test: The Hunger.

--Marshal Zeringue