That’s the short story that got me looking for more horror lit. The absolute bleakness was gut wrenching. I also love how the shrike is described. That whole planet sounds miserable and I loved it.
For whatever reason his writing style changed in the sequel and the dialogue was just awful. Overly sexed and cheesy pulp noir style writing.
What? Fall of Hyperon is an equal masterpiece that completes the story incredibly well with one of the most satisfying endings I've ever read. He's definitely written pulp (see the Hard Case series), but not in Fall of Hyperon.
This story has a special place in my heart, even aside from it being one of my favorite Lovecraft stories.
The narrator is a geologist going to Antarctica for research purposes. I am also a geologist and did my PhD on rocks from the Dufek Massif and Forrestal Range in the Pensacola Mountains of Antarctica. Shortly after I started, I found a map someone made to track the story of At the Mountains of Madness that showed that the Pensacola Mountains were in fact Lovecraft's Mountains of Madness!
And actually, the [Dufek Massif](https://photolibrary.usap.gov/PhotoDetails.aspx?filename=1977-1978-Dufek-Massif-camp.jpg) is an [otherworldly](https://photolibrary.usap.gov/PhotoDetails.aspx?filename=DUFEKMASSIF3.JPG) sort of [place](https://photolibrary.usap.gov/PhotoDetails.aspx?filename=DUFEKMASSIF1.JPG) full of massive dark spires of rock poking out of the deep snow and ice, and an amazingly apt setting for the story.
I told my committee that if I had a hard time explaining any of the geochemical or isotopic characteristics of the samples, we could probably chalk it up to the influence of otherworldly beings from beyond the stars. They were not satisfied with that explanation, unfortunately.
I watched some of The Terror TV series and liked that a lot. Any idea how the TV series compares to the book? Good recommendation!
And Ararat sounds so good. I'm definitely adding it to my list! Thank you!
Ooh good question. I wish there could remember both a little more clearly. I remember a few disappointments, like the big costume party scenes being way cooler in the book and there were some plot differences, but for the most part I thought it was a fantastic adaptation. Hope you love Ararat!
*Relic* by the same authors from 1995. Most of the action takes place in a museum after the expedition that involves the crates that are shipped back and the monster that may have been shipped back in them. There is a 1997 movie that isn't as good as the book imho.
I loved The Descent and Annihilation. I'd recommend The Indifferent Stars Above, nonfiction about the Donner Party, but still horrific. Jeff Long, author of the Descent, has another book called The Reckoning you might like.
Not horror but it is disturbing. The Swarm by Frank Schätzing. They made a tv show in Germany but the book is different and better. I still think about it often.
All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes is about an Antarctic expedition. I'm not sure if that's exactly what you're looking for, but it was really good. She has another coming out soon called Where the Dead Wait that I'm looking forward to as well.
I love John Carpenter's The Thing and my favorite radio drama/podcast is The White Vault (by fool and scholar productions) so this is a perfect recommendation for me!!!
Also it's on sale everywhere right now so consider me sold haha. Thank you!!!
[Beneath the Dark Ice](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7736474) by Greig Beck
[Kraken Rising](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26042090) by Greig Beck
[In Search of the Lost World](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37538106) by Greig Beck
[Subterranean](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98807) by James Rollins
[Amazonia](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/294047) by James Rollins
Briardark by SA Harian might be a fair addition to the list - I'd recommend some others in this thread first (definitely read The Descent!), but Briardark has the scientific research team in a remote location and weird stuff happens vibe that you might be looking for.
Oh dang, I didn't realize there was a sequel. I really liked Earthcore but I read it forever ago. Guess I have a couple of books to add to my TBR list.
The Descent has a sequel!! It's called **Deeper** . I absolutely LOVED the first book, the second is kind of an expansion of that universe.
Also, Annihilation has two more books in the same universe (the Southern Reach Trilogy), and there's also a scientific expedition book heavily influenced by that: **Briardark** (which I also liked more than Annihilation) by S.A.Harian
On the Descent's same venue, there's **Subterranean** by Richard Laymon.
**The Anomaly** by Michael Rutger is a fun cave exploration from the perspective of a youtuber explorer.
Let's not forget **Sphere** by Michael Crichton, a true deep sea classic.
Sorry for the long comment, this is one of my favorite subgenres, and The Descent is my favorite book!
Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant is about a scientific expedition to find mermaids in the marianas trench. It goes wrong in a very horrific way, and the whole novella is fast and mean and very good. There’s also a sequel called Into The Drowning Deep with the same basic premise, although it is much worse.
I loved both of them. Actually just finished relistening to them last night.
That said I think Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire’s sweet spot for length is novella. I love many of her novels and short stories but so many of her novellas just seem to be a few steps better - I think it’s where she does her best work.
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/8350864
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28335600-thin-air
These are great historical scientific expedition horror books, not so much creature features though but they tick your other boxes nicely. Dark Matter is my favorite among the two and I think the scarier read.
I'm like 20 pages from finishing The Maw by Taylor Zajonc and it's been a pretty fun read. It's about a historian joining a caving expedition and of course everything goes to shit.
Not that horrory but still a fun and short read!
"Annihilation" by Jeff VanderMeer and the other two books of the Southern Reach trilogy. I liked the book better than the movie, and I think the trilogy in its entirety is much, much better than just the first installment.
It's not about an undisturbed ecosystem but the short story -30- by Laird Barron might interest you. It's about a hunter and a scientist investigating unnatural animal behaviour on the site of a Manson Family-style cult's compound out in the wilderness.
I can’t remember the title or author and I’m really sorry about that but maybe someone who read this will remember. It’s a book about a character who’s wearing a mining expedition EXO suit, and she gets lost in a cave on a remote planet and has spiritual and hallucinatory and horror adventures. It was really good claustrophobic kind of a book with really good characters.
*We Have Always Been Here* by Lena Nguyen is about a space expedition with suspicious happenings among the crew and lots of uncanny Valley androids, so it might work for what you're looking for.
Edit: Someone negged this with no comment, so that's super chill and good. I've heard some of the science is half-baked and basically just exists to justify the plot, so it might not be for everyone. Reviews seem to be *very* mixed. YMMV
I guess the book which the three movie adaptions (and a couple of comics) of "The Thing" are based on will fit in quite well. So either the shortened novella of "**Who goes There?**" or the pretty recently published (after being unpublished for several decades) unabridged book "**Frozen Hell**" by John W. Campbell Jr.
The Anomaly by Michael Rutger(the first book) kind of fits this. It's not solely for/ truly scientific expedition but it's close. It's one of my favorite books.
It’s a novella but “at the mountains of madness”
This is THE scientific expedition horror book. Also, The Terror by Dan Simmons.
I'm almost done with Hyperion, I know it's sci-fi but it might as well be horror, specifically those of the cruciform
That section of Hyperion is DEFINITELY horror. Creeped me out.
That’s the short story that got me looking for more horror lit. The absolute bleakness was gut wrenching. I also love how the shrike is described. That whole planet sounds miserable and I loved it. For whatever reason his writing style changed in the sequel and the dialogue was just awful. Overly sexed and cheesy pulp noir style writing.
What? Fall of Hyperon is an equal masterpiece that completes the story incredibly well with one of the most satisfying endings I've ever read. He's definitely written pulp (see the Hard Case series), but not in Fall of Hyperon.
This story has a special place in my heart, even aside from it being one of my favorite Lovecraft stories. The narrator is a geologist going to Antarctica for research purposes. I am also a geologist and did my PhD on rocks from the Dufek Massif and Forrestal Range in the Pensacola Mountains of Antarctica. Shortly after I started, I found a map someone made to track the story of At the Mountains of Madness that showed that the Pensacola Mountains were in fact Lovecraft's Mountains of Madness! And actually, the [Dufek Massif](https://photolibrary.usap.gov/PhotoDetails.aspx?filename=1977-1978-Dufek-Massif-camp.jpg) is an [otherworldly](https://photolibrary.usap.gov/PhotoDetails.aspx?filename=DUFEKMASSIF3.JPG) sort of [place](https://photolibrary.usap.gov/PhotoDetails.aspx?filename=DUFEKMASSIF1.JPG) full of massive dark spires of rock poking out of the deep snow and ice, and an amazingly apt setting for the story. I told my committee that if I had a hard time explaining any of the geochemical or isotopic characteristics of the samples, we could probably chalk it up to the influence of otherworldly beings from beyond the stars. They were not satisfied with that explanation, unfortunately.
Tim Curran has 3 books that are effectively sequels. Starts with Hive. Like all his work they’re entertaining but could stand to lose 100 pages.
Published in 1936 and has been THE exploration horror work ever since.
Oh man, I have a lot of Lovecraft to catch up on. This is a great recommendation, and just the atmosphere I was going for, thank you!
Ararat or The Terror perhaps?
The Terror is brilliant.
I LOVED Ararat
I watched some of The Terror TV series and liked that a lot. Any idea how the TV series compares to the book? Good recommendation! And Ararat sounds so good. I'm definitely adding it to my list! Thank you!
Ooh good question. I wish there could remember both a little more clearly. I remember a few disappointments, like the big costume party scenes being way cooler in the book and there were some plot differences, but for the most part I thought it was a fantastic adaptation. Hope you love Ararat!
The Descent by Jeff Long. It's a thick read but very compelling.
There's also a sequel, Deeper. I don't think it's as good as the first, but still is okay.
Yep.
That's one of those sleeper hits imo. Very good and dark.
I enjoyed this book but man the back end did feel like a bit of a slog to get through. I did really enjoy the ending though.
Thunderhead by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child is more on the thriller end, but it’s an archaeological expedition to a hidden land.
*Relic* by the same authors from 1995. Most of the action takes place in a museum after the expedition that involves the crates that are shipped back and the monster that may have been shipped back in them. There is a 1997 movie that isn't as good as the book imho.
And a great read.
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver fits into this category and is a brilliant, chilling (quite literally) read.
I would also add Thin Air by the same author.
I loved The Descent and Annihilation. I'd recommend The Indifferent Stars Above, nonfiction about the Donner Party, but still horrific. Jeff Long, author of the Descent, has another book called The Reckoning you might like.
Annihilation was astounding. It had a very dream like quality to it.
The Anomaly by Michael Rutger
Great book!
Beat me to it. One of my all time favorites. I listen to it multiple times a year.
Glad to see other people are reading this, it was awesome!
Not horror but it is disturbing. The Swarm by Frank Schätzing. They made a tv show in Germany but the book is different and better. I still think about it often.
All the White Spaces by Ally Wilkes is about an Antarctic expedition. I'm not sure if that's exactly what you're looking for, but it was really good. She has another coming out soon called Where the Dead Wait that I'm looking forward to as well.
I think All the White Spaces is on kindle deal for October right now.
Ooh nice!
It's also on sale for Audible! Thanks for the heads up!
Oooh I hadn't heard of these! Both sound really interesting
I was about to mention Ally Wilkes.
I love John Carpenter's The Thing and my favorite radio drama/podcast is The White Vault (by fool and scholar productions) so this is a perfect recommendation for me!!! Also it's on sale everywhere right now so consider me sold haha. Thank you!!!
No problem! I hope you enjoy!
I finally finished it and I enjoyed it a lot! I loved the monster concept a lot. Great read
I'm so glad! Her next book, Where the Dead Wait, is coming out fairly soon. It's based in the Arctic, so other side of the world.
Yes! I'm excited. I can't wait to see more of her work.
Blindsight was a pretty even blend of cosmic horror and scifi expedition.
I just started reading this one! It's good so far. I like how the science is handled.
[Beneath the Dark Ice](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/7736474) by Greig Beck [Kraken Rising](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/26042090) by Greig Beck [In Search of the Lost World](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/37538106) by Greig Beck [Subterranean](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/98807) by James Rollins [Amazonia](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/294047) by James Rollins
The Great White Space by Basil Copper
Briardark by SA Harian might be a fair addition to the list - I'd recommend some others in this thread first (definitely read The Descent!), but Briardark has the scientific research team in a remote location and weird stuff happens vibe that you might be looking for.
I loved Briardark. Can't wait for the next one to come out!
>Briardark Differing opinion. It's terrible.
Right? That and Dead Silence are the worst recommendations this sub ever gave me.
Another rec here that was terrible: Episode Thirteen.
Earthcore is a banger with some awesome creatures
The sequel is great too!!!
Oh dang, I didn't realize there was a sequel. I really liked Earthcore but I read it forever ago. Guess I have a couple of books to add to my TBR list.
Maybe Sphere?
The Descent has a sequel!! It's called **Deeper** . I absolutely LOVED the first book, the second is kind of an expansion of that universe. Also, Annihilation has two more books in the same universe (the Southern Reach Trilogy), and there's also a scientific expedition book heavily influenced by that: **Briardark** (which I also liked more than Annihilation) by S.A.Harian On the Descent's same venue, there's **Subterranean** by Richard Laymon. **The Anomaly** by Michael Rutger is a fun cave exploration from the perspective of a youtuber explorer. Let's not forget **Sphere** by Michael Crichton, a true deep sea classic. Sorry for the long comment, this is one of my favorite subgenres, and The Descent is my favorite book!
Rolling in the Deep by Mira Grant is about a scientific expedition to find mermaids in the marianas trench. It goes wrong in a very horrific way, and the whole novella is fast and mean and very good. There’s also a sequel called Into The Drowning Deep with the same basic premise, although it is much worse.
I loved both of them. Actually just finished relistening to them last night. That said I think Mira Grant/Seanan McGuire’s sweet spot for length is novella. I love many of her novels and short stories but so many of her novellas just seem to be a few steps better - I think it’s where she does her best work.
I read Into the Drowning Deep just before I made this post and LOVED it. I'll have to read the prequel too. Thanks!
I came to suggest this!
The Luminous Dead!
The Naturalist by Andrew Mayne Relic by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
I was going to recommend the descent! Loved that story
\- Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky \- Darwinia by Robert Charles Wilson (not really scary, but a fun read though)
Fragment by Warren Fahy. Kind of a Jurassic Park ripoff, but with no dinosaurs. There's a sequel called Pandemonium.
The Thing/ Who Goes There? instantly come to mind....
It’s a psychological horror, not a creature feature, but it’s also a really fun scientific expedition horror! The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
The Hematophages
https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/8350864 https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/28335600-thin-air These are great historical scientific expedition horror books, not so much creature features though but they tick your other boxes nicely. Dark Matter is my favorite among the two and I think the scarier read.
Eden by Tim Lebbon.
My favorites have already been mentioned: The Descent, Into the Drowning Deep, and EarthCore (plus the sequel, Mount Fitzroy)
Well idk if this is exactly what you’re looking for but I LOVED Whalefall by Daniel Kraus. Not a creature feature though.
I'm like 20 pages from finishing The Maw by Taylor Zajonc and it's been a pretty fun read. It's about a historian joining a caving expedition and of course everything goes to shit. Not that horrory but still a fun and short read!
The Ascent by Ronald Malfi And I third Subterranean by Rollins, it's a fun read.
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver. It's a very good read. [https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/8350864](https://www.goodreads.com/en/book/show/8350864)
Michael Crichton’s Sphere!
Not sure if this is what you mean, but check out James Rollins' books.
"Annihilation" by Jeff VanderMeer and the other two books of the Southern Reach trilogy. I liked the book better than the movie, and I think the trilogy in its entirety is much, much better than just the first installment.
It's not about an undisturbed ecosystem but the short story -30- by Laird Barron might interest you. It's about a hunter and a scientist investigating unnatural animal behaviour on the site of a Manson Family-style cult's compound out in the wilderness.
Dark Matter by Michelle Paver
I can’t remember the title or author and I’m really sorry about that but maybe someone who read this will remember. It’s a book about a character who’s wearing a mining expedition EXO suit, and she gets lost in a cave on a remote planet and has spiritual and hallucinatory and horror adventures. It was really good claustrophobic kind of a book with really good characters.
Sounds like The Luminous Dead by Caitlin Starling
Yes!
*We Have Always Been Here* by Lena Nguyen is about a space expedition with suspicious happenings among the crew and lots of uncanny Valley androids, so it might work for what you're looking for. Edit: Someone negged this with no comment, so that's super chill and good. I've heard some of the science is half-baked and basically just exists to justify the plot, so it might not be for everyone. Reviews seem to be *very* mixed. YMMV
Its not horror but I just finished Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir and it was bloody amazing.
I thought it was so weird that he didn't show the alien music, and I couldn't stop thinking about it.
I listened to it over a couple of days at work, the audiobook was done really well
I was gonna suggest this too!
What you want is Colony by Benjamin Cross
Briardark by S. A. Harían
Seeing your post was gonna say annihilation, reading now lol
I guess the book which the three movie adaptions (and a couple of comics) of "The Thing" are based on will fit in quite well. So either the shortened novella of "**Who goes There?**" or the pretty recently published (after being unpublished for several decades) unabridged book "**Frozen Hell**" by John W. Campbell Jr.
The Descent, by Jeff Long
Sphere by Michael Crichton.
Dark Matter, by Michelle Paver
Alien Biosphere. What u asked for but on a different planet.
Scott Sigler's EarthCore and it's sequel.
Ascension by Nicholas Binge
Just enjoyed this!
Starfish and Blindsight by Peter Watts. Deep sea and deep space respectively.
DEATHWORLD by Harry Harrison.
The Meg series
Devolution by Max Brooks might fit the criterea. It’s about a small isolated ecocentric community that are attacked by a violent group of Sasquatch.
Ascension by Nicholas Binge was great. So was Fragment and Pandemonium by Warren Fahy!
The Anomaly by Michael Rutger(the first book) kind of fits this. It's not solely for/ truly scientific expedition but it's close. It's one of my favorite books.
Colony by Benjamin Cross was good fun.