For the literary-minded horror fanatic on your shopping list, Bloody-Disgusting has put together a few ideas to get you started. From the latest (enormous) Stephen King tome to the best in recent graphic novels, this list offers something for everyone – even the kiddies! (Kind of.) For those not into words and shit, try giving a few of these babies a try anyway. I know pulling yourself away from the vids can be painful, but just remember: books are your friends! Besides, if the words hurt your brain too much you can always just look at the pictures.

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This latest novel by the horror maestro, which clocks in at over 1,000 pages, has been three decades in the making. Of course, King has stated on his official website that the previous two attempts to write Under the Dome, once in the `70s and one in the `80s, featured very different plots based on the same basic idea. He has described the `70s version, which he planned on titling The Cannibals, as more of a social black comedy on the order of Needful Things, while the released version is more of a straight-ahead horror yarn. The sprawling narrative, about a small Maine town sealed off from the rest of the world by an enormous invisible force-field, touches on themes of isolation, post-9/11 fear-mongering, reality-show/tabloid culture and the capacity for ordinary humans to carry out acts of unspeakable evil. Seeing as my favorite novel of King’s is the unabridged version of The Stand, needless to say I’m excited about giving this one a read.

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For people who liked the film, and even for those who didn’t see it frankly (which based on the box-office numbers is pretty much everybody I guess), this collection of a dozen of Richard Matheson’s short stories originally published in the 1950s, `60s and `70s (one of which is “Button, Button”, the story that spawned the Richard Kelly film) is a must-have primer for every Matheson newbie in your life. Stories include the satirical, L.A.-bashing “The Creeping Terror”; “Dying Room Only”, the scariest story about a public bathroom you’ll ever read; and “Shock Wave”, about a malicious church organ. If you’re a fan of Stephen King (see above) and haven’t ever picked up a Matheson tome, you’re in for a treat (fyi, King has cited Matheson as his primary literary influence).

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This is a no-brainer gift for any True Blood fan who has never read the Charlaine Harris books upon which they’re based. Think of them as an adult version of Twilight (read: there’s actual sex in these). A good way for True Blood-ers suffering from painful withdrawls to get by between seasons. They’re an easy read, and sure to be nearly as addictive as the HBO series. Added bonus: No bad Southern accents.

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For anyone who enjoyed Star Wars but found the franchise lacking in, um, zombies, you should find Star Wars: Death Troopers a welcome addition to your book collection. When the Imperial prison barge Purge breaks down in deep space, a group of crew members board a drifting Star Destroyer to scavenge for parts only to discover it has been overtaken by a zombie plague. When only half of the group return, they bring the virus back with them – and, well, you get the idea. The story takes place five years before the events in A New Hope, meaning you might just see a few familiar faces pop up. Great for Star Wars completists and fans of extreme gore (the book boasts some pretty grisly passages). Bonus points for the cover, which bears the image of a Storm Trooper’s severed head hanging from a hook.

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This coffee table book is basically a love letter to the early Universal monster films, from Dracula to the Creature From the Black Lagoon. The tome includes bios of the major players involved in the films’ development and production, beautiful black-and-white behind-the-scenes photography, and interviews with surviving participants. A great gift for history-minded horror buffs, or for anyone who still uses the term “moving pictures” (i.e. your grandmother).

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As the old adage goes, “Sex sells”, and boy did Hammer Films know it. Sure, actors like Christopher Lee, Oliver Reed and Peter Cushing helped put Hammer on the map, but let’s be honest: the cleavage-bearing women were one of the main reasons for the films’ successes. To prove the point we now have Hammer Glamour, an homage to the sexy sirens – women like Raquel Welch, Ingrid Pitt, Veronica Carlson, and Barbara Shelley – who served as pinup girls for fans of the movies. The book features rare, mostly-color photos of female Hammer actresses famous and not-so-famous, along with short bios for each. Not to Megan Fox: stop posing for two goddamn seconds and bow down to the masters.

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This collection of the first 48 issues (or eight volumes) of author Robert Kirkman and artist Tony Moore’s (and later artist Charlie Adler’s) Walking Dead series comes in at a whopping 1,088 pages and should make any fan of the books (or someone who has never read any of the comics before but can appreciate epic, well-told zombie stories) happy. Not only does the Walking Dead series deliver the horror goods (albeit slowly), it introduces a deep, character-driven dimension to the zombie mythology that makes for a rich and rewarding experience. Having all eight of these volumes in one delicious package only serves to emphasize the sprawling beauty of Kirkman’s creation.

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The second chapter Joe Hill and Gabriel Rodriguez’s Locke & Key series, Locke & Key: Head Games continues the story of the Locke children of Keyhouse Mansion, who at the beginning of this chapter are sent into an emotional tumult when a shocking murder dredges up memories of their father’s death. In their time of need Kinsey and Tyler turn to new friend Zack Wells, but Zack harbors a dangerous secret of his own. This is a must for fans of the first chapter (Welcome to Lovecraft), which combines the poignant and imaginative storytelling of Hill (who clearly learned a thing or two from poppa Stephen King) and Rodriguez’s gorgeously evocative artwork.

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These hardcovers, each of which collect several issues from different installments of the popular Marvel Zombie limited series (except for Dead Days, which was released as a one-shot prequel), are a dream come true for Marvel super-fans who don’t mind seeing their favorite characters reduced to slobbering flesh-munchers. Luckily, said zombified characters retain their intellectual capabilities, so the conflicts inherent in the Marvel universe are mostly maintained (just with a lot more gore). In Marvel Zombies vs. the Army of Darkness, the worlds of Evil Dead and Marvel are combined inventively. Basically, if you’ve ever wished to see Ash Williams and Spiderman present in the same story (which come to think of it just might be Sam Raimi’s wet dream) but never thought it would happen, here you go.

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Four of Poe’s tales (“The Tell-Tale Heart”, “The System of Dr. Tarr and Professor Fether”, “The Oblong Box”, and “The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar”) are artfully abridged in this second melding (the first being Tales of Mystery & Madness) of the legendary author’s talents with the stunning artwork of Gris Grimly. Grimly, known mostly as the macabre illustrator of several children’s books, brings Poe’s prose to life with his beautifully stylized drawings that look something like the artwork of Roald Dahl collaborator Quentin Blake merged with the skewed, finely detailed dreamscapes of Tim Burton. If any artist was born to illustrate Poe, it’s Grimly. Great for (older) kids, particularly if you get off on giving them nightmares.

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The first three hardcover collections of the Peter David-scripted comic book spin-offs of Stephen King’s western-themed fantasy/horror series of novels are a great gift not only for fans of the books but for those too impatient to trudge through all those gosh-darned words that King likes so much. Of course, those hoping for a direct translation of the novels will be disappointed since most of the material, particularly in the second and third volumes (Long Road Home and Treachery) are made up of events not featured in the books. Nevertheless, these graphic novels (featuring fantastic illustrations by Jae Lee and Richard Isanove) are a welcome addition to theDark Tower series, and along with The Stand: Captain Trips, mark an exciting new foray by King into the comic book universe.

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