Conrad Williams Reading Order

31 books (1996–2026)

Conrad Williams's anthology contributions span 28 volumes published between 1996 and 2023, encompassing a diverse range of horror, fantasy, and thriller collections. The series appears complete and should be read in publication order, beginning with Dark Terrors 2 and progressing through celebrated collections like The Mammoth Book of Dracula, the Mammoth Book of Best New Horror series, and Year's Best Fantasy and Horror anthologies. These compilations feature short fiction across multiple genres, including dark fantasy, supernatural horror, and crime thriller entries that showcase Williams's work alongside other notable contemporary authors.

Start with Dark Terrors 2, the first of 28 books in the Anthologies series.

#	Title
1	Dark Terrors 2 1996Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Dark Terrors 3 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Mammoth Book of Dracula 1997Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	Dark Terrors 4 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	Sirens and Other Daemon Lovers 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 9 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Phantoms of Venice 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Dark Terrors 6 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 13 2002Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Sixteenth Annual Collection 2003Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror: Eighteenth Annual Collection 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	Best New Horror 19 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	Fast Ships, Black Sails 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	Hellbound Hearts 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The End of the Line 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	Visitants 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	Full Fathom Forty 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	Gutshot 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	What Fears Become 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
20	Best New Horror 23 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
21	Obsession: Tales of Irresistible Desire 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
22	The Mammoth Book of Body Horror 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
23	Weird Tales 359 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
24	Weirder Shadows Over Innsmouth 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
25	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Six 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
26	Best New Horror 27 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
27	Best New Horror 29 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
28	Close to Midnight 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
29	Great British Horror 7: Major Arcana 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
30	Ink and Daggers 2023Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
31	Lovecraft's Brood 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

19 books (2009–2026)

The Best Horror of the Year is an ongoing annual anthology series edited by Conrad Williams, featuring curated selections of short horror fiction from various authors. Beginning with Volume One in 2009 and continuing through 2025, the series has published 18 volumes that should be read in publication order to follow the chronological curation of horror stories. A milestone collection, The Best of the Best Horror of the Year, was released after Volume Ten to highlight ten years of essential selections from the series.

Start with The Best Horror of the Year: Volume One, the first of 18 books in the Best Horror of the Year series.

#	Title
1	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume One 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Two 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Three 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Four 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Best Horror of the Year Volume Five 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Six 2014Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Seven 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Eight 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Nine 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Ten 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	The Best of the Best Horror of the Year: 10 Years of Essential Short Horror Fiction 2018Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
12	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Eleven 2019Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
13	The Best Horror of the Year: Volume Twelve 2020Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
14	The Best Horror of the Year Volume Thirteen 2021Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
15	The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Fourteen 2022Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
16	The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Fifteen 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
17	The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Sixteen 2024Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
18	The Best Horror of the Year, Volume Seventeen 2025Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
19	Best Horror of the Year, Volume Eighteen 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2006–2006)

3 books (2015–2016)

Conrad Williams' Joel Sorrell series is a complete three-book mystery thriller that blends horror elements throughout. The trilogy was published between 2015 and 2016, consisting of Dust and Desire, Hell is Empty, and Sonata of the Dead. Reading these books in publication order is essential to following the connected narrative arc of the series.

Start with Dust and Desire and read in order.

#	Title
1	Dust and Desire 2015Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Hell is Empty 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Sonata of the Dead 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

1 book (2013–2013)

3 books (1994–2013)

This complete horror anthology series consists of three volumes published between 1994 and 2013, with editors Stephen Jones and Hugh B. Cave shepherding the collection. Read the books in publication order, beginning with Shadows Over Innsmouth and progressing through Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth to Weirder Shadows Over Innsmouth. Each volume features multiple authors contributing stories within the shared supernatural framework of the series.

Start with Shadows Over Innsmouth(By: Stephen Jones) and read in order.

#	Title
1	Shadows Over Innsmouth(By: Stephen Jones) 1994Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Weird Shadows Over Innsmouth(By: Hugh B. Cave,Stephen Jones) 2005Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Weirder Shadows Over Innsmouth 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

7 books (2006–2016)

This complete collection of seven short stories and novellas by Conrad Williams spans from 2006 to 2016 and should be read in publication order beginning with The Cryptanalyst. The series blends mystery, thriller, and horror elements throughout its entries. All books have been published, making this an ideal series for readers seeking a finished collection of dark, suspenseful short fiction.

Start with The Cryptanalyst, the first of 7 books in the Short Stories/Novellas series.

#	Title
1	The Cryptanalyst 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	The Veteran 2006Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Rain 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	68° 07′ 15″ N, 31° 36′ 44″ W 2008Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	A Door Opens and Closes 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	The Jungle 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	Rosenlaui 2016Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

3 books (2004–2017)

Conrad Williams' complete short story collection series spans three volumes published between 2004 and 2017, collecting horror and mystery tales across Use Once, Then Destroy, Born with Teeth, and I Will Surround You. Read these books in publication order to experience the author's evolving work chronologically. The series is now complete.

Start with Use Once, Then Destroy and read in order.

#	Title
1	Use Once, Then Destroy 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Born with Teeth 2012Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	I Will Surround You 2017Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible

11 books (1998–2026)

Conrad Williams wrote ten standalone novels between 1998 and 2013, blending mystery, thriller, and horror elements across the complete series. These books should be read in publication order, beginning with Head Injuries and concluding with The Fox. Each entry functions as an independent story, allowing readers to start anywhere, though reading them chronologically follows the author's creative development across the fifteen-year span.

Start with Head Injuries, the first of 10 books in the Standalone Novels series.

#	Title
1	Head Injuries 1998Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
2	Nearly People 2001Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
3	Game 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
4	London Revenant 2004Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
5	The Scalding Rooms 2007Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
6	Decay Inevitable 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
7	One 2009Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
8	Blonde on a Stick 2010Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
9	Loss of Separation 2011Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
10	The Fox 2013Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible
11	Say You Love Me 2026Buy 🇺🇸🎧 Audible