1976 Book Ranked Among the ‘Best Modern Horror Novels'-And It's Not Stephen King
Goodreads members voted on the "Best Modern Horror Novels" with Stephen King books taking up most of the list. The Shining came in at number one, followed by 'Salem's Lot, The Stand, and It. However, if you've already read through most of King's work, there are plenty of other horror authors worth reading. One included toward the top of the list is Anne Rice.
Rice's debut novel was Interview with the Vampire, a gothic story originally published in 1976. In it, a vampire named Louis de Pointe du Lac tells a reporter about his life, which Amazon calls, "a story of danger and flight, of love and loss, of suspense and resolution, and of the extraordinary power of the senses. It is a novel only Anne Rice could write."
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Although the book originally received mixed reviews, Rice went on to create several more in the series, which is now known as The Vampire Chronicles. Throughout the 1980s, she started to get more favorable reviews from both critics and fans.
As one reviewer said, "I thoroughly enjoyed this from beginning to end. This was pure gothic-vampire horror but presented in a way the characters all had human emotions and interpersonal problems. I really liked the descriptive imagery used throughout the entire story: from dark 1700s Louisiana to shadowy Old Country Europe. The tone contained all the elements of a good vampire/horror story: dark and gothic. These were real vampires that killed people; whether to feed or the thrill of the hunt."
The book inspired the 1994 film with Tom Cruise and Brad Pitt, which has an 86% audience score on Rotten Tomatoes. It also went on to become a hit AMC series that started in 2022, which has a critic score of 99%. Its third season is releasing in June 2026.
Rice wrote more than 30 books throughout her career, including the Lives of the Mayfair Witches, which also inspired a show on AMC, and Ramses the Damned. Overall, her books have sold over 100 million copies, making her one of the most successful authors of our time.
Other books on the "Best Modern Horror Novels" list includes The Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson and Ghost Story by Peter Straub.
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This story was originally published April 14, 2026 at 8:16 AM.