Paranormal fiction is basically a “best of all worlds” situation: It blends the escapism of fantasy with the inspired realism of science fiction, while also dabbling in practically every other literary genre, from horror to romance and everything in between. In a nutshell, the paranormal genre refers to books dealing with concepts or figures that can’t currently be explained by science but could maybe, possibly be one day—think ghosts, psychics, werewolves, and vampires—in contrast to the fantasy and supernatural genres, which encompass topics that operate completely beyond our natural world.
With those parameters in mind, paranormal novels can range from the spine-tinglingly creepy to the sweetly cozy, meaning there’s something for everyone within the genre. Here, we’ve rounded up 15 of the best paranormal fiction books out there, spanning horror, romance, and mystery, from spooky classics like Dracula to a ghostly new love story from Nicholas Sparks and M. Night Shyamalan—with a stop in Forks, Washington, along the way for all the Twihards out there.
