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Top 5 weird fiction books, chosen by short story writer Lena Valencia

The best in genre-bending fantasy, supernatural and horror fiction

Weird fiction sets fantasy, supernatural and horror fiction in a new light, making for some awe-inspiring tales. Here, genre-bending author Lena Valencia on the best radical reinterpretations of weird fiction.

Smothermoss by Alisa Alering 

Two sparring sisters must set aside their differences to face down a murderer who has taken up residence on their mountain in 1980s rural Appalachia. Part queer coming-of-age tale, part folk horror, part murder mystery, Smothermoss refuses to fit neatly into any one genre convention.  

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Lakewood by Megan Giddings 

A young black woman becomes a test subject in a medical research facility to help her family with their debt and endures a series of outlandish and increasingly sadistic experiments at the hands of white doctors. A bleak premise, but Giddings’s mordant humor and masterful execution of suspense make this a page-turner.  

Tears of the Trufflepig by Fernando A Flores 

A surreal, madcap noir set in near-future South Texas where drugs are legal and extinct animals are brought back to life to be sold on the black market and consumed by the ultra-wealthy.  

The Garden by Clare Beams 

In a house-turned-hospital for high-risk pregnancies, a garden holds a bizarre secret that a group of patients set out to investigate. The Secret Garden meets Rosemary’s Baby by way of Shirley Jackson. 

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Fever Dream by Samanta Schweblin, translated by Megan McDowell 

A dialogue in a hospital roomunspools into a strange tale of environmental disaster and the anxieties of motherhood. This deceptively slight novella excels in creating an atmosphere of dread that lasts long after the final page. 

Mystery Lightsby Lena Valencia is out on 28 November (£10.99, Dead Ink Books). These titles are available to buy from the Big Issue shop on Bookshop.org, which helps to support the Big Issue and independent bookshops.

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