(Editor’s note: Cryptid Quarterly is a feature where I highlight cryptid horror fiction from each quarter of 2024, using Amazon Kindle release dates.)
My second cryptid horror fiction list features the Top 10 plus 14 honorable mentions. The list includes the latest D.A. Roberts novel in the No. 1 spot plus works by many familiar authors of cryptid fiction like Jeffrey B Miley, Luka T. Jacobs, and Edward McFadden III.
Of course, stories about my favorite cryptid Sasquatch are on the list, but a variety of other creatures are represented in the Top 10 like the Wendigo, a rogue tiger shark, the Dogman, and mutant camelback crickets. In the list of honorable mentions, we have killer frogs, the Mothman, the Jersey devil, and giant chiggers.
So, without further ado, here’s my list of the Top 10 cryptid horror fiction releases from April 1 through June 30, 2024, along with a list of honorable mentions worth checking out. Clicking on the book titles takes you to their Amazon pages.
#1. Cry of the Wendigo by D.A. Roberts. Book 3 in the Dark Frontiers series continues the adventures of a special U.S. Marshals team of deputies called the Nightmare Hunters who are tasked to bring down the deadliest creatures to ever stalk the American West.
#2. Genoskwa: A New Beginning by Heath Stallcup. Book 4 in the Genoskwa series introduces a new clan of Sasquatch that clash with FBI SWAT teams during a rescue operation for unsuspecting teens hoping to see a living Sasquatch in its natural environment.
#3. Stripes by Brian Gatto. A rogue tiger shark develops a ravenous craving for a potent new drug dumped into an inlet off the coast of Mexico, unleashing a reign of terror on the inhabitants and tourists of a nearby island.
#4. Sasquatch 42: Swampus by Jeffrey B Miley. An executive producer of a popular cable reality show is sent ahead to Louisiana to do advance work on an episode to debunk a local swamp monster myth – except the myth is real.
#5. Night of the Dogman: Retribution by Luka T. Jacobs. The sequel to A Battle for Survival is set a year later when another Dogman attacks the town of Hickory seeking retribution for her fallen brother.
#6. Stomping Ground by Eric S. Brown. Sick of the limelight, a billionaire buys a large piece of land in Alaska, hoping to build a compound-like mansion there. However, the land is inhabited by a creature of dark legends that isn’t about to share.
#7. The Portlock Sasquatch Massacre by K.T. Tomb. Book 11 in the Creatures series, The Portlock Sasquatch Massacre follows a team of investigators as they track down the elusive Nantiinaq in the haunted ghost town of Portlock, Alaska, to ensure the region is safe for redevelopment into a luxurious resort.
#8. Bigfoot: The Vietnam Massacre Declassified by Gayne C. Young. The sequel to The Vietnam Defensive Declassified follows the deadly aftermath of a sergeant’s encounter with an unknown species of ape as he and a band of mercenaries travel into the fabled Dark Lands to destroy the creatures.
#9. Crics by Edward J. McFadden III. An infestation of mutant camelback crickets with razor-sharp teeth turns the village of Stones Throw into a battleground.
#10. Placerita by Lisa Morton and John Palisano. Set in 1928 in a desert town just north of Los Angeles, Placerita follows a young biologist’s journey after discovering an unidentifiable specimen washed up in the wake of a devastating flood – a journey that leads to the home of the legendary Lizard People living beneath the City of Angels.
HONORABLE MENTIONS
Beasts: Three Creature Features by William Meikle
Bering Sea Terror by Matthew Nefferdorf
Chiggers by Paul Hughes
Frogs and Margaritas by Angel Ramon
Jersey Devil by Matthew Earnest
Landfill Lizards by Edward J. McFadden III
Rogues by Ahimsa Kerp
Sasquatch 39: FIRE by Jeffrey B Miley
Sasquatch 40: Twins: Evil Times Two by Jeffrey B Miley
Sasquatch 41: Enemy by Jeffrey B Miley
Snallygaster: The Cryptid Chronicles Book 3 by Henry Scott
Terror in Big Bend by Ethan Richards
They Own the Night: Surviving the Pilliga by Luka T. Jacobs and Michelle Ford
Watchtower Reckoning: Sasquatch Awakening by Luka T. Jacobs
LIONEL RAY GREEN 