7 Best Edgar Allan Poe Books and Their Modern Readalikes

“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.”

edgar allen poe books

Considered a pinnacle of gothic fiction, Edgar Allan Poe has inspired myriad stories over the years. His examination of human nature, particularly when it comes to grief, vengeance, and madness have created memorable stories that continue to haunt and horrify in equal measure. And the genre is richer for his influence. Many stories have been written tackling not only new takes on his classic tales, but taking the themes, settings, and psychological tension and giving them new, unexpected life in wildly imaginative ways. 

One of the most recent is Mike Flanagan’s adaptation of Poe’s, The Fall of the House of Usher. In it, he not only breathes new life into one iconic story, but several. Each wrapping and twisting into the other to create something wholly new but easily recognizable. We wanted to find other works that were reminiscent of Poe in the same way.

Here are seven of Edgar Allan Poe's most memorable stories with a modern book pairing.

the raven by edgar allen poe

The Raven

By Edgar Allen Poe

The Raven tells the story of an unnamed narrator mourning the loss of his love Lenore. Of course, there’s more to it than that, but it’s clear that the narrator can’t let go of his grief while desperate to forget.

The Recommendation:

the-september-house-book-cover

The September House

By Carissa Orlando

Margaret is also in a sort of limbo. She’s alone in the house of her dreams, but she’s also not alone. The ghosts, or “pranksters”, keep her company, but their remarks to her questions are as unhelpful as the Raven’s. As for us, we’re left wondering, why do the walls bleed, why does she stay, and where is her husband?

The Tell-Tale Heart by Edgar Allen Poe

The Tell-Tale Heart

By Edgar Allen Poe

After having to endure the watchful “vulture-eye” of the old man he lives with, our narrator plots his murder. He’s careful and meticulous. But after he buries the dismantled corpse beneath the floorboards, he can’t stop hearing the ominous thump of the dead man’s heart.

The Recommendation:

Mothered

By Zoje Stage

While the unraveling leads more to the murder than the aftermath, Mothered still paints a claustrophobic descent into madness. Grace doesn’t want her mother to move in with her. There are secrets and buried hurts and truths better left buried beneath the floorboards. But as the truth beats louder, the two women fight to escape. And only one survives.

The Fall of the House of Usher

The Fall of the House of Usher

By Edgar Allan Poe

A crumbling mansion. A sick friend. The last of a dying family. It’s a tale of envy and desire, greed and corruption. There’s something not quite right in the House of Usher, but what is remains a mystery until the end.

The Recommendation

what-moves-the-dead_t-kingfisher

What Moves the Dead

By T. Kingfisher

A captivating retelling of Poe’s story, our protagonist, Alex Easton, rushes to the side of his childhood friend, Madeline Usher, when he finds out she’s dying. The ancestral House of Usher is in disarray when he arrives, teeming with fungi and wildlife. It’s clear there’s something wrong. But if Alex can’t figure out what, the House and all its secrets, might end up destroying them all.

the masque of the red death by edgar allen poe

The Masque of Red Death

By Edgar Allen Poe

A dangerous plague is running through Europe and Prince Prospero hides to avoid catching it. The wealthy can afford the luxury of isolation. And while death torments the poor, the rich nobles attend a masquerade ball put on by the Prince. Only, death doesn’t care about money or nobility.

The Recommendation:

gothic horror novels mexican gothic

Mexican Gothic

By Silvia Moreno-Garcia

While death isn’t exactly what forces the family at High Place to stay isolated, avoiding it certainly is top of mind for that family. Noemí doesn’t exactly know who they are, or why her cousin is desperate to escape. But if she wants to survive the mesmerizing seduction threatening to overcome her will, she has to figure it out.

the pit and the pendulum by edgar allen poe

The Pit and the Pendulum

By Edgar Allen Poe

When a tormented prisoner finds himself in the middle of an impossible room at the behest of the Spanish Inquisition, his options slowly run out. After he manages to escape the lowering pendulum threatening to cut him half, the walls close in, pushing him closer and closer to a pit where nothing but death awaits.

The Recommendation:

Last to Leave the Room by Caitlin Starling

Last to Leave the Room

By Caitlin Starling

Dr. Tamsin Rivers is arrogant, brash, and part of the team assigned to figuring out why the city of San Siroco is sinking. The only problem is her basement is sinking faster. As the walls distort and a door appears, Tamsin is stunned to find an exact replica of herself on the other side. The more time she spends with her, the most of herself she loses. And if she wants to survive, she has to figure out what this doppelgänger wants, before there’s nothing left.

The Black Cat by Edgar Allen Poe

The Black Cat

By Edgar Allen Poe

The Recommendation:

The Last House on Needless Street by Catriona Ward

The Last House on Needless Street

By Catriona Ward

In the last house on Needless Street live three individuals. A teenage girl who can’t go outside. A man who struggles with missing pieces in his memory. And a rather religious housecat. They exist together, forming an uneasy alliance. Until a neighbor moves in next door and shatters the carefully crafted illusions each one has built.

The Cask of Amontillado by Edgar Allen Poe

The Cask of Amontillado

By Edgar Allen Poe

Even though many of the elements in this story are present in many other Poe works, it isn’t the murder or the revenge that makes this tale so fascinating. It’s why the murder took place, what the revenge was for. And the journey into finding those answers is what makes this story a chilling delight.

The Recommendation:

The Only Good Indians

The Only Good Indians

By Stephen Graham Jones