Best Paula Guran Books

The best books by Paula Guran — 6 titles spanning Horror, averaging 3.52 BLT stars.

Read more

Paula Guran is less a writer than a curator with a point of view — one of horror and dark fantasy's most trusted editors, responsible for shaping what the genre considers its best each year. Her Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror series is essential reading for anyone who wants a map of where the genre's edges are being pushed, and her themed anthologies — Vampires: The Recent Undead, Zombies: The Recent Dead, Blood Sisters: Vampire Stories by Women — go beyond simple compilation. Each collection has an argument embedded in it, a perspective on what these monster archetypes actually mean. Guran's taste runs toward literary darkness: psychologically precise, tonally controlled, the kind of horror that lingers rather than shocks. Readers who want a knowledgeable guide into the genre's serious work, not just its most commercial, will find Guran indispensable.

Paula Guran's highest-rated book in our collection is Zombies: More Recent Dead (3.64 BLT stars). Browse the full list below.

Where to Start with Paula Guran

  1. 1
    Zombies: More Recent Dead cover

    Zombies: More Recent Dead

    by Paula Guran, Mike Carey, Neil Gaiman, Kathleen Tierney, Stephen Graham Jones, Joe R. Lansdale, Jonathan Maberry, Carrie Vaughn, Carrie Ryan, Matthew Johnson

    3.64 BLT Score (212 ratings)
    ★ 3.63 Goodreads (212)
  2. 2
    The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2010 cover

    The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror 2010

    Kyle Murchison Booth • Book 4

    by Paula Guran, Kelley Armstrong, Holly Black, Ramsey Campbell, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Joe R. Lansdale, Stewart O'Nan, Sarah Pinborough, Norman Prentiss, Barbara Roden, Lucius Shepard, Peter Straub, Michael Shea, Kelly Link, Ekaterina Sedia, Catherynne M. Valente, Gerard Houarner, Gemma Files, Kurt Dinan, Elizabeth Bear, Roby Davies, Maura McHugh, Dale Bailey, Deborah Biancotti, Gary McMahon, Holly Phillips, John Mantooth, Marc Laidlaw, Margo Lanagan, Michael Marshall Smith, Nadia Bulkin, Nathan Ballingrud, Paul Tremblay, Peter Atkins, Sarah Monette, Seth Fried, Stephen Graham Jones, Steve Duffy, Steve Rasnic Tem, Suzy McKee Charnas, John Langan

    3.60 BLT Score (431 ratings)
    ★ 3.84 Goodreads (431)
  3. 3
    Blood Sisters: Vampire Stories by Women cover

    Blood Sisters: Vampire Stories by Women

    by Paula Guran

    3.54 BLT Score (314 ratings)
    ★ 3.54 Goodreads (314)
  4. 4
    The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, Volume Two cover

    The Year's Best Dark Fantasy and Horror, Volume Two

    The Year's Best Dark Fantasy & Horror • Book 2

    by Paula Guran

    3.53 BLT Score (89 ratings)
    ★ 3.85 Goodreads (89)
  5. 5
    Vampires: The Recent Undead cover

    Vampires: The Recent Undead

    The Morganville Vampires: Extras #9 (Dead Man Stalking )

    by Paula Guran, Albert E. Cowdrey, J.A. Konrath, Jeanne C. Stein, Karen Russell, Kelley Armstrong, Kim Newman, Mary Turzillo, Michael Marshall Smith, Nancy Kilpatrick, Nisi Shawl, Barbara Roden, Rachel Caine, Stephen Dedman, Susan Sizemore, Tanith Lee, Tanya Huff, Tina Rath, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Carrie Vaughn, Charlaine Harris, Charles de Lint, Chelsea Quinn Yarbro, Conrad Williams, Holly Black, John Langan

    3.45 BLT Score (958 ratings)
    ★ 3.6 Goodreads (958)
  6. 6
    Zombies: The Recent Dead cover

    Zombies: The Recent Dead

    by Paula Guran, Steve Duffy, Max Brooks, Nik Houser, Andy Duncan, David J. Schow, Joe R. Lansdale, Neil Gaiman, Alice Sola Kim, Gary A. Braunbeck, Francesca Lia Block, Tobias S. Buckell, David Wellington, Tim Waggoner, Kit Reed, Brian Keene, Kelly Link, Gary McMahon, Scott Edelman, Kevin Veale, Michael Marshall Smith, Tim Lebbon, David Prill

    3.34 BLT Score (939 ratings)
    ★ 3.66 Goodreads (939)

How We Rank Audiobooks

Rankings are driven by listener ratings and review counts from Audible and Goodreads. Books with high ratings across a large number of listeners rank higher — a 4.5 with 50,000 ratings says more than a 4.8 with 200.

Unlike most book lists, we weight audiobook-specific factors: narrator performance, production quality, and how well a story translates to audio. A great book with a poor narration isn't a great audiobook.

We don't accept paid placements or prioritize new releases. These rankings reflect what listeners actually enjoy, not what's being promoted.

Rankings update periodically as new ratings come in and new titles are added to the collection.

Read our full ranking methodology →