If you enjoy reading books by Horace Walpole then you might also like the following authors:
Ann Radcliffe is an excellent choice if you enjoy Horace Walpole's style. Her work features eerie castles, mysterious events, and gloomy atmospheres, similar to Walpole's Gothic approach.
Her novel The Mysteries of Udolpho blends suspense and imagination beautifully, offering readers haunted corridors, concealed secrets, and emotionally charged narratives.
Matthew Gregory Lewis takes Gothic literature to darker, more intense places. Often cited as an author who pushed boundaries, he incorporates vivid supernatural elements and startling horrors within his fiction.
His best-known novel, The Monk, tackles forbidden temptations, hidden desires, and the dangerous consequences that follow.
Clara Reeve offers a quieter approach to Gothic storytelling compared to Walpole. With more restrained supernatural elements, she emphasizes believable settings and moral undertones.
Her novel The Old English Baron reimagines Gothic motifs, using medieval settings and suspenseful plots while gently exploring human virtues and family honor.
If you like Walpole's flair for exotic settings and poetic language, try William Beckford. He provides lush, imaginative landscapes and lavish imagery.
His short novel Vathek is perfect for readers who enjoy dark ambition, mysterious magical items, and exotic locations, centered on an extravagant caliph's quest for forbidden power.
Mary Shelley is a must-read for any admirer of classic Gothic fiction. Known best for her influential novel Frankenstein, she explores profound themes of science, morality, and isolation.
Although less focused on crumbling castles or medieval despair, Shelley brings psychological depth and emotional power to the genre.
Charles Brockden Brown is known as one of America's earliest Gothic authors. Like Horace Walpole, Brown uses eerie settings and unsettling atmospheres to explore psychology and human nature.
His novel, Wieland, tells the dark story of murder, madness, and fanaticism within a mysterious American family. If you appreciate Walpole's haunting narratives, Brown's chilling storytelling may draw you in.
Thomas Gray, primarily known as a poet, shares Walpole's fascination with the melancholy, the contemplative, and themes of mortality. His poem, Elegy Written in a Country Churchyard, beautifully captures themes of death, loss, and remembrance.
Gray's reflective and somber style can appeal to readers who admire Walpole's thoughtful, introspective side.
William Godwin writes fiction that dives deeply into the moral and psychological aspects of its characters, much like Walpole does. In his novel, Caleb Williams, Godwin presents a powerful critique of injustice, power struggles, and personal anxiety.
If you're drawn to the complex characters and intense scenarios found in Walpole, William Godwin may offer you a similar experience.
Sophia Lee's novels often blend history with elements of Gothic suspense, featuring intricate family secrets and hidden truths. In The Recess, Lee portrays the imagined personal lives of historical figures within a dramatic, atmospheric setting.
Fans of Walpole's blend of history, imagination, and Gothic intrigue will likely enjoy discovering Sophia Lee.
Regina Maria Roche writes Gothic novels filled with suspense, romance, and mysterious characters, in a style reminiscent of Horace Walpole. Her most famous work, The Children of the Abbey, involves hidden identities, family drama, and eerie encounters.
For readers who enjoy Walpole's mix of suspenseful plots and haunting settings, Roche's novels are well worth exploring.
Charlotte Dacre brings dark passion and strong emotion to Gothic literature. Her novel Zofloya explores forbidden desires, temptation, and supernatural secrets.
If you enjoy Walpole's mixture of mystery and intense feeling, you might enjoy Dacre's dramatic characters and sinister plots.
Eliza Parsons writes with suspense and mystery, often involving women facing dark trials and ominous secrets. Her novel The Castle of Wolfenbach features spooky castles, hidden rooms, and dangerous mysteries.
Readers who like Walpole's eerie atmospheres and intriguing plots should consider giving Parsons a try.
Francis Lathom creates Gothic stories filled with suspenseful events and sinister villains. His novel The Midnight Bell combines brooding atmosphere, thrilling action, and eerie settings.
Fans of Walpole will appreciate Lathom's talent for dramatic storytelling and haunting settings.
George Walker's Gothic writing centers around gloomy castles, complicated plots, and tense, mysterious experiences. In his novel The Vagabond, he emphasizes psychological tension and moral questions amid adventure and dark suspense.
If you enjoy Horace Walpole's style, Walker's blend of suspense and exciting storytelling could be a great match.
Sir Walter Scott offers tales steeped in romantic history, adventure, and vivid settings. His novel The Bride of Lammermoor mixes tragic romance, dark prophecy, and a dramatic Scottish landscape.
If you like Walpole's narratives filled with tragic destinies and supernatural hints, you might find Scott very appealing.