But. Before we begin, let’s address the Elephant In The Room.

Many people (in my head) are asking this big question: “Travis! This is your author website! Why are you promoting other authors here?”

Because authors should support one another. Because I like to lift others up. Because I love recommending new books to other people. Because I love horror, I love sharing the experience of horror with others, and I love spreading new works to other people who would enjoy it. Because Have You Looked Outside? We need escape valves, now more than ever.

In this particular instance, it’s because John Langan is an excellent writer, you should read his work, and I want to talk about it with other people.

Okay. Elephant Addressed. Let’s dive in.

Who Is John Langan?

John Langan is, of course, an author. He’s been writing short stories and novels for quite some time now, having published two novels and six collections of short stories. Per Wikipedia, he’s also been an adjunct professor and instructor of creative writing and gothic fiction at various universities. He lives in upstate New York, a location that informs much of his writings in both short and long-form fiction.

What Does John Langan Write?

Horror! Specifically, John Langan frequently works in the realm of cosmic horror. Cosmic horror, or Lovecraftian horror, emphasizes the horrific concepts of the unknowable and the overwhelming scope of a wild, uncaring, unsentimental universe. In Langan’s stories, there is a thin veneer between reality and unknown terrors. More often than not, these walls are breached by monstrous terrors. Part of the horror of Langan’s stories is the questioning of reality – is this really happening? What is happening to me?

Cosmic horror is a literary tradition dating back to the works of H.P. Lovecraft. While Langan’s work is clearly inspired by these works, often referencing Lovecraft creations like Cthulhu, Arkham, and Innsmouth, his writing stands on its own. There is a contemporary sense of insignificance and existential dread, coupled with an inherit respect for past mythological traditions. In Langan’s stories, the past is never far away, lurking in the dark, full of teeth.

Langan’s work also is intensely literary in fashion. These are stories to be savored in small bursts, not binge-read over one evening. There is an air of mystery and significance to every line of prose in a Langan story. Their construction is as much part of the experience as the prose itself. Langan routinely utilizes the story-within-a-story format. A narrator discovers a haunted character, who relays the tale of their past horrors, before the narrator encounters that same darkness at the end of the tale. It’s a compelling format, one that layers Langan’s works with added weight and significance. The depth and breadth of these stories is almost as mythic as the concepts and nightmares being relayed to the reader.

These are rich stories for lovers of classic horror literature, and for fans of the deeper traditions and legends associated with cosmic horror.

What About The Fisherman?

Langan’s novel The Fisherman is likely the most well-known of his works. His second novel, The Fisherman won the Bram Stoker award for Best Horror Novel in 2016, and provides a compelling entry point for Langan’s fictions.

The novel features that story-within-a-story format, relaying the tale of two grieving widowers who have turned to fishing as a way to handle their grief. They set out to explore an unknown creek in upstate New York, stopping at a diner along the way. There, one of the waiters tells them the legend of ‘Der Fisher’, an enigmatic and horrific story about the dark past of the creek. Biblical and mythical creations are referenced, and a world-sized monster outside of time and space figures prominently. The characters are advised to steer clear of the creek.

Naturally, they choose not to.

Without spoiling anything further, The Fisherman is an excellent read and serves as a good introduction for Langan’s styles and themes. The characters are deeply human, tragic and flawed in such a way that the reader might see themselves in the prose. The legend of ‘Der Fisher’ itself is both fascinating and horrific, providing a notion that just on the other side of reality is a darkness that can break through at any time.

Langan also references The Fisherman in a number of subsequent stories. In these stories, he expands the world and mythology of the novel, developing themes that run concurrent throughout much of his other works. Thus, The Fisherman is a natural jumping-off point for diving into the works of John Langan.

Speaking Of…He Also Writes Stories?

Yes! Langan has published six collections of short fiction to date. Each of them contains any number of stories from various times in his writing career. Each also comes with a delightful sub-title that reflects the nature of that particular collection.

Mr. Gaunt and Other Uneasy Encounters was the first, collecting stories published between 2000 and 2008. In that collection, ancient Gaelic mummies cross paths with skin-clad skeletons and artworks of demonic origins. More recently, Lost in the Dark and Other Excursions was published in 2025, unleashing thirteen more stories upon the world.

Summarizing a Langan short story is to spoil the experience and encounters, so rather than describe any of them in fashion, here are some favorites with brief bylines:

• “Lost In The Dark” (from the eponymous collection) tells of the true creation of a ‘found footage’ horror movie.
• “Haak” weaves together myth, Joseph Conrad, and a beloved children’s story into a chilling new tapestry.
• “Sefira” portrays a story of carnal lust, revenge, and transformation that never ends up where you think it’s heading until it is far too late.
• “In Paris, in the Mouth of Kronos” unleashes a mythologic force upon the unsuspecting; that might be the case of all of Langan’s oeuvre, but this story, in my eyes, demonstrates what the author is doing as well as any of his works.
• Then again, his first story “On Skua Island” establishes his authorial style and sensibility right from the get-go, taking a familiar concept and twisting it into something grotesque yet eminently recognizable.

Any collection serves as an excellent entryway for Langan’s works. A reader cannot go wrong by just picking up any of them and diving in. So long as you’re not afraid of the dark…and what lies within.

So What’s Coming Up Next?

While there’s no set release date, John Langan has confirmed that his next novel should be coming out sometime in 2026. Titled The Cleaving Stone, the book takes place within the universe and mythology of The Fisherman, continuing to expand upon the groundwork laid by that work.

Regardless, I personally am stoked to dive into another of Langan’s works. I cannot wait to see what new horrors have been cooked up, and will be pre-ordering that new novel as soon as able. If you’re a fan of literary horror, of things that go bump in the night, or stories that will sit with you long after you’ve closed the book, I encourage you to check out the works of John Langan. You won’t be disappointed.