Over the years, I’ve read more NoSleep stories than I could ever count, and many of the writers behind them didn’t stop there. Some expanded their most famous stories into full novels, others collected their best work into anthologies, and a few built entire careers on what started as free stories on Reddit. So I decided to put together this list of the best books by NoSleep writers.
There’s another reason beyond the stories themselves: if you’ve spent years reading these writers for free, buying their books is the most direct way to give something back. And in quite a few cases, the book is genuinely the better, or now, the only version to experience the story.
Many of the originals behind these books are featured on my long list of the best NoSleep stories and its series counterpart, in case you want to check those out before buying.
A quick note on how this list is structured: it starts with novels and novellas, moves on to anthologies, and closes with a section dedicated to Velox anthologies.
Fiction by René Rehn
With that said, here are the best NoSleep books (last updated: September 2026).
Novels & Novellas
While NoSleep is known for its short stories, some stories and series ended up becoming full novels, expanding their source material considerably and often making for a better, more interesting reading experience. This section also includes a few standalone works that aren’t based on former NoSleep posts, but are written by some of the sub’s best writers.
Penpal by Dathan Auerbach
The book that started it all. Penpal was the first big NoSleep series, written as a string of unsettling childhood anecdotes that slowly tie together into a stalker story. Its novelization became the sub’s first genuine publishing success, and an essential entry in any list of NoSleep books.
The novel reworks and expands the original series with new material, which makes the story more enjoyable even if you’ve read the original. If you want to own a piece of NoSleep history, this is the one.
The Showers by Dylan Sindelar
A NoSleep classic that was adapted by the NoSleep Podcast as a season two bonus episode, and later expanded into a novella.
The book is far more than a reprint of the original, though. The prose has been rewritten and polished, and the story now follows the narrator, Jack, through several decades of his life. This turns a single terrifying campfire tale into a deeper exploration of trauma and obsession, following a man whose fixation on local folklore of Broken Bow, Nebraska, slowly consumes him. If you loved the original, the book gives you a much fuller version.
Borrasca by C. K. Walker
Probably the most popular NoSleep series of all time, now available in print and as an ebook. The book contains the original series, parts I through IV, so there’s no additional material. What you get is a definitive, polished version of the story.
If you’ve not already read Borrasca, this is the best way to experience it.
The Spire in the Woods by Tony Lunedi
My favorite NoSleep series of all time, and one of the greatest stories ever posted on the sub. The series has been deleted from Reddit, and its novelization is currently out of print, with used copies being notoriously overpriced.
Should the book ever become available again, I’ll update this page right away. It’s a story that deserves to be back in print.
The Black Farm by Elias Witherow
A novel set at the Black Farm, the infamous afterlife introduced in Feed the Pig, following a different narrator, one you caught a glimpse of in the original story. It became one of the biggest hits ever to come out of NoSleep.
Fair warning: this one is heavy on gore and can best be described as splatterpunk. I personally wasn’t too big a fan of the action-heavy second half, but the imagery, the Black Farm itself, and especially the Keepers are fantastic. For fans of the original story, the book is highly recommended.
The Third Parent by Elias Witherow
The novelization of one of the most infamous NoSleep series ever written. The book follows a similar story: a family visited by Tommy Taffy and subjected to his particular brand of care. What’s different is that it sheds far more light on Tommy himself, and we learn who and what he actually is.
Great reading for fans of the original, but it gets quite brutal at times, even by Witherow’s standards.
Tales from the Gas Station: Volume One by Jack Townsend
Probably the funniest series to ever exist on NoSleep, and since the original stories are no longer available on Reddit, the books are now the only way to read them. That makes this one of the easiest recommendations here.
I absolutely loved these stories. If you’re a fan of comedy horror, deadpan narrators, and small-town weirdness, this is as good as it gets. There are also multiple volumes available if you get hooked.
We Used to Live Here by Marcus Kliewer
One of the sub’s biggest success stories. The original series centered on a family showing up at the narrator’s door, asking to visit their old home before things got much, much stranger. It won NoSleep’s Scariest Story of the Year back in 2021, was published by Simon & Schuster, and has a Netflix adaptation in the works.
The series itself has since been deleted from Reddit, but the novelization is the definitive version anyway, expanded well beyond the original posts.
Stolen Tongues by Felix Blackwell
The official, expanded version of Blackwell’s NoSleep series about a romantic cabin getaway in the Colorado Rockies that goes very, very wrong, when something outside starts mimicking their voices in the dark.
The original series essentially serves as the book’s opening act. From there, the novel goes much further: the entity follows the couple home, and the tormenting continues through the fiancée’s sleep disorder, and the second half builds out the full mythology behind what’s hurting them. One of the most successful NoSleep-to-book stories out there.
How to Survive Camping: The Man With No Shadow by Bonnie Quinn
The first volume of the book edition of How to Survive Camping, the longest-running and most ambitious NoSleep series of all time, centering on a cursed campground and the various entities lurking in the woods surrounding it.
The series has since been removed from Reddit, so the books are the only way to experience it these days. If you want to read it, start here.
When The Stars Fall by T. W. Grim
This book comes from the writer of The New Fish, a certified NoSleep classic. Set not in a prison, but a factory, the story centers on what happens after an alien parasite is let loose during the night shift, and turns the place into a nightmare in the proud tradition of The Thing.
I remember the original series on the sub and absolutely loved it, but unfortunately I never finished it before it was removed. Finding it as a published novel absolutely made my day. It’s fantastic body horror and weird fiction with great imagery, written by one of the sub’s most distinctive writers.
The Homeowners Association by Blair Daniels
Blair Daniels is best known for her short, punchy horror, but she’s since dipped into novella territory, and this is the newest result. It’s a rules-based neighborhood story about a family moving into a suburb where the streets are always empty, the houses are identical, and the HOA’s rules are enforced with almost religious devotion.
It’s Daniels’ usual style stretched across an entire novella, so if you loved her shorter works, this is the logical next step. Highly recommended.
The Last Sin Eater by T. J. Lea
The newest book set in Lea’s Sturgeon universe, the same fictional world that houses the Spaces in Between and his other, earlier works. A sin eater is compelled to absolve seven death row inmates in an undersea prison, alongside a cast that bridges Lovecraftian horror and dark fantasy.
If you’re a fan of Lea’s work, this is highly recommended, and probably his best yet.
Daughter’s Drawings by Nick Botic
Botic’s debut novel, and the novelization of his series about a family stalked for years by someone whose obsession began with a stolen folder of their daughter’s artwork. I used to be a big fan of his work on the sub, and this is the story of his that most deserved the expansion.
The book adds heavier character development, answers things the Reddit version left ambiguous, and tightens the whole thing into a high-octane thriller.
The Patient by Jasper DeWitt
Originally posted on NoSleep as The Patient Who Nearly Drove Me Out of Medicine, since deleted, and one of the sub’s standout success stories, sitting alongside Penpal among the few stories that made it from Reddit to traditional bookstores.
The novel keeps its internet roots, told as a series of message board posts from a young psychiatrist recounting the patient no one has ever managed to treat, but heavily expands the story’s second half, with a reworked final act. Since the original is gone, this is the best and only version to experience it.
My Name is Lily Madwhip by William Dalphin
The first book in the Lily Madwhip universe, collecting the beginning of the beloved series about a girl who sees things before they happen, and her doll Paschar, who’s much more than meets the eye.
It’s the best way to experience the Lily Madwhip universe and its unique narrative voice. Dalphin also remains active on Patreon, where the story continues.
Welcome to Charlie’s: Retail Hell by Ashley Watson
An expansion of the Welcome to Charlie’s series by u/thatreallyshortchick: a supermarket that isn’t just for humans, staffed by a crew that’s seen everything from disembodied feet in aisle 12 to possibly living lawn gnomes.
It’s a fun, pulpy horror comedy in the spirit of Tales From the Gas Station, an inspiration the author cited herself. I’ve only read the original series, but the novels expand the setting well beyond what you can find on Reddit.
New Haven by René Rehn
Full disclosure: this one’s mine, so of all the NoSleep books on this list, this is probably the one to be most skeptical about.
New Haven grew out of a NoSleep series of mine and centers on a small, picturesque religious town in Minnesota that hides a dark secret. When the pastor’s daughter is found dead, the town’s only self-proclaimed atheist and a sheltered Christian boy start digging into what lies beneath the town’s perfect facade.
It’s a slow-burn horror mystery about faith, deception, and the secrets at the heart of small, isolated communities, best suited for readers who enjoy slow, meticulously built mysteries with nightmarish imagery and creepy religious flavor.
Anthologies
Short stories are NoSleep’s standard format, which makes collections the most natural books on this list. The anthologies here range from single-author collections of the sub’s biggest names to multi-author sets.
cold, thin air by C. K. Walker
The first of three collections by Walker, containing some of her classics, most notably Betsy the Doll.
It’s an ideal entry point into her catalog of works and the best way to experience these stories, polished and in one place, from NoSleep’s arguably most successful writer.
Sleepless Nights Collection Books 1-4 by Tobias Wade
A compilation of multiple Tobias Wade anthologies in one massive volume, containing over 200 stories. Wade is one of NoSleep’s most influential and memorable writers, and if you’re a fan of his work, this is the definitive NoSleep book for you.
Vices and Virtues: A Horror Anthology
One of the earliest NoSleep anthologies, with sixteen original stories each built around a vice or virtue, featuring many of the sub’s early standouts like C. K. Walker and Christopher Bloodworth.
It’s a great collection in its own right, but it’s also something more: a time capsule from the early days of NoSleep when the sub’s first generation of great writers dipped their toes into something outside of Reddit. Few NoSleep books capture this era that well.
Psychosis: Tales of Horror by Matt Dymerski
A collection of Dymerski’s early standout stories from NoSleep and beyond, with the standout being Psychosis, one of the greatest creepypastas of all time.
Dymerski has published various other books, but this one is probably the best entry point into his work.
The Machine Stories: From The Hidden Webpage to Sunburn by Jared Roberts
A collection from Reddit’s most enigmatic writer, containing The Hidden Webpage, the series that became a NoSleep Podcast season finale, among other tales of his particular brand of weird.
And if you want more after this one, his second collection, So Little Seen: Liminal Stories, contains more of his standouts, including Three Visits to a Hidden Tribe, retitled Esther, and My Dad Finally Told Me What Happened That Day.
The Silver Path by Caitlin Spice
A collection from one of my favorite writers on NoSleep, especially in terms of prose, including the fantastic A Seaside British Pub, easily one of the greatest stories the sub ever produced.
What makes this book stand out even among the other collections here are the illustrations accompanying the stories, making it one of the most unique entries on this entire list.
From Twisted Roots by S. H. Cooper
A collection of Cooper’s most famous stories. My personal favorites of hers aren’t in this one, which says more about the depth of her work than about the collection. If you enjoyed her style in the past, this is a great way to re-experience some of the sub’s best-known stories in one place.
What Hides in the Dark: 20 Tales of Terror by Blair Daniels
I’ve always enjoyed Blair Daniels’ stories on NoSleep for their short, punchy format that still delivers genuine scares, and this collection is exactly that.
If you want the best way to experience her writing, and a great entry point into her many anthologies, this is probably the one to start with.
Welcome to Hollow’s End by Jordan Grupe
Hollow’s End is Jordan Grupe’s own fictional universe: a town where monsters and humans coexist, told as interconnected stories from the perspective of its sheriff, a gas station clerk, and its less fortunate citizens.
I’m a big fan of Grupe’s universe, which I mostly experienced through his narrations on his YouTube channel, and it’s great to finally have these stories collected and available in print.
Velox Anthologies
Velox published a lot of NoSleep anthologies and collections over the years, enough that the sheer volume can be overwhelming if you’re new to them. So here are the ones I think are worth checking out first, based on the writers behind them.
The Nightmare Library: 10 Tales to Keep You Awake Tonight
An anthology collecting the standout works from different Velox writers, which makes it the best entry point. It’s essentially a sample to see whose style and content clicks with you before diving into individual collections, and one of the best NoSleep books for newcomers.
With Teeth: Stories of Horror and the Supernatural by Christian Wallis
The first collection by my favorite writer currently active on the sub, containing I’ve been squatting in a condemned high rise among other early standouts.
Velox has since published two more collections, More Teeth and Broken Teeth, and honestly, all of them are worth considering if you’re a fan of weird fiction, cosmic horror, or Lovecraftian stories. Start here, and if it hooks you the way his stories hooked me, keep going.
House With One Hundred Doors: 23 Stories of Horror and the Supernatural by Travis Brown
Travis Brown is one of the sub’s best writers in terms of emotion and prose, which makes him an easy recommendation. This collection contains Maria on the Moon and Something walks whistling past my house every night at 3:03, plus the titular story, which is exclusive to the book.
From the Depths: 19 Terrifying Tales by Richard Saxon
Richard Saxon stands out for his deep-sea horror and his sci-fi-leaning entries, and he’s easily one of my favorite writers on NoSleep, because his stories always feel a tad different from everything around them.
This anthology collects some of his best works, ones I first read on Reddit, alongside a few exclusives you won’t find anywhere else.
Seven Spires: Whispers of the Necropolis by J. M. Nelson
Nelson is one of the best Lovecraftian writers Reddit ever produced, but most of his works have been deleted from the sub, which means this book is the only place to find them.
Sixteen tales of cosmic horror revolving around a lost city, with Among the Court of the Stag King and the In the Shadow of the Necropolis series as standouts.
What Happens When the Stars Go Out by Jesse Clark
A collection from one of the sub’s best and most emotional writers, containing his deep-sea horror classic The Deepest Part of the Ocean is Not Empty, the delightfully weird So, Yeah… I Don’t Do Drugs Anymore, and of course, the title story, NoSleep’s most famous tearjerker, which tops my list of the best NoSleep tearjerkers.
If any single collection captures what the sub is capable of at its best, this is the one.
Darkest Dimensions: 52 Terrifying Tales by Mr. Michael Squid
Mr. Michael Squid is an early NoSleep legend, writing weird, surreal, and often boundary-pushing horror, and this is the collection for anyone who enjoyed his work, containing a total of fifty-two stories.
I haven’t read the collection itself, but I’ve read plenty of his works on the sub, and if it’s gathered here, it’s definitely worth your time.
Silent Screaming: 17 Horror Stories by Jesse Pullins
Jesse Pullins, u/A_Hawaiian_Short on the sub, is one of the more modern NoSleep writers, and someone whose works I’ve always enjoyed. His horror isn’t loud. It announces itself slowly, but when it hits, it’s already too late.
He’s got multiple collections out with Velox and also some standalone works, but this is probably the best entry point.
