Dreadfully Curious
micro-imprint & review markCurated by author Ben Tor, devoted to isolation-driven mystery, horror, and thrillers—stories of separation and pressure, captured and distilled into a single, telling review line.Featuring isolation-vibe novels and media, alongside Tor’s own work.
Dead of Winter
Darcy Coates
snowbound mountain lodge during a violent winter storm
Frames enforced isolation and social fracture inside a snowbound luxury lodge, where a winter storm and a methodical killer strip civility down to accusation and survival.
An Unwanted Guest
Shari Lapena
snowbound mountain lodge during a violent winter storm
Frames enforced isolation and social fracture inside a snowbound luxury lodge, where a winter storm and a methodical killer strip civility down to accusation and survival.
The Luminous Dead
Caitlin Starling
uncharted cave system on an alien world
Binds extreme subterranean isolation with psychological coercion, using a hostile cave system and an unstable handler to make survival feel as much negotiated as endured.
The Stranger
Kiersten Modglin
secluded roadside motel during a winter storm
Pairs transient motel paranoia with domestic psychological menace, using a snowbound stopover to evoke a Psycho-adjacent unease—where every stranger feels invited, and none feel accidental.
Into the Drowning Deep
Mira Grant
western Pacific Ocean, near the Mariana Trench
Threads science with feral horror and deep-sea isolation energy, delivering moments so relentless, isolating, and savage they permanently reset what “mermaid” means.
Dreadfully Curious Selection
The Intruder
Freida McFadden
remote cabin in the New Hampshire wilderness