The Independent newspaper (in the UK), having aparrently nothing better to do, has declared that "horror is set to be one of the coolest literary trends of 2007."

(I'm not entirely sure that would be a good thing, even if it does happen.)

Anyway, in the article, Danuta Kean singles out a few books for praise, such as Joe Hill's debut novel Heart-Shaped Box and Dan Simmons's historical chiller The Terror. There is some solid reporting in there, after you wade through the breathless hype and trend-spotting. And maybe horror will be The Next Big Thing -- who knows? (But never forget: if you're fashonable this year, there's only one thing you can be next year, and that's out of fashion.)