🎯 Where Should I Start?
ⓘ About Michael McDowell
Michael McDowell was a successful American published author. He is known for being a prolific horror writer. He was born in Enterprise, Alabama on June 1, 1950. He attended public schools in southern Alabama up until 1968. He then attended Harvard, graduating with his bachelor’s degree and a master’s degree in English. In 1978, he earned a Ph.D. in English and American literature from Brandeis. His first book to be sold and his seventh novel to be written in The Amulet. It was released in 1979 and would be followed by many other works of fiction that were written either using his own name or pen names such as Axel Young, Nathan Aldyne, Mike McCray, and Preston Macadam.
All Book Series by Michael McDowell
Hardcore
Series opener · book 1 of 27 · published 1979 Anthology · Leonard Schrader
Wishmaster
Book 4 of 27 · published 2021 Anthology · Mark Alan Miller,Christian Francis
Hellraiser: Bloodline - The Original Screenplay
Book 6 of 27 · published 2021 Anthology · Peter Atkins
Stephen King's The Langoliers: The Original Teleplay
Book 10 of 27 · published 2022 Anthology · Tom Holland
Stephen King's Thinner
Book 12 of 27 · published 2023 Co-authored · Tom Holland
Attack of the Killer Tomatoes
Book 13 of 27 · published 2023 Anthology · Jeff Strand
Hellraiser: The Toll
Book 14 of 27 · published 2023 Anthology · Mark Allan Miller
Virus: Hell of the Living Dead
Latest in the series · book 27 of 27 · published 2025 Anthology · Brad Carter,Rossella Drudi,Claudio Fragasso
The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume One
Series opener · book 1 of 4 · published 2016
The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume Three
Book 3 of 4 · published 2018
The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories: Volume Four
Latest in the series · book 4 of 4 · published 2020
Kingdom of Fear: The World of Stephen King
Series opener · book 1 of 5 · published 1986
The Ecocriticism Reader: Landmarks in Literary Ecology
Latest in the series · book 5 of 5 · published 1996
? Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Michael McDowell?
Michael McDowell was a successful American published author. He is known for being a prolific horror writer. He was born in Enterprise, Alabama on June 1, 1950.
Which Michael McDowell series should I start with?
The best place to start is the Encyclopocalypse Movie Tie-In series, the earliest of Michael McDowell's multi-book series: it opens with Hardcore (1979) and runs to 27 books across 1979–2025, ending with Virus: Hell of the Living Dead (2025). Michael McDowell's other series stand alone, so they can be read in any order.
How many books has Michael McDowell written?
Michael McDowell has 60 books catalogued in this guide, published between 1979 and 2025. 44 of them belong to 5 named series — the largest being the Encyclopocalypse Movie Tie-In series with 27 books — and 16 are standalone titles, collections or anthologies.
In what order should Michael McDowell's series be read?
Read each series in publication order — the numbered entries in each series follow the year each book first appeared. Michael McDowell's series do not depend on one another, so they can be started in any order; by start date they are Encyclopocalypse Movie Tie-In (1979–2025, 27 books), Valentine & Lovelace Mystery (1980–1986, 4 books) and Blackwater (1983, 6 books), plus 2 more.
How are Michael McDowell's books organised into series?
This guide splits Michael McDowell's 60 books into 5 named series and 16 titles that stand alone or appear only in collections: Encyclopocalypse Movie Tie-In (27 books, 1979–2025); Blackwater (6 books, 1983); Valentine & Lovelace Mystery (4 books, 1980–1986); The Valancourt Book of Horror Stories (4 books, 2016–2020); Jack & Susan (3 books, 1985–1987).