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7 Cozy, Witchy, and Downright Scary Books to Read in October
- There are plenty of TV shows and movies arriving this month; however, it is also a good time to snuggle up on the couch with a bewitching book.
- These eight books range from cozy mysteries to horror tales that will make your spine tingle.
- Get in the Game: If you’re a gamer, you will love these spooky horror games.
Do you feel that? It’s the crisp wind rushing by you as you crunch leaves under your boots. Well, that may not be the case for you, depending on where you live. Still, we welcome the arrival of October and all things cozy, scary, and pumpkin spice-fueled. There are plenty of TV shows and movies arriving this month; however, it is also a good time to snuggle up on the couch with a bewitching book (or three). It doesn’t matter if it’s a physical book or an audio adventure, reading is a great way to find some chill. And, this season, we have 7 cozy, witchy, and downright scary books that we recommend for your reading list.
Disenchanted by Lucy Jane Wood View this post on InstagramA cozy witchy fantasy story is always a great move in October. Disenchanted is about a jaded witch who learns to embrace her magic when the town is cursed with a spell that brings fairy tales to life. And, for all you lovers out there, there is a dash of romance in the mix as well.
She Haunts Me Still by De Elizabeth
Dutton
Curses, vampires, and academia all converge together in this book. Mallory heads to her mom’s alma mater to begin her theater studies and start a fresh chapter after a life of loss. Things are going well until a bloody spirit resurfaces and causes her to dig into her mother’s mysterious death. And, along the way, she finds a connection with Ezra, a fourth year student and director who may know some serious secrets.
The Unknown by Riley Sager View this post on InstagramMany book lovers will recognize this popular author’s name. Riley Sager’s The Unknown is yet another hit, with a story that takes us to a creepy island. It is where women started disappearing 100 years ago… and it is happening once again. If you dig Widow’s Bay, you’ll probably like this book, too.
Hear the Dead by Ann Dávila Cardinal
Sourcebooks Landmark
A retired punk rock photographer starts to unearth a long-standing mystery. She starts hearing the voices of murdered women she knew when she was young, leading to a journey filled with magical realism wrapped in a serial killer mystery.
The Whisper by Chelsea Iversen View this post on InstagramWelcome to Whisper Ridge, where there’s a group of estranged friends who come back together years after their friend’s murder. They will have to deal with old wounds and confront witchy magic as they face their past and parse through the present.
Please Enjoy Your Stay by Tara Goedjen
Atria/Emily Bestler BooksWe love a gothic thriller. A true crime podcast reopens a case that is a very personal tragedy for Mia. She was the only eyewitness to her cousin’s murder, and the latest suspect is Mia’s aunt, a former true crime author. Mia goes on a journey of uncovering secrets and lies to get to the truth.
Night of Madness by Ryan Douglass View this post on InstagramAnytime a book is described as “Saw Meets Willy Wonka,” it feels like a must-read. Ryan Douglass’ novel follows a band of teen influencers who compete in a horror-movie competition. The night turns into a full blown nightmare when they have to fight to stay alive for one twisty tale that will surely keep you on the edge of your seat.
This post has affiliate links, which means we may earn advertising money if you buy something. This doesn’t cost you anything extra, we just have to give you the heads up for legal reasons. Click away!
Tai Gooden is the Features Editor for Nerdist, a fictional villain apologist, and a horror aficionado who is forever waiting for her trip in the TARDIS.The post 7 Cozy, Witchy, and Downright Scary Books to Read in October appeared first on Nerdist.
How LANTERNS Ends for John Stewart and Guy Gardner
- The first season of Lanterns has come to a close, and now we have a much better idea about the Green Lantern future of both John Stewart and Guy Gardner.
- Lanterns ends with Guy Gardner still the official Green Lantern of Space Sector 2814, with John taking a power ring for himself, becoming an “independent contractor” Green Lantern.
- Nerdist’s take: We finally have a good explanation as to why Earth will have two Green Lanterns in James Gunn’s upcoming Man of Tomorrow. And we’re glad the DCU will have more than one Earth Lantern, just as in the comics.
For the entire first season of Lanterns, the series has built towards John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) taking on the role of Green Lantern. But as we learned in episode five, after feeling manipulated by the Guardians of the Universe, John rejected the power ring back in 2016. With Hal Jordan then imprisoned on Earth over the catastrophic events in Rushville, obnoxious gym teacher athletic director Guy Gardner (Nathan Fillion) receives the power ring. So does the series end with John still just an ordinary architect? Or does he become a proper Green Lantern at last? And what does that mean for Guy Gardner? The Lanterns finale has answers.
HBO Max/DC Studios
Does John Stewart Become a Green Lantern?
In the final episode, John Stewart and the Halogram (Kyle Chandler) find a portal to another world that Hal had hidden in his storage space. On that destroyed and desolate planet, they find Sinestro hiding out. Turns out Noah Macon, revealed as a Manhunter, broke him out of prison. On that planet, Sinestro reveals he figured out a way to forge a new power battery on his own. John realizes he can use this new lantern to charge Hal Jordan’s nearly dead ring, essentially becoming an unauthorized Lantern. By the end of the episode, he does just that, becoming a Green Lantern at last.
HBO Max/DC Studios
John Stewart summons Guy Gardner to Rushville, to inform him that he has Hal Jordan’s old ring, and that he has a power battery with which to charge it. An infuriated Guy knows Stewart is stepping in on his official turf, but John informs him that he’s now a free agent. Guy will remain the official Green Lantern of Sector 2814, and the Guardians of the Universe’s operative. However, John Stewart will function as the Green Lantern of Earth alone, and is essentially operating under his own jurisdiction. John tells Guy to inform the Guardians of his decision, and seems extremely certain they won’t do anything to stop him.
DC Comics
Does Lanterns’ Finale Have DC Comics Precedent?
Is there comic book precedent for a “free agent” member of the Green Lantern Corps? Actually, yes. The idea of “Honor Guard” members of the Green Lantern Corps has existed since 1981. These Honor Guard Lanterns operate without a space sector, and more or less function without reporting to the Guardians. They’re not limited to one space sector and have free rein across the cosmos. Also, Alan Scott, Earth’s first Green Lantern, is technically not a member of the Corps. Although the Guardians do acknowledge him as a Lantern, as his ring draws power from an energy source they created, he’s also a free agent, not tied to their rules. So John Stewart being an “independent contractor” Lantern has precedent in the pages of DC Comics.
Nerdist’s Take: We’re Thrilled Both John Stewart and Guy Gardner Will Wield Power Rings in the DCU Going ForwardSo what does this all mean for the DCU? We know both John Stewart and Guy Gardner will appear in James Gunn’s upcoming Man of Tomorrow. This makes total sense, because if a world-ending alien threat like Brainiac arrives, both Green Lanterns would join in the fight. Does that mean we get an eventual Justice League with two Green Lanterns on it? It’s quite possible, and it’s certainly happened in the comics before. We’ll find out more when Man of Tomorrow hits theaters next year, and hopefully, in an eventual Lanterns season two.
All of Lanterns season one is currently streaming on HBO Max.
Eric Diaz is a staff writer at Nerdist and a Swiss Army knife of fandoms. Eric loves DC, Marvel, horror movies, and even Star Wars and Star Trek equally.The post How LANTERNS Ends for John Stewart and Guy Gardner appeared first on Nerdist.
What Really Happened to Hal Jordan on LANTERNS?
- The finale of Lanterns finally answered the central mystery: who killed Hal Jordan and more importantly, why?
- We learned through a series of flashbacks all of the events that led to Hal’s sad murder.
- But if you expected some kind of largescale cosmic reason, you might be surprised that it’s much more homespun.
- Nerdist Take: This turn of events really is the most tragic version. It wasn’t an alien bent on world domination, it wasn’t some larger conspiracy. It truly was love that did Hal Jordan in.
The first episode of Lanterns left us with a central mystery for in both 2016 and 2026. Naturally, like any good True Detective-inspired series, the earlier plot informed the later plot. But that meant for the next six episodes, we had knowledge that Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler) would die, shot in the head. The penultimate episode found John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) using Hal’s ring (and the Halogram) to visit an alien world in search of the truth.
But the reality of how and why Hal died is a lot more tragic and moderately less cosmic than maybe we first thought. Spoilers abound.
HBO Max
What Led to Hal Jordan’s Death?
Episode seven, “Dirt and Stars,” begins with a flashback to earlier in 2026. Sheriff Kerry Kane (Kelly Macdonald) picks Hal up as he leaves prison. The two then begin a very cute romance. Even as everyone in Rushville hates and despises Hal, Kerry makes it clear she to everyone in a restaurant that she likes him and appreciates he’s trying to make amends.
But Kerry is very much in the minority. One night, someone (or a group of someones) firebombs Jordan’s house and it seems he’ll die. However, he wakes up in the Macon slaughterhouse, with Kerry’s son Noah (Shea Pritchard) standing over him. He used Manhunter technology to rebuild Hal’s burnt flesh. And he knows how to use it because, as we soon find out, Noah himself is a Manhunter like his grandmother.
HBO Max/DC Studios
Despite agreeing to keep Noah’s secret (Kerry knows, but doesn’t know Noah knows), Hal follows the boy to a storage unit and finds the portal orb which transports him to the planet Ryut. Hal discovers it was Noah who broke Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) out of prison, as a means to forge Noah a lantern of his own that he might kill the Guardians himself. Hal then eats at the diner just as John arrives for the apology that never happened. This is why Hal begs John not to tell anyone he’s seen him. He doesn’t want Noah to know they spoke, lest the young Manhunter believe Hal snitched.
Who Killed Hal Jordan in Lanterns?Hal knows what Noah is and finds Kerry at the football field to tell her. Kerry is at first worried that Noah will find out his own truth, but Hal tells her Noah is already well aware and making moves. He knows Noah is dangerous and that the Guardians and the entire Lantern Corp will eventually find him. He proposes they all three of them leave, perhaps to another planet, far from the watchful eyes of the green people.
But Kerry is in denial. She doesn’t want to believe Noah capable of going full Manhunter. She tells Hal that, when Zoe cut off her finger to save her from mobsters, she implanted Manhunter DNA into Kerry when making her a new finger. Kerry became pregnant, despite not having a partner. Noah was always more Zoe’s kid than her own, but Kerry grew to love him and want to protect him.
HBO Max/DC Studios
As Hal keeps insisting they need to leave, Kerry spins around and fires her weapon, hitting the former Green Lantern squarely in the forehead. Just as he says he loves her, too. Real bad timing. Kerry never wanted to kill Hal, just stop him from acting against Noah. But it was too late. Cleaning up the crime scene, Kerry then calls John and kicks off all the action of the 2026 storyline.
This turn of events really is the most tragic version. It wasn’t an alien bent on world domination, it wasn’t some larger conspiracy. It truly was love that did Hal Jordan in. Even more tragic is that Noah was prepared to take the full blame, just to protect his mom. As John says, that’s not programming; that’s love.
Could Hal Jordan Ever Return?Anything is possible in comic book storytelling. Sinestro mentioned to the Halogram that he could bring Hal back to life “for real,” although this could have been merely a tactic to get free from the hell planet. That said, Hal Jordan died in the comics and came back. First as the host body for the Spectre, the literal spirit of vengeance. Then, he later went on a walkabout of sorts in the nether realms and return to proper life. So, never count a Green Lantern out.
Kyle Anderson is the Senior Editor for Nerdist. You can find his film and TV reviews here. Follow him on Letterboxd.The post What Really Happened to Hal Jordan on LANTERNS? appeared first on Nerdist.
The LANTERNS Season Finale Mostly Sticks the Landing (Review)
- The season finale of Lanterns had many questions to answer, and in our opinion, it successfully answered most of them.
- Viewers will find out who killed Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler), and whether or not John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) takes the power ring, in a way that is emotionally gratifying and does not feel unearned.
- There were some dangling plot threads involving Sinestro that were not wrapped up in a satisfying way, so we definitely hope we get a second season of Lanterns.
- Nerdist’s take: We ultimately think the Lanterns finale stuck the landing, especially in terms of character arcs. But the way this show shies away from its comic booky elements is annoying, and we hope season two corrects that.
We all knew a show called Lanterns was coming on HBO based on DC’s Green Lantern comics, but no one saw it coming, if you catch our drift. No one foresaw this grounded take on DC Comics’ emerald space cops was going to be as compelling as it was, with acting and craftsmanship behind the scenes to rival the best of HBO’s “prestige television” greats, like True Detective. A series this show owed a great debt to, as much as any comic book. But with all episodes now behind us, did the Lanterns showrunners, along with the cast, stick the landing? We’re happy to say, they mostly did.
HBO Max/DC Studios
Episode eight of Lanterns had a lot to tie up in one hour. We needed resolution to the season-long “Who killed Hal Jordan?” mystery. We needed to see if John Stewart (Aaron Pierre) would take the power ring and become a true Green Lantern at last. And we needed to know if there were still remnants of the Manhunter threat in Rushville, ten years later. And on an emotional level, we needed to know if John Stewart would make peace with his destiny, and with Hal Jordan (Kyle Chandler). Or, should we say, the ghost of Hal Jordan in the form of the Halogram. And we’re happy to say that the episode mostly ties those threads up in a satisfactory fashion.
RELATED ARTICLE
These DC Comics Stories Are Perfect for LANTERNS FansThe episode winds its way all over the Lanterns timeline, starting with Rushville in 2016, Hal’s release from prison in 2026, and right where the previous episode left off, with John and the Halogram interrogating Sinestro (Ulrich Thomsen) on the desolate alien world. Much of the lingering mysteries find resolution in a massive exposition dump by Sinestro while confined to a chair. This comes after a lengthy waterboarding torture sequence performed by John. This confession scene works to solve the various unanswered questions the audience had. If anything, this scene depicts a far more morally gray John than usual. It makes up for the standard “bad guy confesses everything” nature of it all. The writers turned it into a revealing character moment, instead of just a Scooby-Doo unmasking scene.
HBO Max/DC Studios
Of course, the questions the audience really cares about, who killed Hal, and whether John becomes a Green Lantern, find answers in a more emotionally gratifying way by the end of the episode. We won’t spoil the answers to the mystery here. We recommend just watching the episode. But we’ll say that it’s wrapped up with fantastically acted moments from Aaron Pierre, Kelly Macdonald, and, surprisingly, Shea Pritchard. The latter only just joined the series in the previous episode as the older Noah Macon. All three actors give their characters a nuance that no one was probably expecting from the “Magic Ring Superheroes” show. We think very few fans of the series are going to be unhappy about how things end for John Stewart.
HBO Max/DC Studios
As for what didn’t work, the plotline with Sinestro definitely remained dangling. This ties into the cosmic nature of the source material, something most of the writers are clearly less interested in. All signs indicate that a potential Lanterns season two will deal with some of these threads. And that takes the sting away a bit. But we still hate that some of that stuff did not receive a better resolution. The finale, and the whole series really, wasted great actors like Jason Ritter. We just don’t get why they cast them at all for such thankless roles. Laura Linney’s Guardian character felt like she needed one more moment, and we just didn’t get it. Those things were disappointing, to be sure.
Nerdist’s Take: Lanterns Season One Was an Incredible Character Study, But Season 2 Seriously Needs More Green Lantern ActionIn the end, however, what made Lanterns season one great was how successfully it handled the story of two men, at the opposite ends of their lives and careers, facing their pasts and futures. When it came to its thematic elements and character arcs for its main cast, we think Lanterns succeeded in spades by its conclusion. And if this turns out to be the last episode ever, we’d still say we’re about 75% satisfied, which isn’t bad. But if there is a next time, and we certainly hope there is, we hope they mix in the weighty character stuff with a bit more actual Green Lanterning. We don’t think that’s an absurd request for a show called Lanterns.
All eight episodes of Lanterns are now streaming on HBO Max.
Eric Diaz is a staff writer at Nerdist and a Swiss Army knife of fandoms. Eric loves DC, Marvel, horror movies, and even Star Wars and Star Trek equally.The post The LANTERNS Season Finale Mostly Sticks the Landing (Review) appeared first on Nerdist.
The Major Questions We Still Have After the LANTERNS Finale
- The final episode of Lanterns’ first season ended with a handful of mysteries still up in the air, ones we hope an eventual season two of the show will answer.
- We have questions about the fate of Sinestro, John Stewart’s new power battery, the Manhunter that still exists, and a possible return for Hal Jordan.
- Nerdist’s take: We hope a potential season two of Lanterns addresses some of the bigger cosmic elements and mysteries, now that the character arcs for its leads are essentially tied up. And we really want more aliens.
Lanterns has ended its first season, or what we hope is just its first season. As of now, HBO Max has not officially announced a season two. But between the ratings and the critical buzz, all signs point to Lanterns getting another season. And we are certainly amped for that, because the end of season one certainly left a few questions up in the air that we still await answers to. Here are the top things we hope Lanterns season two address which the first season left unanswered. As always, spoilers for the whole season abound below.
What Happens to Sinestro?
The season ends with Thaal Sinestro (Ulrick Thomsen), the former Green Lantern who went rogue and killed a Guardian, busted out of prison by the Manhunter, Noah Macon. He’s retreated to the planet where, untold centuries ago, Manhunter Zoe once committed genocide with her fear toxin. John and the Halogram find him in a strange foundry there in the middle of a body of water, where Sinestro confesses to having forged a new lantern battery. Only this lantern was forged using elements found on that planet.
HBO Max/DC Studios
By the episode’s end, John Stewart leaves him on that little island on that barren world with no way out. He can’t swim across the water because the ocean is toxic. So what happens next? We can’t imagine that’s the end of Sinestro, as he’s such a major character in the Green Lantern mythology. Will he forge his yellow ring, and start up his own Sinestro Corps, just as in the comics? The ultimate fate of Sinestro has us the most curious about what season two might cover. He’s just too big a character to be “left for dead” on some remote planet.
Can Sinestro Really Bring Hal Jordan Back to Life For Real?HBO Max/DC Studios
Speaking of Sinestro, when John Stewart is interrogating him, he suggests to the Halogram that if he can be freed and allowed to forge a new lantern, he can “Bring him back, for real.” Sinestro later says that once John charges his ring on the new lantern, Hal’s consciousness will be lost, and he won’t be able to bring Hal back. Of course, by the episode’s end, John does charge the ring. But we highly doubt the writers would leave that comment by Sinestro for no reason. Not unless it was something he could really do, or something they had plans to address. It’s also possible that Sinestro means he could bring Hal back as an undead Black Lantern. We don’t think that’s the plan, but season two must explain just what Sinestro meant by this. We all want more Kyle Chandler as Hal, so they better follow that up.
Will Noah Macon Succumb to His Manhunter Programming?
HBO Max/DC Studios
At the end of the season, John essentially made the judgment call to not kill Noah Macon (Shea Pritchard), whom he now knows is a human-born Manhunter agent. He believes his human upbringing can counter any ancient programming the Guardians of the Universe instilled in his DNA. But it seems that Noah has a clear course for success in life. College sports parlayed into fame, parlayed into politics, then parlayed into eventually becoming President. James Gunn has said that the events of Lanterns would have larger ramifications on the DCU. Could it be they’re setting up Noah Macon as the DCU’s “Big Bad?” And if so, what does that mean for John, who could have ended this potential threat? We hope Lanterns season two at least touches on this possibility.
Will the Guardians Retaliate Against John Stewart For Taking Hal’s Ring?
HBO Max/DC Studios
At the end of the episode, John tells Guy Gardner to tell the Guardians of the Universe he’s “Earth’s Green Lantern.” John tells Guy to tell them his bosses he won’t be following their orders. He’s essentially daring them to come after him and take the ring away, which he strongly suspects they won’t do. After all, he knows Guardian Lianna’s dirty little secret about the Manhunters. But there is more than one Guardian of the Universe out there. We don’t think John’s declaration as a rogue “independent contractor” Green Lantern likely sits well with all of that immortal race. And if that’s the case, we need to find out what kind of response they’ll have. Maybe we’ll actually see some other Lanterns show up in response.
Will John’s New Lantern Forged with Fear Water and Air Matter?
HBO Max/DC Studios
By season’s end, John Stewart’s is using the lantern battery that Sinestro forged on that lost planet. A lantern that John noticed had yellow cracks in it, because Sinestro forged it on a world where fear toxin infused the air and water. Now, in the comics, this is how the fear entity Parallax took over the mind and body of Hal Jordan. This is not something that ever happened to John Stewart. But could Lanterns be flipping the script, setting up John for a Parallax turn? We don’t think they’ll veer that far from the known mythology. But there’s something up with John’s Sinestro-forged lantern, and we need to know what it’s all about.
Will We Ever See Aliens on this Green Lantern-Based Series?Look, we love Lanterns. It’s one of the best character dramas of the year, and one of television’s best mysteries of the year as well. But aside from Sinestro, a dude in pinkish makeup, we didn’t see a single alien on this show. We might have had mentions of Mogo and Ch’p, but not a sign of anything non-human. Now that HBO has the normies hooked with Lanterns, we really hope we see some actual aliens on this series. We’re not saying the show needs to take place in outer space, but they’ve got to give us something in this regard.
All of Lanterns season one is now streaming on HBO Max.
Eric Diaz is a staff writer at Nerdist and a Swiss Army knife of fandoms. Eric loves DC, Marvel, horror movies, and even Star Wars and Star Trek equally.The post The Major Questions We Still Have After the LANTERNS Finale appeared first on Nerdist.