The Recommended Reading Order for Satan Influenced
If you want to experience the Satanic panic and pulp horror of the 1980s exactly as it was released, the publication order is your best bet. Because almost all of these novels are standalone stories, you do not need to worry about complex timelines or cliffhangers. You can pick up any book that catches your eye, though starting from the beginning lets you see how William W. Johnstone’s pulp style evolved over two decades.
Satan Influenced Books in Publication Order
This list reflects the original publication sequence of the Satan Influenced books, spanning from the early 1980s to the late 1990s:
- A Crying Shame (1983)
- The Nursery (1983)
- Rockinghorse (1986)
- Jack-in-the-Box (1986)
- Sweet Dreams (1986)
- Baby Grand (1987)
- Toy Cemetery (1987)
- The Uninvited (1988)
- Sandman (1988)
- Carnival (1989)
- Darkly the Thunder (1990)
- Rockabilly Hell (1995)
- Rockabilly Limbo (1996)
- Blood Oath (1999)
What to Know Before You Start
Before William W. Johnstone became a household name for his Westerns and survivalist novels, he cut his teeth writing horror paperbacks. The Satan Influenced books are quintessential vintage pulp horror. They feature everyday protagonists, small-town settings, and over-the-top battles between absolute good and absolute evil. The tone is campy, violent, and highly atmospheric, mirroring the low-budget B-movies of the era.
While these books are grouped under the "Satan Influenced" umbrella by catalogers and fans, they are primarily thematic standalones rather than a serialized story. The only exception is the rock-and-roll horror duology of Rockabilly Hell and Rockabilly Limbo, which share direct narrative links.
Key Book Highlights
- A Crying Shame: The book that started it all, set in a cursed Louisiana swamp where mutant, hairy human-animal hybrids terrorize the locals.
- The Nursery: A dark, claustrophobic tale about a small town trapped in a demonic time loop and subjected to horrifying experiments.
- Toy Cemetery: Often considered a fan favorite, this novel tells the story of a man who inherits his late aunt's collection of malevolent, animated toys.
- Rockabilly Hell & Rockabilly Limbo: This two-part story follows a former deputy sheriff investigating cursed, disappearing roadhouses and supernatural rock-and-roll madness.