When's the last time you had to sleep with your light on? Well, get ready to reset that date, because The Monstrumologist will make you want to keep all the lights on, and maybe put a baseball bat under the bed, too… just in case.

This is the tale of an orphan boy named Will Henry who works as an assistant to the eccentric Dr. Warthrop, a.k.a. the Monstrumologist. Together they become embroiled in the hunt for Anthropophagus, a creature with no head, way too many teeth, and a voracious appetite for human flesh. See? Lights on, bat where you can reach it.

Nominated for a bunch of awards, including the 2010 Michael L. Printz Award, The Monstrumologist is Rick Yancey's first attempt at horror, though he was far from a publishing rookie when he wrote it in 2009. He's also written the Adventures of Alfred Kropp series aimed at young readers, as well as The Highly Effective Detective, which are geared more toward adults. The Monstrumologist marked a turn in genre for Yancey, though, and his subsequent books (including three more in the Monstrumologist series) all have a distinct sci-fi flavor.

Whether science, history, adventure, or horror is your genre of choice, there's something for pretty much everyone in these pages. So grab a flashlight and let's get going.

Why is The Monstrumologist series more than just a really fun horror story? Because it represents the moment fans took control of the publishing process.

Say what? See, just before the third book in this series was due to be released, the publishers notified Rick Yancey that the series was going to remain a trilogy. No fourth book needed, because they weren't making enough money. Yancey was broadsided by the news, and was especially devastated because he wasn't nearly done with telling Will Henry's story.

Enter the fans. People who loved Will Henry's vulnerability and Warthrop's irascible nature took to Twitter, Facebook, Tumbler, and other social media to tell Simon and Schuster (Yancey's publisher) that they demand more. And guess what? Simon and Schuster listened. The fourth book, The Final Descent was published in 2013.

Whoa, right? So go on and see what fans were so worked up about.