Reading order
| # | Title | Published | Author | Buy on Amazon |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Small Spaces | 2018 | Katherine Arden | Buy |
| 2 | Zrádné mlhy | 2018 | Katherine Arden | N/A |
| 3 | Dead Voices | 2019 | Katherine Arden | Buy |
| 4 | Dark Waters | 2021 | Katherine Arden | Buy |
| 5 | Empty Smiles | 2022 | Katherine Arden | Buy |
The Small Spaces series is Katherine Arden’s middle-grade horror quartet, published between 2018 and 2022. The four books follow a group of children who encounter supernatural evil in rural Vermont, beginning with Small Spaces and continuing through Dead Voices, Dark Waters, and Empty Smiles.
Arden proved with this series that her talent for atmospheric storytelling translates well to younger readers. The books are genuinely creepy, with a recurring antagonist known as the smiling man who ranks among the most memorable villains in recent children’s fiction. The Vermont setting gives the series a distinct American Gothic feel that complements the Russian folk horror of her adult novels.