A review by autty
Paperbacks from Hell: The Twisted History of '70s and '80s Horror Fiction by Grady Hendrix

dark funny informative fast-paced

3.5

This book provides a brief overview of the various subgenres within horror fiction during its publishing heyday. Due to the breadth of topics covered, this book functions more as a collection of personal reflections of various horror novels rather than an analysis of horror novels as a medium and the context they existed within. At times I wished that there was a singular aspect of horror publishing that was more strongly focused upon that would have either linked all the different types of horror novels together rather than making it feel as if I was reading a list of various trivia assembled about the topic.  That being said, the author's sense of humor makes this book a fun read, and I greatly appreciated that I could feel the care that he has for the genre as a whole. The selling point of this book for me is the wonderful assortment of cover art from these novels, which highlights the stylistic trends that pervade horror publishing. As a whole, this book is good for those who have not explored the world of horror fiction as of yet , as well as people who like various forms of horror art.
Expand filter menu Content Warnings