From the New York Times best-selling author of The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires comes a nostalgic and unflinchingly funny celebration of the horror fiction boom of the 1970s and ’80s. Take a tour through the horror paperback novels of two iconic decades . . . if you dare. Page through dozens and dozens of amazing book covers featuring well-dressed skeletons, evil dolls, and … well-dressed skeletons, evil dolls, and knife-wielding killer crabs! Read shocking plot summaries that invoke devil worship, satanic children, and haunted real estate!
Horror author and vintage paperback book collector Grady Hendrix offers killer commentary and witty insight on these trashy thrillers that tried so hard to be the next Exorcist or Rosemary’s Baby. Complete with story summaries and artist and author profiles, this unforgettable volume dishes on familiar authors like V. C. Andrews and R. L. Stine, plus many more who’ve faded into obscurity.
Also included are recommendations for which of these forgotten treasures are well worth your reading time and which should stay buried.
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Loved this! Hazard: If you like horror, it will greatly expand Your TBR List.
A book about the period of time when the horror genre ruled the paperback racks at the bookstore? A book about the period of time in my life, (about Carrie’s age, in fact), when I felt like an outsider, and horror made me feel included? Sign me up! Luckily, Quirk books and NetGalley did just that, and here we are.
This book is a reference book, a guide to life and times in the United States in the 70’s and 80’s. Things going on in the world and in society always affect our fiction and those times were no different. Paperbacks from Hell puts it all into perspective in an easy to read and humorous way. All the while vividly punctuated with those freaking AWESOME horror book covers of that time!
I bet you remember those covers too. The Sentinel with the priest looking out at you; Flowers in the Attic with those children looking out at you…and ALL those children from the John Saul books, (though at least one was blind and was NOT looking at you.) I had a mad grin on my face the entire time I was reading this, and with its funny chapter titles like “What to Expect When You’re Expecting (a Hell Baby),” and its funny observations about life back then, how could I not? I’d wager that you’ll have a mad grin on your face too.
Contributing a great deal to this book was Will Errickson and his blog, Too Much Horror Fiction.
You can and should (!) find it here: http://toomuchhorrorfiction.blogspot….
Paperbacks From Hell gets my highest recommendation! Period.
You can pre-order your copy here. (I did!): https://www.amazon.com/Paperbacks-Hel…
*Thanks to NetGalley and Quirk books for the e-ARC in exchange for my honest review. This is it. *
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This one is rather hard to review because it’s a huge overload of information. But of course, I mean that as a good thing. The author is clearly so full of passion for these stories, and he goes into such detail about everything.
You’ll learn all about the authors, the trends, even the covers, and the artists that created them. Absolutely everything is gone over and he’s incredibly witty which makes the more ridiculous stories covered easier to read about. (Nazi leprechauns!?)
It’s eight huge chapters, full of everything you could possibly want to know about this subject. Included are awesome covers that I loved looking at. I really took my time with this one and enjoyed it. If you even have a passing interest in horror you want to check this out.
If you’re into horror novels, this book is for you. It’s a hilariously well-written history of pulp horror paperbacks. I seriously couldn’t stop reading.
A tremendous overview of classic horror books from the 70’s/80’s that will add loads of paperbacks to your ‘to-read’ list.
A delightfully dark romp through the often squishy underbelly of 1970s and 80s fiction. A richly illustrated and expertly curated reference for anyone seeking to indulge their nostalgia for a sadly diminished genre or neophytes in search of an expanded reading list.
I won this book in a Goodreads Giveaway.
If you are a fan of 1970s and 1980s horror paperback fiction, you will want to get your hands on this. I grew up in the 80’s but I read alot of these books. I was so excited to get this book. This book is very well-documented and full of lovely full-color art. There are several paintings and illustrations by artists that are published in this book for the first time. The author has a great comic sense and there are some laugh out loud passages in the book.
I enjoyed Paperbacks from Hell very much. The illustrations, background information, and historical insight were all interesting. I enjoy Grady Hendrix’s narration, as he shared his opinion and wit freely. This book introduced me to writers I had never heard of, and, while for the most part I can’t get their books in paperback without searching thrift stores, I did find some of them available on Kindle. They’ve been added to my to be read list.
I resolved to read more non-fiction this year, and Paperbacks from Hell has gotten me off to a good start.