Synopsis:
Written in dead letters… and covered in blood!
Demonic possession! Haunted condominiums! Murderous babies! Man-eating moths! No plot was too ludicrous, no cover art too appalling, no evil too despicable for the Paperbacks From Hell.
Where did they come from? Where did they go? Horror author Grady Hendrix risks his soul and sanity (not to mention yours) to relate the true, untold story of the Paperbacks From Hell.
Shocking story summaries! Incredible cover art! And true tales of writers, artists, and publishers who violated every literary law but one: never be boring. All this awaits, if you dare experience the Paperbacks From Hell.
Edition:
E-book
Awards/Nominations:
- Won: Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction (2017)
- Nominated: Goodreads Choice Award for Non-Fiction (2017)
My Thoughts:
Just like when I read Monster, She Wrote, I left Paperbacks from Hell with a long list of books I wanted to hunt down. I should stop reading books like this – I can’t afford it! Just kidding. I would never.
One thing this book has that I really appreciated was a lot of cover art. I have the e-book, but I definitely want to pick up a physical copy so that I can pick pages at random and stare at the big, beautiful, glossy pictures of insane 70s and 80s horror novels.
This book is certainly not exhaustive, but it is a great place to start if you want to read some (for the most part) poorly-aged, off-the-wall, and in many cases in completely poor taste horror schlock. Which, I mean, why wouldn’t you?
Hendrix also devotes a good amount of real estate to the artists responsible for some of the most interesting or best known covers, which is a nice addition – they deserve a bit of credit for creating some truly memorable covers!
On a side note: Valancourt Books and Quirk are both doing great things in regards to re-releasing some of these forgotten gems. I highly suggest checking their stuff out.
About the Author (from his Goodreads):
Want a look at my newest book, The Southern Book Club’s Guide to Slaying Vampires? Then enter now for an ARC giveaway. You could get your blood-soaked paws on one of these books before anyone else on your block!
Grady Hendrix is the author of the novels Horrorstör, about a haunted IKEA, and My Best Friend’s Exorcism, which is like Beaches meets The Exorcist, only it’s set in the Eighties.
He’s also the jerk behind the Stoker award-winning Paperbacks from Hell, a history of the 70’s and 80’s horror paperback boom, which contains more information about Nazi leprechauns, killer babies, and evil cats than you probably need.
And he’s the screenwriter behind Mohawk, which is probably the only horror movie about the War of 1812 and the upcoming Satanic Panic.
You can listen to free, amazing, and did I mention free podcasts of his fiction on Pseudopod.
If you’re not already sick of him, you can learn all his secrets at his website.
Rating:
Hendrix has such a unique and delightfully snarky voice, which is the perfect delivery for this kind of subject matter.
Paperbacks from Hell By Grady Hendrix Quirk Books ISBN: 1594749817 Published: September 19, 2017 Paperback, E-book, Audio 254 Pages Author's Website
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