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kurt's review against another edition
5.0
I devoured this book like the rabid undead in the zombie apocalypse!!! WOW man!!! This guy is really into this stuff!! I love it!
Many of these books I remember as a young lad growing up in the 80's. Unfortunately, most of them I do not have anymore. Some of them I never read, but I just bought them because of the cover alone! Regardless of the level of horror one is comfortable with, there is something here for everyone. Every facet of the genre is covered. While it would be physically impossible to acknowledge every single horror novel that exhumed from the very pit of hell, I would absolutely categorize this as the definitive source of horror literature.
Grady my man, great job!!! Very impressive... and inspiringly nostalgic!!!
Many of these books I remember as a young lad growing up in the 80's. Unfortunately, most of them I do not have anymore. Some of them I never read, but I just bought them because of the cover alone! Regardless of the level of horror one is comfortable with, there is something here for everyone. Every facet of the genre is covered. While it would be physically impossible to acknowledge every single horror novel that exhumed from the very pit of hell, I would absolutely categorize this as the definitive source of horror literature.
Grady my man, great job!!! Very impressive... and inspiringly nostalgic!!!
lauragessert's review against another edition
5.0
Five stars for the hilarious jokes and descriptions !
So many memories of the American Gen X growing up !!
Such a great honoring of those people in the paperback business who made it all happen ! I own the paper version of this book and the quality of reprinted covers is so wonderful
highly recommend reading paper !!
Great backstories on cover artists who went on to do other things as well as the writers themselves .
So many memories of the American Gen X growing up !!
Such a great honoring of those people in the paperback business who made it all happen ! I own the paper version of this book and the quality of reprinted covers is so wonderful
highly recommend reading paper !!
Great backstories on cover artists who went on to do other things as well as the writers themselves .
elysareadsitall's review against another edition
5.0
"Paperbacks from Hell" is a fun, informative look at the history of paperback horror publishing with special emphasis on the unhinged and amazing cover art. I liked how the book was broken down by trope and how those changed over time. My reading list is a million miles long now.
ultramarine316's review against another edition
5.0
I really enjoyed this one! A look at the horror book hay day of the 70s and 80s, it covers the iconic masterpieces, the waves of cheep imitations of iconic masterpieces, the forgotten jems, and, most delightfully, the pure batshit insanity that got put out by publishers eager to ride the horror wave. Attention is given to stand out cover artists and publishing imprints too. A good resource for horror fans and a fun nostalgia trip for anyone who grew up seeing these beckoning from supermarket racks.
em_jay's review against another edition
5.0
The audiobook was fantastic to listen to apart from the physical book. My goodness!
smugsnail's review against another edition
5.0
There is a particular way that Hendrix writes that always has me rolling with laughter. I was already interested in the actual meat and subject matter of the book, but Hendrix's style really helped it along to the point where I would read particular passages out loud to my family to get them laughing as well. The book gave me a new reading list as I head further into my 2023 reading challenge.
plantlady96's review against another edition
Library Book, hopefully I'll come back to it at a later date
thegoodsir's review against another edition
4.0
Absolutely fabulous, engaging, informative history of the horror paperback explosion. I added so many books to my tbr. 4.5
kieranhealy's review against another edition
5.0
”Though they may be consigned to dusty dollar boxes, these stories are timeless in the way that truly matters: they will not bore you. Thrown into the rough-and-tumble marketplace, the writers learned they had to earn every reader’s attention. And so they delivered books that move, hit hard, take risks, go for broke. It’s not just the covers that hook your eyeballs. It’s the writing, which respects no rules except one: always be interesting.”
What a fun read. Hendrix’s “Paperbacks From Hell” is not much more than a series of book summaries loosely grouped by sub genres and in roughly publishing order. But he eschews egghead twaddle about the importance of the writing or the historical impact, and follows the singular rule stated above: be interesting. Hendrix knows how to write sardonically funny, and he uses this humor to describe horrifically debased novels churned out by the hundreds. Much like Giallo slasher movies or Chucky, the fun of these books is in the pained grimace one makes while reading it. For example-
“Wherever you think this book won’t go, Masterton not only goes there, he reports back in lunacy-inducing detail. By the last page we’ve seen amputee dwarf assassins, flaming dogs, one of the most harrowing scenes of self-cannibalism ever committed to paper, one death by explosive vomiting, and an appearance by Jesus Christ himself. Throughout, Masterton enjoys himself immensely. He cares about his characters. His dialogue is funnier than it needs to be, his gore is gorier, and his sex is more explicit. His books may not be the most tasteful, or consistent, but you feel that Masterson will gladly hang up his hat the minute they’re not the most original.”
More, please!
”1974 was pop culture’s Year of the Animal. First came Jaws by Peter Benchley, a novel about a stressed-out great white shark suffering from portion control issues.”
“Robert Marasco’s Burnt Offerings (1973), a chilling tale about a family who escapes the city to move into a summer rental…from hell. Marasco was a high school English teacher, so his illusions about human nature had long ago been stomped to death.”
You don’t get samples of the books, really. Hendrix isn’t here to give a book report, he’s here to convince you these lovable pieces of pulp are worth the laughing screams they elicit. The tongue is so firmly in the cheek it’s burst a hole in it.
What you get are quick summaries like the above and moving on. Which almost gets tiresome towards the end, but the book is short enough that it doesn’t wear out it’s welcome. This is no Peter Straub doorstopper, it is a crisp 200 or so pages of entertaining literature history. A great source of fun after the series of letdowns I’ve recently finished but yet to rate…
Highly recommended.
What a fun read. Hendrix’s “Paperbacks From Hell” is not much more than a series of book summaries loosely grouped by sub genres and in roughly publishing order. But he eschews egghead twaddle about the importance of the writing or the historical impact, and follows the singular rule stated above: be interesting. Hendrix knows how to write sardonically funny, and he uses this humor to describe horrifically debased novels churned out by the hundreds. Much like Giallo slasher movies or Chucky, the fun of these books is in the pained grimace one makes while reading it. For example-
“Wherever you think this book won’t go, Masterton not only goes there, he reports back in lunacy-inducing detail. By the last page we’ve seen amputee dwarf assassins, flaming dogs, one of the most harrowing scenes of self-cannibalism ever committed to paper, one death by explosive vomiting, and an appearance by Jesus Christ himself. Throughout, Masterton enjoys himself immensely. He cares about his characters. His dialogue is funnier than it needs to be, his gore is gorier, and his sex is more explicit. His books may not be the most tasteful, or consistent, but you feel that Masterson will gladly hang up his hat the minute they’re not the most original.”
More, please!
”1974 was pop culture’s Year of the Animal. First came Jaws by Peter Benchley, a novel about a stressed-out great white shark suffering from portion control issues.”
“Robert Marasco’s Burnt Offerings (1973), a chilling tale about a family who escapes the city to move into a summer rental…from hell. Marasco was a high school English teacher, so his illusions about human nature had long ago been stomped to death.”
You don’t get samples of the books, really. Hendrix isn’t here to give a book report, he’s here to convince you these lovable pieces of pulp are worth the laughing screams they elicit. The tongue is so firmly in the cheek it’s burst a hole in it.
What you get are quick summaries like the above and moving on. Which almost gets tiresome towards the end, but the book is short enough that it doesn’t wear out it’s welcome. This is no Peter Straub doorstopper, it is a crisp 200 or so pages of entertaining literature history. A great source of fun after the series of letdowns I’ve recently finished but yet to rate…
Highly recommended.