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Horror Literature: A Reader's Guide
First Published in 1990. Routledge is an imprint of Taylor & Francis, an informa company.
596 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1990
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Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews
May 7, 2016
This is an invaluable reference guide for those looking to delve more deeply into the horror genre. It has a number of contributors, including Bentley Little from before he was a big name, and covers the early Gothic era (1762-1824) through the contemporary horror era (1950-1988). I have to admit I didn't read it cover to cover, as even just reading about some of those 18th century novels caused my eyelids to weigh about 10 pounds. I will say that the sections on 20th century horror fiction -- featuring synopses of hundreds of novels and collections -- are pretty extensive, and has persuaded me to add a wealth of books to my "to-read" list, and I consider myself pretty well-versed in the genre. The large contemporary horror section makes this an improvement, imo, over Marshall Tymn's earlier Horror Literature: A Core Collection and Reference Guide (1981), in which the more "modern" sections were dwarfed by the pre-20th century chapters. Others, I'm sure, will feel the opposite in regard to this point.
There's also a lengthy "Research Aids" section (well over 200 pages), featuring author studies, a chapter on horror on TV and in film, commentary on other key reference and horror criticism works, magazines devoted to the genre, a list of an ideal "core collection," and pretty much anything else an avid horror fan would ever want to know on both the history of the genre, as well as highlighting the most important and essential reads. Too bad many of the books I most want to check out are nearly impossible to find for reasonable prices, but that only makes me more determined to find them. For like 2 bucks apiece.
As with any guide of this sort, there's going to be more ink devoted to some authors than others, fairly or unfairly. Many writers that were overlooked back in the day -- lost in the veritable glut of horror fiction at the time of this book's release (1990) -- have since grown in stature among hardcore fans of the genre. Unfortunately, that means some of the best and most original authors of the era, such as Ray Garton and Thomas Ligotti, are ignored entirely, even though the former's excellent Live Girls (1987) was a key early entry in the splatterpunk movement, while the latter had seen his seminal debut collection of the weird, Songs of a Dead Dreamer (1986), released in both hardcover and mass-market in the few years before the publication of this reader's guide. Other works by far lesser writers -- I won't name names (*cough* Koontz...excuse me) -- are given pages and pages.* But this sort of thing is understandable and inevitable, especially in Ligotti's case, as he was largely unknown before the paperback release of Songs in 1989, so this is hardly a complaint.
Less forgivable is the lack of a single mention of the highly regarded British fantasist John Collier, whose uniquely witty strange stories of the 30s and 40s have graced dozens, if not hundreds, of horror anthologies over the years. Early 20th century Polish writer Stefan Grabinski, hugely influential to more recent authors of the weird such as Ligotti, isn't mentioned either. But I'll let that one go considering his work wasn't as widely available in English at the time as it is today. At least the late great Michael McDowell, who was little more than a well-respected midlister in the 80s (and whose reputation has since grown immensely) gets some good pub here.
Still, despite these minor quibbles, this is an essential read for those new to horror, and for fans looking to learn more about the genre, containing a bounty of good info on the staples of the genre as well as forgotten gems. Just be prepared for your to-read list to become out of control, bordering on silly.
4.0 Stars
*Sorry Koontz fans. Sorry he sucks so much.
Just kidding. He's good at what he does, I suppose. Just not my thing.
There's also a lengthy "Research Aids" section (well over 200 pages), featuring author studies, a chapter on horror on TV and in film, commentary on other key reference and horror criticism works, magazines devoted to the genre, a list of an ideal "core collection," and pretty much anything else an avid horror fan would ever want to know on both the history of the genre, as well as highlighting the most important and essential reads. Too bad many of the books I most want to check out are nearly impossible to find for reasonable prices, but that only makes me more determined to find them. For like 2 bucks apiece.
As with any guide of this sort, there's going to be more ink devoted to some authors than others, fairly or unfairly. Many writers that were overlooked back in the day -- lost in the veritable glut of horror fiction at the time of this book's release (1990) -- have since grown in stature among hardcore fans of the genre. Unfortunately, that means some of the best and most original authors of the era, such as Ray Garton and Thomas Ligotti, are ignored entirely, even though the former's excellent Live Girls (1987) was a key early entry in the splatterpunk movement, while the latter had seen his seminal debut collection of the weird, Songs of a Dead Dreamer (1986), released in both hardcover and mass-market in the few years before the publication of this reader's guide. Other works by far lesser writers -- I won't name names (*cough* Koontz...excuse me) -- are given pages and pages.* But this sort of thing is understandable and inevitable, especially in Ligotti's case, as he was largely unknown before the paperback release of Songs in 1989, so this is hardly a complaint.
Less forgivable is the lack of a single mention of the highly regarded British fantasist John Collier, whose uniquely witty strange stories of the 30s and 40s have graced dozens, if not hundreds, of horror anthologies over the years. Early 20th century Polish writer Stefan Grabinski, hugely influential to more recent authors of the weird such as Ligotti, isn't mentioned either. But I'll let that one go considering his work wasn't as widely available in English at the time as it is today. At least the late great Michael McDowell, who was little more than a well-respected midlister in the 80s (and whose reputation has since grown immensely) gets some good pub here.
Still, despite these minor quibbles, this is an essential read for those new to horror, and for fans looking to learn more about the genre, containing a bounty of good info on the staples of the genre as well as forgotten gems. Just be prepared for your to-read list to become out of control, bordering on silly.
4.0 Stars
*Sorry Koontz fans. Sorry he sucks so much.
Just kidding. He's good at what he does, I suppose. Just not my thing.
May 13, 2023
This was a massive tome (published 1990) and is more a compendium than a book to read from start to finish. From early Gothic to later Gothic to early modern horror fiction to contemporary horror fiction (1950-1988) here you'll find all the major authors and works to consider. Old monsters in new skins, vampires, werewolves, traditional horror, all the household names are in this mighty book. Anthologies, publishers, history and criticism, studies, film and television, art and illustrations... this excellent guide closes with a huge index on author, titles and themes. This was published before the internet took over. Back then it definitely was the ultimate book on horror literature. It still is a fantastic work for orientation. Highly recommended!
February 21, 2021
Read review of Fantasy Literature by Neil Barron.
Displaying 1 - 3 of 3 reviews