Hardcover, 272 pages
Published by Saga Press.
A love letter to the horror genre from many of the most influential and bestselling authors in the industry.
For twenty-five years, Becky Siegel Spratford has worked as a librarian in Reader Advisory, training library workers all over the world on how to engage their patrons and readers, and to use her place as a horror expert and critic to get the word out to others; to bring even more readers into the horror fold.
Why I Love Horror is a captivating anthology and heartfelt tribute to the horror genre featuring essays from several of the most celebrated contemporary horror writers including, Grady Hendrix, Paul Tremblay, Stephen Graham Jones, Josh Malerman, Victor LaValle, Tananarive Due, and Rachel Harrison.
Quick impressions: If you are a horror fan, this is a must-read book. If you are curious about horror, this is a good book to learn about the genre and what motivates some of its current writers to keep on writing it. The book is truly a great sampling of modern voices in contemporary horror.
A detailed full review with additional reading notes will be available on my blog soon.
If you adore the macabre and the grisly, you'll find thirteen kindred spirits folded in the pages of Why I Love Horror. If you either dislike or fear the genre, you'll read a baker's dozen's worth of essays that explain the complexities and nuances found in horror. Some horror is cathartic. Some horror is tortuously honest. There are so many subgenres of horror, from the most gruesome (think the Terrifier franchise) to the most literary (Dracula, Frankenstein, and the works of Stephen Graham Jones). Even if you're frightened of the dark, or can't stomach blood, there's horror out there for you.
This collection of essays shines a light into the dark recesses of the mind. Some authors delve into their childhoods, reminiscing about their favorite horror movies and Stephen King novels. Others find solace in psychological terrors, where they can confront their most horrific characteristics, their trauma, and the …
If you adore the macabre and the grisly, you'll find thirteen kindred spirits folded in the pages of Why I Love Horror. If you either dislike or fear the genre, you'll read a baker's dozen's worth of essays that explain the complexities and nuances found in horror. Some horror is cathartic. Some horror is tortuously honest. There are so many subgenres of horror, from the most gruesome (think the Terrifier franchise) to the most literary (Dracula, Frankenstein, and the works of Stephen Graham Jones). Even if you're frightened of the dark, or can't stomach blood, there's horror out there for you.
This collection of essays shines a light into the dark recesses of the mind. Some authors delve into their childhoods, reminiscing about their favorite horror movies and Stephen King novels. Others find solace in psychological terrors, where they can confront their most horrific characteristics, their trauma, and the darkest parts of society. For some, horror is healing. For others, horror provides countless answers to the question, "What if?" For even more, horror provides a safe place to grapple with the terrors that play out in their homes, their communities, their country, and the world.
As a horror fan, this read brought introspection I hadn't realized I wanted. I highly recommend Why I Love Horror to fans of the genre or those who wish to dip their toes into all it offers.
