This is a lovely book and a wonderful way to close out my year in reading. I felt such an affinity with this author! An odd affinity, as I imagine we This is a lovely book and a wonderful way to close out my year in reading. I felt such an affinity with this author! An odd affinity, as I imagine we are nothing alike, despite both of us being great readers since childhood. Perhaps the connection comes from so fully being able to imagine myself in his life. And that is all due to the author's talent when it comes to recollecting so many of the books he has collected and bookshops he has visited, places he's seen and people he's met, and most intensely, describing his long abiding love for the authors Sylvia Townsend Warner and (especially) Arthur Machen. Russell writes with such precision and nuance; there is a guarded yet palpable warmth and affection in this book, as well as some withering criticisms, but above all there is a clarity in his detailing of past events. Surely the man must be a intrepid diarist, careful to include the most microscopic of details if need be. Much as with Christopher Fowler's The Book of Forgotten Authors, one needs to read this from its start on through, rather than skipping about. This is in many ways a personal narrative: less of a guidebook, and despite its title, less of a series of recommendations, and more - in the author's own words - a "volume of reminisces."
The book made me consider my own life in my 20s, and compare it to the author's life back then. When younger colleagues of that age talk about their lives, what they do for fun, their social circles, their interests, etc., I'll admit that I often experience a bit of condescending pity towards them (kept tightly to myself of course!). That decade for me, and perhaps the half-decade that followed, was such a dizzying and rich experience, full of momentous events, some terrible and many wonderful, and thick with too many people, places, activities, and interests to ever successfully recount. Alas, I have become one of those tiresome older people with an anecdote about everything. I certainly couldn't imagine trading my younger life for another person's - that is, until this book! There's just something about a life that is full of literariness, exploring bookshops and attending readers' conferences, being a part of literary societies and a social scene where discussing often long-dead authors is par for the course... I became surprisingly envious when reading this book. I wouldn't trade lives, but in another reality, I'd certainly like to experience his. Well at least I have his book!
Not all of these books are forgotten, although the title is still a perfect one. The very well-received and widely-read The Loney is included, perhaps only because Russell published its first edition. The last chapter is on Richard Wright's classic of black fiction, The Outsider - a pleasing double to the first entry, Colin Wilson's equally classic The Outsider - which appears to be here to atone for the author mainly reading white writers, and as his rather ham-handed response to the dire racial reckoning of 2020. (That said, his analysis of the book is accomplished and thought-provoking.) Some favorite parts included his insightful chapter on Robert Aickman, his chapter on his wife Rosalie Parker, a visit to a bookshop-in-a-mansion The Lilies, and the comments he weaves throughout the book on his frenemy, the bookseller and publisher and all-around rapscallion George Locke.
Overall, Russell made certain that I now have quite a few more titles to add to the neverending list - and it should be mentioned that the author notes far more than 50 books between its slim 255 pages. Despite my saying earlier that this is neither a true guidebook nor a list of recommendations but rather a book of memories, Russell still writes about books in such an enticing way that by the end of it, I had a handful of post-its filled with suggestions for further discoveries:
Since 2021 is apparently the Year of the Horseshoe Theory, I guess I will get into the extremist spirit of things anOverall rating for 2021: 3.3 stars
Since 2021 is apparently the Year of the Horseshoe Theory, I guess I will get into the extremist spirit of things and only highlight the books I've read that are either 5 stars, 1 star, or about identity politics.
☼ Looking at that list, it seems like this was a good year due to all the 5 star books and the dearth of 1 star books! :) ☁ Except of course this year was full of eyerolling, disappointment in the human species, and profound irritation at so many things both large & small. :( ☂ Well, who knows, there are still over 2 weeks left - let's see what 2021 still has in store? :| ☄ Plus hopefully I will be in Costa Rica before the year is over, that's gotta be ending the year on a high note, right? Right?? :o
☀
BONUS REVIEWS
Very appreciative of all of my old Goodreads friends still posting reviews and comments after all of these years. Thank you! Much love to you!
Louis and Britton, I still owe you emails - very sorry! Wendy Darling it was awesome meeting you and Spacewanderer in person! Brian it has been way too long since we've seen each other in person! Carol She's So Novel and Marina, I really appreciate the librarian support! Bill, I love your low-key moderating style! Miriam, you are my favorite FB friend! Ok enough, it's exhausting thanking people.
But wait, there's more! I'm also super appreciative of the reviews and/or conversations with new friends like the unfashionably reasonable Stetson and the extremely extreme Jen and my secret twin Neeraja and the practically perfect in every way Wendy, Lady Evelyn Quince....more
Of course this is trash, but it was so creepy and absurd at times that I feel like I should give it more than 1 star. The so bad it's good-ness of it Of course this is trash, but it was so creepy and absurd at times that I feel like I should give it more than 1 star. The so bad it's good-ness of it all was kinda fascinating. This was a top YA novel a decade ago? Wow, that's wild.
synopsis: what happens when a boy stalker finally "reaches out" to the girl he's stalking, and also wants to kill, and it turns out she can be a stalker too, and then a third stalker tries to get between them and then all of a sudden there's a fourth stalker who's been there all along?
one of them is a fallen angel, another is a death angel, a third is a descendant of angels, and the fourth is having what's known as "trouble with angels". you figure out who is who, no spoilers allowed!
NEXT WILL BE SPOILERS but honestly who cares - if this is your kind of book, you should have read it already. and if you haven't by now, that doesn't matter either because the book is 10 years old and Young Adult years are like dog years so it has basically been around for what feels like 70 years and so you know all about it anyway.
I have so many parts of this book lodged up in my mind that I'm still dumbfounded by, I just don't know if I can list them all. I could go on and on about the worst best friend ever - I mean this girl doesn't just continually humiliate our heroine in public, she calls in a bomb threat to the high school to enable her buddy's stalking, and later tries to force her to go camping with some dude that just physically assaulted her (not the hero this time, and not even a stalker, just the third point on the love triangle) by excusing it as "he was just drunk" because LOL isn't that a great excuse! but I not only can't stand that character, she's not even a stalker either, so I'm not going to waste more time on Worst Best Friend. although I think I just wasted a lot of time on her.
instead I will just treasure the memory of that one stalking scene (so many to choose from) where the heroine goes from a booth in a restaurant to the bathroom to change into what appears to be a hooker outfit so that she can question a bartender at the same restaurant. that was definitely some creative stalking investigating and the hooker outfit was um completely necessary.
the hero has - in addition to chiseled abs, dangerous eyes that you can get lost in, and apparently a body that smells like a combination of mint and cigars (not joking) - quite a lot of mysterious powers. these powers include telepathy, which allows him to cheekily and sometimes sexily enter her mind to read her thoughts and sexually harass her and of course eventually save her life and - in another moment I will always treasure - help her do better at baseball.
I know that the other big controversy about this book besides the stalking is the hero's tendency to invade the heroine's personal space and get super handsy and say dirty things to her, often in the middle of class with the teacher egging him on, but I'm not going to critique that, because even though the heroine says she doesn't want him to do that she often realizes she loves it and then she often realizes she hates it because he's scary except that she actually loves it, he's so hot, except no she actually hates it, he's a predator, no he's her protector, except that he literally said he planned on killing her, except she thinks he can't possibly mean it, so she loves it, except she actually feels she hates it, except she actually loves it, no she hates how he chases her around the parking garage, well she may as well get a ride home from him after that, go ahead and invite yourself in and there are some knives you can wave around at me that's not threatening at all because he's just making tacos, no she hates it no she loves it no she actually doesn't appreciate being locked in a motel room with him, no she loves it, oops all of her clothes are soaked and there's only a towel to wear, oops his t-shirt is soaked better take it off, no she hates it, no, really, she loves it, so I guess it's all okay and consensual, and after all, he does love her! love wins!
fun fact: did you know there is a whole subgenre of erotic fiction devoted to "mind control"?
well everyone has their kinks, so I'm not judging. oh yes I am. Becca Fitzgerald clearly loves this subgenre. poor weak-minded Stalker #2 (our heroine) gets mind-controlled so hard and so long by Stalker #1 (hero) & Stalker #4 (final boss) that it goes from weird to confusing to uh oh am I reading about a fetish that the author accidentally decided to tell the world about? at first, it's relatively harmless mind control, like making you think your seat belt flew off and causing you to almost fall out of a roller coaster but you don't, LOL he's just messing with you, he doesn't really want to kill you, except he does. but at the *cough* climax, it's no longer just illusions anymore, boyfriend psychically enters girlfriend's body to literally control how her body moves, and it's just so literal I was like Author! c'mon! and of course it's to save her life so no harm no foul, that's kind of an assumed consent, right? make that body move bro, she loves it. oops, now she's dead. but don't worry - he also has the power to raise that hot teen body from the dead!
a happy ending: of course all's well that ends well because our hero levels up into a "guardian angel" (for real) and so now he gets to literally stalk her forever. and maybe a little mind control too, to keep things fresh?
Sometime in late 2011, after my great experience reading Catching Fire, I went on a giant Young Adult buying binge because I realized I had fallen wildly in love with the genre. Although that love eventually turned into more of an earnest and realistic friendship, I am still very fond of YA.
Anyway, here's what I've read and what I still need to read:
Sad to say, this massive and annoyingly expensive 700+ page guide defeated me. It was interesting while it lasted, but about halfway through, I had toSad to say, this massive and annoyingly expensive 700+ page guide defeated me. It was interesting while it lasted, but about halfway through, I had to give up. Bit of irony that I gave up right when I came to the entry on Thomas Ligotti, who of course is the master of writing tales about people who have given up. The horror, the horror. I'm sure I will return to it from time to time, but despite this being a comprehensive survey full of in-depth articles on a range of authors known and unknown to me, in my favorite genre... I just can't fucking deal with it anymore! Possibly my irritation was compounded by reading this while watching the short-lived 1980 tv series Hammer House of Horror, which is likewise filled with dross that overwhelm the occasional bit of treasure.
A very basic but still important thing I learned: reading pieces on authors is only as interesting or as insightful as the writer who is writing on that author. Some of these entries are quite good (in particular I enjoyed the piece on Algernon Blackwood) but some are just eye rolling. When a writer decides to lump Angela Carter and - of all people - William Kotzwinkle (author of the E.T. novelization) together as examples of quality authors who are overlooked, I just have to keep an eye out for that writer and view any of their subsequent articles with suspicion.
It became really mind-numbing seeing all of these entries on 80's & 90's b-authors with a collection of goofy one-word titles whose works sound terribly uninteresting (and those articles on this particular era are so dryly written, comparing unfavorably to the sparkle and verve within Paperbacks from Hell)... all of these entries on obscure authors from well over a century or so ago with one horror title to their name and 2+ pages of other titles listed (as Shawn noted in his review)... all of these entries that are basically spoiler-filled plot synopses that do little to give me a sense of the author's prose and/or ability to create an interesting atmosphere. That last one was a real problem for me, as style is as important as plot mechanics when it comes to my enjoyment of a story. Although, to give the many article writers' their due, each author's themes are pretty much always noted and explored. Orders must have come from on high to make sure that happened so consistently, because otherwise the quality of these pieces are quite inconsistent. He said with a really snobby tone of voice.
Still, my copy of this monster is full of post-its marking books of interest, so it has definitely been useful. Here are some of the books/authors that I will look into later, thanks to this book (although honestly, sometimes it was just the title that interested me - I'm a shallow guy):
Webs- Scott Baker "The Cat Jumps" & "Look At All Those Roses" - Elizabeth Bowen The Garden & Dead of Light - Chaz Brenchley "Couching at the Door" - D.K. (Dorothy Kathleen) Broster The Horses of the Night - Michael Cadnum "By Reason of Darkness" - Jack Cady In Search of the Unknown - Robert W. Chambers Strange Objects - Gary Crew The Angelic Avengers - Isak Dinesen (as Pierre Andrezel) Wormwood - Terry Dowling Cold Blue Midnight & Shadow Games - Ed Gorman Moon Lake - Stephen Gresham Little Brothers - Rick Hautala The Ghost Pirates - William Hope Hodgson Dead in the Water - Nancy Holder Ancient Echoes & The Fetch - Robert Holdstock Supping with Panthers - Tom Holland A Shropshire Lad [not horror] - A.E. Housman The Unknown Sea - Clemence Housman 'Darktree' & 'Lladloh Wheels' [story cycles] - Rhys Hughes The Green Piper [YA] - Victor Kelleher (aka Michael Kitchener) Solitary Hunters, and the Abyss & Tales from Underwood - David Keller The Undying Monster - Jessie Kerruish Lord of the Hollow Dark - Russell Kirk The Ceremonies - T.E.D. Klein Conference with the Dead - Terry Lamsley...more
Very enjoyable as both a resource and a fun whirl through the mind of an ardent book-lover. Fowler is a highly successful author himself and one can sVery enjoyable as both a resource and a fun whirl through the mind of an ardent book-lover. Fowler is a highly successful author himself and one can see why. The man has skills; his conversational style makes his various points easy to agree with and he never comes across as hectoring. This should be read from start to finish, rather than skipping around authors, because he makes connecting points from one entry to the next: the book has a narrative, of sorts.
The collection focuses primarily on mystery and crime novels, with a good-sized helping of comedic authors specializing in absurdity as well as some British comic writers and artists. Understandable that fantasy, science fiction, and horror authors have mainly been left out, as this book would have been three times as long with that inclusion (and there are plenty of books out there that do the same for those genres). Despite his comments in the introduction, it is also pretty clear that Fowler is not a fan of science fiction in general (e.g. his entry on Richard Shaver) so I'm glad he didn't spend too much time on that genre, one I love. All that said, I was a big fan of his focus on women writers. Kudos!
1 star removed for his eyebrow-raising entry on Georgette Heyer. :( I'm sorry that the author had to deal with regularly seeing Heyer's books in his mother's secret collection when growing up, but that's certainly no reason for such an insulting and dismissive entry on this fabulous author.
1 star added back for his wonderfully warm entry on Polly Hope! :) This was a highlight of the book. I was quite moved by this story of finding a forgotten author who had been quite busy living her life, briefly entering that life and inspiring her to re-publish a novel, and then learning of her untimely passing.
I had some issues with his inclusion of certain authors who are far from forgotten: my beloved Georgette Heyer of course, but it is also odd that Cornell Woolrich, T.H. White, Baroness Orczy, Gustav Meyer/Meyrink, and for chrissakes Tom Robbins were all included. Could have given those spaces over to more obscurities. Personally I would have advocated for Rohan O'Grady, Richard Lortz, Gilbert Adair, Terry Andrews, Coleman Dowell, Leon Garfield, William Sansom, and Colin MacInnes.
My handwritten list of to-buy novels and stories inspired by this book took the form of about a dozen post-its on my kitchen table, each one filled with over a half-dozen or so names and titles. That's a lot of books that I now want to read! I've narrowed down my top interests to:
In sum: despite my reservations, Fowler's enthusiasm for unearthing buried treasures is infectious. I'm grateful for all of the research and love displayed in this book....more
A delightful coffee table book for my kind of living room. Hendrix has a sharp wit and a satirical voice, but his love for the genre is clear. AlthougA delightful coffee table book for my kind of living room. Hendrix has a sharp wit and a satirical voice, but his love for the genre is clear. Although he's a connoisseur, there's not a whiff of pretension to be found and this guidebook is crammed with plenty of context, history, and especially humor. I did not expect to laugh so much! In particular during his section on how to cope with deadly children, where he also quotes both Alain Robbe-Grillet and Erma Bombeck within the space of two sentences. And I loved his quick stab at Martin Amis in a later section.
There were many things that I really enjoyed: his extended pieces on authors Ramsey Campbell, Elizabeth Engstrom, Michael McDowell, Russ Martin, Ken Greenhall, Charles L. Grant, and controversial bestsellers Let's Go Play At The Adams' and The Kill Riff; what is basically a love letter to V.C. Andrews; his musings on Anne Rice and the relationship between vampires, blood, and AIDS; his barely muted disdain for horror based on Native American legends, as well as much of splatterpunk; and especially his amusing sidebar on gender roles in horror.
I loved that he characterized Frankenstein as the beginning of the horror novel rather than incorrectly labeling it as science fiction (a common but always annoying error). I was impressed by his focus on women writers and female protagonists in general. I appreciated how thoroughly he contextualized the ebbs and flows of '70s and '80s horror fiction, from its roots in the gothic romance genre to its serial killer-driven death rattle in the early '90s. And perhaps most importantly, he gives the often unsung cover artists for all of these horror treats their proper due, in a range of write-ups focusing on individual artists as well as with what is clearly the big draw of the book: its lavish number of eye-popping paperback covers on full display.
In a perfect world, this would be twice as long in order to include a bit more on certain imprints like Leisure Books, and of course deeper descriptions of various novels (for example it hurt to see the short thrift given to wonderful books like Gwen, In Green and The House Across the Way aka Satan's Surrogate)... but why complain? this was pure pleasure from cover to cover. Kudos!
I would be remiss not mentioning that I first learned about many of these books by reading the reviews of my redoubtable Goodreads friends Jack and Erin, and of course by combing through the treasure trove of articles in the blog Too Much Horror Fiction. Hail to the Chiefs!...more
10. Fullmetal Alchemist in a steampunk world, two brothers try to literally become whole
11. Humanity Has Declined ...and so cute, sinister little fairies have inherited the earth
12. Mushi-Shi the mushi live beside us; the mushi-shi Ginko studies them
13. Haibane Renmei wings and a halo and somewhere to go, eventually
decent
Another very overrated but it did have its moments Assassination Classroom Ayakashi: Japanese Classic Horror Berserk (1997) good, despite the incredibly jarring "ending" Black Butler: Book of Circus & Book of the Atlantic Boogiepop Phantom incredibly complex & layered - rewatch! Elfen Lied Ergo Proxy fascinating visuals but the story became boring af Flowers of Evil intense & eerie but the two leads are annoying af From the New World Fruits Basket (2001) the most doormatty of doormats Future Diary genuinely repulsive, but still, what a spectacle Gargantia on the Verdurous Planet Junji Ito Collection Knights of Sidonia Lychee Light Club Made in Abyss so beautiful, so grueling One-Punch Man affectless hero finds fighting villains to be... eh Paranoia Agent insecure? Lil' Slugger will beat your fears away! The Perfect Insider The Promised Neverland Rance: Desert Guardian (hentai) Saga of Tanya the Evil Soul Eater Terror in Resonance To Love-ru so this is what ecchi is like. weird. porn for kids?? Utakoi Whey They Cry: Higurashi cycles of bloody slaughter in a village
disappointments or unfinished
Aoharu x Machinegun Black Butler & Black Butler: Book of Murder Btooom! Bubuki Buranki A Certain Magical Index Classroom☆Crisis Corpse Party Eden of the East Fencer of Minerva (hentai) Genesis of Aquarion Heroic Age Higurashi: When They Cry - Gou completely unnecessary Higurashi: When They Cry - Sotsu slightly better than Gou The Irregular at Magic High School quite stylish though JoJo's Bizarre Adventure OTT fun but just too stupid K Kabaneri of the Iron Fortress Little Witch Academia Nagi-asu/A Lull in the Sea Overlord Planetes Polar Bear Cafe super super sweet but eventually too too much Psycho-Pass Shiki Shomin Sample Terra Formars Umineko: When They Cry
currently watching
Mob Psycho 100 Fairy Tail The Tatami Galaxy Hunter x Hunter (rewatching)
there's an excess of shounen but I've always been an emotionally immature sort of guy and hey it gives me something to excitedly discuss with one of my nephews. it is important to have some interests in common! I plan on prioritizing the josei titles that catch my eye because Kids on the Slope was amazing. seinen fits squarely within my own tastes so no challenge there in finding titles. although I liked Fruits Basket, it has been tougher finding shoujo that interests me - but if I can enjoy YA, I know there must be more out there that I'd like.
Anime is one of my favorite things so I've been considering off and on whether to buy the hardcover or kindle version of this book. My main experience is with anime films; tv anime is a more recent love, thanks to services like Hulu and Crunchyroll (and of course torrents, but shhh), so I've wanted to arm myself with a good reference tool. I'm glad I didn't choose the actual book and its high price tag because this has been a bit of a disappointment so far. I've read better reviews on websites like Anime Review, Them, Anime Network, Anime Now, and Lost in Anime; I've found better recommendations on My Anime List. It probably is just a case of wishing the authors spent more time on shows that I like or am interested in. My understanding of this third edition is that it has excised the rating system and some of the stronger opinions in favor of more neutral language, and that it has corrected a lot of mistakes. I wonder if I would have preferred an edition with those strong opinions intact because the dryness makes the writing rather uninteresting, especially after reading the passionate entries on the websites I've mentioned. Also there are just too many hentai reviews! I'm not against the genre by any means but the guide reads like an encyclopedia on tv series that also includes every adult cable show ever made. It is a bit laughable and eventually wearying. Still, I've appreciated many of the entries, particularly the thematic ones, and I've picked up a handful of recommendations.
I'm not sure when or if I will ever finish this one, so I think I will use this review to hold a space for lists of favorites and the like. Television series only, at least for now. I guess I could just use My Anime List, but because I tend to get excited about websites and then completely forget about them a few months later, Goodreads it is....more
it's like sitting with your favorite maiden aunt who turns out to be obsessed with sex and a charming, elderly queen with a lifetime of free-wheeling it's like sitting with your favorite maiden aunt who turns out to be obsessed with sex and a charming, elderly queen with a lifetime of free-wheeling behind him, and hearing them talk about the secret gay history of movies. i learned so much! the writing is chatty, engaging, and, well, campy. lots of great recommendations. lots of excitement over good looking guys. plus a surprisingly cogent review of Nazi filmmaker Veit Harlan's Third Sex.
movies I now want to watch:
Adventures of Captain Marvel (actually a serial) College Confidential The Gang's All Here Flamingo Road High School Confidential The Little Foxes The Magic Christian Madam Satan Myra Breckinridge Please Don't Touch Me! Sitting Pretty Springtime in the Rockies Spy Smasher (another serial) A Woman's Face
movies I've already watched and enjoyed:
Andy Warhol's Dracula Autumn Leaves Baby Face Black Lizard Cry-Baby Dragstrip Girl Fellini Satyricon Hairspray Hot Rod Gang High School Caesar JOHNNY GUITAR (one of my favorite films) Morocco The Music Lovers Querelle Rain SCARLET EMPRESS (another favorite film) Shanghai Express The Women Women on the Verge of a Nervous Breakdown...more
this is a remarkable guide to pretty much all that science fiction, fantasy, and horror has to offer - at least up until 1980. because the book includthis is a remarkable guide to pretty much all that science fiction, fantasy, and horror has to offer - at least up until 1980. because the book includes reviews of reissues and reprints, it is comprehensive enough to cover both what was current for the time as well as classics from prior eras, with a heavy focus on the New Wave and Golden eras. it's a slim volume (less than 200 pages) but a dense one - dense because of the small typeface and dense because of the depth of ideas present throughout the hundreds of excellent reviews. it is particularly impressive when considering that the monthly review was published by three people: noted editor Neil Barron and the husband & wife team of Robert Reginald & Mary Burgesss (the latter is for some reason uncredited as an author) - schoolteachers by day and independent publishers of their own book line in their spare time. this trio of intrepid lovers of speculative and fantastic fiction personally typed and then mailed out their monthly review. sadly, it didn't last long: a mere year and a month.
it is clear that the editors were able to use their personal & professional contacts to draw upon a wide range of reviewers: many recognizable published writers sit next to various academics and genre fans. the results are awesome; the reviews are awesome. cogent, incisive, sometimes humorous and sometimes cutting, frequently political, occasionally personal... these reviews could serve as a model for review writing in general. they certainly make my own reviews feel long-winded and self-indulgent in comparison.
as mentioned, the book is comprehensive. you'll find great reviews of all of the classic and (pre-80s) modern authors: Clarke, Bradbury, Delany, Sturgeon, Chalker, Tiptree, Norton, Leiber, Farmer, so many more, as well as reviews of juvenile fiction, mainstream fiction with genre trappings, story collections, various guides to speculative and fantastical fiction... even a comprehensive bibliography of all of the Star Trek novels! the breadth is astonishing. and the book is a goldmine for people like myself who love unearthing various buried treasures.
this is my follow-up list of semi-obscurities that I am excited to discover. thank you, Science Fiction & Fantasy Book Review!
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