An easy to read, well constructed book providing a brief summary of many of my favourite writers and some of their best works. Well worth a look. ( )

I have a preference for cult writers, so I was already familiar many of the authors included in this book such as William Burroughs, Jim Thompson and Philip K. Dick. I look forward to reading some of the authors I was not as aware of. I fact, I would like to read the entire series including artists, filmmakers and musicians. ( )

Cult Writers: 50 Nonconformist Novelists You Need to Know by Ian Haydn Smith is an interesting collection of short introductions to 50 writers.

Smith offers some parameters for what he is considering a cult writer, which is very helpful since a few of them I would not have initially considered for the list. But he supports his decision to include them and his rationale makes sense. Would I have used the same definition and created the same list? Of course not. But that doesn't matter, Smith tells us the criteria he is using, who could easily have been included but didn't quite make the cut, and acknowledges the difficulty in even trying to make a definitive definition of cult.

The entries are interesting and offer some insight into each writer and their work. There is even one entry that is not only a cult writer but anyone who takes her thoughts seriously is a cult member, Ayn Rand. She absolutely belongs on the list though I would have left her off simply because giving space to such a weak thinker who pretended to be a philosopher gives her hateful "philosophy" unwarranted attention. I did, however, devour her books at one time, from roughly 15-18 years of age, then I realized what a horrid way of thinking it is and tossed it out with the rest of the childish trash.

So many of these writers are widely taught in both high school and college, which is, I think, a positive thing. I guess I expected to see more obscure writers, or writers who are overlooked in academia. I am glad the list wasn't an obscure list, I believe these writers illustrate the dynamics of literature, and art as a whole, over time. Cult becomes a classic and a classic becomes a cult work. Smith mentions this in his introduction.

I would highly recommend this to readers who like reading short introductions about writers and those who just enjoy lists. You will likely find a couple books you haven't read that may now sound interesting to you. And you will think about writers you already like that aren't on this list but you think would qualify.

Reviewed from a copy made available by the publisher via NetGalley. ( )