I love reading fiction. That much should be obvious from my essays and the fact that I write fiction, but it’s nice to state in this world of non-fiction and self-help and such an intense focus on personal growth. There is great writing in non-fiction, and I pepper in those works on my reading list, especially for research. But I love fiction. There's nothing like it.
All the self-help in the world is nothing compared to the empathy gained from a well written novel, and there are so many well written works. Wonderful, artful, works. Books of depth and with references to the canon of western literature, with religious imagery and allegory and writing so wonderfully deep that it feels like mentally dining on the finest meal at a restaurant with reservations booked a month out. I love literature, and soaking in greatly written words is an experience that is unmatched in other art.
But I don't always want a fancy dinner.
I know I don't write as artfully as well as I know I don't cook like a Michelin restaurant. I can take inspiration from that restaurant, but sometimes it’s nice to eat out at a cheap, easy place, like a diner. I can cook all the food in a diner, most of it better than the diner does - and I know that my coffee is better. But I still go to a diner whenever I can. They're wonderful. The food is good and the vibes are just what I need.
Pulp is the diner of books.
I may be stretching the definition of “pulp” fiction in this essay, and maybe there isn't a true definition outside of the material the old pulp works were printed on a century ago, but I feel like I can take some liberties with the word here. Like the United States judge who had to define pornography: "I know it when I see it."
Not all pulp is the same and not all of it is a good fit, but there is something out there for everyone. Pulpy works are there for your reading detox. Those breaks between War and Peace or It or just when you want a genre break in the middle of a long series or a short intense piece like Short Stay in Hell or The Madman of Freedom Square. They are the break from reading that keeps you reading. Always a good thing.
So where do you start?
My two favorites are the Conan Stories by Robert
E Howard and Star Wars novels (with an emphasis on the Legends EU in Star Wars, rather than the Disney stuff, no shade to either though).
The Conan series of novellas and short stories by Robert E Howard are a perfect alternate direction of fantasy away from the Tolkien canon following in the footsteps of The Lord of the Rings. The world of these stories is savage and unique, taking a backseat though to the titular character and the many villains he faces. These stories are surprisingly well written for the fact that they were in the cheapest of pulp magazines back in the 1930s. To me, they are the perfect hot summer night reading. Relax in the heat and the quiet of summer and go on an adventure. Robert E Howard's history writing it is quite interesting as well.
On the other side of the spectrum are the Star Wars novels. Check out Heir to the Empire for a romp in the fashion of the Original Trilogy. These books are everything I want in a good pulpy book between books. They're filled with cheesy adventure, quick to read, and almost always a page turner. They're right up my alley in a way that’s always fun to rediscover. I'd say I go through a SW phase once every two years or so, taking a month to read half a dozen books, then putting down the universe for a break back into everything else I want to read. These too, feel like summer to me. Something about relaxing in the heat makes me want to take it easy with my mind, rest up and read something fun.
The pulp doesn't stop there though. Why would it? Maybe you enjoy westerns. Like Italo Calvino, you write literature in the day and rest your mind with Louis L'amour in the evening. Or Dystopian adventures are your flair and you go to a teenage-violent-school like Ender, or Katniss, or Darrow. Whatever your pulp, go out, enjoy it. Read what you want to read. Maybe literature is your break from the pulp. There's nothing wrong with that.
Read what you enjoy and put down anything you don't want to work though. Pulp is the easiest to put down when it isn't working, but when it works... well that's just a chef's kiss kind of moment.
I know I'll be on my little Star Wars reading break for the next couple of weeks. Something about the summer up here.…
Enjoy your own pulp breaks this summer and be sure to let me know if my writing falters over the next little while.
Love ya!
Max
As always, thank you for reading anything I put out into the world. Let me know your favorite relaxing reads in the comments! The best way to support me for now is to comment below and share my writing, though a pledge and subscription are always welcome as well!
Your pulp is my pulp, my pulp is your pulp... good picks