Encyclopedia Horrifica

infobox Book |
name = Encyclopedia Horrifica
orig title =
translator =


author = Joshua Gee
cover_artist =
country = United States
language = English
series =
subject = Paranormal
genre = Non-fiction
publisher = Scholastic Corporation
release_date = August 2007 (US)
media_type = Print Hardback
pages = 144 pp
isbn = ISBN 0-439-92255-0 (US)
preceded_by = EnHo_000
followed_by = EnHo_002

"Encyclopedia Horrifica: The Terrifying TRUTH! About Vampires, Ghosts, Monsters, and More" (also known as "E.H." or "EnHo_001") is a hardcover book by Joshua Gee.

The book is a nonfiction reference guide exploring "hundreds of fear facts—from aliens to zombies." It also features Special Investigations in search of real-life x-files such as a haunted house in New York and P. T. Barnum's Feejee Mermaid.

In the book and on the [http://www.joshuagee.com Website] , readers—usually addressed as "Fear Seekers"—have also discovered a complex hidden story about "Investigator Gee" that has spurred some debate. For example, the endpapers (inside the front and back cover) contain miniaturized scans of more than 80 pages apparently torn from the author's notebook. Similar to the opening credits of the movie "Se7en", each of these notebook pages in turn reveals a new detail about Gee or the subjects covered in the book.

In May 2008, Encyclopedia Horrifica won the Children's Book Council "Book of the Year" Award.

Critical reception

Reviews to date have been positive with substantial praise devoted to the author's horror-humor writing and the book's design, which includes a holographic cover featuring a vampire skull. [cite web |url = http://www.dreadcentral.com/node/26601 |title = Book Review (5 stars) |author = Scott Nicholson |date = 2008-03-31 |publisher = "Dread Central ] [cite web |url = http://www.timesargus.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2007707230302 |title = A Book to Buy |author = Kendal Rautzhan |date = 2007-07-23 |publisher = "Times Argus ] [cite web |url = http://creature-corner.com/?type=news&id=2907 |title = Book Review (Positive) |author = Steve Vernon |date = 2007-10-10 |publisher = "CHUD.com ] [cite web |url = http://www.schoollibraryjournal.com/article/CA6472360.html |title = Seriously Scary Stuff |author = Kathleen Baxter |date = 2007-09-01 |publisher = "School Library Journal ] [cite web |url = http://www.the-trades.com/article.php?id=5697 |title = Encyclopedia Horrifica Book Review (Grade: A) |author = R. J. Carter |date = 2007-07-07 |publisher = "The-Trades.com ] Although marketed to readers as young as 8 and 9 years old, "Encyclopedia Horrifica" has also attracted a cult following among teen and adult sci-fi/fantasy/horror fans [cite web |url = http://www.starledger.com |title = Cranford Native's Work Is a Real Scream |author = Patricia C. Turner |date = 2007-10-14 |publisher = "The Star-Ledger ] , receiving favorable reviews from genre publications such as "Rue Morgue" [cite web |url = http://www.rue-morgue.com |title = Issue #71, The Grim Reader |author = Monica S. Kuebler |date = 2007-09-01 |publisher = "Marrs Media Inc. ] and "Apex Digest" [cite web |url = http://www.apexdigest.com/Online/review070903.shtml |title = Book Review (4.5 Skulls Out of 5) |accessdate = 2007-10-18 |author = Johnston, Ty |date = 2007-10-12 |publisher = "Apex Digest ] . This is partly due to its (often subtle) tributes to TV shows and movies such as "", "Scream", "Ghostbusters", "The X-Files", "In Search of...", "The Shining", and especially "The Silence of the Lambs" (the death's head moth on the title page is the "official E.H. mascot").

Awards

* Winner of the CBC Book of the Year Award
* A Bram Stoker Award for Best Non-Fiction Finalist
* A YALSA Quick Pick for Young Adults
* An NYPL Book for the Teen Age

The EnHo System

Hidden on the back cover is a sequence of letters and numbers reading "EnHo_001", usually pronounced "EN-hoe won." Clues inside the book suggest that this might mean "Encyclopedia Horrifica" Book 1".

The code " [12_20_07: "EnHo_002"] " began appearing on JoshuaGee.com in late November, suggesting that "EnHo_002" will debut on December 20, 2007. However, recent messages on the website state that it will now appear on the site in 2008. It is unknown if "EnHo_002" is a book or website or combination of both. However, the final page of "Encyclopedia Horrifica" suggests that "EnHo_002" will reveal secrets already contained inside the original book itself.

If one looks at one of Gees' notebook pages in the book, it is revealed that Gee is planing an "EnHo_003", but it has not been revealed what this will be yet.

Dollhouse mystery scene

For the final and most controversial chapter in the book, the author created a miniature replica of his office in order to stage his own death (or undeath, per page 128). It began as a tribute to Frances Glessner Lee, a dollhouse-making criminologist who is featured earlier in the book.

According to press materials, it took the author roughly one year to construct and photograph the dollhouse mystery scene, which contains more than 150 meticulously detailed items such as a miniature death's head moth, a grappling hook, and a tiny comlink headset. In the scene, nearly every miniature item corresponds with another fact or image in the preceding chapters. (For example, a life-sized grappling hook and comlink headset are visible on pages 72 - 73.) One inch in the scene equals one foot in real life (i.e. 1:12 scale).

On October 19, 2007, the author's official website debuted a trailer entitled "Intruder Alert". It simulates surveillance footage of the same dollhouse crime scene shown and described in the book.

Chapters

Part I: Real Nightmares
*Dracula Lives
*It Came from the Sea
*Alien Invasion
*Howling at the Moon

Part II: "That's the Spirit!"
*Beware of Ghosts
*To Catch a Ghost
*Phantoms on Film
*Permanent Pets

Part III: Every Day Is Halloween
*Odd Shops & Eerie Eateries
*Amazing Brain Waves
*The Black Cat's Path
*The Forbidden Bookshelf

Part IV: Fearsome Fates
*To Be or Not Zombie
*Tricked by Pixies
*The Curse of the Mummy
*Gruesome Good-Byes

References

External links

* [http://www.joshuagee.com Official Author Site]
* [http://www.joshuagee.com/Home_Page/web-content/enho_001/enho_001.html Sample Pages from "Encyclopedia Horrifica"]
* [http://www.dreadcentral.com/node/26601 Dread Central: Review]