Wasteland

The Great War and the Origins of Modern Horror

By: W. Scott Poole

Narrated by: Andrew Eiden

Historian and Bram Stoker Award nominee W. Scott Poole traces the confluence of history, technology, and art that gave us modern horror films and literature.

In the early 20th century, World War I was the most devastating event humanity had yet experienced. New machines of war left tens of millions killed or wounded in the most grotesque of ways. The Great War remade the world's map, created new global powers, and brought forth some of the biggest problems still facing us today. But it also birthed a new art form: the horror film, made from the fears of a generation ruined by war.

From Nosferatu to Frankenstein's monster and the Wolf Man, from Fritz Lang, F. W. Murnau and Albin Grau to Tod Browning and James Whale, the touchstones of horror can all trace their roots to the bloodshed of the First World War. Historian W. Scott Poole chronicles these major figures and the many movements they influenced. Wasteland reveals how bloody battlefields, the fear of the corpse, and a growing darkness made their way into the deepest corners of our psyche.

On the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice that brought World War I to a close, W. Scott Poole takes us behind the front lines of battle to a no-man's-land where the legacy of "the War to End All Wars" lives on.

©2018 W. Scott Poole (P)2018 Blackstone Audio, Inc.

A Deep Dive

A deep dive into war, writing, political chess and the human condition. Insight on today's narrative and the roots of horror.

A little preachy with some reaching.

Very good book. Good enough I'm going to buy the print version as well. At some points the author seems to connect points on the basis of "its possible so, therefore, it IS" and at others he seems to have a very clear political message he wants you to feel. All well and good, just a little heavy handed and sometimes these two things together make the story a bit goofy.

not what I expected

it's a ok story but there us alot and I mean alot of modern liberal politics that I wasn't prepared for it wasn't bad but it drew alot from the story thatbi thought it was often times it seems that it was more political then about war or horror but not in a way that would describe history like it was bringing up all the modern political views and puting them on the past and everything wrong with the British polical system when I comes to racism on gay rights that seem to have nothing to do with the story .....all that said it was good enough to get for free I still enjoyed it I just wasn't what I was expecting

well that was more horrifying than I was expecting it to be.

unfortunately it was marred by a narrator who pronounced 'a' as 'ay' and 'the' as 'thee' like he was in grade school.

Historical linkage of the Great War with the Horror genre.

Well -written, well-researched, and compelling. Deserving of multiple reads, and the audio version has excellent production values. Highly recommend to anyone interested in the history of horror or history in general.