Horror on the Brain: The Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction
Austin Lim, PhD

If I have any complaints about the book Horror on the Brain: The Neuroscience Behind Science Fiction, it’s that the title of the book is a bit misleading.

I had fully expected the book to be about the genres of horror and science fiction and how these genres relate to neuroscience—which, honestly, wasn’t something I was excited to read about. Instead, the book is about neuroscience with examples from horror and science fiction genres to illustrate it. And, honestly, because of the approach the author takes, I’m enjoying this book much more than I had anticipated.

I don’t think I’ve ever read a science-oriented book that used science fiction and horror movies and book quotes to illustrate the point he was making. Granted, I had not read all the books or seen all the movies that were cited, but those quotes I knew really brought the point the author was making home.

I appreciated the extensive citations of all the articles, etc., that Dr. Lim cites in his book. I loved scanning these citations to see if I was able to read some of the original works cited.

I feel that the book is aimed squarely at those readers who have a bit of a background in neuroscience or the anatomy and physiology of human body, because I feel that it presumes some background knowledge on the part of the reader. But please don’t let that deter you from reading the book if it piques your interest. It will be well worth your time.

4/5 stars

[Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the advanced ebook copy in exchange for my honest and objective opinion, which I have given here.]

Finished Reading Book: 03 April 2025