There is a Catch-22-type situation implicit in any academic study about popular fiction, namely that, while ignoring popular phenomena means neglecting a valuable source of cultural information in "one of the most vibrant and rapidly expanding areas of enquiry within contemporary literary studies" (1), by the time one publishes their research, it is probably already dated. Murphy and Matterson's anthology struggles bravely with this dilemma, and this struggle determines to a significant extent

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... he format of this book, defined as "an informed, accessible and authoritative snapshot of the current state" (2). As stated also in their introduction, where the defining traits of contemporary popular fiction are summarized (with an emphasis on hybridity), the editors choose breadth over depth, offering twenty essays on an equal number of popular (fiction) authors, short enough to accommodate a wide spectrum of genres, but not long enough for particularly deep analyses. The choice of authors, not hit works, 1 as an ordering device is quite smart, for it tactfully equates one-hit wonders, where the author is identified with their work (like Dan Brown), with long-term professionals on the field (i.e., Stephen King), and brings the aura of the author as a traditional source of authority and talent to bear upon what may have actually been rather carefullyorchestrated marketing campaigns or lucky capitalizations on a trend. The authorial boost is compounded by the inclusion of each author's annotated (key) works at the end of each essay, along with a list for annotated "Further Critical Reading." The authors are also carefully selected so that each represents a major contemporary (sub-)genre, therefore there is also broad coverage in terms of the varieties of popular writing.