Books from Beyond

The episode was written by producer Sean Clements, and directed by Michael J. Bassett. It was Clements' first writing credit, and Bassett's second directorial credit.[1]

In its original American broadcast, "Books from Beyond" was seen by an estimated 0.383 million household viewers and gained a 0.16 ratings share among adults aged 18–49, according to Nielsen Media Research. This means that 0.16 percent of all households with televisions watched the episode.[2] This was a 38% increase in viewership from the previous episode, which was watched by 0.276 million viewers with a 0.12 in the 18-49 demographics.[3]

"Books from Beyond" received positive reviews from critics. Matt Fowler of IGN gave the episode a "great" 8.4 out of 10 rating and wrote in his verdict, "'Books from Beyond' kept the Evil Dead mischief rolling with a less-bloody affair involving a brand new type of demon. It also brought Ash and Amanda together for the first time, though it would not be a fortuitous pairing. And she'd get left behind while the Ghost Beaters headed off to visit Pablo's uncle. Left behind to (unknown to Ash) deal with a possessed version of the shop owner."[4]

Michael Roffman of The A.V. Club gave the episode a "C+" grade and wrote, "After two weeks of hyping Books From Beyond, the titular episode falls flat on its ass from a Melba Toast script and an equally bland sense of direction. To be fair, we've been a little spoiled and every series has its ebbs and flows. The problem is that 'Books From Beyond' is such a flaccid comedown from the splendid chaos that tipped off Ash Vs. Evil Dead. And naturally, the adjustment isn't so easy."[5]

Gina McIntyre of Entertainment Weekly wrote, "Say you've accidentally called forth a powerful, ancient evil. There are a couple of strategies you might employ to set the situation right, but... conjuring a demon to ask for advice? Not a good idea. So, naturally, that's exactly what Ash decides to do."[6] Stephen Harber of Den of Geek wrote, "Although it spends most of its running time fleshing out the bigger picture of Evil Dead and setting up a foggy destination for the first season's master plan, 'Books from Beyond' is a solid episode of a new series that already has a loveable identity."[7]

Carissa Pavlica of TV Fanatic gave the episode a 4 star rating out of 5 and wrote, "If you guys thought the last episode felt like it was short, you must have been pounding your head into your pillows as the credits rolled on 'Books from Beyond'!"[8] Jasef Wisener of TV Overmind wrote, "'Books from Beyond' was another incredible episode of Ash vs. Evil Dead. Action, while present, took more of a backseat than we've seen so far so that the story could progress in a meaningful way, and the in-universe mythology was expanded in a major way."[9] Blair Marnell of Nerdist wrote, "After three episodes, Ash vs. Evil Dead has yet to make a major creative misstep. It's just been hilariously gory fun on a weekly basis."[10]