Synopses & Reviews
This collection of Joe R. Lansdale stories represents the best of the “Lansdale” genre—a strange mixture of dark crime, even darker humor, and adventure tales. The stories are varied in setting and theme, but they are all pure Lansdale—eerie, amusing, and occasionally horrific. In “The Pit,” modern gladiators square off against one another using Roman methods. An alternate-history tale called “Trains Not Taken” shows Buffalo Bill as an ambassador and Wild Bill Hickok as a clerk. Lansdales love of large lizards and humor are evident in the stories “Godzillas Twelve Step Program” and “Bob the Dinosaur Goes to Disneyland.”
Review
“Lansdale is an immense talent. His ability to generate sidesplitting laughter and gut-wrenching terror on the same page is unique in modern fiction.” —
BooklistReview
“This is a must for Lansdale fans and collectors.” —
Publishers WeeklyAbout the Author
Joe R. Lansdale has received the American Mystery Award, five Bram Stoker Awards from the Horror Writers of America, the International Crime Writers Award, and a
New York Times Notable Book Award. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas.
Table of Contents
The pit -- Not from Detroit -- Booty and the beast -- Steppin' out, summer, '68 -- Incident on and off a mountain road -- My dead dog, Bobby -- Trains not taken -- Tight little stitches in a dead man's back -- Dog, cat, and baby -- Mister weed-eater -- By bizarre hands -- The fat man and the elephant -- The phone woman -- Letter from the South, two moons west of Nacogdoches -- By the hair of the head -- The job -- Godzilla's twelve step program -- Drive-in date -- Bob the dinosaur goes to Disneyland -- The steel Valentine -- Night they missed the horror show.