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kaitlynk33's review against another edition
5.0
Especially enjoyed “Not From Chicago,” “Mad Dog Summer,” “Events on and off a Mountain Road” and even enjoyed “The Big Blow” (despite thinking it was going to be like the baseball stories SK throws in to some of his collections. Sorry I just don’t like sports!)
heyhawk's review against another edition
4.0
https://www.danscanon.com/2020/08/the-best-of-joe-r-lansdale.html
jsilber42's review against another edition
4.0
Joe R. Lansdale's short story writing is hard to categorize. It's a bit folksy and quite a bit vulgar and gross (like Stephen King, but even more so, and with a Texas twist), often offensive, sometimes funny, sometimes dark, sometimes supernatural, and almost always over-the-top and entertaining. Some his stories are almost like hard-R-rated tall-tales. His work is not for everyone, but I really enjoyed this collection.
dadoodoflow's review against another edition
dark
funny
sad
tense
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? It's complicated
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? It's complicated
- Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes
4.25
Content Warnings
Graphic: Animal death, Gore, Gun violence, Hate crime, Homophobia, Incest, Injury/Injury detail, Kidnapping, Misogyny, Murder, Pedophilia, Physical abuse, Racial slurs, Racism, Rape, Sexism, Sexual assault, Sexual content, Sexual harassment, Sexual violence, Torture, Toxic friendship, Violence, and Vomit
kiwi_fruit's review against another edition
My experience with Lansdale is a descending arc: I loved [b:The Bottoms|102113|The Bottoms|Joe R. Lansdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1348765461s/102113.jpg|2038476], [b:A Fine Dark Line|768945|A Fine Dark Line|Joe R. Lansdale|https://images.gr-assets.com/books/1298643778s/768945.jpg|98465] was just OK and this book I couldn’t bring myself to finish.
My individual ratings for what I read:
Crucified dreams: 3 stars
Godzilla’s Twelve-Step Program: 1.5 stars
Bubba Ho-Tep: 1 star
Mad Dog Summer: 4 stars (from The bottoms)
Fire dog: 1.5 stars
The Big Blow: 1.5 stars
Duck hunt: ½ star (at this point I had enough)
I can’t deny that Lansdale can write, but the style and the tone of the stories in this collection are not my cup of tea I realise now that my first novel was the exception and this author is not for me. DNF at about half way.
My individual ratings for what I read:
Crucified dreams: 3 stars
Godzilla’s Twelve-Step Program: 1.5 stars
Bubba Ho-Tep: 1 star
Mad Dog Summer: 4 stars (from The bottoms)
Fire dog: 1.5 stars
The Big Blow: 1.5 stars
Duck hunt: ½ star (at this point I had enough)
I can’t deny that Lansdale can write, but the style and the tone of the stories in this collection are not my cup of tea
Spoiler
(they feature extreme violence, crude remarks against women, cruelty, sadistic sex, torture, the last story, about a young boy’s initiation by killing a defenseless man, was the last straw)hcarver's review against another edition
4.0
Some of these stories were very different from whatever my usual is, but I enjoyed most of them.
I recently saw Bubba Hotep again, and the director was there. He said after reading the story, he just had to make it into a movie. So that made me want to read the story. Turns out this is probably the most faithful a movie has ever been to the original story!
I also really liked the one about the Galveston hurricane. I took it back to the library already, so I don't remember the name of that story.
I recently saw Bubba Hotep again, and the director was there. He said after reading the story, he just had to make it into a movie. So that made me want to read the story. Turns out this is probably the most faithful a movie has ever been to the original story!
I also really liked the one about the Galveston hurricane. I took it back to the library already, so I don't remember the name of that story.
charshorrorcorner's review
5.0
This is one of the best and most diverse story collections I've ever read. Period.
I've heard all kinds of great things about Lansdale's work and I had read a few of his short stories and enjoyed them quite a bit. But then I got caught up in this reading slump that I couldn't shake and I had this collection on hand. I picked it up, and WHABAM, I'm a Lansdale convert. More than that...I'm a Lansdale proselytizer!
These stories vary widely, there's some flat out humor, brilliantly combined with horror, as in Bubba Ho-Tep. This is a wild story about a guy in a nursing home who thinks he's Elvis along with a black man who thinks he's JFK and their attempt to stifle a soul sucking mummy. Hilarious, poignant and a bit scary all at once. That has to be hard to pull off.
The Big Blow which takes place in 1900 is about a boxing match during a hurricane. It doesn't sound like much, but this story was so full of detail and richness that I felt as if I were there.
The Events Concerning a Nude Fold-Out Found in a Harlequin Romance was flat out funny. What a great story that went nowhere near where I thought it was going to go.
White Mule, Spotted Pig is about some mule races. And a guy that fucked a goat. "Okay", Leroy said. "Okay, I fucked a goddamn goat. What of it?"
Cowboy A short, sweet tale of a black boy that wants to be a cowboy.
Fish Night I believe this is my favorite story of the collection. It's whimsical and fun, but those things hide the teeth within.
A few more things-this book will not be for everyone. It is NOT politically correct in any way whatsoever. A lot of these tales took place during times in this country where racism was rampant, and the language and actions vividly depict that history. There are also nuns dressed like hookers. There is the previously mentioned goat fucking. There is death and destruction and the n word. Lots of n words, really. This book is definitely not for the easily offended or for those of delicate sensibilities.
I think this book is for lovers of American history, but also lovers of stories. That's it. If you love stories of a wide and diverse nature, this might be the book for you. If you're not offended by the snippets I've posted above, I think you should give this collection a shot. You can hit me with it, if you don't like it, but I think you will.
My highest recommendation!
I've heard all kinds of great things about Lansdale's work and I had read a few of his short stories and enjoyed them quite a bit. But then I got caught up in this reading slump that I couldn't shake and I had this collection on hand. I picked it up, and WHABAM, I'm a Lansdale convert. More than that...I'm a Lansdale proselytizer!
These stories vary widely, there's some flat out humor, brilliantly combined with horror, as in Bubba Ho-Tep. This is a wild story about a guy in a nursing home who thinks he's Elvis along with a black man who thinks he's JFK and their attempt to stifle a soul sucking mummy. Hilarious, poignant and a bit scary all at once. That has to be hard to pull off.
The Big Blow which takes place in 1900 is about a boxing match during a hurricane. It doesn't sound like much, but this story was so full of detail and richness that I felt as if I were there.
The Events Concerning a Nude Fold-Out Found in a Harlequin Romance was flat out funny. What a great story that went nowhere near where I thought it was going to go.
White Mule, Spotted Pig is about some mule races. And a guy that fucked a goat. "Okay", Leroy said. "Okay, I fucked a goddamn goat. What of it?"
Cowboy A short, sweet tale of a black boy that wants to be a cowboy.
Fish Night I believe this is my favorite story of the collection. It's whimsical and fun, but those things hide the teeth within.
A few more things-this book will not be for everyone. It is NOT politically correct in any way whatsoever. A lot of these tales took place during times in this country where racism was rampant, and the language and actions vividly depict that history. There are also nuns dressed like hookers. There is the previously mentioned goat fucking. There is death and destruction and the n word. Lots of n words, really. This book is definitely not for the easily offended or for those of delicate sensibilities.
I think this book is for lovers of American history, but also lovers of stories. That's it. If you love stories of a wide and diverse nature, this might be the book for you. If you're not offended by the snippets I've posted above, I think you should give this collection a shot. You can hit me with it, if you don't like it, but I think you will.
My highest recommendation!
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