Product Description
A collection of horror stories written by the author of "On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks", which won the 1990 Bram Stoker Award for the best novella. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

A Genius............
I found this book when I was in 8th grade in a catholic high school.... I bought it to read during detention.... around 1989.I found myself feeling like I had to hide the book as I read it!AWESOME!GRUESOME!TWISTED!and yes, BIZARRE!I became a Lansdale fan immediately!I bought the book AGAIN, through amazon around 2001/2002 and unfortunately left it in my car during a divorce.... she took the car, you get it?
Here I am third time in 20 years.... I want this book again!

"The fat man & the elephant" was my personal favorite....

JUST GET IT! he's GREAT!

An oldie but a drop-dead superbie!
Joe Lansdale is truly a rare and gifted talent. I consider myself to be quite hip with quality horror/dark fantasy fiction, yet I only heard of Lansdale relatively recently following the hooplah surrounding the adaptation of his short story 'Bubba Hotep' (not in this book) into a low-budget film by the director of the 'Phantasm' series. My curiosity led me to his novella 'On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks'(included in this book), which is jaw-droppingly brilliant - inventive, surreal, grotesque, savagely violent and outrageously funny. Actually that's probably a good a description as any of Lansdale's signature style.
Don't be turned off by the more extreme nature of many of his stories, though. While his material does tend to skew towards the grotesque, Lansdale is a writer very much to be taken seriously. He is capable of great subtlety and tone when he chooses to be. His prose manages to be economical, but extremely evocative. Some of the short tales in this collection are VERY short, yet they are all striking, highly enjoyable, and more than a few of them are truly unforgettable.
As best of an excellent bunch, subjective as that is, I'd nominate 'On the Far Side', 'Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back', 'The Pit' and the truly confronting 'Night they Missed The Horror Show'. The last one will make you squirm, I kid you not!
This collection is worth owning because there are tales not featured here in some of his other compilations. The more recent 'High Cotton' has about 7 of the 16 featured herein. Yes, it IS annoying. Maybe in the not-too-distant future there'll be a truly comprehensive collection. That will be a momentous day indeed, my friends.
Don't um or ah about any Lansdale collection. Snap it up! You will NOT be disappointed.

5 extra stars
I LOVE Joe Landsdale. I came across this book by accident about 10 yearsago. Now that I know that it has been out of print for some time, I feelalmost like one of the chosen ones. I feel lucky. I certainly recommend itto the fan of macabre short stories, if you can get it (ha, ha, na, na).Good luck. ... Read more

Product Description
A rip-roaring, high-octane, Texas-sized thriller, featuring two friends, one vixen, a crew of washed-up radicals, loads of money, and bloody mayhem.Hap Collins and Leonard Pine are best friends, yet they couldn't be more different. Hap is an east Texas white-boy with a weakness for Texas women. Leonard is a gay, black Vietnam vet. Together, they steer up more commotion than a fire storm. But that's just the way they like it. So when an ex-flame of Hap's returns promising a huge score. Hap lets Leonard in on the scam, and that's when things get interesting. Chockfull of action and laughs, Savage Season is the masterpiece of dark suspense that introduced Hap and Leonard to the thriller scene. It hasn't been the same since.


From the Trade Paperback edition.Amazon.com Review
Start with two best friends who practice martial arts in theirfree time: one a straight white guy, the other a black gay guy.Add aconniving ex-wife in a blue-jean miniskirt. Throw in half a million ina muddy creekbed somewhere near the Sabine River in East Texas. Add anex-radical from the '60s and two naive idealists who want to save theworld. Mix them all together in a half-assed plan, season withdouble-crosses, and then top it off with a hilarious and chilling drugdealer named Soldier. Bloody mayhem a la Lansdale. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (26)

These are some of the best buddy books I've read
Plot Summary:Hap Collins is a white Texan man with a talent for shooting and weakness for good-looking ladies.His good friend Leonard Pine is a gay black Vietnam vet, who is good in a fight, and sweet on his hunting dogs.They've been getting by doing field work, but Hap's ex-wife, Trudy, shows up with a get-rich proposition.A bank robber's stash has been lost, the thieves are all dead, and Hap grew up near the creeks where it was lost.If Hap can find their stash, he'll get to keep a nice-sized chunk, so he brings Leonard in on the deal.Unfortunately Trudy has taken up with a crew of idealists who can't let go of their 60s activism, and they don't get along.

This is only my second Hap and Leonard novel, but I already think I love these guys.Hap manages to be extremely likable even when he makes a huge mistake, like sleeping with his manipulative ex-wife.I want to hit him upside the head, but in a friendly way.Leonard is just plain nasty, and he says all the things I wish I could say in mixed company, but never would.They make a great team, they are true friends, and it's the kind of buddy story that never gets old.Savage Season is a crime caper where everything goes wrong, but as long as my boys come out on top, I'll be fine.

Joe R. Lansdale has a talent for crafting memorable images.Some of his sentences just stick in my brain and won't shake loose.I don't remember all that many quotes from the stories I read, but even after one reading his books are like sticky fly paper in my mind.After reading story after story about beautiful, wealthy, privileged people, it's kind of a relief to hang out at the other end of society, with folks who have to be scrappy and tough.Hap and Leonard are not angels with snow white morals, but they live by a code that's far more honorable than the scum they run into.

The second book in this series is Mucho Mojo (Vintage Crime/Black Lizard), but since I've already started this series out of order, I may not be too particular about which one I pick up next.

well written, captivating (yes, its a pun)
Having read some of Lansdale's short stories, I was acquainted with his somewhat brutal style. I wasn't at all certain he could maintain the pace through an entire novel. In fact, I was prepared to be disappointed. Instead, this book was like driving past one long, bad auto accident. I couldn't look away. I was there - I cared, feared, smelled, tasted and felt it all. Many authors take hundreds and hundreds of pages to convey those feelings and that level of detailed impression. In my opinion it takes talent to do it effectively with such economy. This is not a book for the faint of heart, but it was very engaging. I suggest you put it near the top of the stack.

3.5 stars - cynical, offbeat, and funny, but a little too predictable
I recently read The Bottoms by this author and thought it was exceptionally good - one of the best novels I've read in a long time.Savage Season (and the rest of this series) came highly recommended to me.I was told to expect a cynical, offbeat, darkly funny, high-octane thriller (exactly the kind of thing I like) so I was really looking forward to reading the first adventure of Hap and Leonard (I even special ordered it into my local library because they didn't have a copy).

Now, don't get me wrong, I liked this novel, just not enough to get really excited about it.

It had many of the elements I like in a crime novel, and for the most part it is cynical, offbeat, darkly funny crime fiction.But it fell a little short for me because of the simplicity and predictability of its plot.As a result, I didn't find it especially thrilling.In the novel, Hap and Leonard get mixed up with a group of old sixties radicals who have a scheme to recover money from a long forgotten bank robbery.Inevitably there are double crosses and more double crosses as competing factions of bad guys endeavor to keep the money for themselves.Needless to say, there is considerable bloodshed until finally only Hap and Leonard are left standing (well ok, they aren't exactly capable of standing at the end, but they are still breathing).

The ride was decent enough, but I knew exactly where this story was going.I wanted the plot to zig & zag and become increasingly more complex, but that never happened.It stayed true to its predictable course, and while it wasn't a bad course, I felt like I was `going through the motions' waiting for each inevitable twist and turn.

On the upside: the characters are colorful and memorable (although most of the people you meet will die by the end of the novel), there is a lot of witty banter, dark humor, and some sharp observations about human nature and the sixties movement.Lansdale is a great writer and the prose in Savage Season is lean, filled with great dialoge and clever turns of phrase (reminding me a little of Elmore Leonard).

I definitely haven't given up on Lansdale (who is a very talented writer) or Hap and Leonard (my understanding is that their adventures only get better as the series progresses).I look forward to reading other novels in this series.I just hope the plots become more complex and less predictable.

Reminds me of those old films noir, but in East Texas
I can't escape reading Joe Lansdale any longer, since I live just down the road a piece. It's not my usual choice of book, but by golly, he can craft a story, and all of the sentences that build it up are exactly the shape they ought to be in order to get the job done. The raunchiness and violence that makes his true fans love him doesn't do much for me, but his characters and settings do; it's clear he knows the community I live in - all sides. I'll bet he's met some of the same low-lifes that I have (when I couldn't avoid it), but he knows that there is honor in the piney woods as well. He appreciates a good dog and a good friend, and, hang it all, I'll end up having to read all of these books just to find out how things go with old Hap and Leonard.

This adventure in stolen money, lost love and lost ideals reminds me of an old story by Raymond Chandler - if Bogie or Mitchum talked with a Texas accent. What a movie that would be!

If y'all don't have roots in East Texas, give these books a try; you'll get a flavor of it, and you'll be wanting seconds - at least.

Like following Jules and Vincent from 'Pulp Fiction'.
Joe Lansdale's sharp Texan wit combined with the hilariously compelling relationship between the two protagonists Hap (a white, disenfranchised 60's idealist) and Leonard (a black, homosexual Vietnam vet) has all the spontaneity of Vincent and Jules in Tarantino's 'Pulp Fiction'. I could have enjoyed reading 200 pages about these two going for burgers and a trip to the grocery store - the comedic and biting exchanges between them are that rich - however Lansdale weaves a tapestry of mystery and intrigue that you just know is going to end-up with a body-count which also rivals a Tarantino flick.

'Savage Season' is a quick read that draws you in and doesn't let go. At just under 200 pages, I finished in three sittings and for the first time in a while (have read some far less spectacular books in this same genre lately) felt truly pulled-in to the storyline. My only criticism involves the development of the characters 'Soldier' and 'Angel', whom I felt were introduced perhaps a bit too late in the plot and could have benefited from bit more back story. I found myself wishing the book had gone-on for another 50-100 pages.

I will definitely be checking-out the rest of Mr. Lansdale's catalog and I recommend this book to anyone looking for a tight, engrossing thrill-ride.

- Savage ... Read more

Product Description
SCENE BY SCENE . . . SCREAM BY SCREAM

* Bedtime becomes a dread time for a little girl whose brave cat is her only protection against a grotesque elf . . .
* Four psychic investigators risk their sanity--and their lives--to match wits with the most horrifying evil ever to possess a house. . . .
* Alone in the wilderness, with a "five-minute headstart," beautiful young attorney Kim Sanders is running for her life from the serial killer called "The Butcher" . . .

You don't need a movie theater or a VCR to savor the best in cinematic terror and suspense. All you need is your own imagination and this collection of spine-tingling scripts by the titans of shock storytelling. Whether you're a movie buff or a thriller freak, you'll savor these seven full-length film and TV scenarios, including Stephen King's "General," Richard Matheson's "The Legend of Hell House," and Richard Laymon's "The Hunted," plus chilling works by Harlan Ellison, Joe R. Lansdale, and Ed Gorman.

With a fascinating introduction on fright films by #1 bestselling author Dean Koontz. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Ni ce collection of short screenplays
The previous reviewers perhaps bought this volume by mistake, possibly not realizing that screenplays are a different sort of reading experience than regular fiction. I found the screenplays in this volume to be entertaining and quite professional. All of the authors are experienced writers, many with multiple produced screenplay credits.

Big mistake
I bought this book, but sent it back immediately. Unless you're a screenplay-writing-student, this book is of little value to you. It literally goes like this:

Man screams: AARGH! Woman cries: What are you doing? Couple leaves room.

All in all: think carefully if this is what you need. Don't buy it just for the scary cover!

Six awful screenplays
Not one of these stories was the least bit frightening.Some of them are so jaw-droppingly bad I can't believe the authors actually allowed them to be published without using pen names.Many of these screenplays bear allthe marks of first-time screenwriters:boring protagonists, antagonistsacting without any apparent motivation, page after page of dull padding...I can't list even the obvious problems in the 1000 words I'm allowed here. The writing styles range from Stephen King's "creative asides"which attempt to educate the reader in the art of screenwriting by tellingus what to write instead of showing us, to Ed Gorman's rip-off of WilliamGoldman's style (next time he should rip off a decent story, too).In all,the book includes four feature-length scripts, two shorts, and one 50pager.In the title for this review I said "Six awfulscreenplays;" the seventh is a short by Harlan Ellison which isn'texactly horror, but it's a cute little murder story with a surprising yetinevitable ending.That and Dean Koontz's introduction are the high pointsof this book. ... Read more

Amazon.com Review
East Texan Joe Lansdale didn't start out as a writer ofcomics, but he had always admired two DC characters, Jonah Hex andBatman, for their quality of being "dark knights."Jonah Hex is nosleek crusader, though: He's ugly, bizarre, and "just damn ornery."This bound mini-series of five comic books is about a man of the oldSouth in a splatter-western world--a world of weird horror and macabrehumor. With wicked full-color art by Timothy Truman and Sam Glanzman. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (3)

Jonah Hex: Two Gun Mojo
Just terrific.Two Gun Mojo featuring Wild West comix icon Jonah Hex is a rousing Western hybrid.Sure, the horror elements--zombies brought to life by a spike-toothed snake-oil salesman skilled in the ways of voodoo--don't bring Gary Cooper in black and white to mind, but I'm all for Hex and horror colliding in a one-horse town.And if Wild Bill Hickok himself is back as one of the undead to challenge the speed of Jonah's gunhand, then so much the better.

The supporting characters help keep us rooted in the West: Slow Go, aged bounty-hunter, terrible shot, and perfect foil for Hex, at least until the zombies corner him in a stable in the night of dead; the Indian woman whom Hex defends in a bar full of bigots and who later repays the favour by attending Hex's public hanging (sign says "Noon Or Thereabouts") in disruptive style; the Apaches and Cavalrymen who go to war with Hex caught right in the middle when all he wanted was a little revenge, out in the desert, against Doc Williams, snake-oil peddler, and all-around snake.

This is a brutal tale of murder, revenge and most types of lawlessness you could imagine on the wild frontier.The art by Truman and Glanzman is superb--a dusty nightmarish treat--but some of the images are quite gory.Jonah himself is a study in quiet charisma and determination, and author Joe Lansdale puts all the right words in his mutilated mouth while the bullets keep flying out of his gun.This was a wonderful finale to my recent look at the Wild Wild West in Comics, before turning my focus to Space Soldiers.

The First (and best) of the Weird Westerns
This is a prime example of why comics should be getting more respect. Landsdale and Truman recreate the badass character of Jonah Hex and pit him against a supernatural (?) menace. The art is gritty and real, the dialogueis crisp and clear as a desert sunrise. My favorite line? " That'sJonah Hex his own damn self. He's killed more men than hell has souls." The fact that this series hasn't been optioned as a film is acrime. I have heard that Hex was recently on an episode of Batman: TheAnimated Series. If anyone could do this series justice, it'd be them. Ifyou like westerns with an edge, this is for you. If you're a horror fanwanting a creepy story, this is for you. Check it out. It won't dissapoint.

Hex holds you in its spell
This book is probably one of the best comics in recent history.Lansdale and Truman's styles mesh into a cohesive package of grit and laughs, breathing new life into the once-thought-dead genre of the western comic.I knew that I had to buy it after the first page.Lansdale's strong narrative voice grabs the reader by the neck and and holds him there until the final panel.Be sure to pick up the 5 issue miniseries that follows, Riders of the Worm and Such, as well... ... Read more

Product Description
For nearly fifty years, Edgar Rice Burroughs's last Tarzan manuscript lay untouched and unfinished, locked away in a vault. It was the stuff of legend until, finally, the magnificent tale was completed with the help of award-winning author Joe R. Lansdale.

Once again the roar of Tarzan resounds through Africa as the Lord of the Jungle battles the savage creatures of the wild and helps a beautiful woman search for ancient Ur, lost city of gold. But Tarzan discovers they aren't alone in their quest. For evil follows in his path, and terror awaits him and his fierce lion Jad-bal-ja in Ur, where incredible treasures lie and horrors even more awesome hunger to destroy the mighty hero. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (13)

Pretty good Tarzan book
I've read a lot of Tarzan books,and while they vary in quality, they are all worthwhile. So is this one. It is an exciting adventure, and generally true to the Tarzan character and spirit.

If there were another one by this combination of writers, I'd buy it with sone level of confidence. If you haven't read this one and are a Tarzan fan, you should get this book.

There are plenty of James Bond books not written by Ian Fleming that are still quite good. This is a pretty good Tarzan book. And that means very good indeed.

The prices quoted here are crazy, by the way. I bought mine recently for $4 plus postage..elsewhere. Look around on the internet.

Not 100% Burroughs, but still a good addition to my Tarzan collection
I was ahead of my class in reading when young, and it was my second or third grade teacher who gave me a copy of "Tarzan of the Apes" by Edgar Rice Burroughs to read.I devoured it, but did not know it was the first of a series.It was a couple years before I found out, and then I read all of the Tarzan tales as well as those about John Carter on Mars, the Venus series, the Pellucidar series and others.I've been a huge Burroughs fan ever since.

Unfortunately, I was living in Asia for part of the 90s, and I did not know about "Tarzan: The Lost Adventure" by Edgar Rice Burroughs and Joe R. Lansdale.It is a new Tarzan tale that was started by Burroughs but left unfinished until Lansdale completed the manuscript for Dark Horse Comics.I happened to find a copy of the hard cover book, which was published after the four-part comic-book version was a success, while perusing the shelves at Powell's Book's in Portland this summer.Obviously, I had to purchase it to add to my Tarzan collection.I worked it into my reading schedule and just finished it.I enjoyed reading a new story about one of my favorite fictional heroes, but did feel that it wasn't exactly the same character that a solely Burroughs tale would have portrayed.

First and foremost, I'm glad this book was published, because I enjoy everything "Tarzan."And it is a good story.Pretty basic and formulaic, but most of the later Tarzan stories were.That does not prevent one from enjoying a hero they like reading about.However, there were little things that seemed a little off about the character, and I felt that Burroughs would not have wrote it that way.For instance, when Jean says, "You are something special, Mr. Tarzan." Tarzan replies, "Yes, I am."She continues, "And modest as well," in which Tarzan replies, "My greatest trait."That just seemed out of character for me.Yes it has been a long time since I've read any of the original series, but it still seemed different at times, the above conversation being one of those times.

While I did enjoy a lot of the story, it is a well paced action tale with some twists and turns here and there, even following a formula, I wasn't as impressed with the ending.Without sharing it here, I'm not sure that Burroughs would have wrapped it up this way.Especially knowing that this is the last tale, I would have liked a different ending.

To give Lansdale credit, he took on an impossible task.I don't think anyone could finish a Burroughs tale exactly like Burroughs, and all fans of the original stories will nit pick at anything coming after.I'm no different, having grown up on Burroughs, no one will be able to take his place when it comes to Tarzan and the other heroes he created.Lansdale did a good job and without knowing exactly what he started with, I applaud his efforts to finish a tale he didn't start and to attempt to stay true to the original source.

Therefore, while it seemed to be more Lansdale than Burroughs, I'm still glad I added this book to my Tarzan collection and read it.For a Tarzan fan, it was great to read a new story about one of my favorite heroes.While not my favorite Tarzan tale, it was still a fun quick read that took me back to years ago when I devoured anything and everything about Tarzan.

Reviewed by Alain Burrese, J.D., author of Hard-Won Wisdom From the School of Hard Knocks and the dvds: Hapkido Hoshinsul, Streetfighting Essentials, Hapkido Cane, the Lock On Joint Locking Essentials series and articles including a regular column on negotiation for The Montana Lawyer. Alain Also wrote a series of articles called Lessons From The Apprentice.

better left as a fragment
First, let me say I like Lansdale's other work, and I respect his clear love for Burroughs' characters. Still, he was not the author to finish Burroughs' final Tarzan novel--if anyone was. Much as with that other pulp-era barbarian, Conan, Tarzan is at his best when handled only by his creator. For anyone else to write a Tarzan novel--even one begun by Burroughs himself--is the equivalent of invading a man's home and sleeping with his wife: It's just wrong. For the most part, the story's a by-the-numbers Tarzan novel without the sexually charged tension of Tarzan's encounters with La or Nemone or the breathtaking pace of Burroughs' midperiod Tarzan adventures. As conceived by Lansdale, Ur is a moderately interesting city, though a bit dark for a Burroughs novel. Also, Lansdale cheats us of the seemingly promised confrontation between Tarzan and the giant king of Ur, while the language Tarzan uses is out of line with Burroughs' creation. Finally, having Tarzan meekly submit to Fate and walk to Pellucidar is something the Burroughsian Ape-man would never do. Overall, while this book is a noble effort, it falls short on too many levels to be really worth the effort other than as a curiosity.

Worst Tarzan book I've ever read!
A note to real Tarzan fans: DO NOT bother reading the last Tarzan book, the missing manuscript finalized by Joe Lansdale. The book is really awful, it has totally lost the Burroughs original touch and feel. I was SOOO disappointed after reading the book that I was really furious. It was hard to recognize this Tarzan as the same person Burroughs was writing about. You have been warned!

Good Effort, But Not Quite ERB
I did not necessarily have high hopes for this book. As a pre-teen and teenager I was in love with the writing of Burroughs and Robert E. Howard, as well as their most famous characters, Tarzan and Conan, respectively. And I have had a lot of respect for the company controlling Burroughs's copyrights for not dumping a lot of Tarzan pastiches on the marketplace as has happened with Conan. But having watched hack after hack literally destroy Conan, my expectations for this book were fairly low.

Fortunately, I was somewhat surprised. While it definitely lacks Burroughs's tone in many places, it's relatively true to the original character. Lansdale appears to be a decent enough writer and I think he has a lot of respect for the Tarzan mythos. He wisely introduces one of my favorite characters into the storyline, Jad-Bal-Ja (the golden lion), but I ultimately wasn't overly impressed with what I considered the science fiction aspects of the story, e.g., the bug-like monster.

Not that Burroughs didn't frequently troll the waters of science fiction in Tarzan, it just seemed to lack a degree of originality.The downer ending was also something of an oddity. Admittedly, "Tarzan of the Apes," the one that started it all, had a downer ending, but for the most Burroughs generally wrapped up his Tarzan stories with a semblance of "everything is now right in the world." Okay, so maybe I'm being picky.

I do recommend this book. It is an entertaining read and is never boring. I guess anyone who tries to pick up where my favorite authors left off is usually going to face some negative criticism. ... Read more

Product Description
Full of savage humor, heart-stopping suspense, and a cast of characters so tough they could chew the bumper off a pickup truck, The Two Bear Mambo is classic country noir.In this rollicking, rollercoaster ride of a novel, Hap Collins and Leonard Pine take a break from their day jobs to search for Florida Grange, Leonard's drop-dead gorgeous lawyer and Hap's former lover, who has vanished in the Klan-infested East Texas town of Grovetown. Before she disappeared, Florida was digging up some dirt behind the mysterious jailhouse death of a legendary bluesman's son, who was in possession of some priceless merchandise. To Hap and Leonard, something don't smell right. With murder on their minds, Hap and Leonard set out to investigate as only they now how . . . chaotically.


From the Trade Paperback edition. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (19)

Continuing Disappointment
I discovered the author through Captains Outrageous and thought where has this author been all my life.It turns out he has been busy writing mediocre books. This is a drawn out tale about the pair being in themiddle of a racist town investigating a racist murder for most of the book. They finally get to the bottom of things as a flood comes along and washes away all the bad guys and the evidence of their extrajudicial efforts.For about 20-30 pages toward the end after the heros get beaten up the old byplay resurfaces but it doesn't last.It's just a reminder of what the author could do when he was on his game. I see comedy is an option for a tag for this review.They must be kidding.

A gorgeous lawyer and former lover who has vanished in Texas as she was investigating a mysterious jailhouse death
Joe R. Lansdale's THE TWO-BEAR MAMBO also enjoys professional reader Phil Gigante's smooth voice as it packs suspense and humor into the story of two who search for Florida Grange, a gorgeous lawyer and former lover who has vanished in Texas as she was investigating a mysterious jailhouse death. Tension and intrigue mount in a satisfying audio story.

Good enough to make me want more
Two-Bear Mambo was my first Lansdale novel.The characters are wonderful and the dialogue is reminiscent of Robert S. Parker's Spenser and Hawk. I live in Texas and am very familiar with East Texas - the location of Hap and Leonard's escapades.I can smell the piney woods of East Texas when I read the book. The plot was not as complex as I have come to love in James Lee Burke novels.There was enough in this novel, however, to make me want to read more.I just ordered Vanilla Ride.

Dark Days
Joe Lansdale again shows off his unique talent in "The Two-Bear Mambo", third in the cynically funny series of homespun east-Texas yarns featuring arguably pop fiction's most bizarre and unlikely crime fighting pair: Hap Collins and Leonard Pine.

As with "Savage Season" and "Mucho Mojo" before it, the action and laughs never take a pause, but also serve only as a thin veneer over serious themes of racism and bigotry.This time around, Hap and Leonard pick up where "Mojo" left off - complete with yet another crack house fire of not-so-curious origin.The plot thickens when our heroes pack their sack lunches into Leonard's wreck, and with Hank Williams crooning on the cassette deck, head out for Grovetown, a redneck enclave run - at least unofficially - by the Klan. And the last place on earth where very black, and very gay, Leonard wants to be.But Hap's old flame Florida Grange has gone missing trying to budt a mystery surrounding some undiscovered recordings of a legendary local bluesman, tangled up with the suspicious jailhouse "suicide" of his mostly worthless son.Hap and Leonard, hardly seasoned investigators, stumble around Grovetown un-welcome and, with little to show for their efforts, soon find themselves predictably over their heads, out manned, out witted, most definitely out-gunned, and out of luck.

As Lansdale's superb series progresses, it also becomes darker and weightier.Never a stranger to violence, Lansdale tightens the thumbscrews in this one, taking head-on difficult and uncomfortable themes.Unlike the mostly unmitigated swagger of Hap and Leonard in the first two installments, Landale's sardonic slang exposes some very real fear and vulnerability hear, lending some realism to plots - and main characters - that could easy slide down a slippery slope to pure fantasy.Like the classic storytellers of this and prior generations, Lansdale again demonstrates that wisdom isn't synonymous with an unabriged dictionary-class vocabulary.

funny but lacking a bit as a stand-alone novel
I picked this up as an audio-book in my library, without realizing that this was part of a Hap-Leonard series. It's a story of two friends, one white and straight and the other black and gay, trying to find a missing friend in the most racist town in the country.

Looking back, I wish that I had started with the first novel in the series. This novel was very funny, and the writing was earthy, graphic, irreverent, and engaging. The reader of the audio-book was excellent, doing a variety of voices as well as any reader that I can recall. At the start of the novel, it took me a while to get to know Leonard and Hap, and appreciate their friendship. It was as if the author expected you to have read the other books in the series, and this just picked things up where the series had left off. The plot was not especially interesting, and the secondary characters were humorous stereotypes who often made me smile but did not come alive to me. If you love this book, it will be because you already like Hap and Leonard and you want more of them. Leonard is a great character, and by the end of this, I began to appreciate Leonard and Hap as a twosome.

As a stand-alone novel, this was only fair to me. Judging from other reviewers, this might be much stronger novel if you go into this already knowing the main characters. ... Read more

Product Description

Customer Reviews (1)

Wimpy Kid
Bought this set because better value than purchasing the Stinky Kid book alone. My 9 yr old son just ate up the Wimpy Kid series, so I thought he'd get a kick out of the spoof. ... Read more

Product Description
You can't kill the dead! Like any good monster, the zombie has proven to be ever-evolving, monumentally mutable, and open to seemingly endless imaginative interpretations: the thralls of voodoo sorcerers, George Romero's living dead, societal symbols, dancing thrillers, viral victims, reanimated ramblers, video gaming targets, post-apocalyptic permutations, shuffling sidekicks, literary mash-ups, the comedic, and, yes, even the romantic. Evidently, we have an enduring hunger for this infinite onslaught of the ever-hungry dead. Hoards of readers are now devouring zombie fiction faster than armies of the undead could chow down their brains. It's a sick job, but somebody had to do it: explore the innumerable necrotic nightmares of the latest, greatest, most fervent devotion in the history of humankind and ferret out the best of new millenial zombie stories: Zombies: The Recent Dead. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (18)

You will not put it down
I've read so many books from fantasy, epics, fiction to mythology this series of books is by far my favorite. In the beginning I only ordered the first book, and read it in one day. I immediately went to the book store and purchased the other two because I wouldn't be able to wait the two days for it to arrive. Of course I thought the next two would not be half as good as the first and I'm rarely wrong but I'm so happy I was. One thing I can't stand in a book is redundancy and this one didn't have any, even though the story of memnon is old and has been told many times and ways everything in these 3 books are fresh and new.

Thank you Brother G. for the Memnon Series.
Hetep,

My person does not know where to begin. First, thank you for the Memnon Series. Our people on the whole should know how much the work means to them. My prayers are that some day We will.

Second, my person thanks you for acknowledging Sheckem Ur Sheckem's influence by placing his picture in your work. My person's children do not see enough of Us represented in media. It was rewarding to see their eyes light up when they saw him featured with you and brother Winters. Again Thank You [Tua-u].

Third, for the content of the Memnon Series. The in-depth, colorful and enriching backgrounds and characters. My person found it hard to put the first book down [my person had planned on buying one per month but that was quickly dashed after the first chapter - my person finished them all within a month]. My person has studied Our Story for years, yet there were many things I learned or thought were possible because of your work. Tua-u.

Fourthly, the healthier and instructional introduction of sexuality and its spiritual and meta-physical potential was a master stroke. My person found it timely given my person's eldest daughter was ready for such an introduction into the topic. This material was pristine and precise in its approach to the subject matter, that added a new dimension to the Hero epic that my person had never encountered. Your work is a great counter-measure to the way Western Culture denigrates the interaction and particularly objectifies the feminine [in order to sell products] and thus devalue the process.

And finally, to the spirit of one whom my person had loved, that my person lost many years ago. The level of devotion, honor, sense of justice and love expressed amongst the characters in the work... made my person cry and yearn for my lost love's embrace. For she loved, honored her people and worked in the hope that our people could know Real freedom someday.

A day your work seemed to make, more possible.

Again, Tua-u.

Peace, Good Health and Long Life to You, Brother G.

Hetepu

Shades of Memnon
This is an excellent book/series.I could not put this book down. It is 'action packed',from a spiritual and physical perspective. (A large percent of this book seems to be fact rather than fiction).

A Piece of "OUR" Story
Having had the opportunity to read Brother G's works was a joy in itself. It is about time someone has given readers the opportunity to read and enjoy the "truth". As opposed to fantastical tales like "300" which redirect the attention from who really did what. "Shades.." is as accurate a fictitious tale as there could be. It was more than my pleasure to read the first two volumes of "Shades..." and I plan to read the rest ASAP!!
VERY POWERFUL, AND A GREAT PIECE OF WORK. I RECOMMEND ALL READ THIS MATERIAL!
"D"

Memnon and Brother G are great
Finally someone has created a great mythology featuring people of color. It's about damn time. Brother G has done for people of the African Diaspora what Hollywood had done for white people for the past 100 hundred years. He has created an African hero the brothas can be proud of based on true world history and ancient mythology. Brother G gets the original Hip Hop Hooray. I own the whole series and recommend it to every black man and boy in the world. Hotep. Two words describe Brother G: Griot/Jeli Extraordinaire. This is what a Griot/Jeli is:

The Griot/Jeli in Mande society was as a historian, adviser, arbitrator, praise singer (patronage), and storyteller. Essentially, these musicians were walking history books, preserving their ancient stories and traditions through song. They were said to have deep connections to spiritual, social, or political powers as music is associated as such. Speech is also said to have power as it can recreate history and relationships.
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Product Description
The Cimmerian travels to the aid of an old ally in the wretched wastes of Stygia - a desert harboring wealth undreamed of, even for the barbarian. Soon his pursuit of the ancient treasure reveals a conniving spirit and undead guards. Dust from the desolate land meets blood, and a dark-hearted sorcerer brings forth strange abominations from this unholy mix. Only the cool head and cold steel of the Cimmerian can save all creation from the horror that awaits, and the blood-spattered conclusion will send shivers down the spines of even the most hardcore Conan fans! ... Read more

Customer Reviews (6)

All for a bowl of rice!
This gorgeous rendition of Conan and the Cimmerian's world is a blast! Fans of sword & sorcery adventuring will find this the colorized epitome of strong classic S&S. Incorporating all of the components--horror, humor, sex, violence, drink, and treasure--in a no-holds-barred fashion by both author and artist, this is a great read.

While I have seen better eye candy, Truman does a marvelous job with such an iconic character, getting better as the book progresses. In fact, the b&w sketches and discussion of his work throughs at the conclusion were simply thrilling. As for Lansdale's tale, I'd never read a thing by him before, so with no expectations, I felt he delivered an action-packed tale at a satisfactory level. Sure, the evil sorcerer did seem to die too quickly come final confrontation, but he gave a good fight throughout and the momentum of the action and the shifting foe somewhat alleviated that.

And dialogue? Banter? Locker-room camp? Since when is S&S above that? Or Conan for that matter? Sure, the great man spoke a bit more than is norm, but he also had a companion that wouldn't shut up. Conan simply rose to the occasion.

I give this 5 stars for entertainment value, not just for quality (though that would probably rate a 4).

Definitely for a mature audience though.

Enjoy!

This book was just OK
A typical Conan adventure. This book breaks no new ground for storyline or graphics.

The plot - Conan teams up with a wisecracking sidekick Alvazar to look for 4 items which can awaken some unnamed horror. They are up against a wizard bent on world domination. Naturally, they thwart the wizard and Conan and Alvazar rides off into the sunset. That's it.

There is quite a bit of dialogue here. The normally taciturn Conan responds to Alvazar continuous commentaries with quite a few of his own. It is funny in parts but generally, the wise-cracking is too Spidey-like and is definitely out of character for Conan.

The genie (djinn) is drawn with exposed breasts at first, then with covered breasts later. There is a rather risque scene of lovemaking between Conan and the djinn (so adults might want to check on the suitability of this book for minors).

The colouring is awful. The drawings are not great. The figures look stilted and awkward.
If not for the colouring, this book resembles the earlier b/w Savage Sword of Conan tales which were neither good nor bad.

Not good
Script is way off the mark with this ball of yarn. it reads stupid, art is good through, but story is what kills this book. Read Roy Thomas, Kurt Busiek or Howard's Conan.

Conan Graphic Novel
Arrived when it was supposed to, and in very good condition. Packaged with care! Thank you.

Like Arnold the Barbarian
This Conan saga is very much in keeping with the Conan movie that Governor Arnold made famous, and very much like REH portrayed in his stories of the adventurous Cimmerian... Like the movie, Conan in this graphic novel is paired up with a sniveling complaining cohort who helps bring levity to a very dark story. And as in most of REH's stories Conan is pretty much out for himself... The artwork is top notch, especially the coloring; it is lush and sets a dark malevolent mood of danger and adventure. I have almost all the Conan Graphic novels and I feel this one while different is on par with those by Cary Nord, the artistic genius and the many others that have been allowed to render Conan. And in many respects I prefer this one because the coloring is beyond the softness of Nord's books and there is a lot more black on these pages making the characters more solid looking. This may not be an REH story, but it is very much like the Conan movie, which I feel is an incredible interpretation of REH's Conan. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (1)

good stories, but expected more
I picked up my copy of this book in a used book store, the only reason for doing so, is that I knew it had a Richard Laymon contribution in it ("Dinker's Pond"), being, of course, a little bit of a Laymon fan.

The other stories in the book are by: Robert R. McCammon, Scott Cupp, Lewis Shiner, F. Paul Wilson, David J. Schow, Ardath Mayhar, Al Sarrantonio, Melissa Mia Hall, Robert Petitt, Gary L. Raisor, Neal Barrett Jr., Howard Waldrop, Lenore Carroll, Joe R. Lansdale (also co-editor with Pat LoBrutto), Richard Christian Matheson and Chet Williamson.

I have an interest in the Wild West and Horror, so i was expecting this book to be a specific combination of the two, only to find that it has sci-fi entries and several set in modern times (albeit, with a Western setting).

The mixture may appeal to others but i prefer things to be a little more specific when it comes to genre tales.

Good, well-written tales in whole, but don't expect anything spectacular. ... Read more

Product Description
Fantasy comes in all shades, from gentle tales of elves and fairies, to the blackest of horrors. Subterranean: Tales of Dark Fantasy tends toward the darker edges, where the fantastic mixes with the horrific. With all original tales by a number of SubPress favorites, and writers new to our stable, we ve aimed to illuminate these shadowed corners, to bring into the light the creatures that venture forth from the sea, those that alter our reality to suit their sinister needs, and others who head into territory so bleak it s best left undescribed. ... Read more

Product Description
These short pieces, are, like The King and Other Stories, a collection of easy to read stories and articles that are designed to be treats for my readers. Nothing to hurt the head, but perhaps something to make you smile, or even think a little--but not too much.

The stories in The King were all pretty much pulp and absurdist pieces. This collection contains a few stories of weight, even though they are short.

The bottom line is they are designed for immediate consumption, the perfect kind of story for the busy day. Because, if you're like me, even on my busiest day, I like to find a few moments to read, even if it's only a chapter from a novel, a scene I've enjoyed reading before, a short story, or, what we used to call short-shorts. The articles though a little less flash like, are still quick reads and are probably best appreciated by those who like to read about writing and writers.

Again, I thank all of you who have bought my short story collections and novels and comic books. Stay with me. I keep having new stories come to visit all the time. They're friendly, and they like to meet other readers other than me. Here are a few of the friendlier ones. They aren't complex friends, but you couldn't find any more well meaning than these.

Read on. ... Read more

Customer Reviews (2)

Typical Lansdale
Most satisfying. While I was hoping for another gem like "The Events Concerning a Nude Fold-Out Found in a Harlequin Romance", this collection works fine without it. Short, sharp tales, guaranteed to amuse for the few minutes it takes to read them.

The Name Says It All:A Collection of Absolutely Insane MoJoevenalia
This is the old Joe Lansdale I used to know, the one who put out Bestsellers Guaranteed and Stories by Mama Lansdale's Youngest Boy. This is Joe having come a long way in his writing and, for whatever reason, going back to the old days. Allow me a rock comparison:this is KISS recording the back-to-our-roots Rock And Roll Over after the crazily successful, symphonic hardrock heights of Destroyer. This is Joe Lansdale having proven himself to the bigwigs in the mainstream by winning an Edgar Award as well as literary circles by winning the Grinzane Cavour (an Italian literary award that, believe it or not, has been awarded to Nobel prize winners in the past; go research it and find it out for yourself; it's absolutely amazing stuff), now proving to his fans that he hasn't lost anything about himself in the interim. This is Joe Lansdale just as shocking, creepy, and grotesque as he's ever been. But let me warn you:this collection of six essays (four about writers, two about writing) and ten stories (ranging from horror to science fiction to grotesque anomalies) has an opening essay so offensive that I, a huge fan of Joe's, put this book down after reading it for about a month and a half after receiving it. I'm very thankful, however, that I went back. WARNING:SPOILERS HEREAFTER. To be honest, I wasn't all that taken with the three essays about Robert E. Howard, and, indirectly in one, Edgar Rice Burroughs. I think his introduction to Pigeons From Hell was better than these. And "Just Do It" is the essay that made me run away from this book for a while; to put it nicely, obscene language runs rampant and uncontrolled, and, I still think, unuseful (at least to a reader). I've never read anything more offensive other than a highbrow, literary icon who described feminist writing as a bear that's stuck a corncob up its rear while hibernating and then expelling the buildup all over the cave walls upon waking; Joe's stuff in this essay is that, well, bad. If you can bear it (ha!) and stick around (yuck), then you'll find a host of literary gems thereafter. Maybe Joe gave his readers a challenge with that first essay, I don't know, but the rest of it is wonderful. Joe picks out two writers that are, I'm sure, going to be so-called "rediscovered" by filmakers when they get hold of these appreciative essays of Joe's:Henry Kuttner and Leslie Whitten. I was glad to be introduced to them. You get a great essay about writing advice. And then the stories. I don't want to recount all the stories, but "Surveillance" is a sci-fi warning about safety in the future, "Coat" is a classic Lansdalian cautionary tale, "Dragon Chili" takes off where Swift's "Immodest Proposal" stopped shy of daring to outrightly name and offend those he was trying to offend with his little story, "Big Man:A Fable" is the funniest piece of Joe's newest writing I've read (I can't tell you how many times I laughed out loud while reading this one), "Jack's Pecker" is Chekhov's "The Nose" mixed with Philip Roth's "The Breast" mixed with methamphetamine and a large dose of writing skill, "Hanging" is a very short story that should scare the bejeepers out of anyone who's ever thought of hanging themselves or committing suicide (seriously, folks), "Hole" is a scary story for the kiddies, "December" is a poetic evocative piece, and "Rainy Weather" is a piece of mystery fiction that you won't find (but should be able to; both mags would be much better for it) in Ellery Queen or Alfred Hithcock magazine. I'm telling you straight:these are great Lansdale pieces. If you're a Lansdale fan, you absolutely can't go wrong with this one. This is Lansdale like I haven't seen him in a long time. And that's a d**n great, fine thing. If you're new to Joe and slightly intrigued, go ahead and buy it; if nothing else, there were only 750 copies of this made, and you'll definitely get your money back if you decide you don't like it and want to sell it. Because this one's a seller and, for me, a definite keeper. Thanks for briging the old youback around, Joe. ... Read more