Anyone miss the old Joe R Lansdale?

[Dr.Kelvinstein]

Is it just me, or does it seem that Joe has sold out and gone mainstream. I've stuck through and read everything he's published thus far, but my patience is wearing thin. If it wasn't for the collection...

[dmihatmttl]

While I don't agree that he's "sold out," I can certainly understand why you'd say that. With the exception of THE BOTTOMS and A THIN DARK LINE, his last few novels have left me a bit disappointed. FREEZER BURN had so much potential, but in the end left me wanting more. Same for CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS (for a long time I couldn't get enough of the Hap & Leonard books, but I think that well has just about run dry, unfortunately -- just seems too "forced" these days).

Lansdale's still my favorite writer, though, if I had to pick just one. Or he at least ties with Ed Gorman. Not since the early days of King has an author made me literally laugh out loud while reading his stuff. The man sure does have a way with words. I love his dark Southern tone -- but maybe that's 'cause I'm from down South o' the ole' Mason Dixon line myself. :)


What collections do you have, Dr. Kelvinstein? My favorites are BY BIZARRE HANDS, WRITER OF THE PURPLE RAGE, and HIGH COTTON.



J.N.
http://members.tripod.com/~NEWMANATOR/index.html

[Dr.Kelvinstein]

I live in a town of about 2000 folks, so I've always understood where Joe was coming from, and I thought Hap and Leonard might really be speaking for us....but then he seemed to lose track. I think he tried to become a Southern Andrew Vachss by putting a message in every book (I thought the Veil character was especially stupid). I LOVE everything up to Freezer Burn, but am getting really tired of every book he now writes being about race relations.

Still, I'll stick it out; I already have his new novel pre-ordered.

I've got Fistful, Bizzare Hands, Stories by Mamma Lansdale's..., High Cotton, Bestsellers Guaranteed, Writer of the Purple Rage, The Good, the Bad, and the Indifferent, and Electric Gumbo. They're all signed except Bizarre (though I have three copies). I also have the anthologies he edited: the Best of the West stuff, Dark at Heart, and Razored Saddles. Even the damn nonfiction stuff. About the only thing I'm missing is the novel The Big Blow (though I do have the Revelations anthology with the novella).

I LOVE his three Jonah Hex mini-series, especially Two-Gun Mojo. "I say you're a boot-lickin' son of a bitch that would suck the jam from between a dead man's toes."

[dmihatmttl]

Great collection, Dr. K!

DARK AT HEART and RAZORED SADDLES are fantastic -- I finally read got to check those out not too long ago, after searching for them forever. I'd love to see more anthologies edited by Lansdale in the future (unfortunately, his upcoming one, LORDS OF THE RAZOR, I'll never get to read . . . 100 bucks a pop is just a little out of my league).

I've only read the novella version of THE BIG BLOW as well. Loved it.


To date, my favorite Lansdale books overall -- not counting the collections I mentioned in my earlier post -- are probably MUCHO MOJO, THE BOTTOMS, and A THIN DARK LINE.



Later,



James
http://members.tripod.com/~NEWMANATOR/index.html

[Dr.Kelvinstein]

100 bucks a pop is just plain wrong. Sometimes loyal readers just get a hosing; they mark this stuff up because they think we'll buy it no matter what. Do you know if it's a theme anthology, about The Lord of the Razor character from Night Runners and the comic Blood and Shadows (or whatever it was called)?

My favorittes are Dead in the West, Cold and July, and all the Hap and Leonard stuff up to Two-Bear Mambo.

I heard he did a Jonah Hex episode of Batman: the Animated Series that was never aired. I'm a HUGE Jonah Hex fan and would LOVE to see that. I heve every comic appearance of my favorite scarred gunfigher, all the way from Western All Stars to the Lansdale stuff. Took forever to locate them all, too.

[dmihatmttl]

Just droppin' in for a moment (looooong day), but to answer your question . . . yeah, that's exactly what it is. A themed antho about the "dark god" in NIGHTRUNNERS.

Should be very cool. But I'll never know. :\



J.N.
http://members.tripod.com/~NEWMANATOR/index.html