Joe's a legend of the horror genre whose work had largely passed me by until I attended a panel at the ArmadilloCon in Austin, TX in September. The panelists (who included Lansdale's son) discussed what made his stories so effective, scary, and often hilarious. That was up my alley, so I grabbed a copy of this new collection from the dealer's room, and can now say I'm fully converted. There's a richness and flavor to his worlds that makes them hyper real and also entirely relatable. And I love any author who can make me gasp when he pushes the envelope further than I ever imagined possible. Lansdale's stories get you into a horror state of mind while also being fully original and fierce, and are truly laced with all that dark humor I was promised. He's not for everyone, but these really spoke to me. Thanks, Joe.
In this career horror retrospective, World Horror Grandmaster Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-tep; Hap and Leonard) tackles racism and human cruelty as deftly as he conjures demon nuns and Elder Gods. Featuring an original introduction from Joe Hill, this much-anticipated volume showcases the best of Lansdale's terrifying short stories―menacing, astute, and wildly inappropriate.
“This book is flat-out incredible.” ―John Skipp, New York Times bestselling author-turned-filmmaker of This Is Splatterpunk
Bestselling author Joe R. Lansdale is known for his gritty mysteries and his eccentric horror. As an eleven-time Bram Stoker Award winner, Joe Lansdale cooks up an inimitable recipe of Southern…
Michael Haynes is prolific, and each of his stories is its own short, speculative fiction gem. He may not be as well known as some short story authors, but I've gone from not having heard of him to buying both of his short story collections and utterly having a delightful time with each of the (mostly) bite-sized stories. They come with a science-fiction bent, and confront the humanity amid science fiction altered realities that are often less-than-ideal. These stories feature heartbreak, lost opportunities, and vengeance aplenty, and you'll want to savor each one rather than rushing through the entire book at once – but, you know, good luck on that
A man tends bar while awaiting his wife in the afterlife...An aging musician's new guitar brings life back to his music...A man's smartphone gets overly-involved in his love life...These stories and dozens more await you in this collection exploring the ways people and other beings communicate and miscommunicate with surprising effects in worlds familiar and unfamiliar."A new Michael Haynes short story collection? Yes, please! With his second story collection, Three Things Cameron Couldn't Tell You, the prolific Haynes presents terrifying, thoughtful, moving, addictive chef's kisses of short (and short-short) stories you'll want to savor -- but also find impossible to…
Maud may be elderly, but she's far from being sweet and innocent, and that makes her a revelation. She's not exactly a serial killer, but she does have a way of getting you on her side and understanding the decisions she makes. It's like one of those British cozy mysteries flipped on its head. And there's a bonus to this quick, fun read -- gingerbread cookie recipes in the back!
Don’t let her age fool you. Maud may be nearly ninety, but if you cross her, this elderly lady is more sinister than sweet.
Just when things have finally cooled down for 88-year-old Maud after the disturbing discovery of a dead body in her apartment in Gothenburg, a couple of detectives return to her doorstep. Though Maud dodges their questions with the skill of an Olympic gymnast a fifth of her age, she wonders if suspicion has fallen on her, little old lady that she is. The truth is, ever since Maud was a girl, death has seemed to follow…
Seventeen-year-old Lexi has been living in a remote stretch of the Rocky Mountains since her father dragged her – and her now-missing brother – there ten years ago, after the rest of their family was afflicted with a mysterious, magical sickness. Her paranoid father thinks they've escaped the "disease," and as long as they remain in the woods, they'll be safe.
But that fear means everyone is keeping secrets. Lexi can't tell him about her friend Gil, who pops up in the forest among a traveling stand of birch trees, who once saved her life – and who is definitely not human. She also can't tell her father about the magic Gil has shown her she possesses, which allows her to open the path to wherever she needs to go. Meanwhile, Gil has never told Lexi that he's hoping she'll join in a heated fight between magical creatures and humans … on the side of the fae. And that's not the only thing Gil's hiding, because he knows the true nature of forest guardian Artio, an enormous, godlike bear.
Everything changes when pop star T.J. Furey, his foster sister Steph, and T.J.'s manager Tony hire Lexi and her father to lead a hunt, with Artio as the target. If Lexi can't prevent Artio's death, she'll never see Gil again – but she can't do that without risking her father's wrath. When it turns out that Tony is harboring a dark past and a major grudge against all things magical, Lexi feels trapped. In order to save Artio, keep Gil, and escape the forest, Lexi is going to need all her heart, skills, and magic to open the true path to her – and humanity's – future.
Leave No Trace plays the clash of worlds – magic and technology, future and past, rural and urban – against the backdrop of a bear hunt and a war between fae and humans.
