Three fresh reviews of Joe R. Lansdale’s vivacious collection DEADMAN’S ROAD.

At BOOK ARE FOR SQUARES, Gerard Saylor likes the book.

Lots of filthy people. Six gun blasting. Dead horses. Wanton women. An angry Jedidiah Mercer who quickly kills when suspecting danger. Booze. Dust. Danger. So on. So forth.

The real interest in these stories is that Lansdale writes them. If you like Lansdale we’ll like this. I liked this.

Vladimir Brovin on the Russian site Отвратительные мужики (DISGUSTING MEN) includes DEADMAN’S ROAD in “3 books about the hero-cowboy, which can be read instead of the DARK TOWER.”

Books written by Landsdale are not large, but the ideas embedded in it would be enough for a whole cinematic universe.

The elderly Pastor Jebediah Mercer, who personally serves the Old Testament God (and who knows exactly how terrible he is in anger), wanders around Fontir with a Bible and heavy-handed revolvers of 44 calibers. In fact, he does the same work as Geralt of Rivia, destroying the most vile demonic creatures. True, in his case, it is successfully associated with his profession as a preacher. In this world, the Lord encountered competitors in the form of Indian deities and spirits who send zombies and other evil spirits to the congregation. From the latter it is required to constantly purify the Earth – otherwise believers will doubt the divine power.

DEADMAN’S ROAD is a vivacious reading-book with scribbling jokes, bikes from stinky acid soup of peasants and shots from the cutoff in the face. And the pastor uses the Bible as a dynamite checker.

Translation from Russian courtesy of Googe.

Photo by Karen Lansdale

The Hungarian site ZOTHIQUE praises the collection.

The novels are not flawless, but for an unforgettable action and a badass character, they will not be disappointed for a moment. The book provides a lot of relaxation.

Translation from Hungarian courtesy of Google.

For more info about DEADMAN’S ROAD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art “The Quick and the Undead” by Travis J. Elston

Cover design by Elizabeth Story