ginger nuts of horror

June 17, 2020

In the excellent OF MICE AND MINESTRONE, Joe R. Lansdale provides further proof of Hap and Leonard’s innate humanity and inherent likability

Rick Klaw blog eric j guignard, ginger nuts of horror, hap and leonard, joe r lansdale, manhattan book review, more2read, of mice and minestrone, philip zozarro, review, tzer island

Joe R. Lansdale’s OF MICE AND MINESTRONE – HAP AND LEONARD: THE EARLY YEARS continues to garner raves.

At MANHATTAN BOOK REVIEW, Philip Zozarro praises the collection.

Joe Lansdale’s Hap and Leonard never cease to interest the reader. The situations they start and end up in are amply filled with humor, wisdom, and heart. The early years provide the reader with more proof of the two characters’ innate humanity and inherent likability. No matter the trouble they find, their loyalty is to each other and what’s right, which makes every story stronger. An excellent addition to a great collection.

Eric J. Guignard for GINGER NUTS OF HORROR feels much the same.

All-in-all, an excellent pairing of crime writing tales, blood-soaked friendship, and Southern grits. Five out of Five stars.

MORE 2 READ concurs.

As always Joe Lansdale signature telling with characters, actions, and words, potent and vivid, ones to crack a smile on a dull day and stir a heart with nostalgic immersion in a scene.

As does TZER ISLAND.

In between “The Watering Shed” and “The Sabine Was High,” Leonard enlists Hap to work as a sparring partner in the aptly titled “Sparring Partner.” Hap and Leonard are both decent amateur boxers. The small-time promoter who hires them has a history of finding black boxers to match against white boxers. The promoter doesn’t really care if the boxers are good, a callous attitude that places his boxers at risk. The trainer knows better but wants to keep his job. The story culminates in Leonard switching places with an untalented boxer and going up against a slow but monstrous brute. This might be the best boxing story I’ve ever read, but apart from the fight itself, the story addresses collateral characters who confront moral dilemmas and, in a couple of cases, make a selfless choice. This is a heartwarming story and my favorite in the volume.

The collection ends with recipes for southern delicacies (chili and pies and the like) that appear in the stories. Not being much of a cook, I can’t comment on whether they are good, but they did make me hungry for pie.

December 20, 2017

Tachyon tidbits featuring Joe R. Lansdale, Peter S. Beagle, Jacob Weisman, Patricia A. McKillip, and Bruce Sterling

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized angela matano, ben loory, best of 2017, bob mcleod, bruce sterling, camille andre, campus circle, Charlie Jane Anders, elizabeth story, ginger nuts of horror, hap and leonard: blood and lemonade, jacob weisman, Joe R. Lansdale, john coulthart, looking for a good book, looking glass reads, patricia a mckillip, peter s beagle, pirate utopia, six months three days five others, tales of falling and flying, the forgotten beasts of eld, the new voices of fantasy, Thomas Canty

The latest reviews and mentions of Tachyon titles and authors from around the web.

Joe R. Lansdale (photo: Karen Lansdale), Jacob Weisman and Peter S. Beagle (Jill Roberts), Patricia A. McKillip (photo: Stephen Gold/Wikimedia Commons), and Bruce Sterling

At GINGER NUTS OF HORROR, Bob McLeod includes Joe R. Lansdale’s HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE in his top books of the year.

There is no denying that Joe Lansdale is a master of storytelling and the latest Hap and Leonard novel is a triumphant return to the world of these two hapless heroes. Written as a prequel to their very first adventure Lansdale gives us an emotionally charged insight into what makes the two of them tick.

“At times this is a hard book to read, due to its cultural setting, Lansdale has captured the sociopolitical zeitgeist of the era perfectly. A period where racism was rampant and times were excruciating for Black people and those who didn’t fit in with the general feeling towards them. Be warned the use of the N-word is utilised many times in this book, but it is never used for shock value, it drives the story to such an extent it almost feels as though your soul is taking a beating as you read it. BLOOD AND LEMONADE is an emotionally compelling tale which puts the reader through an emotional whirlwind in a way that only a great writer such as Lansdale can do.

Angela Matano for CAMPUS CIRCLE recommends Peter S. Beagle and Jacob Weisman’s THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY as a book for every stocking.

If your idea of fantasy begins and ends with Hobbits or Mothers of Dragons, you’re missing out on a vibrant part of literature. Peter S. Beagle has assembled a collection of stories from the hottest young writers in THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY, including modern classics from Ursula Vernon, Usman T. Malik, Kelly Sandoval and more.

In the same piece, Matano also suggests collections from Charlie Jane Anders and THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY contributor Ben Loory.

Ben Loory returns with his unique brand of short short stories in “Tales of Falling and Flying.” These deceptively simple, absurdist fables and surreal allegories add up to an emotional punch.

“Six Months, Three Days, Five Others” collects six stories from “All the Birds in the Sky” author Charlie Jane Anders, who explores philosophical “what-ifs” with doses of whimsy and quirky humor, while grounding it all with relatable characters.

In a five star review, LOOKING GLASS READS praises Patricia A. McKillip’s World Fantasy Award-winner THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD

Patricia McKillip’s novel THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD was republished by Tachyon Publications. This World Fantasy Award winning novel is a true treasure, a book that is most definitely worth reading.

I have never read prose quite as lyrical as McKillip’s. The language is incredibly descriptive without being overly dense. It is fairy-tale like, adding to the air of magic within the novel. There isn’t a paragraph, a line, a word, that is unnecessary. Despite all of her works having this to at least some extent, this is probably the tightest prose I have read in one of her novels.

I always admired Patricia McKillip’s book. But this is, by far, the best of her work I have read. THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD is a book that will delight any fantasy reader. Take a chance on this book. I promise you won’t be disappointed.

LOOKING FOR A GOOD BOOK reviews Bruce Sterling’s Sidewise Award-nominated PIRATE UTOPIA.

The last third of the book (or so) is an interview with Sterling who gives a brief account of the real history of Fiume. I enjoyed this and it had me doing a quick Google search of my own to learn a little more.

Perhaps the best part of the book is the beautiful art by John Coulthart, who captures the Art Deco/war years style to lead off the chapters and divisions of the book. The art alone is worth checking out this book.

Looking for a good book? Pirate Utopia by Bruce Sterling is a short book about some idealizing ‘pirates’ in the 1920’s who take over and develop their own country. Buy it for the art and enjoy the story.

For more info about HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story

For more info about THE NEW VOICES OF FANTASY, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Camille André

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info about THE FORGOTTEN BEASTS OF ELD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Thomas Canty

For more info on PIRATE UTOPIA, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover and images by John Coulthart

January 27, 2017

Peter S. Beagle’s grounded and surreal IN CALABRIA is a must read

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized critical wit, elizabeth story, ginger nuts of horror, in calabria, magdalena korzeniewska, martin summerfield, megan crittenden, peter s beagle, review, summerlong

Praise continues to come in for Peter S Beagle’s just released IN CALABRIA.

Photo: Paul Todisco

Martin Summerfield at GINGER NUTS OF HORROR lauds the novel.

There is something of the mock epic in the pages of IN CALABRIA, as Bianchi constantly questions the unicorn, which he dubs La Signora, about why she should choose his poor farm in the remote town of Calabria to deliver her foal in such a poor environment rather than “the magical woodlands of Tuscani” or the mountain ranges of the Aspromonte. Peter Beagle’s strength as a writer has always been writing very human characters in unusual situations, like Sword Cane Lal and Nyateneri from THE INNKEEPER’S SONG. Beagle understands that the more spectacular the circumstances, the more grounded and fleshed out the characters and their interactions with each other need to be.

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I’ll spare you spoilers about what happens at the end, but I will say that it ends in a way that is both epic and mock epic, both grounded and surreal and it has one of my most favourite character interactions that involves two people who are talking about something else to mask the fact that they’re actually talking about themselves since the closing lines of dialogue in Serenity between Mal and Zoe. IN CALABRIA in many ways feels like Beagle writing in dialogue to THE LAST UNICORN – the unicorns in both books are hunted, and are a rare sight because they are presumably the last of their kind. But whereas THE LAST UNICORN focuses on how humans affect the unicorn, IN CALABRIA focuses on how the unicorn affects humanity and specifically, Bianchi. The book is less reminiscent of the bizarreness of Jorge Luis Borges and more in common with later magic realists such as Paul Auster and Haruki Murakami. But if I were to summarise In Calabria in a mere few sentences, I couldn’t sum it up better than Henry David Thoreau does when he talks about solitude and solitary life in his book WALDEN:

“However mean your life is, meet and live it; do not shun it and call it hard names. It is not so bad as you are. It looks poorest when you are richest. The fault-finder will find faults even in paradise. Love your life, poor as it is.”

At CRITICAL WIT, Megan Crittenden enjoys the book.

The plot is fairly by the numbers with few surprises, but like SUMMERLONG, Beagle’s prose makes it a worthy read. There were several sentences I had to reread twice for the pleasure, and more than a few times a sentence was so whimsical I almost felt bad for enjoying it so much. It’s very much a fairy tale for adults to enjoy with no shame. When a lot of fantasy these days bank on the grimness of say, GAME OF THRONES and revel in their darkness, it’s a nice break to just read something that is so utterly pleasant to experience.

As a novella this is of course a short book, and that both works for and against it. It doesn’t overstay it’s welcome; it’s short, sweet and to the point. But like all books I enjoy, it feels too short at times. There were several things that could have been elaborated on, and there’s a few parts where you just have to let go of your questions because they just are not going to get answered.

IN CALABRIA is a quick weekend read that is so confident in it’s whimsy, it never comes off as cheesy or childish. It’s not THE LAST UNICORN, but is still a return to form for the man who did for unicorns what Tolkien has done for elves and dwarves. For any adult fan of unicorn stories, it’s a must read.

For more info about IN CALABRIA, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story

For more info on SUMMERLONG, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover art by Magdalena Korzeniewska

Design by Elizabeth Story

January 25, 2017

HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE is an emotionally compelling tale

Alec Checkerfield Uncategorized blood and lemonade, crime, elizabeth story, entertainment weekly, ginger nuts of horror, hap and leonard, hap and leonard: blood and lemonade, hap and leonard: mucho mojo, horror drive-in, james purefoy, jim mickle, Joe R. Lansdale, michael k. williams, review, sundanceTV', swamp noir, texas noir, tv insider

Reviews for Joe R. Lansdale’s forthcoming HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE keep rolling in.

GINGER NUTS OF HORROR gushes.

At times this is a hard book to read, due to its cultural setting, Lansdale has captured the sociopolitical zeitgeist of the era perfectly. A period where racism was rampant and times were excruciating for Black people and those who didn’t fit in with the general feeling towards them. Be warned the use of the N-word is utilised many times in this book, but it is never used for shock value, it drives the story to such an extent it almost feels as though your soul is taking a beating as you read it. BLOOD AND LEMONADE is an emotionally compelling tale which puts the reader through an emotional whirlwind in a way that only a great writer such as Lansdale can do.

From the moving “Parable of the Stick” which takes a look bullying in school and to the shocking story of how an outcast at school can be forced to take things too far, to the deeply moving story of when Hap and his mother help a lost black kid. These stories are written with a keen eye and an empathic heart, that can only come from a writer who grew up in the Texas of these stories.

But don’t worry BLOOD AND LEMONADE takes the lead from the book’s title and balances the blood with lots of lemonade, for every dark story there is one that shows that there were light and friendship and lots of good people around. You will smile and chuckle in between the moments of unrelenting darkness.

BLOOD AND LEMONADE is a great collection of stories, and unlike so many other prequels out here actually adds to the mythology of the stories that came before it. The Hap and Leonard we knew before reading this are given an extra depth and sense of humanity with this book, BLOOD AND LEMONADE is a honorable entry in the mythology of the most righteous pair of heroes the genre has ever seen.

Photo: Karen Lansdale

HORROR DRIVE-IN praises the book.

We’ve come to expect outrageous humor, situations, and violence in Hap and Leonard stories, and there is some of that stuff in HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE. But this collection is a more somber bunch of stories. Some feature crime and bloodshed. Some are funny. Some are wistful. Some are sad and thoughtful. Joe, slippery bastard that he is, even slips a ghost story into the mix.

BLOOD AND LEMONADE shows another side of Hap and Leonard. While, yes, there are introspective moments in each of the books up to now, these stories are often quiet. They give the reader pause; time for contemplation.

Joe calls Blood and Lemonade a mosaic novel. I always called this sort of thing a story cycle. Both terms amount to the same thing. There are connecting sequences with Hap and Leonard woolgathering about past events. Each story is a slice of life from when they were young, before the events of SAVAGE SEASON. Some are not even Hap and Leonard stories, but simply Hap stories. That isn’t surprising as Hap’s perspective has always been the driving force of the series.

Tachyon also published the previously mentioned Hap and Leonard short story collection. Unlike that one, which contains a lot of reprints, BLOOD AND LEMONADE features mostly new works, and works that will be new to most readers. Both are essential to any fan, but as I noted before, HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE, is something truly special. You are going to love it. Regardless of whether, like me, you are a (savage) seasoned Hap and Leonard veteran, or are new to the characters. Trust me.

Jim
Mickle, director of COLD IN JULY and executive producer of SundanceTV’s HAP AND LEONARD, had this to say:

BLOOD AND LEMONADE is the best of Lansdale
and the best of Hap and Leonard. As urgent as it is timeless. As fun
as it is thoughtful. It haunts you while it kicks your ass. Joe never
lets you down, just shows you over and over why he’s the best.

Both ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY and TV INSIDER featured images from the forthcoming SundanceTV series HAP AND LEONARD: MUCHO MOJO.

Michael K. Williams and James Purefoy as the titular characters.

For more info about HAP AND LEONARD: BLOOD AND LEMONADE, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story

For more info on HAP AND LEONARD, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by Elizabeth Story