Heath Lowrance of Psycho Noir spent all of July and the beginning of August on a Joe R. Lansdale rampage. Of the 13 books he reviewed, three of them are currently available from Tachyon.

Cold in July

I first read this one some twenty years ago. It was among the first two or three that turned me into a serious Lansdale fan and one I’ve been itching to re-read for some time. It stands up very well, even though Lansdale has definitely gotten better and his voice more distinctive since. Terrific book.

Flaming Zeppelins: The Adventures of Ned the Seal

So, yeah. Crazy stuff. Lansdale without a filter, basically. The first novel has a nice, flying by the seat of your pants feeling, as if Lansdale is making it up as he goes and is having a helluva good time. The second one is more cohesive, and maybe a bit more satisfying in the long run. But both of them are well worth reading.

Deadman’s Road

All the stories are fun and profane in the best Lansdale tradition. Not too many writers can balance grim against funny, horrifying against goofy, the way Joe Lansdale can, and the result of that is a handful of stories that only HE could have written.

Read about the rest of Lowrance’s binge at Psycho Noir.

For more information about Cold in July, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover design by Elizabeth Story.

For more information about Flaming Zeppelins: The Adventures of Ned the Seal, visit the Tachyon page.

Cover by John Coulthart.

For more information about Deadman’s Road, visit the Tachyon page

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

Design by Elizabeth Story.