Anyone who knows me or reads my reviews knows how much I champion Joe R. Lansdale as not only one of the best genre writers today, but truly one of are great storytelling talents in America. No one can write like him. No one can balance that goofy southern attitude with dark as hell tone that seems to make you laugh even when you know you shouldn’t. He is a true original, and I feel he has never gotten the recognition he deserves for his talents. Even in the books that I feel were not as good as I thought they were going to be produced belly laughs and gasps in equal measures. Simply put, it is just a big load of fun opening a Lansdale book. It might be a bumpy ride at points, but it is defiantly worth the price of admissions. And it seems this latest ride from The Mojo Champion is something I needed, because it is the most fun I have had reading one of his books since I read The Drive-In omnibus a couple years back. I have heard criticism that Lansdale’s stories at the beginning of his career were a lot better than the stories he has been writing since the turn of the century. Yeah, they lack the certain mean spirited nature of The Nightrunners, but they still pack a punch, with enough violence to satisfy gore hounds, and snappy dialogue that rings true like the twang of a banjo. We are introduced to Sue Ellen, the narrator of the novel, as she is out with her dad and Uncle Gene, as they try to fish using methods that don’t involve electrocuting the whole lake. They find the body of Mary Lynn, a friend of Sue’s who had Hollywood dreams too big for the small Texas town she lived in. After a disgustingly quick burial and funeral, Sue, along with her friend Terry, who might be gay, and Jinx, her cynical black friend, go about a plan to burn Mary’s body and take her ashes to Hollywood using the money her older brother robbed before he died. Her mom tags along as they are chased by all manner of lowlifes and encounter some very unsettling circumstances. This novel is in the vein of a Huck Finn tale using Lansdale signature blend of Flannery O’Conner and Shirley Jackson storytelling ability and Texas Chainsaw Massacre tone. We see this motely crew of lost souls as they face the mall brained team of Constable Sy and Sue’s Uncle Gene, who want the money and will kill for it, and old woman who is more menacing than you think, and the legend of Skunk, a supposed murder with a creepy backstory who haunts every inch of the groups journey. He may be the real standout addition to this book, the scariest thing Lansdale has created since the snuff film team of Pork and Vinnie since “Night They Missed the Horror Show”. I can’t praise this book or Lansdale enough. If you haven’t open one of his books, you missing one hell of a good time between pages.
Rating: 5/5
No comments:
Post a Comment