Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Thirteen Years Later
by Jasper Kent

Promo copy:

Aleksandr made a silent promise to the Lord. God would deliver him–would deliver Russia–and he would make Russia into the country that the Almighty wanted it to be. He would be delivered from the destruction that wasteth at noonday, and from the pestilence that walketh in darkness–the terror by night…

1825, Europe–and Russia–have been at peace for ten years. Bonaparte is long dead and the threat of invasion is no more. For Colonel Aleksei Ivanovich Danilov, life is peaceful. Not only have the French been defeated but so have the twelve monstrous creatures he once fought alongside, and then against, ten or more years ago. His duty is still to serve and to protect his tsar, Aleksandr the First, but now the enemy is human.

However the Tsar knows that he can never be at peace. Of course, he is aware of the uprising fermenting within the Russian army–among his supposedly loyal officers. No, what troubles him is something that threatens to bring damnation down upon him, his family and his country. The Tsar has been reminded of a promise: a promise born of blood…a promise that was broken a hundred years before.

Now the one who was betrayed by the Romanovs has returned to exact revenge for what has been denied him. And for Aleksei, knowing this chills his very soul. For it seems the vile pestilence that once threatened all he believed in and all he held dear has returned, thirteen years later…

Looking forward to jumping into the sequel to Twelve, which was one of the best vampire novels of the young century.

The Warlord’s Legacy
by Ari Marmell

Promo copy:

Corvis Rebaine, the Terror of the East, a man as quick with a quip as he is with a blade, returns in this highly anticipated sequel to Ari Marmell’s acclaimed The Conqueror’s Shadow, a debut hailed for its refreshing take on dark fantasy and surprising flashes of sharp, sarcastic wit. Now Marmell raises the stakes in a story that has all the humor and excitement of its predecessor, plus a terrifying new villain so evil that he may well be a match for Rebaine himself.

For let’s not forget how Corvis Rebaine came by the charming nickname “Terror of the East.” Certainly no one else has forgotten. Corvis Rebaine is no hero. In his trademark suit of black armor and skull-like helm, armed with a demon-forged axe, in command of a demonic slave, and with allies that include a bloodthirsty ogre, Rebaine has twice brought death and destruction to Imphallion in pursuit of a better, more equitable and just society. If he had to kill countless innocents in order to achieve that dream, so be it.

At least that was the old Rebaine. Before he slew the mad warlord Audriss. Before he banished the demon Khanda. Before he lost his wife and children, who could not forgive or forget his violent crimes. Now, years later, Rebaine lives in a distant city, under a false name, a member of one of the Guilds he despises, trying to achieve change nonviolently, from within the power structure.

Not even when the neighboring nation of Cephira invades Imphallion and the bickering Guilds prove unable to respond does Rebaine return to his old habits of slaughter. But someone else does. Someone wearing Rebaine’s black armor and bearing what appears to be his axe. Someone who is, if anything, even less careful of human life than Rebaine was.

Now Baron Jassion, Rebaine’s old nemesis, is hunting him once more, aided by a mysterious sorcerer named Kaleb, whose powers and secrets make him a more dangerous enemy than Rebaine has ever known. Even worse, accompanying them is a young woman who hates Corvis Rebaine perhaps more than anyone else: his own daughter, Mellorin. Suddenly Rebaine seems to have no choice. To clear his name, to protect his country, and to reconcile with his family, must he once again become the Terror of the East?

Echo City
by Tim Lebbon

Promo copy:

Surrounded by a vast, poisonous desert, Echo City is built upon the graveyard of its own past. Most inhabitants believe that their city and its subterranean Echoes are the whole of the world, but there are a few dissenters. Peer Nadawa is a political exile, forced to live with criminals in a ruinous slum. Gorham, once her lover, leads a ragtag band of rebels against the ruling theocracy. Nophel, a servant of that theocracy, dreams of revenge from his perch atop the city’s tallest spire. And beneath the city, a woman called Nadielle conducts macabre experiments in genetic manipulation using a science indistinguishable from sorcery. They believe there is something more beyond the endless desert . . . but what?

It is only when a stranger arrives from out of the wastes that things begin to change. Frail and amnesiac, he holds the key to a new beginning for Echo City—or perhaps to its end, for he is not the only new arrival. From the depths beneath Echo City, something ancient and deadly is rising. Now Peer, Gorham, Nophel, and Nadielle msut test the limits of love and loyalty, courage and compassion, as they struggle to save a city collapsing under the weight of its own history.

More in Part I

Got this oddity today from Image.

And now you know everything I know about what I assume is a promotion for a forthcoming title.

On October 1 as part of the RevolutionSF six day extravaganza, the Uncanny Un-Collectibles, Wayne Beamer lamented the lack of a collected Chase.

When y’all hit your local shop tomorrow to pick up your new comics, you might notice a book titled DC Presents: Chase.

Here’s the skinny from the DC page:

While it’s not exactly what Wayne was clamoring for, it’s a start.

Now if only the fine folks at DC would finally give us those Scribbly, Secret Six, Rip Hunter, and Plop collections…

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Scott Pilgrim vs. the World

Promo copy:

Inventive visuals, endearing performances and a genre-smashing style define Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, the critically acclaimed, action-comedy coming to Blu-ray™ Combo Pack and DVD November 9th from Universal Studios Home Entertainment. In the movie, cutting-edge filmmaker Edgar Wright (Hot Fuzz, Shaun of the Dead) directs Michael Cera (Juno, Superbad) and an incredible ensemble cast in the story of a charming, unemployed bass player who discovers that in order to date the girl of his dreams, he must first battle her seven super-powered, evil exes.

Both the Blu-ray™ and DVD come loaded with deleted scenes, laugh-out-loud bloopers and cast commentaries assembled by director, producer and co-writer Edgar Wright. The 2-disc Blu-ray™ Combo Pack is packed with hours of additional in-depth bonus features; a Blu-ray and DVD copy of film; and for a limited time only, a digital copy of the movie that can be viewed on an array of electronic and portable devices anytime, anywhere. Blu-ray ™ consumers will also be able to stream a free bonus movie instantly to any internet-connected player, Smartphone or iPad™ using the free pocket BLU™ app. Starting with Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, iPad™ owners can also enjoy a new, enhanced edition of pocket BLU™ made especially to take advantage of the tablet’s larger screen and high resolution display. With this app, Blu-ray™ consumers will be able to stream their full-length bonus movie in a way that’s bigger and better than ever before.

In Scott Pilgrim vs. the World, Edgar Wright brings Bryan Lee O’Malley’s hugely popular graphic novel series to life with gravity-defying action and videogame-inspired graphics. Joining lead actor Michael Cera is one of the coolest ensemble casts ever to share the big screen including Mary Elizabeth Winstead (Live Free or Die Hard), Kieran Culkin (Igby Goes Down), Chris Evans (upcoming Captain America: The First Avenger), Academy Award® nominee Anna Kendrick (Twilight series, Up in the Air), Alison Pill (Dan in Real Life), Aubrey Plaza (“Parks and Recreation”), Brandon Routh (Superman Returns), Jason Schwartzman (Funny People), Johnny Simmons (Jennifer’s Body), Mark Webber (Broken Flowers), Mae Whitman (“Parenthood”) and Ellen Wong (“Runaway”). Scott Pilgrim vs. the World also boasts an awesome soundtrack featuring original music by Beck and performances by Broken Social Scene, Metric and more.

I slathered the movie with praise upon it’s release:

More on the DVD edition later.

Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics
by Stan Lee and others

Promo copy:

In Stan Lee’s How to Draw Comics, Stan Lee sets out to teach everything he knows about drawing and comic book characters, The book focues primarily on action-adventure comics, but will touch upon other genres and styles, such as romance, humor, horror, and the widely influential manga style. From producing concepts and character sketches to laying out the final page of art, the man with no peer—Stan Lee—is the ultimae guide to the world of creating comics.

Shrapnel: Hubris #3
Creators: Mark Long & Nick Sagan
Writer: Nick Sagan & Clinnette Minnis
Artists: Concept Art House

Promo copy:

Savior to some, terrorist to others, controversial ex-marine “Sam” Narayan returns to the war-ravaged red planet of her birth to raise an army against those who would tyrannize her people. Flung into alliances and rivalries with religious sects and violent revolutionaries, the prospective liberator of the Solar System must walk a dangerous path. And yet at the onset of Sam’s campaign, she begins to slip into the darkness of her own soul, putting her army and cause at risk of annihilation by the most formidable foe of all…herself.

X’ed Out
by Charles Burns

Promo copy:

From the creator of Black Hole: the first volume of an epic masterpiece of graphic fiction in brilliant color.

Doug is having a strange night. A weird buzzing noise on the other side of the wall has woken him up, and there, across the room, next to a huge hole torn out of the bricks, sits his beloved cat, Inky. Who died years ago. But who’s nonetheless slinking out through the hole, beckoning Doug to follow.

What’s going on?

To say any more would spoil the freaky, Burnsian fun, especially because X’ed Out, unlike Black Hole, has not been previously serialized, and every unnervingly meticulous panel will be more tantalizing than the last . . .

Drawing inspiration from such diverse influences as Hergé and William Burroughs, Charles Burns has given us a dazzling spectral fever-dream—and a comic-book masterpiece.

Beautiful book. Can’t say more because all I’ve done so far is crack the cover. More to come…

While not as impressive nor as extensive as the last couple of months, the new crop of titles available via Netflix streaming offers some excellent and unique geek entertainments. Tim Burton’s Alice and Batman, Apocalypse Now (and Redux), The Hardy Boy/Nancy Drew Mysteries, Metropolis Restored, The Fifth Element, and Peter Jackson’s Fellowship of the Ring lead the way.

Premiering November 1:

Alice in Wonderland (2010)
Apocalypse Now
Apocalypse Now Redux
Ballistic: Ecks vs. Sever
Batman (1989)
Comic Book Villains
Dr. Dolittle 2
Dragon Tiger Gate
Full Contact
Hammett
Initial D: Special Edition
Kung Fu Fighter
Legend of the Bog
M. Butterfly
Mad Ron’s Prevues from Hell
Natural Born Killers
Reincarnation (2007)
Shaolin vs. Evil Dead
Shaolin vs. Evil Dead: Ultimate Power
Vampire in Brooklyn
Village of the Damned (1995)

Premiering November 2:

Scooby-Doo! Camp Scare

Premiering November 4:

The Oxford Murders

Premiering November 5:

Cherry 2000
House on Haunted Hill (1999)
Spies Like Us
Strange Brew

Premiering November 7:

Kröd Mändoon and the Flaming Sword of Fire

Premiering November 8:

The Best of Mr. Peabody & Sherman
Hardy Boys/Nancy Drew Mysteries Seasons 1-2

Premiering November 11:

S&Man

Premiering November 12:

Angels’ Wild Women
MST3K: Attack of the Giant Leeches
MST3K: Crash of Moons
MST3K: Hercules Against the Moon Men
MST3K: Hercules Unchained
MST3K: Lost Continent
MST3K: Teenagers from Outer Space
MST3K: The Beast of Yucca Flats

Premiering November 15:

The Human Centipede: First Sequence

Premiering November 16:

Best Worst Movie
Metropia
Metropolis Restored

Premiering November 18:

King of the Avenue

Premiering November 19:

The Fifth Element
The Jewel of the Nile

Premiering November 20:

Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring

Premiering November 22:

Tom and Jerry Meet Sherlock Holmes

Info courtesy of FeedFliks.

Yesterday in celebration of Joe R. Lansdale’s birthday, I ran the first half of my unpublished analysis of Joe’s works. Check out the previous entry for the full skinny behind this piece and how we got to this point in our tale.

Without further adieu, the conclusion:

My Dead Dog Bobby Signed/Numbered (Cobblestone Books) Art by Joe Vigil

Breaking the Box:
An Analysis of the Writings of Joe R. Lansdale

Part II

by Rick Klaw

Lansdale’s most bizarre use of a dog is in “My Dead Dog Bobby” (1987). This short short is told from the point of view of a young boy who takes care of his dead dog. This allegorical tale of family violence has been adapted into one strange children’s book.

Violence is almost a required element in Lansdale’s fiction. And it is always realistic. As an inductee into the International Martial Arts Hall of Fame as founder/grandmaster of Shen Chuan, Lansdale understands pain, both receiving and inflicting. When his characters hit each other, you feel it. To further enhance the realism, no character is safe in his stories. Seriously, anyone can be killed or injured. In one of the later Hap & Leonard novels, Hap was being viciously tortured. Now we knew he would live, since he is the narrator of the tales, but how severe his injuries would be was up in the air. It wouldn’t have shocked anyone to see Hap lose a ball or two.

That brings to mind another essential Lansdale element: the dick joke. All of Lansdale’s works contain them. Some are more subtle than others, but one is always there. The jokes are almost always funny and often crude and disturbing. They are so ingrained in and are such a natural part of JRL’s work that he often forgets they are there. He once told me that The Bottoms didn’t have a dick joke. In that book, there is a guy called Root who runs around naked.

Dogs are not the only animals in JRL stories. “The Fat Man and the Elephant” (1989) tells the story of an overweight preacher who has a spiritual encounter with an elephant. The elephant’s caretaker (but not owner) is an elderly black man with an understanding of African spirituality. The preacher befriends the older black man who shows him an ancient way of using the elephant and its wisdom as a path to enlightenment. The use of African-Americans as spiritual teachers is a fairly common part of Lansdale’s stories and plays a significant role in The Bottoms and A Fine Dark Line. In other, lesser hands, the oppressed as a source of wisdom would be a stereotype, but JRL creates such vivid and unique characters that each is his own person.

Perhaps Lansdale’s best known preacher story is “By Bizarre Hands” (1988). Not only is it the title of his first short story collection, but this tale, reminiscent of the great Charles Laughton film Night of the Hunter, is one of his best written stories. A preacher travels the country molesting mentally disabled children. As expected, he pays his penance by the end of the story. The mistrust of religious figures is another recurring theme of Lansdale’s work. East Texas is part of the Bible belt and so growing up JRL saw more than his fair share of traveling preachers. “By Bizarre Hands” is one of two Lansdale stories to be adapted into a play.

Cover to By Bizarre Hands #3 (Dark Horse) by Dean Rohrer.
This issue featured the comic adaptation of the title’s namesake story.

In what may be Lansdale’s creepiest story, two not so-bright young men murder a woman and take her body to the drive-in movie. There, they take turns raping the corpse. The matter of[/quote] fact way in which the boys converse while committing heinous acts makes “Drive-in Date” (1991) one of the most disturbing stories ever. Not only a reflection of the deplorable way that many men view the opposite sex, this story is also a commentary on pornography and the objectification of women. Women are meant to service men, if not alive, then dead. To them, women might as well be dead

Drive-ins are common fixtures in Lansdale’s stories and novels. He speaks and writes nostalgically of a symbol of a bygone era. A time that, at least for JRL, was not necessarily better but much simpler. In Drive-In, Drive-In 2, and A Fine Dark Line, drive-ins are so central to the book that they are practically characters unto themselves. Inexplicably, “Drive-in Date” has been made into both a play and a short film.

Another subject of a short film, “The Job” (1989) is the story of an Elvis impersonator who becomes an assassin. This tough little story focuses on the influx of Vietnamese refuges to Houston in the 80’s and the resulting racial and cultural tensions.

Lansdale’s first feature film was based on an Elvis story. Bubba Ho-tep was a spot on adaptation of the novella of the same name. Basically, it’s your typical Elvis vs. mummy story. Except Elvis is in his seventies, and his best friend is a black man who claims he is John F. Kennedy (again, the wise old black man), whose brain is kept in a jar in the basement of the White House. Sadly, this story is not in High Cotton.

Like most writers, JRL stories often contain elements from his life. Two stories in this collection begin with bizarre events that actually happened. “Mister Weed-Eater” (1993) is well known to anyone who has heard Lansdale at a convention. He often recounts the story to a laughing, disbelieving crowd. A blind man was hired by the church next door to Lansdale’s to mow the lawn. But before knocking on Joe’s door to ask for help, as you can imagine, he butchered it instead. The main character/narrator Mr. Harold (not the blind man) is one of the dumbest, most pathetic Lansdale lead characters. He may be topped only by the lead in Freezer Burn.

Another favorite true story for Lansdale to tell is “The Phone Woman” (1991). A woman wearing a long wool coat and wool cap in the summertime asks to borrow Lansdale’s phone. “I got an important call to make.” When he lets her in, she has a seizure. Only later, after calling the paramedics, does he learn that “[s]he’s nutty as a fruitcake” and “[d]oes that all the time.” In book form, this one deviates quickly from the reality and goes into some very bizarre sexual territory. While Lansdale doesn’t necessarily shy away from sex, he rarely explores deviant sexuality as he did in this one. “Phone Woman” is of note for fans since it’s one of the few Lansdale stories that examines the writing process.

The popular and infamous God of The Razor (the subject of several short stories, the novel The Nightrunners, and a forthcoming anthology) terrorizes individuals in horrible ways. This enigmatic demonic entity seems to gain power from the terror of its victims. The God of the Razor stories tend to be the darkest and bleakest of all Lansdale tales. It’s as if the dark side of his soul has emerged to write a story. These stories tend to be unusual in the JRL œuvre since it’s one of few times that he deals with supernatural horrors. The ordinary world supplies enough horror. Arguably, the only Razor story in High Cotton is “Incident On and Off A Mountain Road” (1988). This frightening story is a woman’s stand-off with the God of the Razor. “Incident” has one of Lansdale’s better surprise endings.

Joe

Death is commonplace in Lansdale’s stories, but Death as a character almost never appears. “Not From Detroit” (1988) is the romantic tale of an old couple. When the wife dies, the husband races Death and his strange car. He catches Death and makes a deal for her soul. “Detroit” is one of many Lansdale stories to feature antagonists driving souped up vehicles. Lansdale’s father was a mechanic, so the car culture has been ingrained in his psyche. Other Lansdale stories that feature villains in powerful cars are The Nightrunners and Captured by the Engines. JRL himself appears to have little interest in cars. He just wants one that is comfortable and reliable.

Lansdale is best known to the general public as a crime writer, and with “Booty and the Beast” (1995), he doesn’t disappoint. It has all of the things I expect from a Lansdale story and more. We have a bizarre crime (stealing the Virgin Mary’s cunt hair), painful torture (involving honey and fire ants), knee slapping humor, and an ironic ending. It’s obvious when reading this story that it was the template for his novel Freezer Burn.

This is barely the tip of the dick (as JRL would say) when it comes to analyzing and discussing Lansdale’s vast and varied career. Some day academics will write entire books about the works of this diverse, influential, and important writer. Joe R. Lansdale, like Barbie, has blazed a new path and spawned many imitators and disciples. He has proclaimed to the literary world that literary writers can and will be whomever they want. He has charted a new road map to success.

Today is Joe R. Lansdale’s birthday. In celebration of this momentous occasion, I’m presenting for the very first time my previously unpublished analysis of Lansdale’s works. Originally commissioned for inclusion in the Subterranean Press limited edition of the 2004 short story collection Mad Dog Summer and Other Stories, “Breaking the Box” failed to make into the final volume for reasons that I can’t recall. Though we disagreed on a point or two, Joe was very pleased with the results.

I’m breaking the essay into two parts for easier reading, exactly as written in 2004. Who wouldn’t want Lansdale for two days instead of one?

Happy Birthday, Joe!

Breaking the Box:
An Analysis of the Writings of Joe R. Lansdale

Part I

by Rick Klaw

Joe R. Lansdale is a lot like Barbie. Well, minus the blonde hair and impossible measurements. Physically, he differs as far from the toy diva as possible It’s the way they both portray differing roles yet remain uniquely themselves that draws them together. Whether a princess, a doctor, a veterinarian, a tour guide, or just some blonde bimbo, Barbie is Barbie. Lansdale is like that. No matter what style or genre he writes in, you can always see the Lansdale. It doesn’t matter if he is wearing a polka dot bikini, or brandishing a large knife, once you’ve been introduced, there is no mistaking his work.

JRL’s “best of” collection High Cotton (2000) offers the finest examples. Most of the tales in the book span from 1986-1995, arguably Lansdale’s most productive and best short story period. The diverse stories in this book fail to fit neatly into preconceived categories. All the stories save one have appeared in other Lansdale collections.

One of Lansdale’s most significant stories, “Tight Little Stitches In a Dead Man’s Back” (1986) relates, through the journal entries of weapons maker Paul Marder, the story of one father’s guilt over his role in the death of his little girl and most everyone else. Marder helped to design the weapons of mass destruction that destroyed civilization one fateful day. He and his wife managed to escape and hide in a bunker with several other scientists. While in the bunker, Marder’s wife, who blamed him for their daughter’s death, began to painfully tattoo an image of their daughter on Marder’s back. After twenty years, the scientists emerged to a radically different world. Oceans dried up, debris scattered about, grey-green clouds floated lazily overhead, inedible whales lived on land, and mutated roses eat flesh. After most of the group are quickly killed by the mutant roses, Marder and his wife hide in an old, abandoned lighthouse. Theorizing that the roses might have trouble getting them in the still standing structure, Marder attempts to keep watch, but suddenly his wife died The roses outsmarted him. In typical science fiction fashion, Lansdale leaves us wondering about the fate of Marder.

Integral to many of Lansdale’s works, the punishment of child abusers and/or killers plays a significant role in Mucho Mojo, The Bottoms, A Fine Dark Line, and several other stories. If a child is hurt in Lansdale’s stories, there will be retribution. The father of two children, JRL loves them above everything else. Although uncommon in Lansdale’s novels and short stories, he does employ storytelling through journaling in most of his comic book work and in his Batman novel Captured By The Engines.

The first JRL’s story to garner serious critical notice, “Tight Little Stitches” proves that good science is not necessary for a quality science fiction story. This story marked a turning point in Lansdale’s career: where he evolved from writer to author.

Illustration by Fernando Ramirez for "Godzilla’s Twelve Step Program"

Again, science means little in “Godzilla’s Twelve Step Program” (1994), the humorous tale of a repentant Godzilla as he tries to work through the Twelve Steps to break his addiction to mayhem and to become a better being and a more productive member of society. Lansdale often divides his work into what he calls thinking and non-thinking pieces. Some stories are meant to just entertain while others are to entertain and educate. It’s not to say his non-thinkers don’t receive the same care and quality of writing as the thinkers, but that the purpose is different. “Tight Little Stitches”, a serious thinker, questions the morality of world destroying weapons and the responsibility of the creators of such weapons, while “Godzilla” relies more on fun with more serious elements (such as the relative effectiveness of twelve step programs and the merits of staying true to ones nature) interwoven within the funny bits. If “Godzilla’s Twelve Step Program” doesn’t make you chuckle, then Lansdale failed to do his job.

One of his more subtle stories, “Trains Not Taken” (1987), an alternate history of the Old West, presents a Japanese colonized American west coast. The entire story takes place on a train as Bill Hickock, clerk, and William Cody, diplomat, discuss how their lives might differ had they taken slightly different paths. “Trains Not Taken,” the first Lansdale story published in a literary ‘zine (RE:AL, Spring 1987). is an odd story since Lansdale rarely addresses regrets. Once the bed is made, it is made. There is no going back. Lansdale loves playing with “what ifs”, but mostly in a philosophical, historical context.

Another alternate western, “Letter from the South, Two Moons West Of Nacogdoches”(1986) is similar to “Trains Not Taken”, in that Lansdale uses a subtle approach. Through the voice of the character, he slowly reveals a world similar to, but indeed different from our own. In this reality, the Native Americans have defeated the Europeans. “Letter From the South” touches on Lansdale’s most pervasive topic: racism. Rare is the work that doesn’t discuss or at least mention this hot button issue. It is an integral part to every one of his novels and most of his short stories. This short, powerful tale has one of Lansdale’s most bittersweet and tragic endings.

Then there’s Bob. “Bob The Dinosaur Goes To Disneyland” (1989) is one of Lansdale’s most popular and oft reprinted stories. It’s the very odd tale of a blow up plastic dinosaur (literally) that wants to go to Disneyland. It covers another fairly common theme of Lansdale’s work: be careful what you wish for. The fate of Bob is nowhere near ominous, but the thread is there.

Splash illustration by Doug Potter from the "Bob The Dinosaur" comic adaptation

If Lansdale is thought to have a “typical” story, “The Pit” (1987) which opens High Cotton would fall squarely into it. Harry made the mistake of getting lost and allowing his car to break down in Morganstown. If only he hadn’t attempted that shortcut or at least checked his radiator. Now, six months later, he enters the pit to fight to the death with Big George. This yarn is full of things that would show up in later JRL stories. (The influence of the old Gold Medals is palpable here.) “The Pit” doesn’t flinch. Lansdale refuses to let the reader miss the ugly parts. He won’t let you cover your eyes. In this story, he manages to elicit reader sympathy for these two men that are forced to literally kick the crap out of each other. From the moment that Harry and Big George enter the pit, you know that one of them is going to die. Thankfully for the reader, Lansdale knows that as well. To have them both survive would be a cheat. He got the idea for this story from an article on dog fighting and a story that a friend told him about a black man in the fifties who was captured by the people of a small town and forced to pull a wagon around the town square. He was force fed axle grease on crackers. Lansdale heard that he finally escaped. I’m not sure whether this story is true, but I do know that the use of urban legend and modern folklore is a common source for Lansdale’s stories. Books like The Bottoms, The Nightrunners, and Captured By The Engines all draw from post-industrial legends. One of Lansdale’s most creative applications of urban legend is in Bad Chili when Leonard escapes from some racists by telling him that he is a scientist sent to stop the dreaded “Christmas Ants.” Giant flesh eating ants scare the bigots so much, that they allow “Dr. Pine” to leave and finish his research.

Lansdale would again be inspired by killer dogs in one of his most savage stories “Steel Valentine” (1989). Morley not only wants to kill Dennis for sleeping with his wife, but Morley wants revenge and more. Full of diabolical torture and even nastier things, “Steel Valentine” is an Alfred Hitchcock Presents story on steroids.

Perhaps Lansdale’s most famous use of a dog is in his classic horror tale, “Night They Missed the Horror Show.” (1988) If “Tight Little Stitches” marked the arrival of Lansdale the author, “Horror Show” introduced the world to the singular literary force that is Joe R. Lansdale. No one else could have written this story. This is the jackpot. It has all the Lansdale trademarks: racism, violence, humor, East Texas, good old boys, and fantastic storytelling. This taut, harrowing story has nary a wasted word or throwaway scene. It flows and jars all at once.

Storytelling is Lansdale’s greatest strength. His best stories have that feeling of JRL himself throwing his arm around your shoulders and saying, “Son, let me tell ya a story…” This skill is emphasized when Lansdale reads his own work. He speaks with a heavy East Texas accent, exactly the voice in which his stories are written. Once you have heard Lansdale read aloud, forevermore will you hear that voice in your head when you read his stories. This unique attribute endears Lansdale to many people. Lansdale fans (AKA the Cult of Joe) always refer to him as Joe. Never Mr. Lansdale. His natural writing talents invite the reader into his living room to pull up a chair and sit a spell. To the Cult, Lansdale is not just a writer, but a (twisted) member of the family.

I probably should take a moment here and discuss Lansdale’s use of the word “nigger”. The word is littered throughout most of his works. Sadly, East Texas happens to be one of the most racist places on the planet. Lansdale believes in a realistic, accurate representation, hence the use of the word “nigger.” It is only used by bigots (or the just plain stupid) and is meant to portray that racial ignorance.

“Night” is the tale of two bored high school football players, who skip the horror show at the local drive-in because the white woman in the movie sleeps with a “nigger.” The boys decide to tie a dead dog to their car and ride down some country roads with it. Along the way, they pick up the black quarterback (“He may be a nigger, but he’s our nigger.”) They encounter some rednecks in a trailer watching stag films. Then the shit hits the fan. This is a truly scary and suspenseful tale. It’s taught at many universities as the best horror short story from the 1980’s.

Illustration by Fernando Ramirez for "The Night They Missed the Horror Show"

Not surprisingly, boys getting into trouble is a plot device that Lansdale returns to time and again. It is central to many short stories and the novels The Nightrunners, A Fine Dark Line, and The Boar. What are the Hap & Leonard novels but two boys getting into trouble? While not as powerful as “Horror Show”, “Steppin’ Out Summer, ‘68" (1991) is still a quality story in its own right. Buddy and Jake sneak out to visit the woman whom they believe to be the town whore only to find all kinds of trouble, including an encounter with an alligator. Lansdale has recorded an entertaining audio version of the story.

“Dog, Cat, Baby” (1987) is a non-thinker and at two pages, a short one. This unusual story of the war between dogs, cats, and babies is charming and spooky all at the same moment. The dog plots to get rid of the new baby. As the dog makes his move, he is attacked and killed by the cat, who then turns his attention towards the baby. JRL conceived of this story soon after his son Keith was born, when he wondered what his pets thought of the new baby.

To be concluded…

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

The Cardinal’s Blades
by Pierre Pevel

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Welcome to seventeenth-century Paris, where intrigue, duels, and spies are rife and Cardinal Richelieu’s agents may be prevailed upon to risk life and limb in the name of France at a moment’s notice. And with war on the horizon, the defense of the nation has never been more pressing.
Danger is rising from the south–an insidious plot that could end with a huge dragon-shaped shadow falling over France, a shadow cast by dragons quite unlike the pet dragonets that roam the cities like stray cats, or the tame wyverns men ride like horses, high over the Parisian rooftops. These dragons and their descendants are ancient, terrible, and powerful … and their plans contain little room for the lives or freedom of puny humans.

Cardinal Richelieu has nowhere else to turn; Captain La Fargue and his elite group of agents, the Cardinal’s Blades, must turn the tide. They must hold the deadly Black Claw cult at bay, root out traitors to the crown, rescue prisoners, and fulfill their mission for the Cardinal, for their country, but above all for themselves.

It’s death or victory. And the victory has never been less certain.

Dreamfever: The Fever Series
by Karen Marie Moning

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They may have stolen my past, but I’ll never let them take my future.

When the walls between Man and Fae come crashing down, freeing the insatiable, immortal Unseelie from their icy prison, MacKayla Lane is caught in a deadly trap. Captured by the Fae Lord Master, she is left with no memory of who or what she is: the only sidhe-seer alive who can track the Sinsar Dubh, a book of arcane black magic that holds the key to controlling both worlds.

Clawing her way back from oblivion is only the first step Mac must take down a perilous path, from the battle-filled streets of Dublin to the treacherous politics of an ancient, secret sect, through the tangled lies of men who claim to be her allies into the illusory world of the Fae themselves, where nothing is as it seems—and Mac is forced to face a soul-shattering truth.

Who do you trust when you can’t even trust yourself?

Tracato (Trial of Blood & Steel, Book III)
by Joel Shepherd

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For two hundred years Tracato has been the center of enlightenment, as the serrin have occupied human lands and sought to remake humanity anew. But the serrin have not destroyed Rhodaan’s feudal families entirely, and as Tracato faces the greatest threat to its survival in two centuries, old rivalries are stirring. Sasha must assist her mentor Kessligh to strengthen the Tracato Nasi-Keth, yet with one royal sister siding with the feudalists and another soon to be married to Tracato’s most powerful foe, her loyalties are agonizingly divided.
Worse still, from Sasha’s homeland the Army of Lenayin are marching to make war upon Tracato. Can she fight her own people? Or must she join them, and fight not only her lover Errollyn, but to extinguish the brightest light of hope in all the land–serrin civilization itself?

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Victorian Undead
Written by Ian Edginton
Art by Davide Fabbri with Tom Mandrake

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In 1854, a meteor streaked across London’s skies, bringing with it a zombie plague. For twenty years, Her Majesty’s Secret Service has kept the threat under control. But now dastardly fiend Moriarty is using the zombies in an attempt to overthrow the Victorian government. It’s up to Sherlock Holmes and Dr. Watson to face off against their greatest foe and his zombie minions!

Abattoir #1
Created by Darren Lynn Bousman
Concept by Michael Peterson
Written by Rob Levin & Troy Peteri
Illustrated by Bing Casino

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After a brutal massacre takes place in a gorgeous house, real estate agent and family man Richard Ashwalt is assigned the impossible task of picking up the pieces and selling the property. As Richard inspects the blood-soaked grounds, a twisted old man hourneys to the house with a sinister and terrifying purpose. Richard is about to be drawn into a web of shadows, murders and massacres that will shatter him to his very core!

Hot Wire: Deep Cut #2
Created by Steve Pugh & Warren Ellis
Written and Illustrated by Steve Pugh

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For detective exorcist Alice Hotwire, waking in a jail cell is an unwelcome flashback to her youth. With Bertus Rantz and his team of private contractor ghost-hunters out to win a permanent city contract by any means necessary, Alice must first escape to keep the job she hates, then compete with Rantz to capture a blue-light possessed robot and rescue the injured woman he has taken hostage. Can Alice outwit Rantz, who has little intention of bringing them in "alive", save the hostage and return safely home to her boyfriend from hell?

North 40
Written by Aaron Williams
Art by Fiona Staples

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The residents of an isolated rural area discover superhuman and supernatural power in their midst. But the power stops at the county line. Inside the afflicted area, something ancient and malevolent stirs and new monsters arise… The series concentrates on young Wyatt, an unlikely hero from the wrong side of the tracks as well as Sheriff Morgan (and his odd past) and town outcast Amanda. They’ll have to combine their efforts to keep the county from imploding…or being eaten by mighty Cthulhu.

Let’s take a quick look to see what’s arrived in the mail here at the Geek Compound.

Midnight Riot
by Ben Aaronovitch

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Probationary Constable Peter Grant dreams of being a detective in London’s Metropolitan Police. Too bad his superior plans to assign him to the Case Progression Unit, where the biggest threat he’ll face is a paper cut. But Peter’s prospects change in the aftermath of a puzzling murder, when he gains exclusive information from an eyewitness who happens to be a ghost. Peter’s ability to speak with the lingering dead brings him to the attention of Detective Chief Inspector Thomas Nightingale, who investigates crimes involving magic and other manifestations of the uncanny. Now, as a wave of brutal and bizarre murders engulfs the city, Peter is plunged into a world where gods and goddesses mingle with mortals and a long-dead evil is making a comeback on a rising tide of magic.

The Remembering: Book Three of The Meq
by Steve Cash

The Human Blend
by Alan Dean Foster

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Alan Dean Foster’s brilliant new novel is a near-future thriller that has all the dark humor and edgy morality of an Elmore Leonard mystery, in addition to the masterly world-building and quirky but believable characters readers expect from Foster. This gripping adventure reveals a place where criminals are punished through genetic engineering and bodily manipulation—which poses profound questions about what it means to be human.

Given his name because radical surgery and implants have reduced him to preternatural thinness, Whispr is a thug. His partner in crime, Jiminy Cricket, has also been physically altered with nanocarbonic prosthetic legs and high-strength fast-twitch muscle fibers that give him great jumping abilities. In a dark alley in Savannah, Whispr and Jiminy murder what they take to be a random tourist in order to amputate and then fence his sophisticated artificial hand. But the hapless victim also happens to be carrying an unusual silver thread that appears to be some kind of storage medium. Ever quick to scent potential profit, Whispr and Jiminy grab the thread as well.

Chance later deposits a wounded Whispr at the clinic of Dr. Ingrid Seastrom. Things have not gone smoothly for Whispr since he acquired the mysterious thread. Powerful forces are searching for him, and Jiminy has vanished. All Whispr wants to do is sell the thread as quickly as he can. When he offers to split the profits with Ingrid in exchange for her medical services, she makes an astonishing discovery.

So begins a unique partnership. Unlike Whispr, Ingrid is a natural, with no genetic or bodily alteration. She is also a Harvard-educated physician, while Whispr’s smarts are strictly of the street variety. Yet together they make a formidable team—as long as they can elude the enhanced assassins that are tracking them.