Dead in the West in Weird West

Dec 06, 2014 Quentin Wallace rated it it was amazing · review of another edition

Once again, Lansdale proves he's the master of the Weird Western. Really enjoyable here. It's an old west zombie tale with a twist. Nothing incredibly ground breaking, but Lansdale puts so much into his characters it still seems fresh and new. He always manages to add just enough to make it seem fresh. The ending wasn't my favorite, but really fit the western mold.

If you like Weird Westerns, or really horror in general, you'll like this one. ...more

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Mar 20, 2015 audrey rated it liked it

Shelves: texas, weird-west

This review has been hidden because it contains spoilers. To view it, click here. 3 stars out of 5: It was a solid four stars up to the last 10 pages, which is the big showdown/gun battle/zombie jamboree, so that's a problem.

First time reading Joe Lansdale, and overall, I'm hella impressed and would seek out and read more of his work.

I liked the Reverend's snark and the idea of having your gunslinging hero be a fallen preacher with an abnormal fear of spiders.

I also liked Abby ("Are you men going to shoot or talk those sticks to death?") and the sheriff, Matt, whose death w 3 stars out of 5: It was a solid four stars up to the last 10 pages, which is the big showdown/gun battle/zombie jamboree, so that's a problem.

First time reading Joe Lansdale, and overall, I'm hella impressed and would seek out and read more of his work.

I liked the Reverend's snark and the idea of having your gunslinging hero be a fallen preacher with an abnormal fear of spiders.

I also liked Abby ("Are you men going to shoot or talk those sticks to death?") and the sheriff, Matt, whose death was unexpected but probably my favorite part of the ending, in a Good Men Who See Evil and Stand By and Do Nothing Get Their Faces Ripped Off kind of way. Also it was genuinely creepifying the way the jaw-unhinging was written. Good stuff.

The zombies were definitely original and fun, but I would've liked them to be more consistently spiderlike, otherwise what was the point of setting them up as spiders at the beginning of the book, except to do some foreshadowing with the Reverend?

I also didn't see the point of killing the stray dog. I mean, usually dogs die in books to elicit sympathy for whoever cares about them, which AUTHORS DON'T DO THIS IT'S TERRIBLE AND CLICHE AND MAKES ME TOSS BOOKS ACROSS THE ROOM, but no one cared about that dog so... what were we supposed to take away from the attack?

*shrugs*

So, I definitely enjoyed this book up through when the zombie coach passengers make it back to their homesteads. After that, things kind of spiraled out of control. There was just so much pulp/cartoon violence that it started to blend together and became repetitive and uninteresting. Like how after the first two punches in a saloon brawl, when it really kicks off, it just becomes a blur? It felt like that.

For instance, the sheriff's death was gruesome but unique, and it's written in a way that Lansdale slows everything else down to focus on this one particular death and make you appreciate the creepifyingness, and the actual ripping sound a human face makes when detached from a skull, and how slooshy it all must be, then right after that the book's a mess of running and stabbing and shooting and burning.

Also, I get where Lansdale was going with the Indian having a relatable motive for revenge and even having the Reverend take the time to feel compassion for the violence and the loss he'd suffered, but in the end, it still wound up being a book that demonizes Indians. So I didn't love that.

Overall, solid work. Will read more Lansdale, just probably not this one again. ...more

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Jul 15, 2010 Weldon Burge rated it really liked it

This was the book that turned me on to weird westerns--well, in this case, horror westerns. Lansdale is a pro at this genre, and this is a great introduction to the genre. Fast-paced and fun, I read the book in one sitting. You may do the same!

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Feb 02, 2014 John rated it it was amazing

A Weird Western that actually gave me the creeps. Gritty Western action combined with creepy zombie/Native American revenge. The preacher MC was fantastic.

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Oct 18, 2014 Michael Healy marked it as to-read

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Oct 17, 2017 Paul Summerhayes rated it really liked it

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