Read @ Joe’s

Sometimes, short story anthologies can be oh-so shorter – especially in the case where one, or two, or a dozen, of the brief bastards within can be easily ignored. The ripe fruit can be cherry picked and easily sampled before calling it an evening. 

In The Mad Mountains ain’t one of those anthologies. This is no snuff of brandy or lullaby before bed. In The Mad Mountains is a whip-like tentacle of poison that wraps itself around you, dragging you into deep corners of darkness while your heart pistons into overdrive. Here, the skies are red, the moon is a threat, and oblivion is the only promise of rest. 

Thank you, Joe Lansdale, for sharing your H.P. Lovecraft-inspired nightmares.

Title: In The Mad Mountains (2024) Author: Joe Lansdale Publisher: Tachyon Publications Book jacket: Joe R. Lansdale returns with this wicked short story collection of his irreverent Lovecraftian tributes. Knowingly skewering Lovecraft’s paranoid mythos, Lansdale embarks upon haunting yet sly explorations of the unknown, capturing the essence of cosmic dread. Joe says: Lansdale cements his magic as the street level player he is. All the dirt and scruff one can find once down on your knees is conjured into a spell that is both otherworldly and wholly recognizable.

In The Mad Mountains contains eight of such stories. The first few are repetitions of a theme: Cthulhu is coming and only a Texas PI/Huck Finn/Auguste Dupin can prevent the arrival. As far as themes go, though, Lansdale could not pick worse. He knows his stuff. This is not romantic, high art. Nor are these comic book thrills. Lansdale cements his magic as the street level player he is. All the dirt and scruff one can find once down on your knees is conjured into a spell that is both otherworldly and wholly recognizable. Lansdale knows his audience, too. A fast wit, some spry language, and a few despicable background cats – like the Dallas muscle in “The Bleeding Shadow” and the sheriff from “The Crawling Sky” – are all called-for ingredients. And with some of those characters, he better know that this Texas PI needs a follow up.

Once he works through those variations, Lansdale pleasurably mixes things up. Ghostly figures haunt train passengers in “The Tall Grass”. Stranger things exist in “The Case of the Stalking Shadow” and are trapped in broken glass with “Starlight, Eyes Bright”. The end of human existence might not be the heavy end in all the stories, but the mortal threat is real. 

Lansdale cleverly squishes together crime, scifi, and horror genres. All of this is within a beauty of a cover by a gent who knows a thing or two about blending genres: Mike Mignola. 

What makes reading Lansdale so enjoyable is his delivery. Thematic sense aside, Lansdale adapts his writing style to fit the scenario: a hard boiled grit; a western politeness; a French elegance. And it all works. Furthermore, he provides all the necessary elements for a short story. He knows that not only are his characters up against the clock, but so is the reader.

After all, dawn approaches every day. And even shadows need some rest. In The Mad Mountains is the perfect length and is wonderfully Lansdale.

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Many thanks to the kind team at Tachyon Publications for the advanced consideration. You guys rock. In The Mad Mountains is available starting in October 2024.