The Drive-In 3: The Bus Tour

The Drive-In #3

by Joe R. Lansdale

The wild and weird wonders of the Drive-In world continue in this third volume, The Drive-In: The Bus Tour. If you thought the first two books in the series were wacky, this one moves into a whole new realm of whacked and confused. Floods of Biblical proportions. A catfish that would swallow Jonah's whale. Horrid creatures almost as evil as man, and a look at the very machinery of the Drive-In Cosmos, and beyond. This is Joe R. Lansdale at his ironic best, dissecting humanity with a scalpel and a chainsaw. And then it all gets the hammer.

The Drive-in, a B Movie with Blood and Popcorn, first published in the eighties, was a milestone for horror fiction as satire, and influenced writers in many genres, from horror to science fiction to fantasy to humor to the literary novel of the strange. Here's your chance to leap back into Lansdale's classic universe and take a whirl on the amusement rides of one of this generation's most unusual novelistic minds.

Genres: Horror, Fiction, Humor, Science Fiction, The United States Of America, Americana, Audiobook

195 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

About the author

Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale is the author of over forty novels and numerous short stories. His work has appeared in national anthologies, magazines, and collections, as well as numerous foreign publications. He has written for comics, television, film, newspapers, and Internet sites. His work has been collected in more than two dozen short-story collections, and he has edited or co-edited over a dozen anthologies. He has received the Edgar Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Historical Fiction Award, the Inkpot Award for Contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and many others. His novella Bubba Ho-Tep was adapted to film by Don Coscarelli, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. His story "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" was adapted to film for Showtime's "Masters of Horror," and he adapted his short story "Christmas with the Dead" to film hisownself. The film adaptation of his novel Cold in July was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Sundance Channel has adapted his Hap & Leonard novels for television.

He is currently co-producing several films, among them The Bottoms, based on his Edgar Award-winning novel, with Bill Paxton and Brad Wyman, and The Drive-In, with Greg Nicotero. He is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Jack, Grace, and Steve leave the Drive-In behind for the open road in a bus. On their quest for answers, they encounter a catfish of enormous size and find things leading them to question the nature of their existence.

The third volume in the Drive-In series takes everything in a whole other direction. It keeps the lost world flavor of the second book but sends the gang on an odyssey to parts unknown. The first half is straight up Lansdale but the second half moves into Phillip Jose Farmer territory.

I didn't enjoy most of this book as much as the previous two, mostly because of the lengthy section inside Ed the giant catfish. Once they escaped the catfish, the book felt like a Twlight Zone episode written by Richard Matheson collaborating with the previously mentioned Phillip Jose Farmer. Either I read that Lansdale liked PJF in the past or just inferred it from some of his stranger writings.

The Lansdale flavor is in full effect here. I read a few lines out loud to my special lady, interrupting her Harry Potter read. Lansdale can wax philosophically with the best of them, in his trademark front porch style.

Anyway, the ending was fantastic, a stew of World of Tiers, Wizard of Oz, and The Dark Tower, in my opinion. While this is the final Drive-In volume, as far as I know, I'd eagerly read a fourth. 3.5 out of five stars.

[Kemper · Rating 3 out of 5]

It’s a good thing I don’t like fish because I damn sure wouldn’t be eating any for a good long while after reading this.

The survivors of the first two books have been stuck in the remains of the drive-in which was transported to a weird jungle where hungry dinosaurs roam. The people are living like savages in the remains of the cars and things are bad enough that eating a baby is frowned on as a minor social faux paux like burping at the dinner table. But hey, the movies are still somehow still showing at night so at least they’ve got entertainment!

Some of the folks decide to head out in an old school bus they’ve modified, and their journey leads them out on a vast sea where eventually they get swallowed by a giant catfish. That’s when things really get weird.

I didn’t like this third book in the Joe R. Lansdale’s Drive-In saga nearly as much as the others. The first book was grounded in it’s average Texas location at the start and that carried over at least a little into the second book. Here, things start out at crazy town banana pants and escalate from there. Plus, when the characters have already gone through so much it gets harder to make things worse although Lansdale gives it a mighty try by reducing them to rag clad starving wretches who have to deal with things like how best to poop out a school bus window.

Things just got a little too strange, filthy, gross, and overall bat shit (Or fish shit in this case.) crazy for my taste. This was headed for a 2 star ranking, but I did kind find some of the crazy imagery and ideas at the end interesting, and there’s still some quality Lansdale style dialogue that can be both sad, funny, and disgusting all at the same time so that bumped it up to 3.

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 3 out of 5]

Delirante e divertente, purtroppo il finale è decisamente debole rispetto al resto della trilogia ed il personaggio di Bob, con cui Jack era andato a vivere alla fine del secondo libro dopo essersi lasciato con Grace, è praticamente sparito nel nulla. Peccato, comunque nel complesso una saga di culto da leggere assolutamente se siete fan dell'autore texano.

[Gregor Xane · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd say that this third and final installment of The Drive-In Trilogy was the best, as the third in any trilogy should be. Although, unlike the first two installments, it did lack a colorful central villain. We are given a baddie named Bjoe, but he's not really in the same category as The Popcorn King and Popalong Cassidy. He's more mundane. But I would argue that the real villain in this final volume is the Drive-In world itself. This is more of a man against an uncaring, insane universe type of story than a take down the bad guy story. And it was excellent.

With The Drive-In series, Lansdale expertly combines elements of horror, adventure, science-fiction, absurdism, social satire, and post-apocalyptic survival. And running throughout there is a deep thread of dark, dark humor that I greatly appreciated.

I think readers' opinions will be divided on how Lansdale wraps this whole crazy thing up. Some will hate the ending, some will love it. I doubt many would fall anywhere in between. I loved it. Although the way things worked themselves out wasn't entirely unexpected, it was unexpectedly thought-provoking. Suddenly, the laughter just stops, and you're left stunned, unpacking an infinite series of Russian nesting dolls fashioned out of cruelty, suffering, and abuse.

[Frank · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Drive In 3 is a far better story than The Drive In 2 but can't hope to hold a candle to the original. But what book can?
I've loved living on this world for the past three books. This book end the trilogy perfectly. There is room to continue telling stories in the world of The Dive In.
This is a great series of books. Be sure to start with the first book and follow through. The trilogy won't make much sense if you read it out of order. This is a classic for me and I'm not a fan of series books.

[Maria Beltrami · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bentornati nel mondo del Drive in. Dove si scopre che il mondo è in realtà un meta-mondo, o forse il meta-mondo di un meta-mondo. O forse è il mondo che noi riteniamo reale, visto senza le lenti rosee dell'illusione, per cui si può dire bello chiaro che un dinosauro ha inchiappettato qualcuno mentre gli staccava la testa.
Ed è palese che questo mondo crolli, "come i tagli delle tasse decisi dal partito repubblicano. Da fuori hanno un bell'aspetto, e all'inizio sembrano funzionare, ma Cristo se li paghi, alla fine".
Insomma, bentornati, e pisciate in fondo al recinto. Dove già puzza.

[Jeremy Maddux · Rating 2 out of 5]

Reread this one and forgot just how weak the finish was for this once awesome trilogy. Do yourself a favor and stop with Volume Two.

[Autumn Nicole · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is probably the weirdest one, but stick with it, it has a few explanations for the whole series.

[Sergio Frosini · Rating 4 out of 5]

Adoro Joe Lansdale.

Uno dei miei autori preferiti, soprattutto quando molla i freni ed esagera, come in questo romanzo. Il terzo episodio della saga del Drive-In, dove un gruppo di spettatori di un Drive-In (appunto) texano (Texas Orientale, per la precisione: credo che Big Joe ci tenga) si trovano catapultati (per colpa di una cometa "sorridente") con Drive-In, macchine e tutto quanto in un qualche posto situato non si sa bene dove, circondati da una sorta di giungla mal frequentata da dinosauri e bestiacce e dove le regole conosciute, sia fisiche che morali, non hanno più molto senso. E dove succede di tutto, ma proprio di tutto. Sesso, cannibalismo e mostruosità oniriche dei peggiori incubi, in un'atmosfera da bolgia dantesca immersa nella violenza primigenia e nei peggiori liquami, umani e non. Il tutto con uno stile ricco e divertente, ironico come raramente se ne trovano. Scusate se è poco, come si dice.

In questo caso, un gruppo di sopravvissuti cerca di esplorare i dintorni del Drive-In utilizzando un autobus ancora funzionante. Fra foglie che strisciano da sole, sole e luna che sorgono dove e quando vogliono loro, il gruppo dei protagonisti si trova a vagare, dopo una pioggia da diluvio, in un immenso mare (o lago) dove finiscono ingoiati da un pesce gatto chilometrico nel quale proseguono il viaggio...

Spero di aver reso l'idea.

[Justin · Rating 3 out of 5]

The third and final part of an increasingly bat-piss series of books. Lansdale is such a good and witty writer that he can make the ultra-strange parts of this book (for example, a third of it takes place in a large, partially mechanical fish) a joy to to read. It really feels like he's just throwing all ideas in - anything he can think up. That might be exhausting in the hands of another writer. Not here, though. I think I'm right that this is the longest book in the series. And it's the one that's most different out of the three. Some great characters here - the kick-ass Grace, the lunkheaded Steve...the crazed cannibal Bjoe. I'd almost think the book was about nothing, but Lansdale is having fun playing around with the idea of existence...while also writing chapters on a plan to escape a gigantic fish via its butthole. Both, of course, are given equal weight by Lansdale. And he deconstructs the entire series as the ending plays out. What more could you want out of a book?

[Duane · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just when you thought things couldn't get weirder, The Drive-In: The Bus Tour pushes forward into even stranger realms of an infinite imagination. Wrapping up the final book in the Drive-In trilogy one gets the feeling that Lansdale really has no boundaries on where he can guide the reader. It's almost as if this is his chosen pathway in a twisted Choose-Your-Own-Adventure novel for adults. But the "what if" possibilities are truly endless. If that makes any sense.

[R.J. Roles · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not bad, but not my favorite in the series.

[Paul · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part three of a series, this is about a group of people living at a drive-in theater after an unspecified apocalypse.

Their school bus has some gas in its tank, so some of them decide on a road trip to see if anyone else is out there. A very swollen river picks up the school bus, and deposits it in the ocean. Way off in the distance is what looks like a suspension bridge, like the Golden Gate Bridge. The current is slowly sending them in that direction. Before they can get there, the bus is swallowed by a giant catfish.

The travelers find a group of humans living inside the catfish. The fish is partly artificial, like the builders didn't finish the job. The humans have also reverted to cannibalism. As the days go on, the travelers get the impression that the natives (for lack of a better word) are looking at them, not as friends or allies, but as lunch.

There are only two ways out of a giant fish, or other large animal. Going through the mouth means fighting their way past the natives. The travelers choose the alternate route. Do the travelers make it out of the fish alive? Is there to be a Part Four to this series?

Here is some serious horror, so this is not for the faint of heart. It's nice and weird, with lots of satire, and good writing. It is also full of poo, lots and lots of poo. For horror fans, this is very much worth the time

[Quad · Rating 3 out of 5]

Due stelle sono poche ma tre sono troppe.
Siamo alla conclusione della trilogia e gli anni di distanza dai primi due capitoli si sentono tutti.
Lansdale tenta di dare una spiegazione all'incubo, con un po' di quel che i trekker hanno imparato a chiamare "technobubble" e che su Gamberi Fantasy chiamano, con furbizia, "inforigurgito". Nah, non funziona. Il technoblabla è sempre da evitare, ancor più se si parla di orrore, di brivido, di mostro inspiegabile. È un po' come quando in Star Wars sono comparsi i midichlorian: all'improvviso tutto perde di sapore, sa di plastica, sa di finto.
In questo terzo capitolo, come si sarà capito, si spiegano molte cose, ma il lettore era davvero alla ricerca delle spiegazioni? No, penso proprio di no. Per questo, e per molto altro, questo è il capitolo più brutto o che meno mi ha soddisfatto. La trama ha qualche scossa poco logica e il tutto non è altro che un lungo peregrinare, un percorso da compagnia dell'anello con tette, merda e cannibali. Con l'aggiunta dell'acqua, però.
Bello, per carità, ma non come prima.
"Philip K. Dick una volta chiese «Gli androidi sognano pecore elettriche?» La risposta è sì, gli androidi sognano."

[David · Rating 2 out of 5]

I would describe the first two books in this series as: demented, wild, creative, surreal, funny, disturbing, and guilty pleasure. The first was most enjoyable, but that overall description fits both. The third one was at times all of these, but add a heavy dose of another element: unpleasant, very unpleasant.

For those to whom it matters, you FINALLY learn the truth of what’s going on. For many readers, that’s everything, but not me. How often have I heard things like “I need to know what happens next on Game of Thrones/The Walking Dead/Pick a series”? The fact is: nothing really happens. It’s fiction. What you’re really saying is, “I’d rather not contribute to the story myself, so I need the author to tell me what he or she thinks happens.” Sometimes that’s amazing. Often it’s a letdown, which applies here. I appreciate ambiguity and didn’t need the closure. Joe is weird. I like weird. There is thankfully still plenty of that.

[Giovanna Proletti · Rating 4 out of 5]

Tralasciando qualsiasi opinione sulla trama una cosa è sicura: la scrittura di Lansdale è geniale.

“La foresta, anzi la giungla, per essere piú esatti, era fitta da entrambi i lati, piena di liane e di creature in movimento. A volte le vedevamo, a volte loro osservavano noi, altre volte erano solo ombre tra gli alberi.
C'era una quantità di rumori. Gridi, latrati, ringhi, grugniti. Una volta mi sembrò di sentire una scoreggia.
Da ragazzo avevo letto una storia buffa, e non mi ricordo il titolo né l'autore, ma ricordo una frase: «Da qualche parte, un rospo scoreggiò in modo sinistro».
Là fuori, su quella pista piena di buche, non mi sem-
brava piú una frase divertente.
Quella scoreggia tra i cespugli, emessa da qualcosa di ben piú grosso di un rospo, era davvero sinistra.”

[Josh Parsons · Rating 5 out of 5]

I enjoyed the first book in this series, but by the time I finished it, I kind of felt like, “Well, that was crazy, weird fun.” It had humor, gore, and was just... strange. The second was the same, but I didn’t enjoy it quite as much as the first. You’d expect the third to be the worst but it actually ended up being the one I enjoyed the most. I absolutely love the way it wrapped up. I have a feeling it’ll leave an impression on me for a long time. I’m so glad I started these and can’t wait to explore more of Lansdale’s work!

[SB · Rating 4 out of 5]

The trilogy ends with the weirdest and arguably strongest entry thanks to the laws of the universe beginning to break down and some key revelations (which may or may not be factually accurate) about what's being going on. There's still questions that are intentionally unanswered, but maybe our heroes may have never actually existed, instead getting conjured along with everything else we've been reading about in an electronic dream of a being constructed by bored creators a level above us. Or maybe not. Who knows. Fun ride, though.

[Demis Biscaro · Rating 1 out of 5]

Il peggior libro di Lansdale che abbia mai letto. Dopo un avvio folgorante e un primo sequel piú che discreto, la trilogia del Drive-in si conclude nel peggiore dei modi, con una storia che vagola senza sapere dove andare e dei personaggi che sono le larve di ciò che erano nei primi due romanzi. Da evitare.

---
Precedente: Il matematico indiano
Successivo: Il mistero del London Eye

[Craig Jex · Rating 3 out of 5]

Lansdale has some crazy imagination. But bizarro fiction is not really for me. Some of the scenarios are too weird and parts seemed to drag, which is criminal when the novel is only 150 pages long. Was hoping for a better conclusion but in the context of the trilogy, I guess the ending we got made sense.

[TJ Pool · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a weird weird tale. And a solid finale to just a wild ride. I’m glad these were broken up into 3 fairly short books but I do recommend reading them all at once. Weird I know but man, this was a weird story.

[Jo Williams · Rating 3 out of 5]

Very unsettling but great writing

[Joel Werley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Faulkner himself couldn't have written a better scene portraying our heroes packed inside a bus as it gets shat out by a giant catfish.

[Signor Mambrino · Rating 2 out of 5]

This was ok. Not as good as the first book, but better than the second.

[Ludovico · Rating 5 out of 5]

delirante come sempre!🤪

[Lyle Boylen · Rating 4 out of 5]

The conclusion to this funny, weird trilogy.

[Cinzia · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ma che fine ha fatto Bob???

[melissa minò · Rating 2 out of 5]

Se i primi due stupivano per la loro follia, questo è puro svacco senza capo né coda.

[Jan Goard]

What a trip! That's all I can say

[Ali · Rating 4 out of 5]

What the fuck