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Waltz of Shadows
The Lost Lansdale, Nacogdoches Texas 75961-9161: Vol. 1
Bill, who's 24, hooks up with the Disaster Club, four hedonistic youths obsessed with sex and death who plan to throw a scare into a philandering doctor. While they stake out the doctor, they stumble into a hit on his wife. The hired assassins are Fat Boy and Cobra Man, both major-league psycho killers. The wife is butchered, as are Bill's companions; he escapes and turns to his Uncle Hank for help. Reluctantly, Hank gets involved, recruiting his long-estranged brother Arnold and going up against the gruesome twosome. This launches The Lost Lansdale, Subterranean's issue of older, unpublished work from the much-admired noir crime writer (Bad Chili, Freezer Burn, etc.). The author's longtime readers will note his trademark deluge of salty profanity, stark East Texas settings, casual violence and graphic excess. They will also encounter an uncharacteristic lack of humor and a tedious predictability: the characters that wise readers expect to survive generally do, the remainder are far less fortunate. Of the many violent scenes, only one featuring a rape manages to truly shock. While not without raw power and some stylistic flourishes, this novel, written in 1991, is inferior to Lansdale's more recent work and will appeal mostly to collectors and the most dedicated fans.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Bill, who's 24, hooks up with the Disaster Club, four hedonistic youths obsessed with sex and death who plan to throw a scare into a philandering doctor. While they stake out the doctor, they stumble into a hit on his wife. The hired assassins are Fat Boy and Cobra Man, both major-league psycho killers. The wife is butchered, as are Bill's companions; he escapes and turns to his Uncle Hank for help. Reluctantly, Hank gets involved, recruiting his long-estranged brother Arnold and going up against the gruesome twosome. This launches The Lost Lansdale, Subterranean's issue of older, unpublished work from the much-admired noir crime writer (Bad Chili, Freezer Burn, etc.). The author's longtime readers will note his trademark deluge of salty profanity, stark East Texas settings, casual violence and graphic excess. They will also encounter an uncharacteristic lack of humor and a tedious predictability: the characters that wise readers expect to survive generally do, the remainder are far less fortunate. Of the many violent scenes, only one featuring a rape manages to truly shock. While not without raw power and some stylistic flourishes, this novel, written in 1991, is inferior to Lansdale's more recent work and will appeal mostly to collectors and the most dedicated fans.
Copyright 1999 Reed Business Information, Inc.
271 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1999
12 people are currently reading
210 people want to read
About the author
Joe R. Lansdale
826 books3,915 followersChampion 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.
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.
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June 29, 2025
CACCIA ALL’OK CORRAL
”Dovrei odiarti, figlio di puttana” disse.
“Lo so” risposi, e gli restituii l’abbraccio.
Hank, l’io-narrante, è sposato felicemente, con due bambini, maschio e femmina. La famiglia ideale, quella perfetta.
Così perfetta che per me è risultata la zona meno convincente del romanzo: troppo zuccherosa.
Hank ha un buon reddito: possiede e dirige una catena di negozi dove si affittano film in vhs e dvd (il romanzo risale al 1999).
Non posso non provare un moto di tenerezza per quest’altra attività spazzata via dal tempo al quale la cosiddetta rivoluzione tecnologica ha impresso una velocità di scorrimento maggiore.
Tenerezza che a volte diventa nostalgia quando dell’attività commerciale o professione scomparsa sento la mancanza. Non in questo caso però: dell’epoca del noleggio nastri e dischi non ho rimpianto. Netflix è paradigmatica: avviata come consegna a domicilio appunto di film e serie in dvd e ora (credo) la maggiore piattaforma di streaming.
C’è un lungo momento del romanzo in cui il titolo italiano sembra più calzante di quello originale: The Waltz of Shadows è diventato il valzer dell’orrore, e in quel momento di orrore se ne legge a go go, tanto da serrare il cuore (o lo stomaco).
Sembrava tutto uguale a prima , ma non era così. Era come se degli alieni si fossero impossessati del mondo che conoscevo nell’arco di una notte, lasciando al suo posto un mondo in cui legge e ordine non esistevano, non erano altro che un’illusione, dove gli esseri umani ora infestati dagli alieni e ormai ridotti a semplici involucri avevano dei programmi che non mi sarei mai potuto immaginare. Era come se quell’intero mondo stesse cospirando contro di me e la mia famiglia, nel tentativo i inghiottirci e di sottrarci la nostra umanità, per farci diventare come loro.
In pratica, L’invasione degli ultracorpi – Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Sono sempre rimasto colpito dalla facilità con cui gli americani (maschi) sanno maneggiare attrezzi tipo martello, cacciavite, pinza, ecc. Io stesso tutti mestieri manuali che ho fatto, li ho svolti quando abitavo là.
Con la stessa facilità, tutti gli americani (soprattutto maschi, ma non solo) al momento opportuno sanno maneggiare le armi - quelle da fuoco e quelle da taglio. Le possiedono, se le procurano con grande facilità: arriva il momento, in tanti film e in tanti romanzi, direi in tutti quelli di Lansdale, in cui i personaggi sfoderano una santa barbara.
Succede anche qui, succede anche questa volta. Una sorta di sfida all’OK Corral. Buoni contro cattivi e in mezzo gli ambigui, i mezzo e mezzo, uno muore, uno si salva, tutti sparano, il sangue fiotta. Lansdale racconta e descrive con una qual grazia anche queste situazioni: ma soprattutto in modo avvincente, senza dimenticarsi la sua scoppiettante ironia.
Il tutto sempre, ovviamente, immerso, più che intinto, nel suo amatissimo East Texas, la parte degli States che preferisce senza alcun dubbio.
[Il mio Lansdale #10]
”Dovrei odiarti, figlio di puttana” disse.
“Lo so” risposi, e gli restituii l’abbraccio.
Hank, l’io-narrante, è sposato felicemente, con due bambini, maschio e femmina. La famiglia ideale, quella perfetta.
Così perfetta che per me è risultata la zona meno convincente del romanzo: troppo zuccherosa.
Hank ha un buon reddito: possiede e dirige una catena di negozi dove si affittano film in vhs e dvd (il romanzo risale al 1999).
Non posso non provare un moto di tenerezza per quest’altra attività spazzata via dal tempo al quale la cosiddetta rivoluzione tecnologica ha impresso una velocità di scorrimento maggiore.
Tenerezza che a volte diventa nostalgia quando dell’attività commerciale o professione scomparsa sento la mancanza. Non in questo caso però: dell’epoca del noleggio nastri e dischi non ho rimpianto. Netflix è paradigmatica: avviata come consegna a domicilio appunto di film e serie in dvd e ora (credo) la maggiore piattaforma di streaming.
C’è un lungo momento del romanzo in cui il titolo italiano sembra più calzante di quello originale: The Waltz of Shadows è diventato il valzer dell’orrore, e in quel momento di orrore se ne legge a go go, tanto da serrare il cuore (o lo stomaco).
Sembrava tutto uguale a prima , ma non era così. Era come se degli alieni si fossero impossessati del mondo che conoscevo nell’arco di una notte, lasciando al suo posto un mondo in cui legge e ordine non esistevano, non erano altro che un’illusione, dove gli esseri umani ora infestati dagli alieni e ormai ridotti a semplici involucri avevano dei programmi che non mi sarei mai potuto immaginare. Era come se quell’intero mondo stesse cospirando contro di me e la mia famiglia, nel tentativo i inghiottirci e di sottrarci la nostra umanità, per farci diventare come loro.
In pratica, L’invasione degli ultracorpi – Invasion of the Body Snatchers
Sono sempre rimasto colpito dalla facilità con cui gli americani (maschi) sanno maneggiare attrezzi tipo martello, cacciavite, pinza, ecc. Io stesso tutti mestieri manuali che ho fatto, li ho svolti quando abitavo là.
Con la stessa facilità, tutti gli americani (soprattutto maschi, ma non solo) al momento opportuno sanno maneggiare le armi - quelle da fuoco e quelle da taglio. Le possiedono, se le procurano con grande facilità: arriva il momento, in tanti film e in tanti romanzi, direi in tutti quelli di Lansdale, in cui i personaggi sfoderano una santa barbara.
Succede anche qui, succede anche questa volta. Una sorta di sfida all’OK Corral. Buoni contro cattivi e in mezzo gli ambigui, i mezzo e mezzo, uno muore, uno si salva, tutti sparano, il sangue fiotta. Lansdale racconta e descrive con una qual grazia anche queste situazioni: ma soprattutto in modo avvincente, senza dimenticarsi la sua scoppiettante ironia.
Il tutto sempre, ovviamente, immerso, più che intinto, nel suo amatissimo East Texas, la parte degli States che preferisce senza alcun dubbio.
[Il mio Lansdale #10]
June 14, 2018
In questa storia nera, che di più nero c'è solo la pece, il nostro carissimo Big Joe inanella situazioni violente, crude, feroci, qualsiasi altro sinonimo elevato all'ennesima potenza. Ma, nonostante tutto, Big Joe ce le racconta con il suo solito ed inimitabile stile, che le rende "quasi digeribili". Se la trilogia del drive-in vi ha fatto arrovellare lo stomaco, questo "valzer" ve lo farà schizzare fuori!!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huin_...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=huin_...
May 29, 2015
Sadistic killers, a misguided young man, and a whole lot of murder amount to an entertaining read from Joe R. Lansdale.
WALTZ OF SHADOWS should come with a graphic content warning - the images this book conveys through explicit and clever writing are heinous to say the least; the book of the dead, those unfortunate characters who are immortalized in gruesome detail via Polaroid invoke the darkest aspect to the mad - and that's exactly what a couple of unassuming characters (as least one is unassuming at the beginning of the book) are: madmen with a murderous appetite.
After joining the Disaster Club, Billy, finds himself involved in humorous stunts that push the boundaries including fornicating in front of a group of people while tired to a train track, kidnapping, and general risky shenanigans. It's the kidnapping caper that unleashes the violence that turns Billy's world on its head. Gone are the laughs and dangerous stunts, replaced by cops and killers alike all looking to nab him.
As the novel progresses WALTZ OF SHADOWS changes direction rather than evolves. By that I mean the earlier aspects, compared to the later stages of the book have a rather separate focus; switching from Billy and the Disaster Club to his uncle and the tracking of a killer.
WALTZ OF SHADOWS is a pretty good read if your tastes lean toward the darker and more violent side of fiction.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
WALTZ OF SHADOWS should come with a graphic content warning - the images this book conveys through explicit and clever writing are heinous to say the least; the book of the dead, those unfortunate characters who are immortalized in gruesome detail via Polaroid invoke the darkest aspect to the mad - and that's exactly what a couple of unassuming characters (as least one is unassuming at the beginning of the book) are: madmen with a murderous appetite.
After joining the Disaster Club, Billy, finds himself involved in humorous stunts that push the boundaries including fornicating in front of a group of people while tired to a train track, kidnapping, and general risky shenanigans. It's the kidnapping caper that unleashes the violence that turns Billy's world on its head. Gone are the laughs and dangerous stunts, replaced by cops and killers alike all looking to nab him.
As the novel progresses WALTZ OF SHADOWS changes direction rather than evolves. By that I mean the earlier aspects, compared to the later stages of the book have a rather separate focus; switching from Billy and the Disaster Club to his uncle and the tracking of a killer.
WALTZ OF SHADOWS is a pretty good read if your tastes lean toward the darker and more violent side of fiction.
http://justaguythatlikes2read.blogspo...
August 17, 2017
uhmmm...non sono a favore degli adesivi "parental advisory" che mettono su certi dischi, ma in effetti questo meriterebbe un'avvertimento in copertina, qualcosa tipo "se sei particolarmente sensibile posa sto libro e cercati qualcosaltro, in ogni caso non te la prendere con chi ne ha parlato bene su anobii". perchè parliamoci chiaro: questo libro è l'ennesimo cazzotto nello stomaco datoci dal peso massimo lansdale, uno che non si fa problemi a colpire il lettore sotto la cintura, tra descrizioni di violenze e argomenti pesanti. però riparliamoci chiaro: lansdale scrive da dio. punto. per dire, il modo in cui descrive il rapporto tra hank e suo fratello arnold o con sua moglie beverly manda a casa tanti romanzieri considerati più "seri" , il modo in cui lascia scivolare argomenti più impegnati (il clima razzista intorno alla causa vinta da fat boy, per esempio) senza sembrare predicatorio è da insegnare a tanti "scrittori civili" di ste parti, e così via. non il miglior lansdale, ma pur sempre un lansdale. è questo per chi lo conosce è abbastanza.
January 4, 2019
Lansdale è una calamita. O, come lo direbbe lui, "una dannata calamita".
Ha una narrazione fluida che non inciampa mai in una trama troppo articolata. Si rivolge alla parte più istintiva del lettore ed è bravissimo a farlo.
I personaggi potrebbe risultare troppo colorati, troppo marcati nelle loro anime, ma questo non succede o non importa.
Il valzer dell'orrore si beve tutto di un fiato ed è per stomaci forti. Lansdale non si risparmia ed esplora le profondità delle paludi umane senza mai rallentare.
Ci vuole coraggio e bisogna essere bravi nel farlo.
Lui è senza dubbio entrambe le cose.
Ha una narrazione fluida che non inciampa mai in una trama troppo articolata. Si rivolge alla parte più istintiva del lettore ed è bravissimo a farlo.
I personaggi potrebbe risultare troppo colorati, troppo marcati nelle loro anime, ma questo non succede o non importa.
Il valzer dell'orrore si beve tutto di un fiato ed è per stomaci forti. Lansdale non si risparmia ed esplora le profondità delle paludi umane senza mai rallentare.
Ci vuole coraggio e bisogna essere bravi nel farlo.
Lui è senza dubbio entrambe le cose.
June 17, 2015
oe Lansdale è un famoso autore texano non solo prolifico, ma anche versatile. Egli è profondamente influenzato dalla sua cultura texana (su wikipedia viene citata la sua frase "Il Texas è uno stato mentale"), dalla letteratura pulp (oltre alla letteratura in generale) dai B-movie e dalla passione per i fumetti. I suoi romanzi spaziano dal pulp al western alla fantascienza ai romanzi di formazione, inoltre è un esperto di arti marziali e scrittore di fumetti. Per una lista completa della produzione Lansdaliana vi rimando alla voce di wikipedia inglese.
Sebbene alcuni romanzi e raccolte siano immancabili per la loro genialità (sto pensando soprattutto alla raccolta Maneggiare con cura, al ciclo di romanzi di Hap e Leonard e al romanzo In fondo alla palude, solo per citarne alcuni) ultimamente la fama di questo scrittore sembra aver portato le case editrici a pubblicare di tutto, e ovviamente ci ritroviamo fra le mani anche produzioni decisamente mediocri. Non posso dire sia questo il caso di Il valzer dell'orrore, ma non siamo neppure in vetta. Rispetto alla produzione media si contraddistingue per una buona dose di violenza e pulp (più alta rispetto al suo standard) tenendo pertanto fede al titolo. Lo humor è un po' sottotono e la trama leggermente farraginosa, ma la tensione è sicuramente alta fino alla fine del libro. Ho amato particolarmente il personaggio Arnold e la sua relazione con il protagonista, ma mi sembra che i personaggi di questo romanzo siano un po' troppo stereotipati. Tutto sommato, il giudizio è positivo, anche se ci si aspetta di più da Lansdale.
La trama è questa: Hank Small (omen nomen) è un uomo come tanti, giusto ma non santo, sposato con prole e proprietario di una catena di videonoleggi che gli assicurano l'agiatezza. La sua vita scorre per il meglio fino a quando il nipote, un ragazzo parecchio scapestrato di nome Bill, chiede il suo aiuto. Purtroppo non si tratta della solita richiesta di soldi: la situazione è molto seria, si parla di omicidi. E nel tentativo di salvare il nipote Hank si troverà costretto anche a fare i conti con il passato. La scheda del libro è qui.
Sebbene alcuni romanzi e raccolte siano immancabili per la loro genialità (sto pensando soprattutto alla raccolta Maneggiare con cura, al ciclo di romanzi di Hap e Leonard e al romanzo In fondo alla palude, solo per citarne alcuni) ultimamente la fama di questo scrittore sembra aver portato le case editrici a pubblicare di tutto, e ovviamente ci ritroviamo fra le mani anche produzioni decisamente mediocri. Non posso dire sia questo il caso di Il valzer dell'orrore, ma non siamo neppure in vetta. Rispetto alla produzione media si contraddistingue per una buona dose di violenza e pulp (più alta rispetto al suo standard) tenendo pertanto fede al titolo. Lo humor è un po' sottotono e la trama leggermente farraginosa, ma la tensione è sicuramente alta fino alla fine del libro. Ho amato particolarmente il personaggio Arnold e la sua relazione con il protagonista, ma mi sembra che i personaggi di questo romanzo siano un po' troppo stereotipati. Tutto sommato, il giudizio è positivo, anche se ci si aspetta di più da Lansdale.
La trama è questa: Hank Small (omen nomen) è un uomo come tanti, giusto ma non santo, sposato con prole e proprietario di una catena di videonoleggi che gli assicurano l'agiatezza. La sua vita scorre per il meglio fino a quando il nipote, un ragazzo parecchio scapestrato di nome Bill, chiede il suo aiuto. Purtroppo non si tratta della solita richiesta di soldi: la situazione è molto seria, si parla di omicidi. E nel tentativo di salvare il nipote Hank si troverà costretto anche a fare i conti con il passato. La scheda del libro è qui.
November 27, 2012
There is no mistaking this violent East Texas thriller with any other writer but Lansdale. All the hallmark signs are there except maybe the non-stop wisecracks and wit. It is there but not as plentiful as in the Hap and Leonard novels. Waltz of Shadows seems more serious and this may be the problem. It is a fairly conventional crime noir/revenge tale without the usual Lansdale twists. Yet it is still Lansdale so it is a cut above the more usual mainstream efforts. While I enjoyed it I would not recommend it as a Lansdale first read. Go check out the Hap and Leonard series first.
January 24, 2014
Normally, I'm a slow reader. I devoured this book in about a week. This is one hell of a story that has a little but of everything: action, suspense, horror.... I guess what really gripped me was how real this story seemed. Makes you wonder about the truth behind some of the news stories and headlines you see and read about. Top-notch story that is a rollercoaster ride through Lansdale country. This is a must read!
June 23, 2012
Lansdale, as always, proves that he is a master. I dunno how I'd missed this one, but it did not disappoint. Suspense, action, horror, drama, beautifully put together, making Waltz of Shadows one hell of a read.
November 21, 2013
Premetto che Lansdale e' uno dei miei scrittori preferiti, ma qui mi ha un po' deluso. Tutto gia' letto in altri suoi libri e tantissima violenza gratuita. Gli do la sufficienza per alcune scene descritte che sono davvero godibili!
February 12, 2019
Well that was a testosterone fuelled few hours! And I mean that in the best possible way! Barry storyline, which shouldn't have worked, but this Lansdale dude can spin a decent yarn. Totally insane on the face of it, yet structured well enough suspend my belief long enough for the hero's quest to be resolved.
I'm guessing this author writes more for a male audience and I'm just glad that there are writers out there, still creating unapologetically masculine books, for those among us who vote Die Hard as their favourite Christmas film. That's not a slight by the way, Die Hard IS the best Christmas movie ever, it I'm a chick and ultimately, this book (however much I enjoyed it) isn't really meant for me.
Men don't need to be told that they're bad or wrong for enjoying traditionally masculine hobbies/activities - or any hobby for that matter - but huge companies like Gillette still think it's okay to make their intended customer base feel like crap AND pay through the nose for their overpriced products, just to rub salt into the wounds. Screw that BS.
Men are at their most awesome when they're completely relaxed, being their manly selves or engaging in something they feel passionately about. I'm glad authors like Lansdale exist. I'm glad that these fast paced, violent, exciting, rough around the edges writing exists and that well written male characters haven't been completely BTFO by the feminist harpies who seem to dominate the online book "community". Keep writing, Mr Lansdale.
I'm guessing this author writes more for a male audience and I'm just glad that there are writers out there, still creating unapologetically masculine books, for those among us who vote Die Hard as their favourite Christmas film. That's not a slight by the way, Die Hard IS the best Christmas movie ever, it I'm a chick and ultimately, this book (however much I enjoyed it) isn't really meant for me.
Men don't need to be told that they're bad or wrong for enjoying traditionally masculine hobbies/activities - or any hobby for that matter - but huge companies like Gillette still think it's okay to make their intended customer base feel like crap AND pay through the nose for their overpriced products, just to rub salt into the wounds. Screw that BS.
Men are at their most awesome when they're completely relaxed, being their manly selves or engaging in something they feel passionately about. I'm glad authors like Lansdale exist. I'm glad that these fast paced, violent, exciting, rough around the edges writing exists and that well written male characters haven't been completely BTFO by the feminist harpies who seem to dominate the online book "community". Keep writing, Mr Lansdale.
July 28, 2022
Altro romanzo notevole di Lansdale ambientato nel "suo" Texas Orientale.
Non è all'altezza, secondo me, degli altri due letti (In fondo alla palude e La sottile linea scura) che peraltro sono successivi a questo.
Ma comunque un ottimo libro.
Non è all'altezza, secondo me, degli altri due letti (In fondo alla palude e La sottile linea scura) che peraltro sono successivi a questo.
Ma comunque un ottimo libro.
March 26, 2019
Persino troppo, l'orrore.
Non brutto ma non tra i migliori Lansdale.
Molti refusi nell'edizione di Fanucci. Tre stelle scarse.
Non brutto ma non tra i migliori Lansdale.
Molti refusi nell'edizione di Fanucci. Tre stelle scarse.
November 17, 2020
Very dark and exciting. Probably should have a warning as the violence is real and graphic. Story moves at a fast pace and never stops. Compelling characters with some disturbing twists.
Read
November 27, 2020I don't get how the book has 3.7 stars.
It is relatively short and nasty. Gory and dark. It does feel like an "action film" at times; If you've reads Lansdale you know what you're in for.
It is relatively short and nasty. Gory and dark. It does feel like an "action film" at times; If you've reads Lansdale you know what you're in for.
March 24, 2022
Nerissimo, violentissimo, storia di Harry che per salvare il nipote da un complotto si sporca le mani con una vicenda marcia fino all’osso, unica pecca il finale chiuso troppo frettolosamente
November 5, 2024
A really addictive and scary journey with: gore scenes, brotherly love, fun characters and epic fuckups. Loved it all the way to the last page.
March 2, 2025
I love Lansdale. Graphic scenes in this book..... The intro says it all- Lansdale wanted to be writing Hap and Leonard instead of finishing this one and I'm so glad we got the edited down version.
May 14, 2025
You call tell Joe is half interested in it. It’s got parts that I’ve seen before and he’s not all that committed to wrapping up the story.
December 19, 2025
This is some dark crazy stuff
June 24, 2012
Now don't get me wrong I did enjoy this book, it's brutal in its delivery and the evil prevalent through the eyes of two characters is stomach churning and not for the faint hearted but necessary as the author draws a picture of innocence and evil....evil that comes calling one day into the lives of Hank Small, his wife Bev and two lovely kids...not forgetting the dog Wylie..ah the good old American homestead :) Hanks nephew Bill (who himself has some serious sexual/psycho problems!) calls on good old uncle Hank to help him out of a spot of bother..namely two very unsavoury characters Fatboy and Snake are trying to kill him. FB and Snake are the lowest forms of evil and depravity and the scenes depicting them are brutal and at times difficult to read but they are there to show the reader that real evil exists and someday it may come calling on you...as it did on Hank and his family. The story follows a predictable line with Hank and his family barely surviving a sadistic attack by FB and Snake...and up to that point I was enjoying this page turner of a story..but then..in true John Wayne fashion Hank and his mates get all tooled up, saddle up...and go lookin for those baddies!! Baddies are blown away..Hank saves the day...end of story...good but no cigar :(
May 26, 2015
The only arguably unforgivable aspect of this book is that the two killers Fat Boy and Snake commit their crimes too quickly between time, some might find it a stretch of the imagination. Also, the resolve was pretty simple, which may be excusable since the protagonist is a normal guy and a man's man. This makes the resolve; therefore, sensible. As another also, the story takes place in the late 80s or early 90s, but it doesn't stand out too much or distract from the story.
Other than that, the language flowed beautifully, the characters were great and there were some good twists within a handsome plot. Very Indie/(slightly)Noir style, which is what I perceive a great bit of why they call Lansdale the Mojo Storyteller. Lansdale's pen power also lies a lot with his very male/ masculine speech pattern and dialect he gives his male characters using first person. Therefore, ladies if you don't like reading from a male's point of view, this book is not for you. Otherwise, I highly recommend.
Other than that, the language flowed beautifully, the characters were great and there were some good twists within a handsome plot. Very Indie/(slightly)Noir style, which is what I perceive a great bit of why they call Lansdale the Mojo Storyteller. Lansdale's pen power also lies a lot with his very male/ masculine speech pattern and dialect he gives his male characters using first person. Therefore, ladies if you don't like reading from a male's point of view, this book is not for you. Otherwise, I highly recommend.
February 12, 2013
Joe Lansdale is one of my favorite authors of all time. Two of us books - The Bottoms and A Fine Dark Line - are on my Top Ten book list of all time.
I had read some of the reviews of "Waltz of Shadows" and wasn't quite sure what to expect. I shouldn't have worried because Lansdale is THE master storyteller.
He brings his usual mix of good guys, flawed good guys, slimy guys and truly vile human specimens together to waltz to Lansdale's own internal warped 3/4 time music.
I like Hank Small and his family including his half-brother Arnold - his nephew not so much. Fat Boy and Snake are two of his vilest creations.
The storyline, while a bit predictable, still had enough twists, returns, blood and guts to keep me reading late into the night.
Note: there is violence and mayhem, blood and guts, child pornography, and a nasty rape scene in the book. Be forewarned.
I had read some of the reviews of "Waltz of Shadows" and wasn't quite sure what to expect. I shouldn't have worried because Lansdale is THE master storyteller.
He brings his usual mix of good guys, flawed good guys, slimy guys and truly vile human specimens together to waltz to Lansdale's own internal warped 3/4 time music.
I like Hank Small and his family including his half-brother Arnold - his nephew not so much. Fat Boy and Snake are two of his vilest creations.
The storyline, while a bit predictable, still had enough twists, returns, blood and guts to keep me reading late into the night.
Note: there is violence and mayhem, blood and guts, child pornography, and a nasty rape scene in the book. Be forewarned.
February 8, 2018
Wow, just about the best Joe R Lansdale book I've read, except The Drive In. This is pretty much a spirutual sequel to Cold in July (I'm pretty sure the corrupt cop Price is in both books), featuring much of the same feel and ideas, but a different story. I liked it even better.
What's truly shocking is that Lansdale, who wrote it after Cold in July but before Mucho Mojo, decided not to publish it back in 1990 (when it was known as Mucho Mojo) and wrote the other book. He reedited it later and it was republished as a "limited edition Lost Lansdale" book, "never to be republished". Anyway, later it was republished as this ebook - and I can't believe Mr Lansdale ever had doubts about it, in any form. I'd love to read the longer version!
Regardless, it's everything I like about Mr Lansdale - it's grim, very humanistic, very funny and doesn't bullshit about.
What's truly shocking is that Lansdale, who wrote it after Cold in July but before Mucho Mojo, decided not to publish it back in 1990 (when it was known as Mucho Mojo) and wrote the other book. He reedited it later and it was republished as a "limited edition Lost Lansdale" book, "never to be republished". Anyway, later it was republished as this ebook - and I can't believe Mr Lansdale ever had doubts about it, in any form. I'd love to read the longer version!
Regardless, it's everything I like about Mr Lansdale - it's grim, very humanistic, very funny and doesn't bullshit about.
June 26, 2012
Joe Lansdale is a master storyteller and Waltz of Shadows is no exception. Like many of Lansdale's novels, this is a tale of family, and the bonds that tie us to one another. It's also the story of death-defying thrill seekers, cheating husbands, corrupt cops, child pornographers, and a henchman with horrendous body odor. It's a wild ride, indeed! Despite these outrageous plot elements, Lansdale touches on some serious issues as well, treating them with his magic touch of humor and powerful prose. In the introduction to Waltz of Shadows, Lansdale explains that this novel languished for years in his desk drawer until he dug it out and revised it. Whatever he did, he did it right. Waltz of Shadows is a winner!
September 28, 2014
The Lost Lansdale Volume One. Hank Small is an everyman, has a loving wife and two kids, a dog that greets him at the door every time he comes home. He's got an estranged half-brother named Earl, and an always-in-trouble nephew named Bill. What he's got are the makings of a pretty good life, one he's contented to follow in its course.
Now he's got Bill, who's in more trouble than ever before over a little group he's joined called the Disaster Club. He's got someone he knows only as the Fat Man calling the shots, and a truly nasty piece of work named Snake ready to kill him and his family before lunch. He's got a reputation that's ruined, no home to return to… and Hank Small's got nowhere to turn but his brother.
This is copy 873/1000 signed and numbered copies.
Now he's got Bill, who's in more trouble than ever before over a little group he's joined called the Disaster Club. He's got someone he knows only as the Fat Man calling the shots, and a truly nasty piece of work named Snake ready to kill him and his family before lunch. He's got a reputation that's ruined, no home to return to… and Hank Small's got nowhere to turn but his brother.
This is copy 873/1000 signed and numbered copies.
January 22, 2014
Il fratellastro di Hank, Earl, ha un figlio di nome Bill, che è entrato a far parte del Disaster Club, composto da giovani malviventi con una vera fissazione per il sesso e l'omicidio. Durante una delle loro aggressioni, le cose non vanno secondo i piani, e due del gruppo rimangono uccisi, mentre Bill riesce a fuggire; il giovane decide di rifugiarsi proprio dallo zio Hank, dato che il branco lo incolpa della morte dei compagni e chiede vendetta. Una vendetta che incombe sulla tranquilla vita di Hank, il quale dovrà chiedere l'aiuto di un fratello che è praticamente un estraneo per trovare un modo di salvare la propria famiglia dal massacro.
March 5, 2012
This is a lot darker that Joe Lansdale's usual fayre - there are some comic descriptions, but the story is fairly unrelentingly bleak.
As ever the characters leap off the page at you, and the dialogue crackles.
Whilst there's always some violence in his books, this is far more graphic and unsettling.
Fans of Hap and Leonard books will recognise the style, but the pallette is much darker here, and the brushstrokes less refined.
It's still a page turner, and he draws you in to this tale of family, redemption and violence with ease.
As ever the characters leap off the page at you, and the dialogue crackles.
Whilst there's always some violence in his books, this is far more graphic and unsettling.
Fans of Hap and Leonard books will recognise the style, but the pallette is much darker here, and the brushstrokes less refined.
It's still a page turner, and he draws you in to this tale of family, redemption and violence with ease.
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