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The Man with No Name
A violent tale of horror from award-winning author Laird Barron, the heir apparent to H. P. Lovecraft's throne. Nanashi was born into a life of violence. Delivered from the mean streets by the Heron Clan, he mastered the way of the gun and knife and swiftly ascended through yakuza ranks to become a dreaded enforcer. His latest task? He and an entourage of expert killers are commanded to kidnap Muzaki, a retired world-renowned wrestler under protection of the rival Dragon Syndicate. It should be business as bloody usual for Nanashi and his ruthless brothers in arms, except for the detail that Muzaki possesses a terrifying secret. A secret that will spawn a no-holds-barred gang war and send Nanashi on a personal odyssey into immortal darkness.
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First published March 18, 2016
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About the author
Laird Barron
175 books2,879 followersLaird Barron, an expat Alaskan, is the author of several books, including The Imago Sequence and Other Stories; Swift to Chase; and Blood Standard. Currently, Barron lives in the Rondout Valley of New York State and is at work on tales about the evil that men do.
Photo credit belongs to Ardi Alspach
Agent: Janet Reid of New Leaf Literary & Media
Photo credit belongs to Ardi Alspach
Agent: Janet Reid of New Leaf Literary & Media
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 124 reviews
September 21, 2017
The Heron clan of the Yakuza is tasked with abducting Muzaki, a former professional wrestler. However, Nanashi, loyal member of the Heron and a man with a mysterious past, has his doubts. And Muzaki might have just the answer for him...
On the heels of The Croning, nothing but another Laird Barron book would do. Fortunately, I already had this one on my kindle.
Man with No Name is part noir, part cosmic horror with emphasis on the noir. In fact, it's mostly a crime book until Muzaki's true nature comes to light. It's also an action-packed bloodbath ones things go pear-shaped and Muzaki tells Nanashi how things are. The unspeakable horror and the nature of time seem to be hallmarks of Barron's, a plus in my book.
The prose was great, just as it was in The Croning, full of colorful similes and metaphors. I highlighted quite a bit but I could have easily highlighted most of the novella. There was also quite a bit of dark humor. This would be a fantastic movie.
The bonus novella, Blood and Stardust, was also quite good, though I wish the space would have been devoted to the main tale.
My sophomore experience with Laird Barron was almost as satisfying as the first and I can't wait to read more. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
On the heels of The Croning, nothing but another Laird Barron book would do. Fortunately, I already had this one on my kindle.
Man with No Name is part noir, part cosmic horror with emphasis on the noir. In fact, it's mostly a crime book until Muzaki's true nature comes to light. It's also an action-packed bloodbath ones things go pear-shaped and Muzaki tells Nanashi how things are. The unspeakable horror and the nature of time seem to be hallmarks of Barron's, a plus in my book.
The prose was great, just as it was in The Croning, full of colorful similes and metaphors. I highlighted quite a bit but I could have easily highlighted most of the novella. There was also quite a bit of dark humor. This would be a fantastic movie.
The bonus novella, Blood and Stardust, was also quite good, though I wish the space would have been devoted to the main tale.
My sophomore experience with Laird Barron was almost as satisfying as the first and I can't wait to read more. 4.5 out of 5 stars.
September 28, 2025
En el programa Laird Barron: el motero lovecraftiano, del podcast Gabinete de Curiosidades, hablamos en más detalle de esta novela: go.ivoox.com/rf/123912610
Vuelvo con Laird Barron, el motero tuerto de la ficción extraña, el Jack London del siglo XXI en cuyas historias aparecen perros, sí, luego de haber sido infectados por La Cosa y manifestar todo su repulsivo potencial. Laird Barron mola: mola él y molan mucho sus historias.
En esta novelita corta, apenas cien páginas con fuente bien hermosa, Barron nos trae un protagonista duro como el percutor de un revolver, Nanashi, Sin Nombre, matarife del clan Grulla, el hombre al que tienes que llamar si quieres mandar un mensaje. En el submundo criminal tokiota, la yakuza controla el cotarro con mano de hierro, pero los juegos de poder van haciendo que este cambie de manos cada poco. El clan Dragón está muy subidito, suscitando recelo e inquietud en el clan Grulla que, considera, las lagartijas necesitan un pequeño toque de atención. Nanashi y su cuadrilla se encargarán de hacérselo saber secuestrando a Muzaki-san, un luchador americano de lucha libre jubilado, empresario respetado y héroe de los bajos fondos que funcionaba a modo de mascota del clan Dragón. Nanashi, que como buen asesino tiene un pasado turbulento, solo necesita una conversación con el ex-campeón para que todo su mundo de un vuelco de la manera más delirante y lisérgica posible.
Esta novelita es una historia de yakuzas con el ritmo frenético y trepidante de una película americana. Es decir, no esperéis la mesura y gélidas maneras de las cintas yakuzas de Takeshi Kitano; esperad, sencillamente, su brutalidad. Barron narra las escenas de acción con esa mezcla entre elegancia y crudeza que hacen las películas de John Wick lo mejor que se ha estrenado dentro del género de acción desde que los americanos se sacaron la cabeza del culo y descubrieron que hay señores en Indonesia y Tailandia partiéndose la cara a rodillazos y codazos ¿Y lo lovecraftiano, Julio, truhan embaucador de bífida lengua? Ay, pues tendréis que descubrirlo.
¿Y las tres estrellas, Julio, esquizofrénico reseñador? Fácil: ¡mi cuerpo necesita más yakuzas y más Lovecraft, y no pagar casi 20 euros por 100 páginas.
Vuelvo con Laird Barron, el motero tuerto de la ficción extraña, el Jack London del siglo XXI en cuyas historias aparecen perros, sí, luego de haber sido infectados por La Cosa y manifestar todo su repulsivo potencial. Laird Barron mola: mola él y molan mucho sus historias.
En esta novelita corta, apenas cien páginas con fuente bien hermosa, Barron nos trae un protagonista duro como el percutor de un revolver, Nanashi, Sin Nombre, matarife del clan Grulla, el hombre al que tienes que llamar si quieres mandar un mensaje. En el submundo criminal tokiota, la yakuza controla el cotarro con mano de hierro, pero los juegos de poder van haciendo que este cambie de manos cada poco. El clan Dragón está muy subidito, suscitando recelo e inquietud en el clan Grulla que, considera, las lagartijas necesitan un pequeño toque de atención. Nanashi y su cuadrilla se encargarán de hacérselo saber secuestrando a Muzaki-san, un luchador americano de lucha libre jubilado, empresario respetado y héroe de los bajos fondos que funcionaba a modo de mascota del clan Dragón. Nanashi, que como buen asesino tiene un pasado turbulento, solo necesita una conversación con el ex-campeón para que todo su mundo de un vuelco de la manera más delirante y lisérgica posible.
Esta novelita es una historia de yakuzas con el ritmo frenético y trepidante de una película americana. Es decir, no esperéis la mesura y gélidas maneras de las cintas yakuzas de Takeshi Kitano; esperad, sencillamente, su brutalidad. Barron narra las escenas de acción con esa mezcla entre elegancia y crudeza que hacen las películas de John Wick lo mejor que se ha estrenado dentro del género de acción desde que los americanos se sacaron la cabeza del culo y descubrieron que hay señores en Indonesia y Tailandia partiéndose la cara a rodillazos y codazos ¿Y lo lovecraftiano, Julio, truhan embaucador de bífida lengua? Ay, pues tendréis que descubrirlo.
¿Y las tres estrellas, Julio, esquizofrénico reseñador? Fácil: ¡mi cuerpo necesita más yakuzas y más Lovecraft, y no pagar casi 20 euros por 100 páginas.
February 24, 2023
Huh? Beyond bizarre. You really have to hang in there before the pieces start coming together, and even then it's all a bit inscrutable as Barron peels away the edges of reality. The story is quite visceral, punctuated by extreme violence, yet frequently untethers as it ebbs in and out of some very odd dreamlike sequences as the protagonist is seemingly catapulted through time and space. Confusing yet surprisingly compelling and chilling, hard to process and even harder to describe.
October 17, 2025
Words, chatters and whisper on the streets, dark alleyways, hallways of haunted hotels and creepy liminal spaces is that Laird Barron is the name you should get familiar with if you wanted to read some quality horror writings. While he has one of his short story turned into a movie, Barron is still a relatively recherché name in the grand scheme of things but is way more popular now than he was, say...five years ago. Though, that's mainly because his name is more prominent in the post-Lovecraftian cosmic horror sphere of Weird Fiction, which is a niche subgenre in of itself. While I have dabbled into Weird Fiction, specifically some of the modern and more recent post-Lovecraftian cosmic horror, I haven't read some of Barron's even though I've read him before. What I read from him before was Blood Standard, which was a fairly standard (pun intended) hardboiled mystery with what I can say amazing prose. If anything, the prose does elevated the boilerplate hardboiled detective narrative by sheer atmosphere alone and pointed towards something darker where I can see a touch of Poe's menacing gothic imagery as well as an uneasy ambiance in some part of the novel.
The Man with No Name sits at the intersection of a crime narrative and the cosmic horror genre, something that is typical of Barron if the chatters online are to be believe. This is perfect for me as someone who came from his crime novel, Blood Standard to actually experience what Barron is truly capable of, in this case, the cosmic horror stuff but from something that I've experienced from Barron before, which is from a crime narrative.
The story follows Nanashi which roughly translate to nameless or anonymous in Japanese, hence the name of this novella. Nanashi is a button man for the Herron Clan that has had a recent change in leadership. Nanashi and a few other underlings were ordered by their new boss to kidnap a retired pro-wrestler named Muzaki, a public figure for the Dragon Clan, a rival yakuza group. While things went smoothly as a kidnapping can be, on the account of Muzaki came quietly with Nanashi and his peers, but then things took a turn for the worst as this things tend do.
The novella's narrative was split into two parts with the first half, just like Blood Standard was a crime story, in this case, a full-on gangster story with a few tidbits that might pointed toward to there might be something wrong with the reality by incorporating elements of surrealist horror. At one point, Nanashi sees or feels things that should've not exist, like shadowy presences or dimensions lurking at the edge of perception. Then there's Muzaki's mansion or hideouts that started to feel like a liminal space where things appear too large or too contorted , as if it's a space not set entirely in a grounded reality. The lines between what's a dream and what's reality blurred, and not just for the readers but for Nanashi as well.
Barron, especially his prose, which I find great in terms of crafting beautiful sentences and creating imageries or sceneries that greatly elevates the standard genre writing, in this case, a crime story into something beyond or at least operates in between genre and literary fiction norms.
During the second half, the story took a hard descend into Barron's brand of cosmic horror. It's a weird amalgamation of old 1920s-style pulp fiction and literary fiction with violent and visceral. It's dreadful in both surreal and cosmic.
The story have an ending I don't know if I find satisfying or not especially after the sort of shit that had happened but I do feel like it's a fitting end. The hallmark of a good written story is that the story does always leaves readers wanting more but still find the end fitting if this was indeed the end or at least not overstayed its welcome and I find the ending to hit that point particularly well.
Besides Barron, the only other big name within the Post-Lovecraft cosmic horror tinged Weird Fiction bubble I've read was by Thomas Ligotti and his brand of weird fiction is often cold, philosophical and abstract, with a reverence towards philosophical pessimism, Barron's brand is visceral, rugged and violent in the bloodiest way possible. There's a menace within his universe compared to Lovecraft's where he find his universe uncaring and indifferent which is unfathomable to mere mortals such as ourselves because human seek meaning in everything to make sense of anything. Ligotti then, has his universe sees existence itself is a tragic mistake and a curse, thus madness is an inherent madness is tied to basically living. Barron's treat cosmic horror as a violent, tangible encounter with vast, alien forces. There's a noir-apocalyptic tone to his, where the universe is carnivorous. In Man with No Name, brutal confrontations are rendered in muscular, tactile prose but they also symbolize the protagonist’s fight against meaninglessness and cosmic predation.
Nanashi when introduced, is a violent Yakuza enforcer with that identity instilled into him while Muzaki, the "mascot" of a rival yakuza group, facing an unknown fate was rather nonchalant about it. While this novella is anything but a character driven story, the character were Barron's way of emphasizing brutalist naturalism. Nanashi may not overcome the incomprehensible horror but still faces it with grit and resolve. While I don't know much regarding Japanese myth or folklore, I do picked up a few hint of Greek myth regarding the story with Nanashi as Odysseus and Muzaki as an amalgamation of Polyphemus, Laestrygones and other obstacles from the Odyssey.
Man with No Name is very short but I find it fulfilling as a whole that, like most great weird fiction I find, encourages revisits. It's an unique blend of Hardboiled and Cosmic Horror all while being told in Barron's solid, craftsman-like prose.
The Man with No Name sits at the intersection of a crime narrative and the cosmic horror genre, something that is typical of Barron if the chatters online are to be believe. This is perfect for me as someone who came from his crime novel, Blood Standard to actually experience what Barron is truly capable of, in this case, the cosmic horror stuff but from something that I've experienced from Barron before, which is from a crime narrative.
The story follows Nanashi which roughly translate to nameless or anonymous in Japanese, hence the name of this novella. Nanashi is a button man for the Herron Clan that has had a recent change in leadership. Nanashi and a few other underlings were ordered by their new boss to kidnap a retired pro-wrestler named Muzaki, a public figure for the Dragon Clan, a rival yakuza group. While things went smoothly as a kidnapping can be, on the account of Muzaki came quietly with Nanashi and his peers, but then things took a turn for the worst as this things tend do.
The novella's narrative was split into two parts with the first half, just like Blood Standard was a crime story, in this case, a full-on gangster story with a few tidbits that might pointed toward to there might be something wrong with the reality by incorporating elements of surrealist horror. At one point, Nanashi sees or feels things that should've not exist, like shadowy presences or dimensions lurking at the edge of perception. Then there's Muzaki's mansion or hideouts that started to feel like a liminal space where things appear too large or too contorted , as if it's a space not set entirely in a grounded reality. The lines between what's a dream and what's reality blurred, and not just for the readers but for Nanashi as well.
Barron, especially his prose, which I find great in terms of crafting beautiful sentences and creating imageries or sceneries that greatly elevates the standard genre writing, in this case, a crime story into something beyond or at least operates in between genre and literary fiction norms.
During the second half, the story took a hard descend into Barron's brand of cosmic horror. It's a weird amalgamation of old 1920s-style pulp fiction and literary fiction with violent and visceral. It's dreadful in both surreal and cosmic.
The story have an ending I don't know if I find satisfying or not especially after the sort of shit that had happened but I do feel like it's a fitting end. The hallmark of a good written story is that the story does always leaves readers wanting more but still find the end fitting if this was indeed the end or at least not overstayed its welcome and I find the ending to hit that point particularly well.
Besides Barron, the only other big name within the Post-Lovecraft cosmic horror tinged Weird Fiction bubble I've read was by Thomas Ligotti and his brand of weird fiction is often cold, philosophical and abstract, with a reverence towards philosophical pessimism, Barron's brand is visceral, rugged and violent in the bloodiest way possible. There's a menace within his universe compared to Lovecraft's where he find his universe uncaring and indifferent which is unfathomable to mere mortals such as ourselves because human seek meaning in everything to make sense of anything. Ligotti then, has his universe sees existence itself is a tragic mistake and a curse, thus madness is an inherent madness is tied to basically living. Barron's treat cosmic horror as a violent, tangible encounter with vast, alien forces. There's a noir-apocalyptic tone to his, where the universe is carnivorous. In Man with No Name, brutal confrontations are rendered in muscular, tactile prose but they also symbolize the protagonist’s fight against meaninglessness and cosmic predation.
Nanashi when introduced, is a violent Yakuza enforcer with that identity instilled into him while Muzaki, the "mascot" of a rival yakuza group, facing an unknown fate was rather nonchalant about it. While this novella is anything but a character driven story, the character were Barron's way of emphasizing brutalist naturalism. Nanashi may not overcome the incomprehensible horror but still faces it with grit and resolve. While I don't know much regarding Japanese myth or folklore, I do picked up a few hint of Greek myth regarding the story with Nanashi as Odysseus and Muzaki as an amalgamation of Polyphemus, Laestrygones and other obstacles from the Odyssey.
Man with No Name is very short but I find it fulfilling as a whole that, like most great weird fiction I find, encourages revisits. It's an unique blend of Hardboiled and Cosmic Horror all while being told in Barron's solid, craftsman-like prose.
November 24, 2016
There are very few authors out there that can consistently and successfully pull off Lovecraftian horror without it becoming an unoriginal, tired trope of unimaginable, indescribable horrors and old gods with unpronounceable monikers. Laird is head and shoulders above the rest of his peers when it comes to this kind of horror.
That being said, “Man With No Name” has significantly less H.P. overtones than some of his past titles, but Laird can’t resist throwing in some crazy cosmic elements, layered beneath subtle innuendo and seemingly random passing themes. He can’t help himself. It’s what makes his work so fascinating to me. Laird pens just the right amount of “wtf” and then let’s your imagination run with it. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of in your face violence and gore on occasion, but he doesn’t beat you over the head with it. He just gives you a little slap and then let’s you decide how long it will sting.
Both the title namesake novella and the bonus short “Blood & Stardust” possess the vast themes, hinting of worlds much larger than our own that can terrify and enrapture all at once. I am left hoping that each was a bit longer, (but I feel that way about most good short works) and the length, of each, was probably perfect. Solid 4+ Stars!
That being said, “Man With No Name” has significantly less H.P. overtones than some of his past titles, but Laird can’t resist throwing in some crazy cosmic elements, layered beneath subtle innuendo and seemingly random passing themes. He can’t help himself. It’s what makes his work so fascinating to me. Laird pens just the right amount of “wtf” and then let’s your imagination run with it. Don’t get me wrong, there is plenty of in your face violence and gore on occasion, but he doesn’t beat you over the head with it. He just gives you a little slap and then let’s you decide how long it will sting.
Both the title namesake novella and the bonus short “Blood & Stardust” possess the vast themes, hinting of worlds much larger than our own that can terrify and enrapture all at once. I am left hoping that each was a bit longer, (but I feel that way about most good short works) and the length, of each, was probably perfect. Solid 4+ Stars!
March 16, 2023
A very short (too short, in my opinion) novella by Laird Barron, “Man With No Name” is a haunting and violent story about the Yakuza, Japan’s version of La Cosa Nostra a.k.a. the Mafia. The main character is a mob henchman named Nanashi, who makes a choice that may damn him forever.
Lots of trademark Barron-esque violence and more-than-subtle traces of cosmic horror abound in this short novel. It reminds me of Barron’s noir/action series starring his mob hitman-turned-detective Isaiah Coleridge, which also reminds me that it’s been three years since “Worse Angels”, the third book in that series. Nanashi and Coleridge are kind of spiritual blood-brothers.
Also included in this short book (Did I mention it’s short? Only 103 pages, soaking wet) is a short story called “Blood and Stardust”, which is, for Barron, somewhat humorous and moving for a horror story. A young woman lives with her father/creator in a huge house in Washington state. He has a huge laboratory where he conducts experiments on living things, experiments that got him kicked out of Europe by crowds of pitchfork- and torch-bearing villagers. His name rhymes with “Schmankenstein”…
Lots of trademark Barron-esque violence and more-than-subtle traces of cosmic horror abound in this short novel. It reminds me of Barron’s noir/action series starring his mob hitman-turned-detective Isaiah Coleridge, which also reminds me that it’s been three years since “Worse Angels”, the third book in that series. Nanashi and Coleridge are kind of spiritual blood-brothers.
Also included in this short book (Did I mention it’s short? Only 103 pages, soaking wet) is a short story called “Blood and Stardust”, which is, for Barron, somewhat humorous and moving for a horror story. A young woman lives with her father/creator in a huge house in Washington state. He has a huge laboratory where he conducts experiments on living things, experiments that got him kicked out of Europe by crowds of pitchfork- and torch-bearing villagers. His name rhymes with “Schmankenstein”…
February 17, 2022
During this entire novella, Barron had me entranced by his writing. His prose is equal parts efficient and deliriously lyrical in this strange crime story about an enforcer for the Heron clan of the Yakuza and his colleagues as they kidnap an ex-celebrity wrestler during a gang war. From the start, I got a sense that this story was not going to be your run-of-the-mill crime thriller, as the author infuses the tale with a sense of existential dread that just gets worse and worse as it goes on. And once the climax hits, it becomes something way more creepy than I ever expected.
The first thing I attempted to read by Laird Barron was the story collection, Swift to Chase, which I was disappointed by but which I now understand was more advanced, grad school-level Barron, especially with the fact that Barron’s books reference each other. Well I’m still in Barron high school so this short book was my next choice, and although I still might not understand all of its mysteries, I enjoyed it much more. And there’s even a bonus story that was just as impressive, “Blood and Stardust,” which played like a really twisted Frankenstein. I’m excited to read more by Laird Barron soon.
The first thing I attempted to read by Laird Barron was the story collection, Swift to Chase, which I was disappointed by but which I now understand was more advanced, grad school-level Barron, especially with the fact that Barron’s books reference each other. Well I’m still in Barron high school so this short book was my next choice, and although I still might not understand all of its mysteries, I enjoyed it much more. And there’s even a bonus story that was just as impressive, “Blood and Stardust,” which played like a really twisted Frankenstein. I’m excited to read more by Laird Barron soon.
January 10, 2019
Hmmm. I never thought I'd say this, but I didn't love this novella by my dear Laird Baron. Now don't get me wrong, it was still quite good: the prose is as strong and atmospheric as ever, the sense of dread and weirdness that permeate his stories was present. But I had a hard time keeping track of when we were in reality, a dream-sequence or the underworld, it was all a bit too blurry and I was scratching my head a little by the last page.
The story uses Barron's usual elements: a protagonist with a secret who has a violent job, and intoxicants end up blurring the line between what is real and what isn't. But despite being relatively long-form compared to say his other short stories, it felt like it did not have quite enough room to breathe; or at least, not enough for this reader to understand what was going on.
The bonus story at the end of the book, "Blood and Stardust", about a mad scientist's assistant's emancipation, actually grabbed me more, with its touches of (gross) dark humor and satisfying conclusion.
3 and a half stars.
The story uses Barron's usual elements: a protagonist with a secret who has a violent job, and intoxicants end up blurring the line between what is real and what isn't. But despite being relatively long-form compared to say his other short stories, it felt like it did not have quite enough room to breathe; or at least, not enough for this reader to understand what was going on.
The bonus story at the end of the book, "Blood and Stardust", about a mad scientist's assistant's emancipation, actually grabbed me more, with its touches of (gross) dark humor and satisfying conclusion.
3 and a half stars.
June 19, 2021
Nanashi is a gangster with a mysterious, tragic and terrible past, typical of Laird Barron's tough guys. Now he works for the Heron yakuza clan as one of their enforcers. They are sent to collect a professional wrestler who's an "asset" of a rival clan, over some sort of gang dispute. All the characters are described in vivid noir detail, then there is a lot of blood and violence, a femme fatale, and finally, the Barron twist where Nanashi comes face to face with the cold, unfeeling cosmic horror that lurks behind the skin of our reality.
Really a 3.5 star listen, but rounded up because I have high expectations of Laird Barron and this was just "okay" for him and not long enough to really develop beyond his usual tropes.
Really a 3.5 star listen, but rounded up because I have high expectations of Laird Barron and this was just "okay" for him and not long enough to really develop beyond his usual tropes.
August 6, 2021
I don't know... This may be a bit better than the 3 star rating I give it. It is a fast paced action read with a sort of weird twist. I believe it will hold most action fans.
The thing is, it's one of those books I read, laid aside and then just recently picked up again thinking, this sounds interesting.
Then of course realized I'd read the book and completely forgotten it. I never followed it up or thought about the story again.
So, okay read. I liked it, but it is pretty much so light as to be rather forgettable. Maybe see what you think...
The thing is, it's one of those books I read, laid aside and then just recently picked up again thinking, this sounds interesting.
Then of course realized I'd read the book and completely forgotten it. I never followed it up or thought about the story again.
So, okay read. I liked it, but it is pretty much so light as to be rather forgettable. Maybe see what you think...
March 14, 2016
The title novella is a blast, full of action and demanding a cinematic adaptation. And then there's the bonus story, "Blood and Stardust," a pure treat, a perfect dessert. Great stuff overall, and well worth picking up. (But someone at JournalStone should give me a call: We need to talk about layout.)
February 17, 2018
Well, this was a treat. Barron's Man with No Name is a novella that fuses Nikkatsu noir with cosmic horror that is more reminiscent of the cinematic nightmares of David Lynch than of you-know-who. Barron's presentation of Yakuza in-fighting feels as authentic as any film directed by Seijun Suzuki or Beat Taskashi, which is to say that the novella exists in its own pocket of reality, one in which time is malleable and the true nature of spirituality is as incomprehensible as it is carnivorous. Barron's sentences swagger even after the notion of an objective reality goes tits up, leaving the reader with a sequence of striking scenes peopled with memorable characters, both human and other. The bonus story featuring a feminist riff on Frankenstein is entertaining but nowhere near as beguiling as the novella before it.
August 14, 2016
This slim volume contains two exemplary tales by the inimitable Laird Barron. The first, the novella "Man with No Name," is an excellent reminder that nobody captures the mystery and disorientation of being caught up in unknowable supernatural forces like Barron does. Hints of a much larger and more terrifying backstory pepper this tale of a Yakuza enforcer, a popular professional wrestler, and a terrifying excursion into the liminal realm between the worlds of the natural and the supernatural. It's an amazing piece of work, filled with darkness and disquiet.
The second story, "Blood & Stardust," is somewhat lighter in tone, an astute and often amusing take on mad scientists and their creations. Barron shows a deep sense of compassion for his narrator, despite her many crimes, and infuses the story with his trademark hints of a wider and scarier world than we're aware of.
Both stories provide ample evidence of why Barron is widely considered one of the finest horror authors working today. This small, two-story collection is a must-own for Barron fans, and not a bad place to start for those looking to experience his ghastly and arcane cosmos for the first time.
The second story, "Blood & Stardust," is somewhat lighter in tone, an astute and often amusing take on mad scientists and their creations. Barron shows a deep sense of compassion for his narrator, despite her many crimes, and infuses the story with his trademark hints of a wider and scarier world than we're aware of.
Both stories provide ample evidence of why Barron is widely considered one of the finest horror authors working today. This small, two-story collection is a must-own for Barron fans, and not a bad place to start for those looking to experience his ghastly and arcane cosmos for the first time.
March 12, 2016
I'm growing really fond of cosmic horror fiction. It's a subtle and ominous genre that has a lot of freedom to explore different angles. Laird Barron's MAN WITH NO NAME is a boundless and introspective noir/horror story that's intricately intertwined in Japanese mythology. Barron's accuracy and economy of language create rich and intoxicating atmosphere that could almost carry the storyline on its own even if there weren't any characters in the novella.
The cast of characters in itself is great and while some come off as stereotypes, they are all deliberate decisions by Laird Barron, serving the story the exact way they're supposed to. I very much enjoyed this book and am really looking forward to read more Laird Barron and more cosmic horror in general. A bold and original story for sure.
The cast of characters in itself is great and while some come off as stereotypes, they are all deliberate decisions by Laird Barron, serving the story the exact way they're supposed to. I very much enjoyed this book and am really looking forward to read more Laird Barron and more cosmic horror in general. A bold and original story for sure.
Want to read
March 22, 2016The book consists of two reprint stories:
2014's "Man With No Name" from Centipede Press's "A Mountain Walked"
2013's "Blood & Stardust" from Tor's "A Mad Scientists Guide To World Domination"
Cover Art and design by Rob Grom
2014's "Man With No Name" from Centipede Press's "A Mountain Walked"
2013's "Blood & Stardust" from Tor's "A Mad Scientists Guide To World Domination"
Cover Art and design by Rob Grom
February 9, 2025
Historia criminal entre el relato largo y la novela corta cuyas mejores páginas llegan cuando se abre al horror. Mientras que la historia de yakuzas apenas brilla un poco cuando irrumpe el humor o la acción, molan ciertos fogonazos durante los cuales se pierde pie con lo "real" y se vislumbra el abismo tras el giro final.
Esta ventana se extiende tan poquito que me cuesta recomendarlo. La edición es intachable, con una traducción modélica de Antonio Rivas, pero son 18 eurazos en un librito en el que ha desaparecido un relato que, por lo que leo por aquí, venía en la edición original (y que me hace pensar que el volumen publicado por La biblioteca de Carfax debiera figurar en una ficha independiente).
Esta ventana se extiende tan poquito que me cuesta recomendarlo. La edición es intachable, con una traducción modélica de Antonio Rivas, pero son 18 eurazos en un librito en el que ha desaparecido un relato que, por lo que leo por aquí, venía en la edición original (y que me hace pensar que el volumen publicado por La biblioteca de Carfax debiera figurar en una ficha independiente).
March 22, 2016
Laird Barron is absolutely brilliant and consistently writes stories that are extremely good. This book contains two stories,' Man With No Name' & 'Blood & Stardust'. Both these stories have been published before in anthologies. Man With No Name was published in previous expensive limited edition formats so it is great to see it now available in a format that costs less. For big Laird fans (like me) this edition is another must have for the collection and whilst it isn't my favourite Laird Barron story it is a definite 4 star novella. Highly recommended.
May 10, 2024
Una mezcla de peli de yakuzas con horror lovecraftiano es lo que nos propone Laird Barron en esta novela corta.
Barron son su estilo onírico y de pesadilla nos cuenta la historia de Nanashi, un hombre de treinta y tres años que antes de empezar a trabajar en el clan Grulla era un alcohólico que vivía en las calles.
A Nanashi y sus hermanos del clan les encargan una misión: secuestrar a Muzaki, un famoso luchador retirado que se encuentra bajo la protección del clan Dragón.
Pronto descubriremos que el guerrero retirado esconde secretos que harán que nuestro protagonista se cuestione todo lo que cree conocer y su lealtad al clan yakuza.
Un final bastante horroroso para un libro que me ha gustado pero que se me queda corto, más que una novela parece un relato más de los grandes libros de cuentos de este autor. Eso sí, si te gusta el misterio y el weird como a mí te encantará.
Barron son su estilo onírico y de pesadilla nos cuenta la historia de Nanashi, un hombre de treinta y tres años que antes de empezar a trabajar en el clan Grulla era un alcohólico que vivía en las calles.
A Nanashi y sus hermanos del clan les encargan una misión: secuestrar a Muzaki, un famoso luchador retirado que se encuentra bajo la protección del clan Dragón.
Pronto descubriremos que el guerrero retirado esconde secretos que harán que nuestro protagonista se cuestione todo lo que cree conocer y su lealtad al clan yakuza.
Un final bastante horroroso para un libro que me ha gustado pero que se me queda corto, más que una novela parece un relato más de los grandes libros de cuentos de este autor. Eso sí, si te gusta el misterio y el weird como a mí te encantará.
February 24, 2024
"Te he hablado de laberintos, de maldiciones y de almas condenadas. Pero tú hablas de pesadillas y demencia. Te diré que los muertos y los no muertos viajan con libertad por el laberinto estático de la realidad, y de hecho te he mostrado la autenticidad del laberinto. Has elegido ser ciego y sordo. Los primates humanos atesoran su ignorancia. Me gustaría recuperar mi propia inocencia respecto al páramo aullante que se alarga hasta el infinito"
La novela de Barron, de corte noir y cosmic horror, es todo un reto para todos esos lectores a los que les gusta que les tomen en serio. A los que les encanta sumergirse en mundos y atmósferas personales, fascinantes y angustiosas.
Una novela corta que exige leerse con calma, saboreando cada una de las palabras que utiliza el autor, para trasladarte al ambiente que ha creado para ti.
Laird Barron tiene una forma de escribir seductora, mágica y perturbadora. Su novela no intenta ser un manual o compendio de la cultura yakuza, ni siquiera de la japonesa, El hombre sin nombre utiliza esas herramientas para engañarnos y soltar todo su arsenal contra nosostros cuando más seguros creemos estarlo.
La novela de Barron, de corte noir y cosmic horror, es todo un reto para todos esos lectores a los que les gusta que les tomen en serio. A los que les encanta sumergirse en mundos y atmósferas personales, fascinantes y angustiosas.
Una novela corta que exige leerse con calma, saboreando cada una de las palabras que utiliza el autor, para trasladarte al ambiente que ha creado para ti.
Laird Barron tiene una forma de escribir seductora, mágica y perturbadora. Su novela no intenta ser un manual o compendio de la cultura yakuza, ni siquiera de la japonesa, El hombre sin nombre utiliza esas herramientas para engañarnos y soltar todo su arsenal contra nosostros cuando más seguros creemos estarlo.
October 3, 2017
This was creepy as hell which is awesome.
February 22, 2025
A quick listen, a bit too short to gain any major traction for me. Not something I'll remember but if it was longer, definitely probably would enjoy.
October 1, 2021
3.5/5
Fast-paced, violent (slashed throats, exploding eyeballs, general bloodbath), and weird. I liked it, just didn't love it.
Fast-paced, violent (slashed throats, exploding eyeballs, general bloodbath), and weird. I liked it, just didn't love it.
February 10, 2016
Nanashi was born into a life of violence. Delivered from the mean streets by the Heron Clan, he mastered the way of the gun and knife and swiftly ascended through yakuza ranks to become a dreaded enforcer. His latest task? He and an entourage of expert killers are commanded to kidnap Muzaki, a retired world-renowned wrestler under protection of the rival Dragon Syndicate.
It should be business as bloody usual for Nanashi and his ruthless brothers in arms, except for the detail that Muzaki possesses a terrifying secret. A secret that will spawn a no-holds barred gang war and send Nanashi on a personal odyssey into immortal darkness.
It should be business as bloody usual for Nanashi and his ruthless brothers in arms, except for the detail that Muzaki possesses a terrifying secret. A secret that will spawn a no-holds barred gang war and send Nanashi on a personal odyssey into immortal darkness.
July 10, 2016
Weird, enthralling, and creepy as fuck. An incredible novella.
March 23, 2021
A deliciously compact, mystery steeped, blood drenched novela. NICE!!!!
July 28, 2022
Not one for me, quite a lot of action but little in substance. Some strange twists and turns on the way.
April 1, 2016
The Man With No Name was originally printed in A Mountain Walked, an anthology that I sadly missed getting a copy of - at least in hardcover. When I received my copy of the trade edition I was disappointed that there were some changes to it, mainly that this story was excluded. Luckily it was reprinted in this chapbook along with an extra short story Blood & Stardust.
Plainly put: another great story, a novella this time, by Laird Barron.
One of the more interesting settings, for the novella, that I've read in a horror story: Japan and the underworld of Yakuza. Apparently this is the first of a series of novellas featuring Nanashi, the next coming out sometime this year titled All The Devils Are Here.
The extra story was a bit different than anything else that I've read so far by Barron, a good contrast in tone and characters from the title story.
As good as these stories are I can't wait to read more longer length works by Laird Barron. Another novella set to be released this year called Cult of the Bird Eaters sounds very promising, at least going by the title. I'm definitely going to have to set aside time this upcoming week to read some more Barron that I have, X's for Eyes and The Beautiful Thing that Awaits Us All.
Plainly put: another great story, a novella this time, by Laird Barron.
One of the more interesting settings, for the novella, that I've read in a horror story: Japan and the underworld of Yakuza. Apparently this is the first of a series of novellas featuring Nanashi, the next coming out sometime this year titled All The Devils Are Here.
The extra story was a bit different than anything else that I've read so far by Barron, a good contrast in tone and characters from the title story.
As good as these stories are I can't wait to read more longer length works by Laird Barron. Another novella set to be released this year called Cult of the Bird Eaters sounds very promising, at least going by the title. I'm definitely going to have to set aside time this upcoming week to read some more Barron that I have, X's for Eyes and The Beautiful Thing that Awaits Us All.
October 18, 2017
In truth I liked more the second story, Blood & Stardust, about the witty revenge of a Frankenstein like creature.
The Man with No Name was interesting, well built, but not so explanatory and satisfying in the end.
The Man with No Name was interesting, well built, but not so explanatory and satisfying in the end.
March 4, 2016
So, so good. Need another collection soon. These novellas are great, but over far too quick!
December 27, 2020
'It should be business as bloody usual ...' - it definitely wasn't.
I loved the writing, the story and the narration is good.
I loved the writing, the story and the narration is good.
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