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Fantastic Americana
Yesterday... a giant lost himself in America, forever running from the supernatural killers who pursued him, and a witch formed one last spell in hopes of resurrecting her murdered son.
Today... a desperate mother bargains with wolves, and a man frozen in memories chases a magic portal that might finally lead him to his true love.
Tomorrow... survivors of the apocalypse will hunt deadly dirt angels, and an escaped artificial intelligences will relive the Cold War until the very end of the universe.
Travel an American landscape of endless highways, video stores that never close, and lonesome cabins stalked by nightmares. Josh Rountree's second collection gathers fifteen years of stories, including two originals never before published.
Today... a desperate mother bargains with wolves, and a man frozen in memories chases a magic portal that might finally lead him to his true love.
Tomorrow... survivors of the apocalypse will hunt deadly dirt angels, and an escaped artificial intelligences will relive the Cold War until the very end of the universe.
Travel an American landscape of endless highways, video stores that never close, and lonesome cabins stalked by nightmares. Josh Rountree's second collection gathers fifteen years of stories, including two originals never before published.
320 pages, Paperback
Published August 10, 2021
2 people are currently reading
92 people want to read
About the author
Josh Rountree
40 books105 followersJosh Rountree is a novelist and short story writer who works across multiple genres, focusing mostly on horror and dark fantasy. His novel The Legend of Charlie Fish was released by Tachyon Publications in 2023 to wide acclaim, making the Locus Recommended Reading List, and being named one of Los Angeles Public Library’s best books of the year.
More than seventy of his short stories have been published in a variety of venues, including The Deadlands, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Bourbon Penn, Realms of Fantasy, PseudoPod, Weird Horror, and The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror. Several collections of his short fiction have been published, including Fantastic Americana, and most recently, Death Aesthetic, featuring tales of death and transformation.
Rountree lives in the greater Austin, TX metro with his lovely wife of many years, and a pair of half-feral dogs who command his obedience.
More than seventy of his short stories have been published in a variety of venues, including The Deadlands, Beneath Ceaseless Skies, Bourbon Penn, Realms of Fantasy, PseudoPod, Weird Horror, and The Year’s Best Dark Fantasy & Horror. Several collections of his short fiction have been published, including Fantastic Americana, and most recently, Death Aesthetic, featuring tales of death and transformation.
Rountree lives in the greater Austin, TX metro with his lovely wife of many years, and a pair of half-feral dogs who command his obedience.
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
August 19, 2023
An Amazing Collection!
My first read by Rountree, but certainly not my last. I enjoyed all these stories, but my favorites were "Veronica," "Chasing America," "Gone Daddy Gone," "Her Soul, A Dark Forest," and "The Guadalupe Witch." I'm looking forward to more from Rountree. Highly recommended!
My first read by Rountree, but certainly not my last. I enjoyed all these stories, but my favorites were "Veronica," "Chasing America," "Gone Daddy Gone," "Her Soul, A Dark Forest," and "The Guadalupe Witch." I'm looking forward to more from Rountree. Highly recommended!
October 23, 2021
Werewolves in Texas, a witch in California, a video rental store trying to stay afloat in a post-magic-apocalyptic small town -- you never know what kind of story you'll read next in this delightful collection. All of the stories are set in the United States, with traditional (and untraditional) creatures normally found in Europe - and some that are distinctly American. I highly recommend this book.
October 7, 2021
This collection is a treat. I especially enjoyed it because a number of the stories have been drawn from publications that no longer exist--like Lone Star Stories. That was a publication near and dear to my heart, and I love seeing some of the stories they published live in. Rountree's stories explore all the corners of America you won't have seen elsewhere, drawing from them Paul Bunyan, a pack of wolves, a witch, and a bunch of angels. This is one road trip you won't regret.
August 4, 2025
Quite enjoyable blending of exactly what the title promises--Paul Bunyan as spirit of America hounded by his enemies, and enemies of all that's good, the Jacks, meeting Woody Guthrie and Neal Cassady and, why not, ending up in Dallas in 1963. That's the standout, got collected all over the place, but also: video store as last redoubt of civilization in the post-apocalypse, with customers ranging from the usual armed scavengers to mutants to persnickety lizardmen who adore Steve McQueen; werewolves in 19th-c East Texas, brought here from the Old Country; cyberpunk Merry Pranksters; and John Lennon teams up with Bob Wills instead of Paul what's-his-name, hitting the top of the charts with his mix of western swing and rock; the Clash as the last hope of humankind under corporate tyranny; George Washington controls the fountain of youth and tyrannizes America up through the Cold War.
Same zesty language as in his novels--he has a great feel for that smartass wit that I'd guess Real Authentic Frontier Gibberish ever approximated, but that crackles extremely satisfyingly on the page, and I love the collision of ideas and technique. His story notes reference Howard Waldrop, whose work I enjoy, but maybe half the time I don't get the joke/twist he's playing--and I teach US history. So maybe because these are that tiny bit more clear in reference, and/or their referents are a tad less obscure, those marginal differences add up to significantly more enjoyment, and less puzzlement, for me.
Same zesty language as in his novels--he has a great feel for that smartass wit that I'd guess Real Authentic Frontier Gibberish ever approximated, but that crackles extremely satisfyingly on the page, and I love the collision of ideas and technique. His story notes reference Howard Waldrop, whose work I enjoy, but maybe half the time I don't get the joke/twist he's playing--and I teach US history. So maybe because these are that tiny bit more clear in reference, and/or their referents are a tad less obscure, those marginal differences add up to significantly more enjoyment, and less puzzlement, for me.
June 12, 2023
Fantastic Americana is a new bible of the weird, a collection of tales that seem delivered by a mad prophet who has stumbled out of the neon wilderness not with parables of salvation but with testaments to the enigmas of existence — to existence itself as enigma.
There’s post-apocalypse survivors battling it out with mysterious and terrifying dirt angels, a giant fleeing to America from the “Jacks” that pursue him, video store clerks just trying to make it through their shift in the end times, a wild and intergalactic spin on Ken Kesey’s school bus travels and much, much more. The story “The Guadalupe Witch,” about a witch trying to bring a dead child back to life at an enormous cost, is worth the price of the book alone.
Imagine having a dream where Donald Barthelme possesses Jeffrey Ford to write new stories on Annie Proulx’s haunted typewriter and you’ll have an idea of what these stories are like.
More, please.
There’s post-apocalypse survivors battling it out with mysterious and terrifying dirt angels, a giant fleeing to America from the “Jacks” that pursue him, video store clerks just trying to make it through their shift in the end times, a wild and intergalactic spin on Ken Kesey’s school bus travels and much, much more. The story “The Guadalupe Witch,” about a witch trying to bring a dead child back to life at an enormous cost, is worth the price of the book alone.
Imagine having a dream where Donald Barthelme possesses Jeffrey Ford to write new stories on Annie Proulx’s haunted typewriter and you’ll have an idea of what these stories are like.
More, please.
August 15, 2023
For the “Fantastic” part:
Such a rich variety of textures and themes in this collection, it’s quite refreshing. If perchance one story happens to leave a bad taste in your mouth (due to a character’s choices, let’s say) then you can just keep on reading and start another and in a few moments you’ll be deep in another weird world. Or you could set the book down after each story and keep dreaming “What if that’s the way the world was?” for a bit longer just to revel in it.
For the “Americana” part:
It should be noted that the author is Texan, and has chosen Texas as the setting for of the majority of these stories. If you were not already aware, Texas is its own special corner of America and should be treated as such in all scholarly dissertation.
Such a rich variety of textures and themes in this collection, it’s quite refreshing. If perchance one story happens to leave a bad taste in your mouth (due to a character’s choices, let’s say) then you can just keep on reading and start another and in a few moments you’ll be deep in another weird world. Or you could set the book down after each story and keep dreaming “What if that’s the way the world was?” for a bit longer just to revel in it.
For the “Americana” part:
It should be noted that the author is Texan, and has chosen Texas as the setting for of the majority of these stories. If you were not already aware, Texas is its own special corner of America and should be treated as such in all scholarly dissertation.
October 6, 2021
I read through this collection slowly, savoring the stories because each needs to be taken in before starting the next. Rountree gives us flashes of America from east to west, but dwells most on Texas, giving us glimpses of the hidden worlds all around that we never quite see. It's a lovely collection, and if you're a music buff, you'll especially love "Can't Buy Me Faded Love."
April 4, 2023
Nice mix of genres between fantasy and science fiction, with some cosmic horrors and the like thrown in. Mostly good stories, though I might miss out on some cultural relevance as I'm not American.
Highlights for me were Rewind, Rattlesnake Song and Escaping Salvation, with honorable mention to Possibly Grief for being an interesting read, though it feels like I missed something.
Highlights for me were Rewind, Rattlesnake Song and Escaping Salvation, with honorable mention to Possibly Grief for being an interesting read, though it feels like I missed something.
November 11, 2021
Solidly fun stories, frequently with a little bit of a Texas twang to them when he’s not riffing on the Clash or otherwise. Highly recommended, especially for fans of Howard Waldrop or Joe Lansdale.
January 13, 2023
Very enjoyable collection of stories. A strong old-school pulp fiction feel to a lot of them, which is not a complaint!
December 14, 2025
All hits. Every one.
I will read anything and everything Josh writes.
I will read anything and everything Josh writes.
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews