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Dead On the Bones
Dead on the Pulp on Fire is a collection of eight stories from Joe R. Lansdale where he pays tribute to the tales of his youth in his signature style.
Included,
The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning
The Redheaded Dead
King of the Cheap Romance
Naked Angel
Dead on the Bones
Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot
Under the Warrior Star
The Wizard of the Trees
From pulp to modern fiction, Lansdale brings his signature style and unique genre blending to this collection.
Included with express permission from the Burrough's estate, is the story "Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot".
Included,
The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning
The Redheaded Dead
King of the Cheap Romance
Naked Angel
Dead on the Bones
Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot
Under the Warrior Star
The Wizard of the Trees
From pulp to modern fiction, Lansdale brings his signature style and unique genre blending to this collection.
Included with express permission from the Burrough's estate, is the story "Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot".
303 pages, Kindle Edition
First published November 30, 2016
16 people are currently reading
126 people want to read
About the author
Joe R. Lansdale
817 books3,891 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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Displaying 1 - 27 of 27 reviews
November 26, 2016
Remember reading those pulp magazines when you were a kid? Those and the adventure novels about Tarzan and exploring lost worlds? Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire is a collection of those kinds of stories and it really brought me back to my childhood.
Being a Lansdale fan, I have come to expect a certain sense of humor from his stories and that was mostly missing here. In the foreword, Mr. Lansdale explains that he purposely tried to write in the style of his heroes. I would say he succeeded!
My favorite story of the bunch was "Dead on the Bones." A tale of a conjure man that visits the locals regularly, and who just so happens to resurrect the dead as boxing opponents. There is a lot more to this one than just what's on the surface, but you'll have to read it to see what sets it apart.
"Under the Warrior Star" was a very close second in my list of favorite tales. A true adventure story which reminded me of the fact that all my teachers used to tell me that these stories were for boys. They never understood me. Flying about on beetle-like creatures among the canopies of giant trees, with a man who can meditate so deeply he can levitate? Sign me the heck up! There was so much to this story that I can only cover the bare bones of it here-but trust me on this, if you loved pulp adventure when you were a kid, you'll love this one.
"The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning" featured an old favorite of mine, Auguste Dupin. Poe was always a thrill for me and to meet Dupin again was a blast! Lansdale hit the writing style right on head with this one and it brought back a lot of fond memories.
Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire was written as a tribute to the pulp writers of old-be they in print, on the radio or the television, the feel of the stories remains true. I think fans of the old magazines and stories like Weird Tales, or Alfred Hitchcock's, Tarzan or even Conan will not only get a big kick out of these adventures, but they'll also get a nice walk down memory lane.
Recommended for fans of the old pulp and adventures stories!
You can get your copy here: Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire
I received my copy free from Net Galley and Subterranean Press in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!
Being a Lansdale fan, I have come to expect a certain sense of humor from his stories and that was mostly missing here. In the foreword, Mr. Lansdale explains that he purposely tried to write in the style of his heroes. I would say he succeeded!
My favorite story of the bunch was "Dead on the Bones." A tale of a conjure man that visits the locals regularly, and who just so happens to resurrect the dead as boxing opponents. There is a lot more to this one than just what's on the surface, but you'll have to read it to see what sets it apart.
"Under the Warrior Star" was a very close second in my list of favorite tales. A true adventure story which reminded me of the fact that all my teachers used to tell me that these stories were for boys. They never understood me. Flying about on beetle-like creatures among the canopies of giant trees, with a man who can meditate so deeply he can levitate? Sign me the heck up! There was so much to this story that I can only cover the bare bones of it here-but trust me on this, if you loved pulp adventure when you were a kid, you'll love this one.
"The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning" featured an old favorite of mine, Auguste Dupin. Poe was always a thrill for me and to meet Dupin again was a blast! Lansdale hit the writing style right on head with this one and it brought back a lot of fond memories.
Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire was written as a tribute to the pulp writers of old-be they in print, on the radio or the television, the feel of the stories remains true. I think fans of the old magazines and stories like Weird Tales, or Alfred Hitchcock's, Tarzan or even Conan will not only get a big kick out of these adventures, but they'll also get a nice walk down memory lane.
Recommended for fans of the old pulp and adventures stories!
You can get your copy here: Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire
I received my copy free from Net Galley and Subterranean Press in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it!
Want to read
December 23, 2016This book is copy 379 of 1500 hardcover copies printed and is signed by Joe R. Lansdale.
September 23, 2016
These tales are probably a lot better than I am going to give them credit for. I don't like scifi/fantasy stories and that's about what half of these were. Bummer.
I guess I thought from the cover and title that the “pulp” was going to be more in my wheelhouse. Bummer. (Did I already say that?) I like Lansdale’s writing and am a big fan, but this one just was not for me, even though I did enjoy the first few stories. I was so bored to tears with one of the stories I had to skim ahead, which is something I very rarely ever do. Bummer. Again.
Edited 9-23-16. Whoops. Forgot my disclaimer. *I received an advance review copy of this release from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I guess I thought from the cover and title that the “pulp” was going to be more in my wheelhouse. Bummer. (Did I already say that?) I like Lansdale’s writing and am a big fan, but this one just was not for me, even though I did enjoy the first few stories. I was so bored to tears with one of the stories I had to skim ahead, which is something I very rarely ever do. Bummer. Again.
Edited 9-23-16. Whoops. Forgot my disclaimer. *I received an advance review copy of this release from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
April 30, 2021
Joe R. Lansdale is one of the greatest storytellers of our time. This book contains some of his choicest works that can be classified as pulp or neo-pulp.
There were several overlong works here that were pastiches of Burroughs and Wells. Fans of Tarzan might enjoy them more than me. As an admirer of PJF I found these tales rather vapid.
There were few hugely enjoyable works here. They were:
1. The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning
2. King of the Cheap Romance
3. Naked Angel
Overall, this book is definitely readable. Combined with rich illustrations and the Author's signature, it becomes unmissable from the collector's point of view. But, Lansdale has written far superior stuff.
There were several overlong works here that were pastiches of Burroughs and Wells. Fans of Tarzan might enjoy them more than me. As an admirer of PJF I found these tales rather vapid.
There were few hugely enjoyable works here. They were:
1. The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning
2. King of the Cheap Romance
3. Naked Angel
Overall, this book is definitely readable. Combined with rich illustrations and the Author's signature, it becomes unmissable from the collector's point of view. But, Lansdale has written far superior stuff.
February 5, 2017
Joe R. Lansdale is one of the American authors where the influence from the pulp magazines and novels remains so well pronounced. Even in his most famous novels like The Bottoms, there is a grittiness that thinly disguises the pulp world. It can be easily argued that his mystery novel duo, Hap and Leonard, would have been very happy in the pages of a hard-boiled detective fiction magazine. Dead on the Bones; Pulp on Fire starts with an introduction where the author discusses his love for the old pulp writers. But he makes clear another influence to emerge in his childhood of the 50s, television, is what really ignited his love for the pulps. I never thought of it before but programs like Flash Gordon and all those westerns were visual pulp. I do not think it is coincidence that the pulp influence for Lansdale is most pronounced in his mystery/crime noir works and his western novels.
Dead on the Bones; Pulp on Fire is all pulp though. It is best to think of this as a tribute. The eight works of fiction included in the collection, with one exception which we will get to later, breathes more pulp than Lansdale. Three stories are heavily influenced by Edgar Rice Burroughs, an author that Lansdale singles out in the introduction. One of the works, "Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot" is a pastiche blending together the Tarzan tales , Pellucidar, and another Burroughs creation mentioned in the title."Under the Warrior Star" and "The Wizard of Trees" are more original but are definitely in the style of Burroughs and other writers of early pulp fiction. The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lighting" blends Edgar Allen Poe's amateur detective C. Auguste Dupin with a hint of Lovecraft. "The Redheaded Dead" and "King of the Cheap Romance" are dedicated to Robert E. Howard and Ardath Mayhar respectively. "Naked Angel" would fit well in any horror or suspense pulp magazine. In the later years, I would like to believe Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine would have picked it up despite its supernatural tones..
Which leaves the title story, "Dead on the Bones". This story of conjured fighting matches feels the most like Lansdale. Its setting and imagine plot fits well with anything he writes thus it is all Lansdale. It is my pick for best fiction in the collection.
Not that the other stories aren't good . They are quite good. And I especially liked "Under the Warrior Star" which, again from the introduction, seems to be a very early story by the author recently revamped. If you are a fan of Burroughs or the Weird Tales roster of writers you will really enjoy this. While it may not be what some would call typical Lansdale, I still recommend it for the nostalgic feel and the imaginative storytelling.
Dead on the Bones; Pulp on Fire is all pulp though. It is best to think of this as a tribute. The eight works of fiction included in the collection, with one exception which we will get to later, breathes more pulp than Lansdale. Three stories are heavily influenced by Edgar Rice Burroughs, an author that Lansdale singles out in the introduction. One of the works, "Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot" is a pastiche blending together the Tarzan tales , Pellucidar, and another Burroughs creation mentioned in the title."Under the Warrior Star" and "The Wizard of Trees" are more original but are definitely in the style of Burroughs and other writers of early pulp fiction. The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lighting" blends Edgar Allen Poe's amateur detective C. Auguste Dupin with a hint of Lovecraft. "The Redheaded Dead" and "King of the Cheap Romance" are dedicated to Robert E. Howard and Ardath Mayhar respectively. "Naked Angel" would fit well in any horror or suspense pulp magazine. In the later years, I would like to believe Alfred Hitchcock's Mystery Magazine would have picked it up despite its supernatural tones..
Which leaves the title story, "Dead on the Bones". This story of conjured fighting matches feels the most like Lansdale. Its setting and imagine plot fits well with anything he writes thus it is all Lansdale. It is my pick for best fiction in the collection.
Not that the other stories aren't good . They are quite good. And I especially liked "Under the Warrior Star" which, again from the introduction, seems to be a very early story by the author recently revamped. If you are a fan of Burroughs or the Weird Tales roster of writers you will really enjoy this. While it may not be what some would call typical Lansdale, I still recommend it for the nostalgic feel and the imaginative storytelling.
April 25, 2019
Dead on the Bones is a short story collection by Joe Lansdale. I feel very privileged to have been able to read this as Subterranean Press editions are typically beyond my price range and you just cannot find them "in the wild" at a used bookstore etc. It's been my experience people tend to hang on to this type of book so being gifted one has been a real delight. Actually this book was a delight as well. There is not a bad story in the bunch, and if you've read my reviews long enough you know one of the principles I espouse is that an anthology is only a good as its' worst story. Dead on the Bones does not have a bad story in it. Constant Reader: these stories are Lansdale's homage to the pulps he cut his teeth on as a youth. So there is a Tarzan story here (fully authorized by the Burroughs estate) as well as various other "pulp-y" goodies. This book never fails to entertain.
October 26, 2016
This was a very interesting collection and nice introduction to the origins of the pulp genre, which I was too young (or not yet there at all ;) to experience firsthand. I only vaguely remember watching Tarzan as a TV series and the b/w movies, but that's about all I can say for it. So let's take a closer look at the stories we get here:
Pulp Fury: An Introduction
The introduction was very insightful and though I am not familiar with the authors mentioned my interest was piqued and I will investigate them further. I wonder if the pulp magazines and TV shows were as popular here in Germany, my guess would be that they were mainly an American thing. My parents sure can't remember stumbling upon them ;)
The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning
The first story, starring detective Auguste Dupin (whose character actually was invented by Poe) was ok but it held my interest only loosely. Too many coincidences and convenient guess work for my liking, though it perfectly depicts the detective's quirky 'Sherlock Holmes'-like nature (while actually, it would have been Dupin who inspired the creation of Holmes...). **
The Redheaded Dead
Though I love stories with fangs, this one about a vampire-hunting god-doubting preacher was the worst of the collection - simply utterly boring. *
King of the Cheap Romance
"Third time is a charm" and the third story of the collection, which is a sci-fi bit about a girl stranded on Mars (though most part of it read like it could have played somewhere in the arctic region as well) was the first to really hold my interest throughout. Could this be the turning point in the book?! ***
Naked Angel
Wow! I was truly mesmerized by this perfect little piece of 'pulp noir'. Got me with this one! *****
Dead on the Bones
Another tasty treat comes with this story about revenge and voodoo. Great! ****
Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot
Reading this one stirred some vague memories of a black and white Tarzan and some distant dinosaur movie scenes (were there any in the original King Kong movie? I just can't put my finger on it where these come from). Entertaining, but nothing new on this front, and I didn't care for the macho aura surrounding Tarzan like a cloud of flies around something smelly. ***
Under the Warrior Star
What I loved about this story was the background story about a man being sent into an artificially created universe where he encounters strange people on a strange planet...the rest was just another Tarzan-like super hero saves the beauty hodge-podge with lots of fighting against some savages or beasts. **
The Wizard of the Trees
Didn't I just read that story? Way too similar to the Warrior Star, this story was perfect to resurface from the pulp realm, fading into the background while the here and now took over again. **
As a whole, this collection provides a common but decent 3 star mixture of good, great and ugly. However, the author definitely delivered on his promise that the collection would be pure pulp, and I am glad I took the opportunity to get more familiar with his work.
(I chose to read an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own)
Pulp Fury: An Introduction
The introduction was very insightful and though I am not familiar with the authors mentioned my interest was piqued and I will investigate them further. I wonder if the pulp magazines and TV shows were as popular here in Germany, my guess would be that they were mainly an American thing. My parents sure can't remember stumbling upon them ;)
The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning
The first story, starring detective Auguste Dupin (whose character actually was invented by Poe) was ok but it held my interest only loosely. Too many coincidences and convenient guess work for my liking, though it perfectly depicts the detective's quirky 'Sherlock Holmes'-like nature (while actually, it would have been Dupin who inspired the creation of Holmes...). **
The Redheaded Dead
Though I love stories with fangs, this one about a vampire-hunting god-doubting preacher was the worst of the collection - simply utterly boring. *
King of the Cheap Romance
"Third time is a charm" and the third story of the collection, which is a sci-fi bit about a girl stranded on Mars (though most part of it read like it could have played somewhere in the arctic region as well) was the first to really hold my interest throughout. Could this be the turning point in the book?! ***
Naked Angel
Wow! I was truly mesmerized by this perfect little piece of 'pulp noir'. Got me with this one! *****
Dead on the Bones
Another tasty treat comes with this story about revenge and voodoo. Great! ****
Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot
Reading this one stirred some vague memories of a black and white Tarzan and some distant dinosaur movie scenes (were there any in the original King Kong movie? I just can't put my finger on it where these come from). Entertaining, but nothing new on this front, and I didn't care for the macho aura surrounding Tarzan like a cloud of flies around something smelly. ***
Under the Warrior Star
What I loved about this story was the background story about a man being sent into an artificially created universe where he encounters strange people on a strange planet...the rest was just another Tarzan-like super hero saves the beauty hodge-podge with lots of fighting against some savages or beasts. **
The Wizard of the Trees
Didn't I just read that story? Way too similar to the Warrior Star, this story was perfect to resurface from the pulp realm, fading into the background while the here and now took over again. **
As a whole, this collection provides a common but decent 3 star mixture of good, great and ugly. However, the author definitely delivered on his promise that the collection would be pure pulp, and I am glad I took the opportunity to get more familiar with his work.
(I chose to read an ARC of this book, all opinions are my own)
February 16, 2017
I have copy 35 of 1500 signed editions by author. The first story is a Auguste Dupin story (Edgar Alan Poe) and is a Cthulhu story as well which utilizes "The Necronomicon". Lovecraft would have appreciated it! The second is a tribute to Robert E Howard.....a western vampire story with a protagonist which may remind one of a "reluctant" Solomon Kane transported to the old west. The third is a tribute to Nagogdoches, TX author Ardath Mayhar who I never heard of prior to this. She wrote westerns, Sci fi, horror... you name it. She was obviously a huge inspiration to Joe R Landale and this story "King for the Cheap Romances" is a breathtaking story about a young girl named Angela King on Mars. The "romance" in the title is not a harlequin romance but a classic romance associated with stories of chivalry, etc. The actions never stops! The next story "Naked Angel" is straight ahead detective story about a street cop that is still in love with a femme fatale who gave him up long ago for money.Just read the next story "Dead on the Bones" and it is the best so far. It has some Robert E Howard qualities to it that reminds me of some of his Southern "horror" stories like "Pigeons from Hell". A young African American boy during the Depression living in the East Texas "Bottoms" lives in fear of his overbearing and evil uncle and the "fight night" orchestrated by the "Conjure Man" ."The next story is "Tarzan and the Land that Time Forgot". Nice Tarzan story about another series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. Burroughs had Tarzan visit Pelucidar but in this story he visits another land he created. The next story is the longest in the book "Under the Warrior Star" dedicated to Burroughs, Robert E Howard, and by Otis Kline for the work they did creating the Sword and Planet type stories of John Carter," Almuric" and and "Swordsman of Mars" who were so instrumental in creating this type of romantic adventure. This story is worthy to stand in their company. The last story is another Sword and Planet story that takes place on Venus (like Burroughs Carson of Venus Series. The only difference is that the character was a Buffalo Soldier on Earth and the transition is made when he is a passenger on the Titanic when it sinks and finds himself on Venus meeting a beautiful princess with yellow skin and red hair. It is probably my least favorite of the stories which is not to say I didn't like it. I have not read anything by Joe R Lansdale yet that I did not like.
September 14, 2016
Dead On The Bones: Pulp On Fire by Joe R. Lansdale- Most of Lansdale's many stories and novels have a degree of pulpiness that is undeniable. Sometimes greater, sometimes lesser so, but always edging to that sweet spot of pulp. Here we have a half dozen plus one of extreme cases of pulp gone wild. In "The Gruesome Affair of The Electric Blue Lightning", Lovecraft tropes mix with the Frankenstein myth to deadly effect. The two eccentric main characters are similar to Holmes and Watson but still very different. A veritable genre mash-up! In "King of Cheap Romance", a young girl is stranded on the icy Martian snow cap, trying to deliver life-saving vaccine and avoid the predatory ice sharks. Complete with long lost Martians and Pyramids. In "The Redheaded Dead" a gun-toting reverend is waylaid by a vampire and it's up to the holy man to set things right. Tarzan even makes an appearance in "Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot".
All this is very entertaining and filled with fabulous pulp asides and adventures. I recommend this book to anyone who likes dreaming big!
All this is very entertaining and filled with fabulous pulp asides and adventures. I recommend this book to anyone who likes dreaming big!
November 22, 2016
This collection is interesting, but if you are looking for "pure Lansdale" you are going to disappointed. Many of the stories are written "in the style of". For example, there is a Tarzan story written in the style of Burroughs, and an alternate Cthulhu flavored retelling of "Murders in the Rue Morgue" written in Poe's style. Mr. Lansdale is great at aping these old pulp writers, but I found myself missing his distinctive voice through a lot of Dead on the Bones. My favorites were not the pastiches, but those done in Mr. Lansdale's own style, these being the title story and "Naked Angel".
I would recommend this collection to fans of the classic pulp writers, but would warn Joe Lansdale fans that they may not be getting what they really want. 4 stars, recommended if you know what you are getting in to.
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
I would recommend this collection to fans of the classic pulp writers, but would warn Joe Lansdale fans that they may not be getting what they really want. 4 stars, recommended if you know what you are getting in to.
I received this from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review.
June 13, 2017
Joe R Lansdale is one of the best short fiction writers alive today, although he rarely gets the credit because he is a genre writer, equally adept at horror, crime, science fiction, fantasy, westerns, and southern gothic. He has written over 236 stories published in 32 collections.
This is a unique volume as the stories are written in the style and sometimes voices of other famous writers. This is a rather odd choice for a seasoned author—and truthfully I would rather read his own distinctive style than an imitation of others—but these stories are homages to the pulp tradition, and Lansdale’s own imagination shines through in all of them.
The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning—Features literature’s first detective, C. Auguste Dupin, created by Edgar Allan Poe. Lansdale does a remarkable job capturing the cadence and style of the old 19th century crime stories, especially at the beginning. Then he mixes in elements of the Frankenstein origin story and H. P. Lovecraft’s mythos.
The Redheaded Dead—A new Jebediah Mercer short story. Retains the gothic atmosphere of the rest of the series, while emulating the style of Robert E. Howard.
King of the Cheap Romance—After her father’s death, young Angela Fish must race across the polar ice caps to deliver a vaccine to a Martian colony. Inspired by the works of Robert Heinlein, this woman-vs-nature adventure tale is not set on the red lifeless desert Mars we know today, but rather a fantasy Mars that existed in 1950’s pop culture, a planet filled with ice sharks, gold-skinned aliens, bats as big as spaceships, and mysterious temple pyramids.
Naked Angel—A police officer investigates the murder of a prostitute whose body is found encased in a block of ice. This is the second time I have run across this story, and both times I found it thin and lacking. Seems to be a poor parody of Mickey Spillane or Raymond Chandler.
Dead on the Bones— A young boy sees an opportunity to take revenge on his evil uncle when a mysterious hoodoo man rolls into his Depression-era East Texas town. The juxtaposition of crime and horror echoes the great Robert Bloch.
Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot—More than twenty years after Lansdale completed Edgar Rice Burroughs’ final novel, he returns to the world of Tarzan in this new story authorized by the author’s estate. This is a crossover tale in which the legendary ape man visits the Land that Time Forgot.
Under the Warrior Star—Lansdale rewrites an early adventure novel that he started when he was only eleven years old in the tradition of Burroughs and Howard.
The Wizard of the Trees—A final Burroughs-inspired tale in which a drowning passenger from the Titanic is inexplicably transported to Venus, a steamy jungle planet full of intrigue between warring savage tribes.
This is a unique volume as the stories are written in the style and sometimes voices of other famous writers. This is a rather odd choice for a seasoned author—and truthfully I would rather read his own distinctive style than an imitation of others—but these stories are homages to the pulp tradition, and Lansdale’s own imagination shines through in all of them.
The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning—Features literature’s first detective, C. Auguste Dupin, created by Edgar Allan Poe. Lansdale does a remarkable job capturing the cadence and style of the old 19th century crime stories, especially at the beginning. Then he mixes in elements of the Frankenstein origin story and H. P. Lovecraft’s mythos.
The Redheaded Dead—A new Jebediah Mercer short story. Retains the gothic atmosphere of the rest of the series, while emulating the style of Robert E. Howard.
King of the Cheap Romance—After her father’s death, young Angela Fish must race across the polar ice caps to deliver a vaccine to a Martian colony. Inspired by the works of Robert Heinlein, this woman-vs-nature adventure tale is not set on the red lifeless desert Mars we know today, but rather a fantasy Mars that existed in 1950’s pop culture, a planet filled with ice sharks, gold-skinned aliens, bats as big as spaceships, and mysterious temple pyramids.
Naked Angel—A police officer investigates the murder of a prostitute whose body is found encased in a block of ice. This is the second time I have run across this story, and both times I found it thin and lacking. Seems to be a poor parody of Mickey Spillane or Raymond Chandler.
Dead on the Bones— A young boy sees an opportunity to take revenge on his evil uncle when a mysterious hoodoo man rolls into his Depression-era East Texas town. The juxtaposition of crime and horror echoes the great Robert Bloch.
Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot—More than twenty years after Lansdale completed Edgar Rice Burroughs’ final novel, he returns to the world of Tarzan in this new story authorized by the author’s estate. This is a crossover tale in which the legendary ape man visits the Land that Time Forgot.
Under the Warrior Star—Lansdale rewrites an early adventure novel that he started when he was only eleven years old in the tradition of Burroughs and Howard.
The Wizard of the Trees—A final Burroughs-inspired tale in which a drowning passenger from the Titanic is inexplicably transported to Venus, a steamy jungle planet full of intrigue between warring savage tribes.
July 26, 2017
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book Rated 5.0 of 5
If you've ever thought to yourself: 'they sure don't write them like they used to' - then this book is for you.
If you've ever longed to read a new, pulp-style adventure story - then this book is for you.
If you've ever wished someone would take up the mantle and write new adventures in the vein of Edgar Rice Burroughs or Robert E. Howard - then this book is for you.
This book is for me.
I've enjoyed the Joe R. Lansdale books that I've read previously and was excited to get something by him that looked a little different from what I've read before. And not just a little bit like those great Robert E. Howard Conan books I read back in the 1970's and 80's.
This book is a throw-back ... no ... this book is an homage to the great adventure pulp fiction of the 1920's, 30's and 40's. In his introduction, Lansdale writes about his appreciation for Burroughs, growing up on Tarzan and John Carter and Carson Napier, and Lansdale's fondness for these stories and this style is evident by the passion he puts forth in his own stories.
One of the best stories in the collection is the title story "Dead on the Bones" in which our pulp hero boxes with the dead.
"Tarzan and the Land that Time Forgot" is every bit a Tarzan story, as if Burroughs himself had written it and combined Tarzan with the afore-mentioned Carson of Venus and John Carter of Mars.
"The Redheaded Dead" reads much like a Frederic Brown story, though it's dedicated to Robert E. Howard.
I've tried going back and reading some of the old pulp fiction and have found much of it not nearly as exciting as I remembered it being. Lansdale manages to capture the feel of the genre and keeps it interesting to the modern reader as well.
This is highly recommended. It's a collection of short fiction, and it brilliantly captures the tone of the really great adventure heroes and their stories. It's an all-around winner.
Looking for a good book? Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire is a collection of short stories by Joe R. Lansdale that pays tribute to some of the greatest fictional heroes in adventure and fantasy literature while keeping the modern reader delightfully entertained.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
If you've ever thought to yourself: 'they sure don't write them like they used to' - then this book is for you.
If you've ever longed to read a new, pulp-style adventure story - then this book is for you.
If you've ever wished someone would take up the mantle and write new adventures in the vein of Edgar Rice Burroughs or Robert E. Howard - then this book is for you.
This book is for me.
I've enjoyed the Joe R. Lansdale books that I've read previously and was excited to get something by him that looked a little different from what I've read before. And not just a little bit like those great Robert E. Howard Conan books I read back in the 1970's and 80's.
This book is a throw-back ... no ... this book is an homage to the great adventure pulp fiction of the 1920's, 30's and 40's. In his introduction, Lansdale writes about his appreciation for Burroughs, growing up on Tarzan and John Carter and Carson Napier, and Lansdale's fondness for these stories and this style is evident by the passion he puts forth in his own stories.
One of the best stories in the collection is the title story "Dead on the Bones" in which our pulp hero boxes with the dead.
"Tarzan and the Land that Time Forgot" is every bit a Tarzan story, as if Burroughs himself had written it and combined Tarzan with the afore-mentioned Carson of Venus and John Carter of Mars.
"The Redheaded Dead" reads much like a Frederic Brown story, though it's dedicated to Robert E. Howard.
I've tried going back and reading some of the old pulp fiction and have found much of it not nearly as exciting as I remembered it being. Lansdale manages to capture the feel of the genre and keeps it interesting to the modern reader as well.
This is highly recommended. It's a collection of short fiction, and it brilliantly captures the tone of the really great adventure heroes and their stories. It's an all-around winner.
Looking for a good book? Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire is a collection of short stories by Joe R. Lansdale that pays tribute to some of the greatest fictional heroes in adventure and fantasy literature while keeping the modern reader delightfully entertained.
I received a digital copy of this book from the publisher, through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.
December 30, 2021
Originally posted on the book blog Creature From the Book Lagoon.
* Trigger warning: animal death
Before we got to the stories, there is this great intro by Joe. He talks about the pulps he read as a kid, early days of TV, and a little bit about the history of both coming together. Now, honestly, I’ll admit it… I normally skip forwards. But this one was so great, so informative! I had such a wonderful time reading this forward. It was great and I highly recommend not skipping it. 🙂
Dead on the Bone is a terrific collection of stories! There were a few that I wasn’t a fan of, but not because it was bad. I just don’t really care for Tarzan or certain genres. All the stories are well done though. Joe totally nails the pulp vibe on every story. Every single one of them felt so authentically pulp! I loved it!
If you are a fan of classic pulps, you will enjoy this set of short stories. The stories span all different classic pulp genres. There really is something for everyone. I do want to address how there is a little bit of animal death, for anyone who doesn’t want to read that sort of thing. It was easy to skip pass and it was only a few sentences long, if even that. So it didn’t hurt the stories. This is a very entertaining set of stories.
* Trigger warning: animal death
Before we got to the stories, there is this great intro by Joe. He talks about the pulps he read as a kid, early days of TV, and a little bit about the history of both coming together. Now, honestly, I’ll admit it… I normally skip forwards. But this one was so great, so informative! I had such a wonderful time reading this forward. It was great and I highly recommend not skipping it. 🙂
Dead on the Bone is a terrific collection of stories! There were a few that I wasn’t a fan of, but not because it was bad. I just don’t really care for Tarzan or certain genres. All the stories are well done though. Joe totally nails the pulp vibe on every story. Every single one of them felt so authentically pulp! I loved it!
If you are a fan of classic pulps, you will enjoy this set of short stories. The stories span all different classic pulp genres. There really is something for everyone. I do want to address how there is a little bit of animal death, for anyone who doesn’t want to read that sort of thing. It was easy to skip pass and it was only a few sentences long, if even that. So it didn’t hurt the stories. This is a very entertaining set of stories.
August 6, 2017
Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire is Joe R. Lansdale's homage to the pulp stories and writers he grew up loving. An anthology of eight short stories that range in style from science fiction, horror, sword & fantasy, and just pure detective fiction.
Not a bad story in the bunch!
While the author does a great job of honoring the works of both Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard (two of his particular favorites), at times he also manages to bring to mind the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.
Reading the stories in this book will introduce the reader to a variety of characters and a multitude of strange beasts: A princess warrior of the planet Venus, a mysterious practioner of the dark arts known simply as Conjure Man, giants, bird-people, old west vampires, red-neck zombies, and Martian ice sharks. This book offers something for just about every taste in the classic pulp spectrum.
I would recommend Dead on the Bones to anyone who enjoys classic short fiction in the fantasy, pulp, or sci-fi genres.
***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title
Not a bad story in the bunch!
While the author does a great job of honoring the works of both Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard (two of his particular favorites), at times he also manages to bring to mind the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne.
Reading the stories in this book will introduce the reader to a variety of characters and a multitude of strange beasts: A princess warrior of the planet Venus, a mysterious practioner of the dark arts known simply as Conjure Man, giants, bird-people, old west vampires, red-neck zombies, and Martian ice sharks. This book offers something for just about every taste in the classic pulp spectrum.
I would recommend Dead on the Bones to anyone who enjoys classic short fiction in the fantasy, pulp, or sci-fi genres.
***Thanks to NetGalley and the publisher for allowing me the opportunity to read and review this title
September 30, 2017
"Christ, that ineffectual demigod that had fooled many into thinking the heart of God had changed; it had not, that delusion was all part of the great bastard's game."
Quotes like this are what keeps me reading Mr. Joe R. Lansdale! That particular quote comes from the story "The Redheaded Dead" which "stars" one of my favorite Lansdale characters, the Reverend Mercer! That tale, along with two others ("Naked Angel" and "Dead on the Bones") are the prize stories in this collection - for me! The other stories are more fantasy/sci-fi, and weren't really my cup of tea. But, give me a wild west vampire, the Conjure Man, and a prostitute frozen in a big ol' block of ice, and I give it 3 stars!
Quotes like this are what keeps me reading Mr. Joe R. Lansdale! That particular quote comes from the story "The Redheaded Dead" which "stars" one of my favorite Lansdale characters, the Reverend Mercer! That tale, along with two others ("Naked Angel" and "Dead on the Bones") are the prize stories in this collection - for me! The other stories are more fantasy/sci-fi, and weren't really my cup of tea. But, give me a wild west vampire, the Conjure Man, and a prostitute frozen in a big ol' block of ice, and I give it 3 stars!
August 3, 2020
Although I love the pulps like Burroughs, Howard, et al., and I love Lansdale's writing. I just didn't connect with this collection as much as I wanted to. Maybe it's because I'm a jaded old reader, I dunno. A couple of stories I really enjoyed, but the Burroughs pastiches didn't do much for me. Maybe when I was much younger, I'd have been all over them. Part of the problem might be that he was not writing like Joe Lansdale; he was writing like E.R.B., so for the most part, the stories lacked the wit and flow of a Lansdale story.
I liked the stories "Dead on the Bones" and "Naked Angel" a lot. They felt the freshest and most interesting.
I liked the stories "Dead on the Bones" and "Naked Angel" a lot. They felt the freshest and most interesting.
July 22, 2020
I really wanted to like this one. I love the old pulp stories. This is more of a modern take on the genre which isn’t pulp at all. So it’s more of a guy that likes pulp writes stories in similar genres but doesn’t have anything else pulpy about it. I’m not a fan of Landsdale so meh.
April 10, 2025
I love Lansdale. There isn't much that I have read of his that I didn't enjoy. But this collection didn't really work for me.
Dead On The Bone itself was a great story. Maybe more traditional pulp stories just aren't my jam
Dead On The Bone itself was a great story. Maybe more traditional pulp stories just aren't my jam
January 24, 2017
I enjoyed the vast majority of this book. However the last story seemed so much like a retelling of the story before it - just with different characters/different world it seemed pointless.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
May 11, 2018
you really need to be a fan of the old pulp magazine and stories, esp the Sci Fi ones to get into this book. I thought I was a fan but obviously not as serious a fan as required.
March 2, 2017
31/2 stars. Started great but went downhill quickly. The last few stories were hard to get through.
January 14, 2017
I've read a couple of these before, but the ones I didn't are really amazing. There is a lot of pulpy goodness between these covers. It was good to see Lansdale take on Tarzan again. He also wrote a great Dupin story, though the main inspiration for all of these stories seems to be Burroughs. I love that we got another Rev. Mercer story. My favorite, though, has to be the title story. To say much about it would be to give it away. It's weird reading these pulpy stories on top quality paper. I feel like I should have crumbling pages in my hand. This is another excellent Lansdale collection.
January 6, 2017
Dead on the Bones gathers some of Lansdale's pulpier adventure tales (though a murder-mystery and horror find their way into the table of contents, too.)
The tales are all enjoyable and excellent. If you only know Lansdale from his crime noir capers, this will surprise you with its change of pace. If you like pulp, you'll enjoy it. If you like Lansdale, you'll enjoy it.
In the introduction, "Pulp Fury," Lansdale writes about how he came to his crime and pulp sensibilities through early television programs. Many of the shows adapted old pulp stories for material. It's an interesting note that Lansdale points out - pulp didn't really go away. It shifted formats.
"The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning"
Lansdale channels Poe, bringing us a new adventure of C. Auguste Dupin and the unnamed narrator, the dynamic duo from "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."
"The Redheaded Dead"
Lansdale's Weird West hero, Reverend Jebediah Mercer, takes on a vampire in this quick moving, tight story.
"King of the Cheap Romance"
Lansdale's entry from the Old Mars anthology. Angela King must transport vaccine and her father's corpse across the frozen Martian landscape. Oh, and keep one step ahead of the ice shark the entire way.
"Naked Angel"
A murder mystery with a victim found in a block of ice. In an alley. In Los Angeles.
"Dead on the Bones"
A horror story about murder, revenge, boxing, and voodoo.
"Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot"
ERB sent Tarzan to the Earth's Core but never got around to sending him to Caprona. Lansdale does here, with a story faithful to ERB's Tarzan and worlds. The story first appeared in the Baen anthology, Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs
"Under the Warrior Star"
An early attempt at a sword-&-planet novella, this one is a lot of fun. It hits all the correct sword-&-planet notes along the way.
"Wizard of the Trees"
Lansdale's entry from the Old Venus anthology. More sword-&-planet, featuring an ex-buffalo soldier transported to the jungles of Venus.
Lansdale + pulp = gold!
The tales are all enjoyable and excellent. If you only know Lansdale from his crime noir capers, this will surprise you with its change of pace. If you like pulp, you'll enjoy it. If you like Lansdale, you'll enjoy it.
In the introduction, "Pulp Fury," Lansdale writes about how he came to his crime and pulp sensibilities through early television programs. Many of the shows adapted old pulp stories for material. It's an interesting note that Lansdale points out - pulp didn't really go away. It shifted formats.
"The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning"
Lansdale channels Poe, bringing us a new adventure of C. Auguste Dupin and the unnamed narrator, the dynamic duo from "The Murders in the Rue Morgue."
"The Redheaded Dead"
Lansdale's Weird West hero, Reverend Jebediah Mercer, takes on a vampire in this quick moving, tight story.
"King of the Cheap Romance"
Lansdale's entry from the Old Mars anthology. Angela King must transport vaccine and her father's corpse across the frozen Martian landscape. Oh, and keep one step ahead of the ice shark the entire way.
"Naked Angel"
A murder mystery with a victim found in a block of ice. In an alley. In Los Angeles.
"Dead on the Bones"
A horror story about murder, revenge, boxing, and voodoo.
"Tarzan and the Land That Time Forgot"
ERB sent Tarzan to the Earth's Core but never got around to sending him to Caprona. Lansdale does here, with a story faithful to ERB's Tarzan and worlds. The story first appeared in the Baen anthology, Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs
"Under the Warrior Star"
An early attempt at a sword-&-planet novella, this one is a lot of fun. It hits all the correct sword-&-planet notes along the way.
"Wizard of the Trees"
Lansdale's entry from the Old Venus anthology. More sword-&-planet, featuring an ex-buffalo soldier transported to the jungles of Venus.
Lansdale + pulp = gold!
January 6, 2018
There's nothing exceptionally original in Lansdale's new collection, and in a way that's sort of the point. Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire is an homage to the stories of Lansdale's youth, and in that aim, he succeeds beyond measure. The Redheaded Dead is spot on Robert E. Howard, and The Wizard of the Trees is almost a rewrite of Edgar Rice Burroughs A Princess of Mars. Still, these lovefelt and thoroughly enjoyable tales could have stood a little more originality, a little more Lansdale.
May 28, 2017
I fell in love with stories about Mars with Ray Bradbury. Imagine my delight when one of my favorite authors swept me back to the red planet as if I were returning home. This was a great read that I would recommend to any fellow Lansdale fan out there as well as many science fiction fans.
March 28, 2017
Pulp on Fire is right! I just automatically pick up a Lansdale book I haven't read. I don't read the jacket or look at the reviews on the back cover. I had no idea that this 'pulp' included Tarzan, Monsters, Texas and Science Fiction. The short review is that these are VERY good stories. The best is "Under the Warrior Star" dedicated to Edgar Rice Burroughs. This is a long short story ( is that an oxymoron?), just under a hundred pages, and it is a winner! I marvel at the characters, dialogue, and mojo style he packed into the story.
April 1, 2017
So, as a self-diagnosed pulp addict AND fan of Joe R. Lansdale, I'm not sure how objective I can be about "Dead on the Bones." But I'll try.
This collection of shorts from Lansdale absolutely NAILS the "pulp" feel across multiple genres - horror, sf, fantasy, portal fantasy and so forth. I've read a number of the works previously in other published venues, but most were new to me.
This was one of the few collections I've read in a long time wherein there were no dogs in the TOC. Each and every story has his own flourishes and touches on the pulp theme and style. Just loved reading it.
This collection of shorts from Lansdale absolutely NAILS the "pulp" feel across multiple genres - horror, sf, fantasy, portal fantasy and so forth. I've read a number of the works previously in other published venues, but most were new to me.
This was one of the few collections I've read in a long time wherein there were no dogs in the TOC. Each and every story has his own flourishes and touches on the pulp theme and style. Just loved reading it.
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