Dead in the West: Amazon.ca: Joe R. Lansdale, Stephen R. Bissette: Books

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10 Reviews

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4.7 out of 5 stars (10 customer reviews)

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5.0 out of 5 stars ZOMBIES IN SPURS, April 25 2004

By	Michael Butts (Martinsburg, WV USA) - See all my reviews (TOP 1000 REVIEWER) (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dead in the West (Paperback)

From the opening scene in the old stagecoach to the apocalyptic ending in a church, DEAD IN THE WEST delivers more thrills and spills it in its short length than many 300+ tomes. Joe Lansdale, known for his black humor, whips it out in plenty in this tale of a Reverend who wanders into Mud Creek and finds himself involved in the curse of an Indian wrongly accused of killing a young girl, and lynched. His mulatto woman was also brutally raped and murdered. The curse is purely simple: zombies beget more zombies, and Lansdale spares nothing in his brutally graphic and frightening tale. Joining Rev. Jeb in the spotlight is a delightful young boy named David; the bewitching Abby and her rascally doctor father; and of course the many zombies populating the scene.
The book is relentless and no character is guaranteed safety by the time the book ends; it has a rather "twisty" ending as well; did he ever do a sequel? It would be great!!!
A very good horror story.

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5.0 out of 5 stars Find thrills with the living dead, Aug 23 2002

By	Mike Kazmierczak - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Dead in the West (Paperback)

One of the big differences between older Lansdale novels and ones written now is their length. At 119 pages, Dead In The West barely gets out of the short story realm. Regardless of the length the story still packs a hell of a punch. Reverend Jebidiah Mercer is unlike most other preachers during the wild west; he drinks, carries a gun and actively wander the country enforcing God's will. This time he finds himself in the town of Mud Creek and just in time to help face down the living dead thanks to a curse from a local Indian.

While the overall story might lack some of the character depth and introspective social commentaries mixed in with the dialogue that are found in most of Lansdale's later works, the story still puts enough emotion into the events that unfold to make you care about what happens. The caring is more about how everyone gets killed since it is pretty obvious that most of the characters are fodder for the zombies. But then this is acknowledged within the dedication and helps contribute to the charm of the book. If you like movies like "Evil Dead", "A Nightmare on Elm Street" and other Grade B films, then you owe it to yourself to pick this up and read it.

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4.0 out of 5 stars Can't Beat It With a Stick, Oct 19 2001

By	high_cotton (Glastonbury, CT USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Dead in the West (Paperback)

Zombies in the Old West. An Indian curse and a town with a dark secret. A beautiful woman and a stranger with a troubled past, who may be the town's only hope. Plenty of graphic, gross-out horror told with wit and respect for the B-movies and horror comics that are clearly the inspiration for this story. (Think a young Clint Eastwood in the movie version, directed by George Romero.) This is not Lansdale at his absolute best, but he's not striving for great literature here. I bet he had as much fun writing it as I had reading it.

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Most recent customer reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars A zombified western classic!
A gunslinging preacher wanders into an isolated Texas town haunted by a gruesome secret. One that, like its unfortunate victims, refuses to stay buried. Read more

Published on Oct 18 2001 by Chadwick H. Saxelid

5.0 out of 5 stars 'Pale Rider' meets 'Dawn of the Dead' - helluva read!
When I first saw the cover to this book, I knew I would love this book. It's terrible to admit, but true. Read more

Published on Mar 13 2001 by Benjamin Denes

4.0 out of 5 stars How 'bout them dead folks. Gotta love 'em!
Joe Lansdale is a terrific writer. This book is one of his early efforts. While it's not as good as MUCHO MOJO or COLD IN JULY, it's still a lot of fun to read. Read more

Published on May 4 2000 by Gary Jonas

5.0 out of 5 stars Aw man, is this book ever a winner
Bubba and bubbaettes, y'all got to get this novel. Read it. Experience it. Love it. It'll put your lives in an all new and vastly improved perspective. Read more

Published on May 27 1999