Hang On Tight and Try To Keep Up

I went into this one completely clueless other than knowing I was in for some kind of ride.

More than a romp, this road trip book is crazy. You'll find more twists, turns, and surprises in this story than you would if you made it to the last call in a dozen of the South's most insane dive bars listening to THAT guy tell the most unbelievable stories you have ever heard. Like much of Lansdale's work, this one is hard to pigeonhole. JANE GOES NORTH is a buddy story/road trip of two women who really don't like each other. It's a little comedy and a little crime painted with a broad brush of violent, Southern Gothic. One bit of advice to take with you after reading this one—if you are driving through any tiny, hole-in-the-wall, backwater Southern towns make sure you have a full tank of gas and you do NOT stop at the Save-Mart for anything.

I listened to the audiobook. Kasey Lansdale's reading of Jane Goes North adds an extra layer of Lansdale goodness. I'd suggest you give it a listen, even if you have already read it.

The image above is the cover from the Subterranean Press release, but I have to include the paperback cover version of this from Pandi Press. It features a vintage Thunderbird. It is not the car from the story, but for those who have known me for a long time, I used to have one of these beauties. My father bought it off the showroom floor. The family took it West for an epic road trip of our own back in 1969. It was my mom and dad, my sister, Debbie, and our dog, Peanuts, all jammed into the T-Bird and hauling a 13-foot Shasta camper. Florida to California and back. We were packed so tight we couldn't put the top down. My father gave it to me not long before he died. I had it up until a few years ago. It was getting too expensive to maintain. I sure did hate to part with it. 

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On a side note, since I mentioned Kasey Lansdale. I had the pleasure of working with her a while back on one of my own stories, TALL TALES 'N' TREMBLIN.' It is a short story that came out of some character development and research that I was noodling on for the novel that I have been working on for years. The good news is that I am finally on the editing stage, so I hope to be ready to query agents before year's end. My story was originally published as part of the weekly Kaidankai: Ghost and Supernatural Stories podcast. I had heard Kasey read DEAD MAN'S CURVE, a story she and her father co-wrote for the anthology, NIGHTS OF THE LIVING DEAD. We I got word that my story was going to be read, I thought I'd reach out to Kasey and see if she would be interested. I couldn't believe she was available. Thanks again Kasey!

There's Nothing to Fear, But…

DON'T FEAR THE REAPER follows in the bloody footsteps of MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW. 4-1/2 stars

I have heard talk that the first book was so darned good. The publisher, like almost everyone who read it, wanted more. Stephen Graham Jones had a killer on his hands that would not die—his book about THE last girl, Jade Daniels. Unlike so many sequels ordered up after a successful stand alone, REAPER shines brighter than the first, and that is a good thing because this book is cold, dark, and brutal. That’s not surprising as this book, like its predecessor, MY HEART IS A CHAINSAW, is an homage to the slasher, particularly of the 1980s-90s, the Crimson Age of Slashers. 

REAPER picks up four years after the first book with an escaped serial killer on the loose. Jade, now fresh out of prison, is back in Proofrock. No longer obsessed with horror movies, she wants normalcy, but that’s not how things work with final girls. The town has been cut off by a blizzard. The serial killer, Dark Mill South, has escaped and has begun killing once again in Proofrock. Or has he? Is he more than human? Is it something else? Something is definitely going on here. The town’s senior class is being picked off in theatrical slasher form. And we are off and running. 

There is a LOT going on in this book. At times, I felt like I was the one lost in a blinding snowstorm—one I couldn’t get out of because I had a hard time putting this book down. The writing of Stephen Graham Jones is intelligent, if not downright nerdy in the way he drills down into the characters. And he brings each of those those characters to life. Flesh and blood. Lots of blood. 

Two down. One left. 

Don't Fear the Reaper

by Stephen Graham Jones

Published by Gallery/Saga Press

February 7, 2023 | 464 Pages | ISBN 9781982186593

I would like to thank the author, publisher, and NetGalley for providing an ARC of this novel.

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On a side note, Jones has written an interesting alternative history in comic book form. A huge comic book fan, EARTHDIVERS, is his first ongoing series. Also on this title are collaborators, artist Davide Gianfelice, colorist Joana Lafuente, and letterer Steve Wands. IDW states: Set in a postapocalyptic near future, Earthdivers follows a small group of Indigenous survivors who time-travel to prevent the creation of America and retroactively save the world from destruction. In each arc, they will target a pivotal point in history, beginning with a mission to kill Christopher Columbus in 1492. Check out this interview at The Nerdist.