PAPER CUTS: Joe Lansdale's "IN THE MAD MOUNTAINS: STORIES INSPIRED BY H.P. LOVECRAFT" Kills! (REVIEW)

We discovered Joe Lansdale in the 90s, trying to dry off in the horror section of a used bookstore. Combing the shelves, leafing through random short story collections, we came upon “Godzilla’s Twelve-Step Program,” and that was it. From then on, it was a steady diet of all things Lansdale. “The Nightrunners,” “Cold in July,” “The Bottoms,” the “Hap and Leonard” series, the countless short stories, they meant the world to us then, and even more to us now. Joe is a Frankenstein’s Monster of creativity. The folksy wisdom and razor-sharp wit of Mark Twain, Flannery O’Connor, and Charles Portis cross-sectioned with the effortless cool of Elmore Leonard and Charles Willeford, planted firmly into the most brazen and bizarre horror the likes of which Poe, James, and Machen could only dream of. There isn’t a genre he hasn’t mastered; horror, thriller, crime, western, pulp, creating award-winning work in every one.

It would take an entire article to list the awards bestowed upon this man, eleven Stokers, the World Fantasy Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Edgar, and so on. It’s safe to say we’re fans. Joe has given us the most incredible gift for the rabid horror fan,  “In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft.” A collection of eight stories published from 2008 to 2015, each with a delightful intro by the author himself, featuring an incredible cover by renowned “Hellboy” artist, Mike Mignola, with a cover design by Elizabeth Story, and interior design by John Coulthart. Tachyon Publications has published the collection, which has been cranking out some of the best genre fiction since 1995. 

Maybe the most remarkable thing about the collection is that Joe isn’t a fan of H.P. Lovecraft’s work. We were fortunate enough to talk to him a few months back about this very thing. You can listen to that interview here. We wholeheartedly agree that Lovecraft’s stories are challenging on their best day, and downright impenetrable on the worst. Having someone like Lansdale come along and breathe fresh, pulsating life into these tales is a dream come true, or maybe nightmare, because Joe manages to give terrifying life to much of what Lovecraft left frustratingly ambiguous, and in some cases just plain dull. Here, the terrors have teeth, and they're not afraid to bite. This collection is a marvelous gateway for readers unfamiliar with Lovecraft because the aesthetic is there, which will also please the diehards, but it’s much more accessible and entertaining. Let’s get into some of the stories so you can see for yourself:

“THE BLEEDING SHADOW” vamps on “The Music of Erich Zann” (1921) but through the prism of classic noir fiction. Think Chandler, Hammett, and Cain mixed with classic pulp fiction. This tale features a vinyl record pressed in blood that, when played, brings forth music that squishes and scuttles. Throw in a knockout femme fatale looking for her missing brother, and you have the perfect story to kick this collection off. If this story doesn’t hook you, you can’t be hooked. Mixing noir and cosmic dread with a knowing nod to Robert Johnson at the crossroads is everything we’ve ever wanted in a tale that feels like a jazz solo from Hell. This story goes perfectly with Victor Lavalle’s “The Ballad of Black Tom,” if you fancy a read-along.

“DREAD ISLAND” is a kitchen sink of pure bonkers joy. Huck and Jim need to rescue Tom Sawyer from a mysterious island on the Mississippi that only appears on the last night of the full moon. Folksy, cosmic, and charming as hell, Lansdale effortlessly channels Twain with a touch of bittersweet melancholy, as Huck confronts joining “polite” society and leaves the nomadic life behind. This tale is as delicious as a mouthful of spun sugar. 

“THE GRUESOME AFFAIR OF THE ELECTRIC BLUE LIGHTNING” makes our kitchen sink comment for “Dread Island” seem quaint. This story is the equivalent of a Stefon skit from SNL in all the best ways. “The hottest new story has malevolent chimps, C. Auguste Dupin, creature feature, the Necronomicon, Frankenstein, and the bones of Edgar Allen Poe scattered across every page.” Lansdale perfectly captures the cadence and rhythms of Poe’s work, channeling the icon for a tale of apocalyptic cosmic dread that, while wildly absurd, is entirely satisfying.

 Five more stories are in the collection, each a fantastic new take on Lovecraft. Some have shades of Blackwood and Conan Doyle, others hint at Shelley; they’re all weird, wild, wonderful, and completely Lansdale. The beauty of this book is that it will undoubtedly open the door for readers to explore the canon of both authors. Lovecraft is a complicated figure, but his influence on horror and literature is profound and important. To have an iconic author from the present create phenomenal new stories inspired by an iconic horror author of the past is a treat for any reader. This volume needs to be in everyone’s collection.

You can purchase “In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft” from Tachyon Publications here.

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