Driving to Geronimo’s Grave and Other Stories

A Depression-era road trip leads to treasure and danger. A shipwreck strands survivors in an icy wasteland where unspeakable evil lurks. A bullied teen finds a mentor in a foul-mouthed former wrestler. A theater employee butts heads with the mob to protect his crush. A hunt to bring in deadly outlaws leaves friends and foes alike to deal with the wrath of an angry bear.

No matter what the genre or setting, the protagonists in Joe R. Lansdale stories usually have one thing in common: they work hard for what little they have. Whether they’re surviving a robot apocalypse or the predations of a treacherous man on a dirt road in the Dust Bowl, they fight because fighting is all they know. They don’t always win, but they’ll go down swinging every time.

Lansdale brings his East Texas noir style to another dynamite collection of short stories that show off his humor, his range, and his creativity. Although some of these tropes will be familiar to longtime Lansdale readers, every story still feels electric and fresh, bringing something new to the table. And getting Lansdale’s insights into each story after reading it is just icing on the cake. This is marvelous stuff all around.