Steve Vernon's Blog
April 22, 2015
Joe Lansdale's BULLETS AND FIRE!
Bullets and Fire by Joe R. LansdaleMy rating: 5 of 5 stars
I am a big fan of Joe Lansdale and his writing. I even met the man once at a Horror Writers of America convention in New York City. He is a good man and a great writer.
One of Joe Lansdale's books will stand you on the back of your heels like a good stiff right cross.
If it doesn't hit you that way, you probably ought not to be reading anything beyond "See Dick Run".
I especially like this little yarn because it was free. That's right, I am a cheap old bear and I pinch my money until the janitor at the mint blushes flamingo pink.
This is a fast-reading yarn that goes down like a shot of cold whiskey on a hot summer day.
It is also a fairly simply tale and I have to admit that I saw where it was going by page 17 or so. That isn't usually the case with any of the many other Joe Lansdale tales that I have ever read - but in this instance it was.
Still, that did not spoil the reading experience anymore than seeing a road sign that read "NEW YORK CITY TWENTY EIGHT MILES" is going to spoil the experience of the Empire State Building hitting you smack between the eyeballs in all of its skyscraping splendor.
I do not want to spoil this tale just in case you don't happen spot the tattletale plot point like I did. We all have our own set of eyes and you ought to look at this story with a fresh set. Still, I will tell you that it is gang-related and violent as all get out. If you are sensitive or easily-offended you probably might want to settle on a Zane Grey novel or perhaps an old school Harlequin Romance.
Better hold out for one of those more delicate Harlequins - the kind with only half a bodice ripped.
BULLETS AND FIRE is a gangster story and it reeks of testosterone and locker room tale-telling. It is a cheap tavern steak, served up hot and fresh. It is a cold glass of beer on a hot summer day. It is not pretty or poetic but the scenes in the last couple of chapters will leave you feeling as if you had been drop-kicked by a sledge hammer.
If you dig Charles Bronson's Death Wish, you want to read this story.
If you think that Breaking Bad is the epitome of episodic television then you want to read this story.
If you want a tale that will smack you between the eyeballs so hard that the next thing you look at will be hanging off the wrong end of your lower intestine then pick up this story.
yours in storytelling,
Steve Vernon
View all my reviews
November 27, 2014
November 16, 2014
October 3, 2014
October 1, 2014
Free Steve Vernon Fiction
Want to listen to a chilling Steve Vernon short fiction - FOR FREE?
http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpre...
yours in storytelling,
Steve Vernon
http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpre...
yours in storytelling,
Steve Vernon
September 24, 2014
September 23, 2014
Finding the Strength to Keep on Writing - OR - Silencing Your Inner Prune
Give this read over at my regular blog - YOURS IN STORYTELLING.
http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpre...
http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpre...
September 17, 2014
FIGHTING WORDS - now available on Kindle
Fighting Words by Steve VernonIn the interest of full disclosure - I am the author of FIGHTING WORDS.
I just wanted to tell folks a little bit about my new e-book.
I'm pretty excited about the book's release.
FIGHTING WORDS was originally a short story that I wrote for HARD OL' SPOT - a 2009 collection of dark maritime tales put together by Killick Press and edited by Mike Heffernan.
The idea for the story first after I read a 2008 newspaper article regarding a teenage fight club that had sprouted up in Hants County, Nova Scotia. Police stepped in and the fight ring was broken up - for good reason - but as I read that article I understood just how such a club could actually start up. I wanted to write something that took a look at both sides of the situation.
And so I give you FIGHTING WORDS.
Available only on Kindle.
yours in storytelling,
Steve Vernon
View all my reviews
September 14, 2014
Doors and Writing...
As I have mentioned - this isn't my main blog anymore.
BUT - if you'd like to read and/or follow my main blog here's a link to my latest entry.
http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpre...
yours in storytelling,
Steve Vernon
BUT - if you'd like to read and/or follow my main blog here's a link to my latest entry.
http://stevevernonstoryteller.wordpre...
yours in storytelling,
Steve Vernon
