Dead in the West

by Joe R. Lansdale

Dead in the West is the story of Mud Creek, Texas, a town overshadowed by a terrible evil. An Indian medicine man, unjustly lynched by the people of Mud Creek, has put a curse on the town. As the sun sets, he will have his revenge. For when darkness falls, the dead will walk in Mud Creek and they will be hungry for human flesh. The only one that can save the town is Reverend Jebediah Mercer, a gun toting preacher man who came to Mud Creek to escape his past. He has lost his faith in the Lord and his only solace is the whisky bottle. Will he renew his faith in himself and God to defeat this evil or will the town be destroyed?

Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Genres: Horror, Westerns, Zombies, Weird West, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fiction

148 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1986

About the author

Champion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale is the author of over forty novels and numerous short stories. His work has appeared in national anthologies, magazines, and collections, as well as numerous foreign publications. He has written for comics, television, film, newspapers, and Internet sites. His work has been collected in more than two dozen short-story collections, and he has edited or co-edited over a dozen anthologies. He has received the Edgar Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Historical Fiction Award, the Inkpot Award for Contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and many others. His novella Bubba Ho-Tep was adapted to film by Don Coscarelli, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. His story "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" was adapted to film for Showtime's "Masters of Horror," and he adapted his short story "Christmas with the Dead" to film hisownself. The film adaptation of his novel Cold in July was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Sundance Channel has adapted his Hap & Leonard novels for television.

He is currently co-producing several films, among them The Bottoms, based on his Edgar Award-winning novel, with Bill Paxton and Brad Wyman, and The Drive-In, with Greg Nicotero. He is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats.

Reviews

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 4 out of 5]

'Hallowed be thy name, oh Lord—and shotgun do your stuff.'

The fun I had with this book!

Mud Creek, Texas.
Jebediah Mercer, a gunslinger preacher, feels drawn to this horrible little town. His dreams are terrifying. When the evil finally comes to Mud Creek, he is the only one who is standing in its way.

The Reverend is a true anti-hero. He has some real sins behind him, not just imaginary ones. And, yet, you'll root for him. And you'll probably like him. I know I do.

Now, as for the evil and what happens to Mud Creek in general: they deserved a lot worse.
They killed a man and raped and mutilated woman he loved. Not everyone, of course, but the rest of them did nothing to prevent what had been done to them. Either I am really bloodthirsty or the punishment was too mild. When people get killed, whether they rise again or not is not important because they do not suffer! I wanted one particular character to be punished more than what he got. I wanted his punishment to be exactly the same what happened to the woman. It didn't even have to be on page (only a hint would have been enough for me).
As for the rest Mud Creek, I don't think they were punished enough (I probably am too bloodthirsty).
Nevertheless, the story is entertaining enough for me to wish to read more about the Reverend.

If you enjoy graveyard humour, demons and zombies, you'll probably like this story.

[Dan Schwent · Rating 4 out of 5]

Reverend Jebediah Mercer, Lansdale's alcoholic gun-toting preacher, comes to town. Too bad a dying Indian medicine man put a curse on the town and it's crawling with zombies...

If you're a zombie fan or a Joe R. Lansdale fan, this slim volume is more than worth the cash. It's got everything you love about zombie stories, set in a western town, and written by the Master of Mojo hisownself, Joe Lansdale.

[Mark · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not much time. Say something. Write something. Think, think, think. Nothing doing, nothing coming.

Zombies. Yes, good. Zombies. This book has zombies. Fearful, frightful, bodaciously hideous, skin-falling-off-them zombies.

And a preacher. And the preacher's an alcoholic. And he has a big secret. And he comes into a town that's a lot like my hometown, but displaced to east Texas (East Texas?). Lots of creeps with lots of secrets. Sex secrets, violent secrets, tight-lipped secrets.

And there's a doctor, the Doc, who begins studying ancient books like The Necronomicon and De Vermis Mysteriis, and those are super cool references because they harken back to Lovecraft and Bloch and Weird Tales.

Okay, good, something's coming; don't falter. Don't think about it.

You're thinking about it.

The beginning of this short novel is a little disorienting as you're thrown in with very little backstory, the backstory coming much later in a terrific, need-to-know story within a story.

Even early in his career Lansdale could write.

Depending on the edition you read, a nice introductory essay about writing may be included.

Though Lansdale says this is meant to be a nod to pulp fiction, particularly akin to that found in Weird Tales, the characterization is very well done. At first I wasn't sure what to expect. The quick-fire nature in which the story begins leads you to believe characterization may be left behind. But like the eventual backstory, everything in good time, and everything based on action rather than exposition. Nice.

The staccato sentences (quit hitting the wrong keys; gah, can't spell for shit today!) are reminiscent of the best hardboiled crime fiction and send the story's images slap-bang into your imagination.

Time? Good? Good. Reward? Oreo break. Mmm.

For such a short novel, approx 130 pages, depending on the edition and minus the introduction, Lansdale packs a lot of story, a lot of action, a lot of emotion. You really care about the characters and their individual fates. But the writing. Man, the writing is good stuff.

[Quentin Wallace · Rating 5 out of 5]

Once again, Lansdale proves he's the master of the Weird Western. Really enjoyable here. It's an old west zombie tale with a twist. Nothing incredibly ground breaking, but Lansdale puts so much into his characters it still seems fresh and new. He always manages to add just enough to make it seem fresh. The ending wasn't my favorite, but really fit the western mold.

If you like Weird Westerns, or really horror in general, you'll like this one.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 4 out of 5]

What are the things that you love in Lansdale? Let's count, and then find out how many of them are present in this novella.

1. Weird West Setting: It's not only there, but acts as a template for all the new-Pulp and new-Western writers.
2. Dark Humour: Definitely there, and in such a manner that enriches the characters rather than diminishing them, despite the entire novella belonging to the horror genre.
3. Profanity: Accept it or not, it's the lurid & colourful language leaping out of the lines and grabbing your throat that hits you squarely between your eyes, and it's there, lovingly.
4. Characters: The best thing about Lansdale's story-telling is that he draws characters in three dimensions without compromising with the pace, and that's definitely here.
5. Story: Once again, the story that he tells may not be terribly original, but after reading it, all of a sudden I am finding all other weird Westerns rather watered-down.
6. Pathos: Every character you come across in this novel would make you feel as if you are able to understand them, because the writer takes us beyond the dust & grime, to the red core throbbing inside the human heart.
7. The Hero: Take away the external deformities of Jonah Hex, and place them inside, and there he is! Reverend Mercer is one hero for whom we can wait.

Then why dropping one star? Because now we are in dire need of other stories featuring our hero. And this time I would love to read something a little less dark, and (maybe) more comic.

Recommended, obviously.

[Cody | CodysBookshelf · Rating 4 out of 5]

Only Joe R Lansdale could make this premise work: in the late 19th century, a zombie outbreak brought on by a hanged Indian’s curse spreads through a small East Texas town, and it’s up to a gun-toting Reverend to save the day.

Only Lansdale could make this work; only Lansdale could make it entertaining as hell.

Like other stories by this author, this one is populated with colorful small town life, from lazy sheriffs to corrupt town officials to drunks to curious children. Mud Creek comes alive in this short novel, and it’s satisfyingly horrific when everything falls apart.

Most zombie outbreak stories are set in modern times — or so it seems. Are there other zombie stories set in the south, in the 1800s? I have yet to come across any. For that alone, this should be read. The excellent character work and gruesome weirdness is a bonus!

This was written early on in Lansdale’s career, and it is obviously the work of a young author — it’s a story of great energy and excitement, but it is also one of immaturity. I can’t help but feel Dead in the West would be an all-time classic, had it been written by an older JRL. It just lacks a certain emotional clarity (though I am not sure emotional clarity is necessary, given the subject matter). Still, this is an excellent novel, and I had loads of fun with it! Recommended!

[Levi Walls · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 to 4.5 stars to this sum-bitch. A helluva good time! It's a zombie western, so if that doesn't say enough then mosey the hell on out of my review you lily-livered son of an un-dead redhead. For all y'all that understand, pick this one up today!

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

Finally, I got the chance to read Lansdale's zombie western without throwing down a big chunk of change. Thank you eBooks!

I love Lansdale's prose. He writes in concise sentences that build up the story detail by detail. Some authors labor to describe a setting, and the resulting prose is an equal labor to digest; not Lansdale. I felt like I was walking through Mud Creek myself, taking in the storefronts and the people.

Lansdale also establishes a small universe of characters in a short amount of space. The picnic with the Reverend, David, and Abby is a nice scene, and just enough compassion is laid out to make the zombie apocalypse that later follows significant. I chuckled when the Reverend and company stumble across a zombie at the end of their outing; leave it to Lansdale to pull off a silly scene with cool talent.

In fact, Lansdale himself is the epitome of the calm, quiet stranger who walks into town proceeded by a long, dark shadow and the glint of sunlight flashing off his gun belt. A wide hat brim conceals his face, but somehow you know that once he starts talking, you best listen.

[Leslee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a novella more than a novel, clocking in at only 97 pages on my ereader. Pretty much your typical western with zombies thrown in for good measure, it has all the usual culprits, the drunken buffoon, corrupt Sherriff, plucky young sidekick, and of course a badass gunslinger in the form of a Reverend that's lost his faith.

I enjoyed this for what it was but honestly it was too short for me to really care about the characters much. Zombie action doesn't really start until about halfway through the novella, and could have been much more fun and gruesome, I felt. The big standoff scene felt rushed and should have gone on a bit longer. It was a fun read but nothing special.

[John Beta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Straight-up writing about an incestuous, masterbating, alcoholic, sharp-shooting cowboy minister, who rode into town, only to be eventually confronted by the walking dead that had no particular preference on what body part to chomp down on. What can I say, the makings of a fun little story.

[Jon · Rating 4 out of 5]

(This review first published on The Mumpsimus in 2005).

Dead in the West is Joe R. Lansdale's genre-blending "Zombie Western," the literary equivalent of George Romero making a Clint Eastwood spaghetti western. Dead in the West first came out in 1986; this 2005 edition from Night Shade Books apparently is a revision. How it differs from the original release, I cannot say, except the intro calls the first "a tribute to the pulps, especially Weird Tales," and this new edition adds on homages to comics like Jonah Hex and horror movie classics like Billy the Kid versus Dracula. Which suggests plenty of blood, guts, the undead, and possibly some sex, in other words.

And in this, Dead in the West does not disappoint. The plot is straightforward: the Reverend Jebediah Mercer, a traveling preacher of the Old West, arrives in the East Texas town of Mud Creek, hoping to redeem himself of his sins, only to discover the little town has sins of its own. Fortunately, our hero isn't a weak-kneed man of the cloth, but a gunslinger, "bringing the sword to the infidels -- or a gun." And a good thing, because before too long, zombies start popping up and the fun begins.

The book picks up many of the same traditions of both genres: the town is populated with many standard Western characters but with a horror movie slant: the town doctor, the closest thing to a scientist, and his attractive daughter/assistant; the sheriff, too weak to do what the hero must; and the town roughneck, responsible for the fate that meets the town. There's even a boy sidekick.

The explanation for the undead uprising are found in a Weird Tales pulp staple: the Necronomicon, and other tomes of unhealthy lore (curiously, Lansdale decides not to include Nameless Cults, fellow Texan Robert E. Howard's contribution to the forbidden book category; bit of an oversight to me). The zombies operate in true Romero fashion by spreading their condition by biting their victims, bursting into flames in direct sunlight, and can only be killed by a gunshot to the head. And true to the genre, the book features a last stand against the undead hordes. The two influences blend well together.

But all this is on the surface. With a book about a preacher battling zombies, the reader might naturally expect a certain emphasis on death and resurrection. But Dead in the West focuses much more on sin and redemption. Reverend Mercer's sins weigh heavily on him. As a gunslinger he had killed many men over the years, something that doesn't trouble him greatly (as befits a man of action). But the crime of incest also hangs over him, haunting him with dark dreams. Finally he repents and declares that Mud Creek will be his test of salvation. By contrast, the townsfolk do not own up to their collective sin, but instead blame each other for it. But God as portrayed here is a God of the Old Testament: punishments of fire and blood, and an eye for eye. As a result, their fate is less promising.

All in all, Dead in the West is a thrilling read, true to its pulp origins, but with a little more to it than a basic battle-the-undead tale. Recommended to fans of both westerns and zombies.

[Marvin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Best zombie western ever...admittedly not a big category. Joe R. Lansdale is the writer I turn to when I want my horror fix delivered with sardonic wit and drenched in buckets of blood. He doesn't disappoint in this hearty tribute to the pulps. Why this book has never been made into a movie bewilders me.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lansdale takes a huge bite with this kick ass zombie novella. B-rated zombie the way it should be.

[Matteo · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Lansdale è uno dei miei autori preferiti, per molte ragioni, innanzitutto quella di farmi scollegare dal mondo reale per farmi immedesimare nel suo universo fatto di battute brillanti, dinamicità degli eventi e ritmo sempre incalzante.
Questo è il suo terzo romanzo in ordine temporale e col senno di poi posso dire che si nota un Lansdale ancora un po' acerbo, in attesa di diventare molto più celebre. Il racconto, come anticipa lui all'inizio, è una sorta di film dell'orrore di serie B, molto splatteroso, talmente tanto che non incute momenti di inquietudine nel lettore.
La storia è piuttosto semplice, i personaggi non sono troppo caratterizzati e questa è forse una piccola pecca, anche se è la storia che viene privilegiata, lasciando indietro tutto il resto. Il libro scorre via molto rapido, il reverendo pistolero risulta simpatico anche se, come detto, non è descritto in maniera troppo approfondita. La liaison con Abby, la figlia del Doc, è troppo leggera.
Insomma, gli do un 7, perché Lansdale è Lansdale e perché la lettura è comunque piacevole.

[Alondra Miller · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 Stars

Western with zombies. What's not to love?

I believe this is the introduction of Rev. Jebediah Mercer; a true anti-hero, if there ever was one. There are a few short stories and comics from the author about this character. Each story is fast-paced, brutal and fabulous!

Very short story, maybe novella sized at 119 pg.

Once you read this and decide you love it, I highly recommend Gehenna series by Jason Brant. Werewolves in the old west!! I got the first 2 books for free on Kindle, and the last on sale for $1.99.

[Eric Benderoff · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a fan of the Hap & Leonard series, it was a treat to find this Western Horror (!!!) book on the shelves of a used bookstore in Boston. I tore through the book in a day along the beach in Rhode Island - it’s only 120 pages. A fun and fast read and the narrative moves along like you’d expect from Joe Lansdale. A definite buy if you stumble across this book. Who knew a western horror genre existed, but Joe pulls it off!

[Slick Dungeon · Rating 1 out of 5]

Well, I’ve read a zombie book or two thousand in my time. Some are great. Cell by Stephen King is an exceptional standout in the genre to me. And of course the now finished but never forgotten The Walking Dead comic book may be the most brilliant zombie story to ever be told, no matter if you are tired of the television show or not.

But I can tell you that those examples are the stunningly rare exceptions in a genre with a zillion books. This week I read Dead in the West by Joe R. Lansdale. I’ll give you a quick summary of the plot, then we are going to run through the zombie trope checklist together and see how many boxes we can mark off. Fair warning, spoilers follow.

It’s old west Texas, and a preacher comes into a small town called Mud Creek. Prior to his arrival, the town had unfairly executed an Indian medicine man and his innocent wife. The Indian laid a curse upon the town with his dying breath and the dead begin to rise. The preacher and his allies attempt to stop the undead, and only the preacher survives with his life.

Here is our checklist

A lone hero with a storied past comes into town – check

A plucky kid meets the lone hero and we know he is going to a. save the life of the main hero and b. die in the end, even though the hero does not like the kid at first. – double check

A beautiful love interest for the lone hero – check

The father of said beautiful love interest is the first one to trust the hero and figure out what’s going on – checkity check

Hands come out of the dirt in a grave yard – this has not been new since Night of the Living Dead and is no longer necessary to any story but we checked this one off anyway!

A mystical force of evil is causing this, even if you can kinda understand where the evil is coming from – large check

The hero is an alcoholic or has some other life struggle – blindfolded I check this box

Hero teaching the plucky kid how to shoot – was this ever in doubt? Check this box!

No one believes the scientist (in this case a doctor) when he figures it out even though the evidence is extremely obvious – check it in bold

Hero admits he loves the beautiful woman even though it’s been a very short time that they have known each other – Put a heart around this check

A total racist jerkwad who basically causes the whole thing and is then torn apart by the living dead – shredded check mark!

A sheriff who could have stopped the damn thing but through inaction allows everything to go on – put a badge on this check

Dead people moving around left and right but most of the people don’t even notice until it’s too late – sneaky check mark!

Body parts falling off shambling zombies – arm shaped check mark

Love interest blowing her own brains out so she doesn’t become a zombie – gore splattered check mark circled with a broken heart

Plucky kid getting in a few distracting licks so that the hero can survive – made this check with my foot

Hero being unable to shoot plucky kid after he is bitten even though that’s the one darned thing the kid specifically asked him to do – put a bullet hole in that check box

Daylight coming along and frying the big bad, but just a little too late to save the town – sun soaked checkity check mark

Hero riding out of town feeling lost and like he failed – lonely check mark

The feeling that you have read this book before – blood read check mark

Okay, so checklist made. Now for a few things that stood out in this book as, umm… different. First, though, I do want to say, this is not by a long shot, the worst zombie book I ever read. I have read a lot of them though so I don’t know how much that’s worth. I feel like the author might have other good books, and he has certainly written a lot of books and won awards for them. I just feel like this one was too typical of the genre to stand out in any significant way.

So the interesting stuff.

There are a few sentences in this book that I didn’t understand. It could be that’s because this story is part of a larger series or it could just be that I’m not catching a reference. But here’s one. “He had the cool, blue eyes of a cold killer – the eyes of a man who had seen the elephant and seen it well.” Umm… I’ve seen an elephant too. And seen it pretty well, I mean it’s kind of hard to miss. I don’t think that’s what makes someone a killer somehow though.

Another odd metaphor, “The sun was easing up over the horizon like a sneaky, blond baby raising its head.” Later in the page, “The blond head was coming up faster, strands of light, like fine lines of hair were lightening the lower edge of the sky.” Now, I’ve been down in the dark for a while but I have seen sunrises. You know what they never, even once reminded me of? An infant’s head.

The preacher who is the hero of the book rolls into town, gets drunk, shoots a spider in his hotel room, leaving a hole in the wall and causing a ruckus, but seems to think people should treat him nicely.

The author at times, seems to have an unhealthy obsession with describing things in comparison (for lack of a better word) to dung. “The river itself was darker than the s***t from Satan’s bowels.” Later in the paragraph, “Up s***t river without a paddle.” An odd image if I do say so myself.

Usually I am not too annoyed with typos and misspellings. I mean, I know I make those mistakes myself, although I do try to proofread my posts before posting. But this one stood out as either an egregious error or a major Freudian slip. Either way it made me laugh. “…Matt said and walked out of the mom.” I wondered to myself how he got in the mom in the first place.

At the end during the climax, the preacher had a line that stood out as ridiculously funny to me in his righteous fury, “Hallowed be thy name, oh Lord – and shotgun do your stuff.” That sentence belongs in a b movie horror film immediately.

And the weirdest thing I have saved for last. Also, the grossest. The preacher is guilt ridden because he slept with his sister. Then he gets attracted to the woman that he says he loves in the town mostly because she looks like his sister. I’ve gone over this before but let’s leave this stuff to George R.R. Marin please. I don’t need to read any more of that. Also, this preacher seems to be mad at God and his father both, for thinking what he did with his sister was not okay. Clue for ya buddy, it’s not.

To review, zombies make good can openers, they can be fun to read about, but most books in this genre have done everything to death (pun seriously intended). If you want an average time of reading a zombie book and have a couple hours, Dead in the West is not your worst option. But if you have higher standards skip this one and read World War Z or something like it instead.

If you liked this review, check out my blog at Slick Dungeon's Dusty Tomes and Terrible Films where I review books that I'd rather not read and review films that no one should see.

[Callie S. · Rating 3 out of 5]

La morte ci sfida è un atto d'amore nei confronti di quella cinematografia (di serie Z) da drive-in cui tanto deve l'immaginario dell'Autore. Lansdale orchestra, infatti, un riuscito crossover di zombie e vecchio West, senza rinunciare agli archetipi del genere: dal Reverendo tormentato e ramingo allo sceriffo pusillanime; dal fanatico del villaggio al buon dottore.
Dico 'archetipi' e non 'stereotipi', perché è la qualità della scrittura a fare la differenza e a conferire tridimensionalità a personaggi che scolorerebbero, altrimenti, in macchiette.
Godibile e visivo quasi fosse davvero un film, manca, purtroppo, della venefica ironia per cui - lo ammetto - mi sono votata da tempo al culto dell'autore texano.

[Trevor Oakley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wow - this is a rootin' tootin' cussin' fabulous zombie western! I've been wanting to read this weird little book for quite some time and thank god for interlibrary loan - got a copy from the Library of Congress! Of course, I had to read it in the library, but that's no problem since I work there. It's quick - 3 lunch breaks and I was done. I'm sad it's over because it was just so much fun. Dead in the West is packed with quirky, wild, and funny one-liners. It's worth reading again just to pull out quotes.

[Ryan Laferney · Rating 3 out of 5]

A tongue-in-cheek, B movie exercise about a gunslinging evangelist, Jebidiah Mercer, who has to rescue the town of Mud Creek from a curse caused by the lynching of an Indian medicine man. When bodies begin showing up in Mud Creek the likes the Doc have never seen before, it's up to Jebidiah to purge the town of evil.

Dead in the West is a compact Western-Horror novella that would make a great B-horror film. The climax is gory and intense!

[Ellis · Rating 4 out of 5]

If I told you the words "zombie western", anything you could possibly think of would have to be this book. Crusty town doctor, hard-bitten alcoholic reverend struggling with his faith, random boy who stature rises in the plot, pretty woman, zombies. This book is cool.

[Chompa · Rating 5 out of 5]

Drunken preachers, zombies, dark powers, and a western all in one. Magnificent!

Lansdale's one of my favorites and he did a magnificent job with this story. The preacher is a fantastic character and Lansdale's hints of future adventures with him make me very happy.

[Rick · Rating 4 out of 5]

Zombies, gun-totin' preachers, and Joe R. Lansdale. Need I say more?

[Kym · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pulpy Western with zombie demons? Hell yes! This book was a fast and fun read.

[Regina · Rating 4 out of 5]

I always enjoy Lansdale’s stories of the Old West mixed with monsters. Macabre Spaghetti Westerns in my mind.

[Robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A fun, pulpy read. Maybe too generous giving it three stars, though, but it is Lansdale, so there.

[Fernando Cignola · Rating 3 out of 5]

Un western horror senza redenzione

Joe R. Lansdale non ha mai avuto paura di mescolare i generi, e La Morte ci sfida (Dead in the West) ne è un esempio perfetto: un western intriso di elementi horror che sembra uscito direttamente da una proiezione notturna di un vecchio film di serie B. Il libro non si prende troppo sul serio, come dichiara lo stesso autore nell'introduzione, ma riesce comunque a lasciare il segno grazie al suo protagonista tormentato e a un'atmosfera cupa e senza speranza.

Trama e atmosfera

Il reverendo Jebidiah Mercer è un predicatore armato e maledetto, un uomo in fuga dal proprio passato e dai propri incubi. Quando arriva in un villaggio infestato da una maledizione scatenata da un nativo americano torturato e assassinato dagli abitanti, si ritrova coinvolto in una battaglia contro i morti viventi. Ma questa non è una storia di eroi: Mercer combatte, spara e si fa strada tra i mostri, ma il suo intervento si rivela quasi inutile. Alla fine, non c'è salvezza per nessuno.

L'ambientazione richiama il cinema horror anni '80, con immagini viscerali e un mix di azione e splatter che rendono la lettura veloce e coinvolgente. Lansdale non si perde in descrizioni superflue, ma riesce comunque a creare un mondo spietato e privo di speranza, dove la giustizia è solo un concetto astratto.

Personaggi e temi

Mercer è un personaggio affascinante: un predicatore che ha perso la fede e che si porta dietro un passato segnato da incubi e colpe inconfessabili. Tra questi, il sogno ricorrente di un incesto con la sorella, che aggiunge una dimensione disturbante e simbolica al suo tormento. Il tema della colpa e della punizione aleggia su tutta la storia, e Lansdale lo sottolinea con il finale amaro, dove nessuna redenzione è possibile.

L'indiano che scatena la maledizione non è solo un nemico, ma un elemento ineluttabile del destino: la sua vendetta si compie fino in fondo, spazzando via tutto e lasciando Mercer da solo con il peso della propria sopravvivenza. Anche la relazione con Abby, che poteva rappresentare una sorta di conforto, si chiude nel modo più tragico, e la morte del piccolo David conferma la totale assenza di speranza.

Punti di forza: l’atmosfera horror-western: Lansdale sa creare tensione e un senso di ineluttabilità che permea tutto il romanzo; il personaggio di Mercer: un antieroe dannato che lotta senza convinzione contro un destino già scritto; lo stile asciutto e diretto: il ritmo è serrato, le scene horror ben descritte, senza eccessivi fronzoli; l'incubo di Mercer: probabilmente il momento più evocativo del libro, con immagini potenti e disturbanti.

Criticità: la sfida finale: il confronto con i morti viventi e la risoluzione della maledizione sono piuttosto sbrigativi e non offrono un vero climax emozionante; trama lineare: il libro non si prende la briga di costruire intrecci complessi, ma si limita a portare avanti la storia con l’efficacia di un film d’azione. Questo non è necessariamente un difetto, ma potrebbe lasciare insoddisfatti i lettori in cerca di maggiore profondità.

In conclusione, "la Morte ci sfida" è un omaggio dichiarato al cinema horror di serie B, e va letto con questa consapevolezza. Non è un romanzo profondo, ma è un intrattenimento puro che gioca con il western, lo splatter e la disperazione dei suoi personaggi. Mercer non è un eroe, e la sua vittoria è una non-vittoria: la morte ha vinto comunque. Se cercate un libro veloce, crudo e senza speranza, con una scrittura efficace e immagini potenti, Lansdale non delude. Ma se vi aspettate un western con un protagonista redento e una conclusione appagante, questo non è il libro per voi.

[Joel David Levin · Rating 3 out of 5]

Joe R. Lansdale's Dead in the West is a fun, campy monster mashup of genres. Subtitled "A Zombie Western," the novel features a tough-as-nails preacher who unexpectedly faces his most horrifying challenge: a legion of the undead. Like any good antihero, Reverend Jebediah Mercer struggles with a tragic history full of sinful secrets - and the accompanying guilt that haunts him like a tethered specter. The ghosts of the past, however, pale in comparison to the resurrected zombies that have started stalking Mercer's new home in Mud Creek, Texas.

Although this 1986 publication is often heralded as the grandfather of "weird western" tales, it draws upon many familiar elements from horror films and cowboy comics. In many ways, the last chunk of the novel (which features the last living townsfolk making their final stand against encroaching hordes of the undead), feels like a generic zombie film - but with antique firearms and wild west decor.

That being said, Lansdale's writing is sparse and straightforward, lacking the gorgeous grit of Stephen King or the understated poetry of Cormac McCarthy. A few descriptions conjure up powerful visuals ("The head, like a powdered ball of ash paper, came apart and the teeth scattered like rotten peppermints to join the smoking remains of the other zombies on the blood-slick floor"), but much of Lansdale's writing comes across as simple and superficial. And yet, for all its cliches and redundancies, the book's union of these two disparate genres provides a thrilling novelty.

In the future, I might pass on Lansdale in favor of the aforementioned Stephen King, but I'm grateful that Dead in the West's author kick-started such an intriguing genre of literature.

[Joseph Hirsch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Jebidiah Mercer is a whiskey priest with a couple extra problems to go with his propensity for the booze. For not only does he like the bottle, but as a youth he knew his sister in the biblical way.
He comes to the small tank town of Mud Creek not expecting much but to pitch a little tent, stage a show, then pass the stovepipe around. Everything in this strange town, though, is conspiring to rouse him from his long years of apathy and squalid sinning.
For one thing, the night he throws his bible through the window, it comes sailing back to him, smacking him in the nose just to present a certain passage. For another thing, there’s an old sawbones with a daughter who looks a hell of a lot like his long-lost sister.
Worst of all, the town is under a curse put on it by an Indian medicine man intent on getting revenge for the murder of his wife. Soon the dead begin to rise, and the rev’s faith and his skill with his shooting iron are put to the test.
Dead in the West is a short , pretention-free affair by the master of the southern Gothic, Joe R. Lansdale. The book even comes with a short preface containing the caveat that one should go in expecting the literary equivalent of a b-movie playing on TV at midnight. And still, Lansdale is too talented a writer and too intuitive in his grasp of pulp’s deeper mythic antecedents to condescend to the material.
Lansdale is at his best with the short story—is in fact a peerless practitioner of the form, on a par (in my mind) with fellow Southerner Flannery O’Connor. Here, working in a slightly longer form, and in a slightly tongue-in-cheek vein, he’s not quite that good. But that hardly matters. Lansdale at eighty-percent is better than almost everyone else operating at a hundred. Recommended.

[Andrea Zanotti · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ancora una volta vi presento un romanzo dell’autore Joe Lansdale, La morte ci sfida, anno di prima pubblicazione 1984.
Come annuncia l’autore stesso presentandoci l’opera, non si tratta di un libro di grandi riflessioni, “più che altro è come un film dell’orrore che guardavi alla televisione la sera tardi”.
Si tratta per la precisione di un romanzo weird western, che come oramai saprete è uno dei miei generi prediletti e Lansdale ne è uno dei maestri. Questa combinazione non rende difficile pronosticare la soddisfazione che ho provato nel leggerlo. Certo, forse la trama non è nulla di che, forse non lascia particolare spazio a profonde riflessioni filosofiche, sta di fatto che Lansdale ha da insegnare a tutti noi come un romanzo d’intrattenimento debba essere scritto.
L’autore da il meglio di se nei dialoghi. Sono questi a caratterizzare in modo emblematico e indimenticabile i personaggi, donando spessore a un romanzo la cui trama non è certo eccelsa anche se ad ogni modo è capace di precedere di qualche decennio il successo di un The walking dead, che di certo ha sfruttato le medesime orde zombie presenti in questo scritto. Recensione completa su: https://www.scrittorindipendenti.com/...