The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale

by Joe R. Lansdale, Dave McKean (Cover Art), Joe Hill (Introduction)

Introduction by Joe Hill

In this career horror retrospective, World Horror Grandmaster Joe R. Lansdale (Bubba Ho-tep; Hap and Leonard) tackles racism and human cruelty as de­ftly as he conjures demon nuns and Elder Gods. Featuring an original introduction from Joe Hill, this much-anticipated volume showcases the best of Lansdale’s terrifying short stories—menacing, astute, and wildly inappropriate.

Bestselling author Joe R. Lansdale is known for his gritty mysteries and his eccentric horror. As an eleven-time Bram Stoker Award winner, Joe Lansdale cooks up an inimitable recipe of Southern Gothic and Southern fried chicken that continues to delight his many fans and influence generations of horror legends.

Lansdale mashes up crime, Gothic, mystery, fantasy, and science-fiction, filtered through a raw, violent world of dark humor and unique characters. Lansdale is one of the early American horror writers to portray racism not as abstract but as realistic, intimate, and impossible to ignore.

In Lansdale’s nightmarish visions, you’ll discover psychotic demon nuns, a psychopathic preacher, cannibals, 80-year-old Elvis, undead strippers, ­ flying ghost fish, Elder Gods, possessed cars, and the worst evil of all: mankind.

Contents

Introduction by Joe Hill
“The Folding Man”
“Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train”
“God of the Razor”
“My Dead Dog Bobby”
“Tight Little Stitches in a Deadman’s Back”
“By Bizarre Hands”
On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk
“Love Doll: A Fable”
“Mister Weed-Eater”
“The Bleeding Shadow”
“Not From Detroit”
“The Hungry Snow”
“Dog, Cat, and Baby”
Bubba Ho-tep
“Fish Night”
“Night They Missed the Horror Show”

Genres: Horror, Collections, Short Stories

332 pages, Paperback

Expected publication October 7, 2025

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

[TheConnieFox · Rating 4 out of 5]

This anthology book has sixteen horror stories that are all by Joe R. Lansdale! This is the first book that I have read by him, so I was not familiar with his work. I will say his stories are outstanding, yet horrifying! These stories are an incredible collection to have of his.

This book comes with demons, grotesque body horror, monsters, madness and creepy small towns! These stories are definitely worth reading, especially if you love horror novels! My favorite stories that he wrote in this book are “Bubba Ho-tep” and “God of the Razor”. Overall, I am satisfied with his horror stories and they were very well written! They were full of suspense, twisty, extremely dark and very well structured. Overall, I give this book a 4 out of 5 stars!

I think fans of the author Stephen King would really enjoy reading this book. Content Warnings include death, graphic violence, gore, sexual violence, torture and body mutilation, animal cruelty, racism, death of children and offensive humor.

Thank you to NetGalley, author Joe R. Lansdale, Joe Hill (introduction) and Tachyon Publications for this digital ARC of this book in exchange for my honest review. All thoughts and opinions expressed are my own.

This book is expected to be published on October 7, 2025!

[Gyalten Lekden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Whatever flavor of horror gets you feeling twisty in the stomach and weak in the knees, Lansdale has written it, and you can find it in this collection. This collection has stories originally published as far back as 1982 and as recently as 2020, and Lansdale remains remarkably consistent in his brutal realism often combined with supernatural or fantastic ideas. He manages to capture every aspect of humanity, from the most intimate part of human relationship to the sheer monstrosity humans are capable of, a talent for gritty and realistic explorations of what makes up this worldly coil. Some stores are grounded in a naturalistic, if bleak, experience of the world, while others have eldritch deities doing the dirty work, with everything in-between, from cults to zombies to post-apocalyptic plant life to creatures of myth and legend and more.

Lansdale’s writing is consistently efficient and to the point, and yet he is able to build rich atmospheres and create character depth. His tone and style are unflinching, descriptive and immersive but without tangents or flights or fancy. However, he takes that style and stretches it across so many different subgenres of horror that this collection feels dynamic. The stories all share a sense of being grounded, even when they are dealing with the fantastic and supernatural. He isn’t afraid to position his characters in very specific times and places, with language and attitudes and behaviors that show you right away that not every story stars a hero. In this way the stories do address racism, misogyny, abuse and trauma, power dynamics, self-awareness, and more. These stories punch first and ask questions later, which is to say they are never weighed down by their ideas or themes, but they plant dark little seeds that will live with you, ripening, or, maybe, festering for quite a while. The stories aren’t anywhere near the splatter or extreme horror genres, but they are graphic and occasionally unsettling. No matter what type of horror you gravitate toward there is something in this collection for you.

(Rounded from 4.5)

I want to thank the author, the publisher Tachyon Publications, and NetGalley, who provided a complimentary eARC for review. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Irene Well Worth A Read · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is, without a doubt, one of the best short story collections I have ever read, and that is saying something. These tales run the gamut from crime to horror with consummate skill.

Lansdale breathes life into characters and creatures that will haunt your nightmares. While there is some supernatural horror here with terrifying demonic entities, the most powerful stories are those that revolve around the evils that mere mortals perpetrate.

Also included is plenty of dark, gross-out humor. I had seen the movie Bubba Ho-Tep but had never read the story that spawned the film until now. If you enjoy fiction that makes you shake your head and say "ick" while laughing, this is made for you.

Some may find the authentic portrayal of ignorance and racism in a couple of stories to be offensive. I, for one, do not. It is a vile, ugly thing. It is not holding up a mirror to me, and I don't need it sugar-coated. I didn't need the author to pull any punches, and I'm glad he chose not to. Racism written as anything less than disgusting would have been more likely to offend me. This is the language that they use. It would be disingenuous to pretend otherwise.

I have always said the best horror is that which makes me feel something. This is a collection that succeeds in that on every page, from the first story that gave me shivers to the last story that repulsed me to the core, and every tale in between. Prepare to experience a range of emotions, from rage and wonder to sadness and disgust, interspersed with shock and terror.

5 out of 5 stars

My thanks to Tachyon Publications for the gorgeous paperback ARC.

[Sheila · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 stars--I really liked it. I've read a few Lansdale stories before in various anthologies, but this is the first time I've really dug into his vast and assorted works. I need to read more Lansdale--he's an excellent writer, with a knack for capturing a certain (usually Texan) grittiness.

Some of my favorites from the collection:
“Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train”: The image of Zach, the "hoodoo man," with his "baggage" (in the shape of an old woman clinging to his neck) was really creepy.

“God of the Razor”: Some gods are monsters.

“Tight Little Stitches in a Deadman’s Back”: Sci-fi apocalyptic horror about things that might emerge if the oceans dried up.

“By Bizarre Hands”: Truly creepy story of a pastor-predator.

"On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk": The image of cadillacs standing on end, lining the road, was striking.

“The Bleeding Shadow”: I LOVE horror stories about haunted songs/musicians, and this one is especially good. The Lovecraftian monster is terrifying.

"Bubba Ho-tep": Perhaps Lansdale's masterpiece.

“Fish Night”: A rare bit of whimsy. It reminded me of a Barron story--the ancient spirits and prehistoric things beyond our understanding.

“Night They Missed the Horror Show”: The author calls this an anti-racist story. Not sure I agree, but it's dark as anything.

I received this review copy from the publisher on NetGalley. Thanks for the opportunity to read and review; I appreciate it!

[unstable.books · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is an outstanding collection of Joe R. Lansdale's "must read" short stories. Having previously only read The Nightrunners, which was supremely messed up, I was very excited to finally read more from this horror legend. Lansdale is known for his combination of mystery, crime, fantasy, sci-fi and more, all told through a raw and menacing lens. As an ELEVEN time Bram Stoker Award Winner, needless to say he excels in his craft. This collection touts an introduction from Joe Hill, which is in itself fantastic. The amount of times I audibly said "what the fuck?" in different tones and octaves were plentiful. The Folding Man … oh my god. My Dead Dog Bobby … OH. MY. GOD. This book also includes Bubba Ho-Tep, which was so much fun, so outlandish and pretty disgusting. I loved it. I highly recommend any hardcore horror fan pick up this collection from one of the granddaddy's of horror. It publishes October 07, 2025 from Tachyon Publications so keep an eye out for it. Thank you Tachyon Pub for the ARC!

[Happy Goat · Rating 4 out of 5]

Lansdale doesn't shy away from handling difficult characters and their views in this collection, consistently delivering the worst people as they really are (getting what they deserve, most often!). A great mix of subgenres and types of horror, and an entertaining read.

[Kayleigh Dobbs · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'd give this a 3.5 but it deserves to be rounded up rather than down here. I think Lansdale's fans are gonna be very happy with this!

[David Simon · Rating 5 out of 5]

As a reader, Joe Lansdale makes me happy. He somehow writes exactly what I want to read. To paraphrase a recent Stephen King title, I like it darker, and Lansdale always, always delivers.

As a sometimes writer, Joe Lansdale makes me pissed off. Despite how prolific he is—and make no mistake, he’s very prolific—and despite working in a wide variety of genres, including horror, crime, suspense, science fiction, fantasy, and often a mix of any and all of them, his work is always so damn good. He sets unreasonably high expectations for the rest of us. I mean, come on, Joe. Slip up once in a while. Write a shitty sentence.

The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale is, as the title suggests, essential reading for horror fans. This collection is a retrospective of sorts, dipping into every part of Lansdale’s career, including some of his earliest work. While there is plenty of humor here, as there nearly always is with Lansdale, this is a dark, dark, bunch of stories. There are monsters here, of both the supernatural and human variety. Lansdale never looks away from violence, racism, hate, and evil, and he never allows the reader to look away either. In prose honed to a razor sharp edge, he plays all over the horror sandbox, from crime and suspense to southern gothic, science fiction to Lovecraftian horror.

If you’re a Lansdale fan, as I am, you’ll find many of your old, bloody favorites here. Mine include:
• God of the Razor
• Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back
• On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk
• The Bleeding Shadow
• Bubba Ho-tep
• Night They Missed the Horror Show

Honestly, I could have made it easier and listed all the stories. Lansdale is a national treasure.

The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale will be published October 7, 2025, and is available for pre-order now. If you’re easily frightened, or easily offended, this might not be your cup of tea. Otherwise, don’t miss this one.

[Tanya]

—————

Note: I received an ARC of this book in exchange for an honest review.

[Dan · Rating 5 out of 5]

My thanks to NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for an advance copy of this collection featuring a writer who has never disappointed me, with works that cover his career, some adapted to film, some on television, and printed in numerous anthologies, and all of them disturbingly good, in their own way.

Unlike other genres I don't have one book that made me go, oh I like horror, I want to read more. There was Stephen King's Night Shift of course, but if one moved to any suburban town in the early 80's, I think a copy of that came with a basket of fruit from the welcoming committee. Abbot and Costello introduced me to the Universal monsters. Nothing comic related comes to mind, except Swamp Thing and cannibal films were on the illegal cable box, but so was scrambled porn, and I was more eager for that. So maybe it was Joe Lansdale that showed me the power, the majesty and the gore that was horror. I was working in a bookstore when a co-worker talked me into ordering limited edition books. Night Visions 8 was my first, and my introduction to Joe Lansdale. And what an introduction. The language was rough, the stories were yucky, and yet they were full of yuks and other odd humor. Also they were good, real good. Disturbing, dark, unsettling. Things I didn't know I needed. I admit I took Lansdale for granted, knowing that if I saw his name on an anthology, I would get at least one good story. Weird Western, science fiction pastiche, splatterpunk, mystery, revenge tale, all were good, many of them burned in my brain, the plots and the words. The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale features many of these stories, one's that made me wonder what is this, probably why is this, and finally where has this been all my life. Stories that scare, puzzle, amaze and might make one wonder about the human condition, and should we wind down the human experiment.

The book begins with some words from Joe Hill, who was introduced to Lansdale by his father, The King himself. As a writer Hill understand the process and what Lansdale does so well. From there we get the stories, with some brief comments from the author himself, where he got the ideas from, what was going on in life, and what the stories mean. There are a few award winners, and some stories that were cheated of awards. A few that were adapted to television, or nearly made it to television, along with a story about Elvis, JFK and a mummy, that is the inspiration for a great movie. Some splatterpunk stories, a dystopian future filled with zombie strippers in chains. Blind groundskeepers and the hidden life of dogs, cats and babies. And a Weird Western with Wendigos in a winter whiteout.

Lansdale is a dark writer. The world he writes of is dark, mean, evil, chaotic, and strange. Nuns driving the roads at night, looking for victims, or souls trapped on a midnight train. Good doesn't always win, even if good does, people don't know it. The victories against darkness are deep in the shadows were the normal people don't like to look. The language is rough, as are a lot of attitudes, but sadly this is the world we live in. The worst Lansdale conversation about women and race, is probably no different than what is said in the current White House, or even on Fox News. The stories are gross in some spots, but the characters are all unique, all real feeling, even the dark gods who appear. One can see this happening, on some stretch of road on the border of two states with a habit of weird things happening.

A really good introduction to a writer who has been unfairly ignored for as long as I have been reading him. If one likes this there are lot of other collections, even comic books to spend hard-earned money on. A really good author who always delivers, something I can't say about a lot of writers.

[Chris · Rating 3 out of 5]

Have you ever heard a name and thought you knew who they were talking about but couldn’t figure out why? Joe Lansdale is that person for me. I have read The Drive-In, and the movie Bubba Ho-Tep is a guilty pleasure of mine, but for some reason I never make the connection to Mr. Lansdale. So when my wonderful friends on #BookSky pointed out this collection was available for an Advanced Reader Copy I threw my name in the hat. Thank you so much to the publisher Tachyon Publications and NetGalley for granting me this privilege. The book will be released on October 7, 2025.

How fitting to have a little Joe on Joe acation to kick this anthology off. The legendary Joe Hill writes the introduction to this collection. My favorite thing Joe Hill said in his introduction is referring to Lansdale’s writing style:

“Joe was painting with leaded gasoline, shitty beer, ruptured organs, and mother’s tears”
I completely know what he means. Lansdale’s writing is the goofy, gritty, for lack of a better term, trashy style that makes his stories so much fun to read. Check out the story list:

The Folding Man
The Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train
God of the Razor
My Dead Dog Bobby
Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back
By Bizarre Hands
On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks
Love Doll: A Fable
Mr. Weed-Eater
The Bleeding Shadows
Not from Detroit
The Hungry Snow
Dog, Cat, and Baby
Bubba Ho-Tep
Fish Night
Night They Missed the Horror Show
This collection is not all pure horror, but compasses all kinds of Horror sub genres that even included some sci-fi horror. Some of my personal favorites were, Bubba Ho-Tep, The Folding Man, and The Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train.

Each of these stories had something that resonated with me. Bubba Ho-Tep was so much fun to read what the Bruce Campbell classic was based off of. The folding man started out with a bunch of boys mooning a car full of nuns that reminded me of my own high school days, and The Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train had kind of a Dark Tower Roland Deschain feel to it.

As for the review part. This book was a hard read for me. Where I loved the aforementioned stories and there were others that were really good, I struggled to stick with this one. I love an anthology and usually try to read a story a day, but this one I took long breaks to read other things in between stories. A couple of stories I also just didn’t care for which cased a struggle to just finish those. I will not say which ones were not my favorite so as to not put that seed of negativity out there for a future reader.

Overall this was a solid 🥃🥃🥃 read for me. I’m so glad I read this and would recommend it to anyone who a fan of the twisted and weird kind of story.

[Elli (Kindig Blog) · Rating 2 out of 5]

‘Some horror writers will take you to the edge, but Joe Lansdale usually leaves the edge behind by page 2.’

For my October ARC reads I love to just request Horror books. I had never heard of Joe R Lansdale but seeing him described as ‘World Horror Grandmaster’, I thought an anthology of his greatest work would be the best way to kick off my own spooky season.

One thing that struck me immediately with Lansdale’s work is that his stories are ‘Southern Gothic’, in a style which reminded me of some of Stephen King’s earlier books. He very much focuses on the evil of people, and his characters are visceral and leave an impact. I also enjoyed the forward by Joe Hill, which I’ve quoted from at the beginning of this review, and the author’s introduction to each of his stories, which gives some background information about the inspiration for the story or how it was received.

I really enjoyed ‘God of the Razor’ and ‘Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man’s Back’ (which also strays into apocalyptic horror which I particularly enjoy).

I then read ‘By Bizarre Hands’ and I must admit, this really put me off the entire anthology. I understand that it was a short story that was originally published in the 1980s, but the entire story is littered with the N word and the R word throughout. I skipped this one about a quarter of the way in and started ‘On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk’ but this again had the N word in it as well as a lot of derogatory sentiments about women, which I just couldn’t read. I understand that Lansdale is perhaps trying to show how evil these characters are, but I don’t think that including this in an anthology published in 2025 is a good choice. I’m not suggesting censorship, but perhaps it’s better to leave stories with this language in the time in which it was written.

I ended up DNFing this book - there are some good ideas and some creepy stories in here, but I found the choice of language to be outdated and offensive for a book published in 2025. Thank you to NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for the chance to read the ARC in exchange for an honest review.

For more of my reviews check out Kindig Blog

[Adam Sorensen · Rating 4 out of 5]

"The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale" is a fantastic collection of genre stories that shows the wide talent of Lansdale's work even within the horror genre. Contained within this anthology are Dark Westerns, post-apocalyptic monster yarns, Zombie road-trips, music-infused Lovecraftian terror, and a whole host of eerie tales.

Lansdale's strength in writing complex, nasty characters is at the forefront here, with many entries that are likely to make your skin crawl. But all of these stories reveal something about the time in which they were written, an uncomfortable truth where the horror is found in the straight line we can see to the real world. There are countless unsavoury characters who tread mucky waters in these stories, so if you're looking for some truly dark, challenging, and splattery horrror this Halloween season then look no further.

What *really* sets this retrospective collection apart are Lansdale's introductions that we get at the start of each new story. As a newcomer to his work, these were fantastic at providing a sense of place for when each story was constructed and how they came to be. I really wish more collections would do this, it's so valuable!

Some of my absolute favourite entries in this collection included:
"The Folding Man"
"God of the Razor"
"Tight Little Stitches in a Deadman’s Back”
"On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk"
"The Bleeding Shadow”, and
"Fish Night"


Each of these stories were brilliantly distinct from one another, and offered a new perspective to Lansdale's talents in the horror space.

Massive thanks to the team at Tachyon Publications for providing an advanced copy of this one! The collection drops on the 7th of October, definitely check this one out.

[Missy (myweereads) · Rating 5 out of 5]

"Even with all that he had faced, vampires, werewolves, walking dead and monsters from the edges of time, he felt his skin crawl."

Joe R. Lansdale's upcoming collection features various works spanning his career. Some of these are deeply routed in the dark and macabre, monsters that are supernatural as well as humanm science fiction, Lovecraftian and so much more.

The author does great work in incorporating these unsettling tales with very real points of view on violence and racism.

Featured in this collection are the following:

Introduction by Joe Hill
“The Folding Man”
“Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train”
“God of the Razor”
“My Dead Dog Bobby”
“Tight Little Stitches in a Deadman’s Back”
“By Bizarre Hands”
On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk
“Love Doll: A Fable”
“Mister Weed-Eater”
“The Bleeding Shadow”
“Not From Detroit”
“The Hungry Snow”
“Dog, Cat, and Baby”
Bubba Ho-tep
“Fish Night”
“Night They Missed the Horror Show”

A lot of these have stuck with me and I won't be forgetting them anytime soon. If anything this has made me want to pick up more by Joe R. Lansdale.

Many thanks to @tachyonpublications for a copy which is published 07 October 2025

[little blue haired old lady X · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Essential Horror of Joe R. Landsdale (with introduction by Joe Hill)
Published by @Tachyon Publications

This book is like eating a multicourse gourmet meal while being on a weird AF acid trip. I thought I had read hard and gory horror, but it can’t hold a candle to the guts and blood that Mr. Landsdale spills on virtually every page. The writing is good and his imagination is out of this world. His humor shines through the stories and not all of them are gory (although most are). Imagine the heretical ridiculousness of Christopher Moore and the blood lust of Nat Cassidy. How I’ve managed to read this long and not have read his work baffles me.

Some of what was written in the 70s and 80s does not translate well today (and Mr. Landsdale is aware of that, but allows the work to remain as it was originally published) and if you can’t take the -isms that are there as a part of that time line (for better or for worse), this book will not be for you.

My thanks to @Tachyon Publications for allowing me to read this ARC.

[Laura · Rating 5 out of 5]

Joe R. Lansdale has always had a talent for dragging readers down dusty backroads into strange, terrifying, and often darkly funny places and The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale is a prime showcase of that talent at its finest. This collection is lean, brutal, and consistently strong throughout—something rare in most story collections.

"The Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train" kicks things off with a sharp, atmospheric tale that feels like Lansdale at his pulp-noir best. "Tight Little Stitches in a Dead Man's Back" might be one of the most haunting stories I've read in years—emotionally raw, visually harrowing, and deeply unsettling in ways that linger.

Lansdale’s unique blend of western grit and horror is on full display in standouts like "On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folks," "The Hungry Snow," and the now-iconic "Bubba Ho-Tep." They read like grindhouse westerns filtered through an apocalyptic fever dream—and it works so well.

"The Bleeding Shadow" feels like it could exist in the same universe as Sinners (if you've seen it, you'll get it)—blues, demons, and darkness in equal measure. And of course, the collection ends with a gut punch: "Night They Missed the Horror Show." It's raw, grotesque, and disturbingly relevant—a reminder that the real horror sometimes wears a human face.

Most story collections have a few forgettable entries, but this one doesn’t. Even the lesser-known tales land hard. The Essential Horror of Joe R. Lansdale lives up to its name: it’s essential. Whether you're a longtime fan or just discovering him, this is a hell of a ride.

Thank you to NetGalley and the publisher for an early copy in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.

[Mark Smith-briggs · Rating 5 out of 5]

More recently Joe R. Landsdale is better known for his off-beat, gritty crime novels and weird westerns, but this aptly titled collection reminds us just how great a horror writer he is.
The book features many of his finest horror short stories from across the decades, many of which have been previously collated in other collections before - so value here may depend on your existing Landsdale library.
But taken as a standalone horror collection this one packs one hell of a wallop and reminds us that Landsdale is a tour de force when it comes to the darker side of fiction.
Landsdale's character work and worldbuilding has always been first rate and it's again on show here with a range of rich worlds populated by nasty characters ranging from the supernatural (demonic nuns) to the worst of humanity (rapist preachers).
Of course, his most famous short story Bubba Ho-Tep gets a run but it's just one of many great stories such as Tight Little Stitches in a Deadman's Back, On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk and the Bleeding Shadow. But ultimately every story here is a standout in its own right.
Due for an October release, mark this one down as essential reading for this year's Halloween period.

[Phillip · Rating 3 out of 5]

A wonderful collection of the author's darker tales, often described as Southern Gothic. In particular Buba Ho-tep, which I have long heard about but never read. In it are a cast of famous character who may or may not be who they say they are, fighting an Egyptian mummy. This is my favourite in this collection, though I liked them all even though the stories that shone a light on some very nasty people were a little hard to read. For watchers of Love Death and Robots there is Fish Night, an episode from the first season, and another of my favourites from this collection.

[Troy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Thanks to the author, the publisher, and NetGalley for providing me with this eARC in exchange for an honest review.

I'm a huge fan of Joe Lansdale, having read Savage Season and The Nightrunners back in the day. Many of these short stories were revisits for me, having read them in the past. Several, believe it or not, were first-time reads. I have never read Bubba Ho-Tep or watched its faithful movie adaptation. It was a deilight to read for the first time.

Highly recommended horror collection.

[Erin Newton · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm new to Lansdale but I'll happily delve into his canon from this point forward. These stories are bleak, crude, and hilarious. Extremely creative and well written. Stories in this collection I especially enjoyed were: The Folding Man; Hoodoo Man and the Midnight Train; By Bizarre Hands; On the Far Side of the Cadillac Desert with Dead Folk; Love Doll; Not From Detroit; and The Hungry Snow. The Folding Man and The Hungry Snow were my favorites. Thank you to NetGalley for an ARC and for trusting me with this chaos.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

For this reader, just about anything by Joe his-own-self is worth a read, and The Essential Horror is no exception. Featuring classic stories such as "Bubba Ho-tep," as well as startlingly macabre and unflinching ones like "My Dead Dog Bobby," this book will surely delight old fans as well as new readers of irreverent and authentic fiction.

Take it from this reader: buy this book, and savor every bloody page.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you're not familiar with Joe R. Lansdale, you're missing out and this book would be a great place to start. It includes some of his best horror stories, most notably "Bubba Hotep" (the source for the film of the same name) and the particularly horrific "Night They Missed the Horror Show," which, like many of his best stories, addresses racism and cruelty. A great anthology of stories by a great American writer.

[ received an advanced e-galley through Netgalley.]

[Roo · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was such an interesting read! A terrifying collection of the works of Joe R. Lansdale! These horror short stories will keep you enthralled start to finish! I read a couple chapters/stories a day for the last few days and absolutely couldn’t put it down!

4⭐️⭐️⭐️⭐️

[Shannon Munson · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Tachyon Publications for an ARC of this collection of short stories, publishing October 7, 2025.

This is my first time reading anything by Joe Lansdale and wow, what a collection this was. Highly recommend for any horror fan!

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

Joe Lansdale has such a genius way of writing horror and comedy. It should be studied. He really gets the genre and knows what he’s doing, which is why he’s one of horrors greats. Each story is a world of its own and so much damn fun. I would follow Lansdale anywhere. What a brilliant and smart writer.