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The Man with the Barbed-Wire Fists
A brand-new collection from Norman Partridge! This volume gathers several previously uncollected stories together with two new stories written for this collection. The 24 stories that make up this collection span the length of Partridge’s writing career. It also features an 8,500-word introduction, as well as a complete bibliography. As an added bonus, the limited edition also features an unpublished piece of juvenilia, “Castle of the Honda Monsters”.
- In a suburban American ghost town, a frightened boy armed with a BB gun stands alone against a soul-stealing stranger.
- During the Great Depression, outlaw rivals of Bonnie and Clyde battle for their lives in a bullet-riddled cornfield that holds the secret of love and death
- Returning to Texas beneath a sky the color of a woman’s heart, the man who slew Count Dracula brings a coffin and a thirst for vengeance to the town that abandoned him.
Contents:
Seeing Past the Corners (An Introduction of Sorts)
Red Right Hand
The Man with the Barbed-Wire Fists
The Pack
Blood Money
Last Kiss
Blackbirds
Wrong Turn
Spyder
In Beauty, Like the Night
Minutes
Where the Woodbine Twineth
Mr. Fox
The Hollow Man
Return of the Shroud
Tombstone Moon
The Mojave Two-Step
Coyotes
¡Cuidado!
Do Not Hasten To Bid Me Adieu
Carne Muerta
Bucket of Blood
Undead Origami
Harvest
The Bars On Satan's Jailhouse
- In a suburban American ghost town, a frightened boy armed with a BB gun stands alone against a soul-stealing stranger.
- During the Great Depression, outlaw rivals of Bonnie and Clyde battle for their lives in a bullet-riddled cornfield that holds the secret of love and death
- Returning to Texas beneath a sky the color of a woman’s heart, the man who slew Count Dracula brings a coffin and a thirst for vengeance to the town that abandoned him.
Contents:
Seeing Past the Corners (An Introduction of Sorts)
Red Right Hand
The Man with the Barbed-Wire Fists
The Pack
Blood Money
Last Kiss
Blackbirds
Wrong Turn
Spyder
In Beauty, Like the Night
Minutes
Where the Woodbine Twineth
Mr. Fox
The Hollow Man
Return of the Shroud
Tombstone Moon
The Mojave Two-Step
Coyotes
¡Cuidado!
Do Not Hasten To Bid Me Adieu
Carne Muerta
Bucket of Blood
Undead Origami
Harvest
The Bars On Satan's Jailhouse
429 pages, Hardcover
First published May 1, 2001
1 person is currently reading
196 people want to read
About the author
Norman Partridge
109 books306 followersNorman Partridge’s fiction includes horror, suspense, and the fantastic—“sometimes all in one story” says his friend Joe Lansdale. His compact, thrill-a-minute style has been praised by Stephen King and Peter Straub, and his fiction has received three Bram Stokers and two IHG awards.
Partridge’s career launched a series of firsts during the indie press boom of the early nineties. His first short story appeared in the second issue of Cemetery Dance, and his debut novel, Slippin’ into Darkness, was the first original novel published by CD. Partridge’s chapbook Spyder was one of Subterranean Press’s inaugural titles, while his World Fantasy-nominated collection, Bad Intentions, was the first hardcover in the Subterranean book line.
Since then, Partridge has published pair of critically acclaimed suspense novels featuring ex-boxer Jack Baddalach for Berkley Prime Crime (Saguaro Riptide and The Ten-Ounce Siesta), comics for Mojo and DC, and a series novel (The Crow: Wicked Prayer) which was adapted for the screen. His award-winning collections include Mr. Fox and Other Feral Tales and The Man with the Barbed-Wire Fists. Partridge’s latest novel, Dark Harvest, was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the 100 Best Books of 2006.
Whether working in mainstream markets or the independent press, Partridge’s vivid, exuberant writing style has made him a fan favorite. Never content to be pigeon-holed as a writer, Partridge continues to defy categorization. A third-generation Californian, he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Canadian writer Tia V. Travis.
Partridge’s career launched a series of firsts during the indie press boom of the early nineties. His first short story appeared in the second issue of Cemetery Dance, and his debut novel, Slippin’ into Darkness, was the first original novel published by CD. Partridge’s chapbook Spyder was one of Subterranean Press’s inaugural titles, while his World Fantasy-nominated collection, Bad Intentions, was the first hardcover in the Subterranean book line.
Since then, Partridge has published pair of critically acclaimed suspense novels featuring ex-boxer Jack Baddalach for Berkley Prime Crime (Saguaro Riptide and The Ten-Ounce Siesta), comics for Mojo and DC, and a series novel (The Crow: Wicked Prayer) which was adapted for the screen. His award-winning collections include Mr. Fox and Other Feral Tales and The Man with the Barbed-Wire Fists. Partridge’s latest novel, Dark Harvest, was chosen by Publishers Weekly as one of the 100 Best Books of 2006.
Whether working in mainstream markets or the independent press, Partridge’s vivid, exuberant writing style has made him a fan favorite. Never content to be pigeon-holed as a writer, Partridge continues to defy categorization. A third-generation Californian, he lives in the San Francisco Bay Area with his wife, Canadian writer Tia V. Travis.
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
June 30, 2015
Perhaps my expectations were too lofty, but this short story collection - while not entirely lackluster - fell flat for me. The opening story "The Red Right Hand" was excellent, promising wonders to behold, but, sadly, it just wasn't the case.
There were a few good ones sprinkled here and there, but the collection as a whole was unsatisfactory.
I LOVED Partridge's fantastic Halloween novel Dark Harvest, so I am willing to give him another chance, but I won't recommend this to anyone.
There were a few good ones sprinkled here and there, but the collection as a whole was unsatisfactory.
I LOVED Partridge's fantastic Halloween novel Dark Harvest, so I am willing to give him another chance, but I won't recommend this to anyone.
June 21, 2021
The book sank under the author's pretensions regarding high literature and our expectations regarding his work after it won those prestigious awards.
It did have some truly unforgettable stories. They have stayed with me. But the rest was word-addled pieces that were dangerous— but only because they could make you yawn. The author tried to make a point so tediously that the exercise became pointless.
But, as I said, there are couple of unforgettable stories here, supported by a few good ones.
Hence the rating.
It did have some truly unforgettable stories. They have stayed with me. But the rest was word-addled pieces that were dangerous— but only because they could make you yawn. The author tried to make a point so tediously that the exercise became pointless.
But, as I said, there are couple of unforgettable stories here, supported by a few good ones.
Hence the rating.
August 29, 2020
Norman Partridge keeps writing stuff that can't miss. I continue to highly enjoy the collections of short stories that he writes and has pulled together. This is another one where it's hard to find a bad story. The worst I can say is that some of them were simply OK and not real good or great. Enjoyable but not packing in that punch. I was also kind of spoiled with his collection MR. FOX AND OTHER FERAL TALES in that he wrote a biographical blurb before each story. Here we only get an Introduction and then a bibliography of his completed works. I suppose it allows us to focus on the stories but they were missed. It was nice to go through a streak of stories; we had three or four desert stories followed by some Las Vegas stories, all preceded by some soldier stories. My favorites are below minus some stories which I've already called out as favorites in other collections.
"Do Not Hasten To Bid Me Adieu" - A western story about a romantic cowboy marrying his vampire girlfriend.
"The Pack" - A werewolf is jailed in a small western town.
"Blackbirds" - A young boy discovers the souls of everyone in town is being sucked into hell to feed a demon and decides to stop it.
"Wrong Turn" - An actor's son tries to live off his father's coattails.
"Carne Muerta" - A drug lord gets revenge on the man sleeping with his wife. There is a twist at the end of this story that I should have seen coming but didn't.
"Do Not Hasten To Bid Me Adieu" - A western story about a romantic cowboy marrying his vampire girlfriend.
"The Pack" - A werewolf is jailed in a small western town.
"Blackbirds" - A young boy discovers the souls of everyone in town is being sucked into hell to feed a demon and decides to stop it.
"Wrong Turn" - An actor's son tries to live off his father's coattails.
"Carne Muerta" - A drug lord gets revenge on the man sleeping with his wife. There is a twist at the end of this story that I should have seen coming but didn't.
February 16, 2020
Salvo por algunas historias que sobresalen del resto, en general esta colección me pareció bastante olvidable. Tal vez sea porque el tipo de historias son distintas a las que leí en Lesser Demons; los temas en esta colección se centran más en el western o noir.
Las historias que más me gustaron son:
Last Kiss
Return of the Shroud
¡Cuidado!
Bucket of Blood
Undead Origami
Harvest
The Bars On Satan's Jailhouse
Las historias que más me gustaron son:
Last Kiss
Return of the Shroud
¡Cuidado!
Bucket of Blood
Undead Origami
Harvest
The Bars On Satan's Jailhouse
March 19, 2019
Some great stuff in here, as can be expected. By turns entertaining, touching, funny, ironic, and just plain disturbing. Partidge's voice is just as distinctive as Robert E. Howard's. My only quibble? That we don't have more Partridge to read...
November 5, 2007
Norman Partridge is the one of the finest writers of short horror fiction going. The Man With The Barbed Wire Fists is his third and best collection. It even excited this long time fan. This quote from the Washington Post says it all: “[a talent] as crazy as a scorpion on a red-hot skillet– and twice as dangerous.” You’ve been warned!
May 27, 2007
Murder, betrayal, lust, and Howard Hughes as a vampire who makes origami zombie man-eating flies?! There's something for everyone in this collection of shorts. A little hard to find but worth the effort.
July 23, 2008
One of the best writers of short horror/suspense stories.
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews