Book Review: In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft by Joe R. Lansdale

In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft by Joe R. Lansdale
My rating: 5 of 5 stars

Awesome entertainment, just in time for spooky season.

In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by H.P. Lovecraft is a collection of shorter works by master storyteller Joe R. Lansdale, and its theme and publication couldn’t have happened at a better time – the start of spooky season. The stories, inspired by the works of H.P. Lovecraft and influenced by several other giants of genre fiction, present a lot of variety while still landing squarely in the realm of Creepy and heading straight toward the Land of Aw-hell-no! They are wonderful.

Each of Lansdale’s stories is a fully developed, self-contained world in itself. The storytelling is immersive, and each takes on its own distinct voice and style to accomplish this. They don’t come across as Joe R. Lansdale just telling story after story (although that’s exactly what they are) but uniquely crafted singular gems. Some are longer than others, almost novella length, yet still remain lean and compact. Some build on characters created by others, as in “Dread Island,” which features Huck Finn, Jim, Tom Sawyer, and Becky Thatcher from the Mark Twain novels, Brer Rabbit and friends from Uncle Remus’s folktales, and even Captain Hook from J.M. Barrie’s Peter Pan. However, historical figures make surprise cameos as well. I enjoyed finding these literary Easter Eggs. Lansdale even puts his own “Deadwood meets Cthulhu” character, Reverend Jebediah Mercer, through his paces in “The Crawling Sky.”

Much like with last year’s Things Get Ugly: The Best Crime Fiction of Joe R. Lansdale, as I read each selection, I couldn’t help but compile a mental list of family and friends who would also enjoy them. It’s a collection made for talking about and sharing.

I recommend IN THE MAD MOUNTAIN: STORIES INSPIRED BY H.P. LOVECRAFT to horror short story readers.

I voluntarily reviewed this after receiving an Advanced Review Copy from the author through Lone Star Book Blog Tours.

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