I can tell if I'm really enjoying a book when I lose track of time because I'm so invested in the story. Such was the case while I was devouring the stories in Driving to Geronimo's Grave. I finished all 5 stories in several days. I can't recommend this collection enough. Fantastic read.

DRIVING TO GERONIMO’S GRAVE: AND OTHER STORIES by Joe R. Lansdale is a collection of short stories with both the first and last being very much in the style fans of his writings are familiar with, but with a few more along Science Fiction lines (“In the Mad Mountains” & “Robo Rapid) , one other involving a young man taken in by an aging wrestler who comes to his defense with local bullies (“Wrestling Jesus”), a short story involving Nat Love from “Paradise Sky” titled “Everything Sparkles in Hell”(which made this even more interesting), and in the middle a short story about a somewhat challenged young loner who works at the local theater, as the title suggests, “The Projectionist”.

“Driving to Geronimo’s Grave” is a story of young Chauncey being sent with his smart-ass little sister to pick up their late uncle “Smat”, or what is left of him with instructions to return home with him.

Great fun reading these, and also something I like is how the author tells after each story how they developed, as well as sharing details on his writing process, he also never fails to add humor to everything he writes in such a way that I’ll always be on the lookout for his next book, especially if it takes place in rural Texas.

4 stars.

GREAT collection, GREAT introduction and a 5 Star 2018 favorite!

I LOVED this diversified collection of mystery, coming-of-age, sci-fi, and western, but most of all loved Marshall Nat Love in the sixth and final story: Everything Sparkles In Hell. It made Lansdale's compilation a real winner for me, and those entertaining tidbits behind the writing of each, some based on the author's own personal experiences, sealed the deal.

1) DRIVING TO GERONIMO'S GRAVE - Poor Uncle Smat; he's gone and flown the coop, but have no fear, you'll discover how he went and where he ends up after his stay in the chicken house....but beware the stranger.

2) IN THE MAD MOUNTAINS - Welcome aboard an ancient 1800's ship and experience a strange and mysterious adventure in a frozen world....with dead bodies. Something is just not right.

3) WRESTLING JESUS - Poor Marvin...he's become a 17 year old punching bag, but not for too long....there's a tough old geezer who knows his way around bullies and evil types.

4) ROBO RAPID - Oh my, be on the lookout for the tribe of monster blue and white machines in this post apocalyptic tale of one bizarre futuristic war.

5) THE PROJECTIONIST - A day at the movies back in the 1950's with pretty usherette Sally turns dark when some bullies become worrisome for the projectionist and his boss....but fortunately some people have special talents.

6) EVERYTHING SPARKLES IN HELL - U.S. Marshall Nat Love, a "larger than life" cool black cowboy tracks a band of four nasty outlaws from Arkansas to the Rockies in the dead of winter. "Breathing the air was like swallowing broken glass." With the assistance of his pal Choctaw, the "greatest tracker the west had ever seen", a LeMat pistol that holds 9 rounds + a shotgun load AND a one thousand pound broken-hearted mama grizzly, this western tale became much more than I expected. (Must read Paradise Sky!) And oh yeah, I wanted to dig that piece of sh*t Duncan up and kill him again myself too!

Many thanks to NetGalley and Subterranean Press for the ARC in exchange for review.

Master storyteller and one of the few authors to have the distinction of being “a genre unto their own,” offers this new collection of short fiction packed with aging Lucha Libre wrestlers, giant robots, Lovecraftian monsters, and more, with the added bonus of Mr. Lansdale sharing each story’s origin. The tone & voice of each story s unique, separating one from the other by more than just plot & genre, but readers familiar with Mr. Lansdale know the collected voices are uniquely & wonderfully Lansdale's signature style.

Joe R. Lansdale’s short story collection pleases him as well as the reader. This author goes where he wants and takes the reader along for an adventurous ride. He strides through genres and time periods, making each story a gem. Between stories he muses, sometimes about his process, his beliefs, his life. A few times I thought his musings were even more compelling than the story that preceded it. My two favorite stories were “Driving to Geronimo’s Grave,” a Depression era tale where a young teen and his precocious little sister go to retrieve a relative’s body, a bleak errand that becomes even bleaker; and “Everything Sparkles in Hell” based on the cowboy Nat Love in pursuit of evil men in the Old West. Highly recommended.

"From the Dusty Great Depression to the far future, to the wild west, to the era of big fin automobiles, soda shops and double features, as well as dark journey on an icy ocean full of ravenous sharks and a fantastic shipwreck that leads its survivors into a nightmarish Lovecraftian world of monsters and mystery, Joe R. Lansdale returns with a pack of stories for your consumption and enjoyment. There's even killer machines, a big ole grizzly bear, and entertaining story notes. Joe R. Lansdale has been writing novels and stories, as well as screenplays and comics, for over forty-five years, and this is his latest concoction, encompassing stories informed by a variety of genres, but not quite comfortably fitting into any of them. The reason is simple. Joe R. Lansdale is his own genre."

I love that Subterranean Press and Lansdale are working together!

A collection of short stories by Joe R. Lansdale.

Joe Lansdale is an unusual author, he is somewhat of a throwback to the old time pulp writers in the sense that he writes in a variety of genres and he seems equally adept at them all. He is probably best known for either the 'Hap and Leonard' crime series or as the author of the short story that inspired the cult classic film 'Bubba Ho-Tep'.

In the introduction to 'Driving to Geronimo's Grave and Other Stories' Lansdale describes aspects of the writing process, the inspiration, the day-to-day struggle (or sometime ease) of taking random ideas and forming them into a complete story. In addition, after each story, the reader is treated to the specifics of what inspired that particular story as well as other tidbits about its genesis. It really is quite interesting.

From the author's introduction:"These stories are recent work, and most of them deal with young people coming of age, finding their place in the world, or merely surviving it."

These are the stories:

-- Driving to Geronimo's Grave
During the Great Depression a young man named Chauncey sets out on a road trip with his little sister, Terri, a twelve year old tomboy - in the vein of Scout from To Kill A Mockingbird - to retrieve the body of their Uncle Smat (who they've never met), the brother of their deceased father because it was exactly the type of thing families did in those days. Along the way the trip takes an ominous turn when they encounter an odd stranger with ulterior motives. This is a definite 5-star, out-of-the-park home run! Great story.

-- In the Mad Mountains
Twelve survivors of a shipwreck reminiscent of The Titanic find themselves stranded on a strange iceberg-like island full of mystery and death in this Lovecraftian story. This was my least favorite in the collection for the simple reason I'm not a huge fan of the genre.

-- Wrestling Jesus
A teenage boy named Marvin has lost his father, moved to a new neighborhood, and become a target for the local bullies. An old man formally known in the world of professional wrestling as X-Man grudgingly becomes his mentor. The story evolves towards a grudge match - with unusual consequences - between the old man and his longtime frenemy, a hulking old timer called Jesus the Bomb.

I actually read Wrestling Jesus twice because there seemed to be nuances to the story that I wasn't quite comprehending. I liked it. A lot. But I'm still not sure I completely "got" everything. (This could very well be nothing more than over thinking on my part).

-- Robo Rapid
In a Post-apocalyptic world where war machines have turned against humans and begun to "think" for themselves a young girl embarks on a quest to save her younger siblings from certain death. This story has a sort of War of the Worlds feel to it. Good. Not great.

-- The Projectionist
This story originally appeared in Lawrence Block's anthology In Sunlight or In Shadow: Stories Inspired by the Paintings of Edward Hopper. The source material (if that is the correct term) was a painting entitled 'New York Movie' featuring an usherette standing in the corner of a theater.

Told from the first person perspective of a twenty-five year old movie protectionist named Cartwright who is socially awkward and maybe just a little bit mentally slow. While not exactly a coming of age story, it teeters in that direction. Life is good for Cartwright, he has a job he likes, a boss who is nice to him, and a developing crush on the new usherette, Sally. Then one day two tough guys come in to discuss "accident insurance"... it's a shakedown. The owner pays up or trouble comes acalling. That's when the story kicks into gear and we find out a lot more about Cartwright... His past... And his future. Another great one!

-- Everything Sparkles in Hell
For me this was the standout. The crown jewel in a collection of gems.

In the old West a black lawman, Nat Love, runs into unexpected obstacles while pursuing four outlaws from Arkansas to The Rocky Mountains in the dead of winter. The manhunt takes on an almost supernatural quality as the story unfolds. This is a situation where I hesitate to reveal too much of the story... It's not your typical western.

The character of U.S. Marshall Nat Love is loosely based on an actual historic figure of the same name (The author has written at least one full length novel featuring this same character).

I highly recommend this collection to anyone who enjoys coming of age tales, quirky SciFi, short stories that cross genre, or just intriguing stories in general.

I originally rated it 4 and 1/2 stars but decided to bump it up to 5 full stars.
A truly great read.

***Thanks go to NetGalley, the publisher, and author Joe R. Lansdale for providing me with a free digital copy of this title in exchange for my honest review. This one was a pleasure to read!***

I chose this book based on the title. I was looking for something different and boy did I find it. The author's notes at the front of the book are hilarious all by themselves. I've always wondered how writers decide what to write. According to Lansdale, the stories choose him, not the other way around. The stories are short, but very entertaining. The writing style actually reminds me of Patrick McManus. You get visuals of the characters and they will definitely keep you entertained. My husband and I both loved this book!

DRIVING TO GERONIMO'S GRAVE: AND OTHER STORIES is a shining example of how skilled Joe Lansdale really is. Not one of these tales is like the others-they're all different, all unique and all showcasing why Mr. Lansdale has been called the Champion Mojo Storyteller.

The title story is the first here and it's set during the Great Depression. A young man and his sister are tasked with picking up the corpse of their dead uncle and bringing it back home so they can bury him with the proper respect. Being that this is a Lansdale story, things don't go quite as planned. I loved this tale, I loved the characters and I especially loved smart-mouthed Terri. 5*

IN THE MAD MOUNTAINS: Mr. Lansdale's homage to Lovecraft was better than most of the actual Lovecraft I've read. I don't even know what else to say because this story was so imaginative-I think each reader needs to have it unfold for them. It had a pulpy feel to it on top of the Lovecraftian base-a unique combination that worked well for me. 5*

WRESTLING JESUS: A bullied boy and a bullied man, (albeit a very different kind of bullying), both come together in this tale of wrestling, love gone wrong, and a relationship much like that of father and son. 4*

ROBO RAPID: This is a pulp adventure-type story set in the future with a delightful young woman, Sheann, as the protagonist. Years after an invasion here on earth, robots have killed her parents and stolen her siblings. She makes it her mission in life to get them back. Along the way, she makes a friend, sees a musical, and learns that she's braver than even she realized. 5*

THE PROJECTIONIST: I first read this story in Lawrence Block's collection IN SUNLIGHT OR IN SHADOW. At first this seems to be a tale about a young man lusting after a beautiful young woman. Then it turns into something else entirely. 5*

The last tale in this book EVERYTHING SPARKLES IN HELL brings us to visit Nat Love. A black cowboy featured in the novel PARADISE SKY and a few other novellas, Nat returns as a bounty hunter tracking down two no-good men. (Loosely based on the real man, yes there were black cowboys, despite their absence from most American history books.) Along the way he meets up with Chocktaw, (a tracker of some renown), and the biggest she-bear either of them has ever seen. I loved visiting with Nat again and he will always hold a special place in my heart.

What I especially loved about this collection are the tidbits from the author himself revealing how the stories came about. In the digital review copy I received, these came after the stories rather than before, and I liked that. (It seems that, in previewing the finished copy online, these are now forewords to the stories, rather than afterwords.) I enjoyed reading them after reading the tales themselves and seeing how the ideas germinated in the head of the author, sometimes sprouting out fully formed, according to him. Once again, I find myself fascinated by Mr. Lansdale's writing process and abilities.

I was pretty sure I was going to love this collection of stories even before I started reading it, and I was right. It's the skilled writing of Mr. Lansdale that gets to me every time. No matter what he writes about, it can be counted on to capture and hold your attention. It can be counted on to contain some humor and real life observations. It can be counted on to satisfy. Because his characters are so true to life- complicated and diverse, they make me feel connected not only to them, but to the world as well. It's a gift and Joe has it. That is all I can say.

My highest recommendation!

*Thank you to Subterranean Press and to NetGalley for the e-ARC of this book in exchange for my honest feedback. This is it.*

This was an interesting collection of stories. By far the best one was the title stoey. The author did a great job of creating the setting so that I could picture it as I read the story. Great twists.

As much as Joe Lansdale's wonderful Hap and Leonard books are a constant source of joy in my life, I can't ever forget that what made me fall in love with Lansdale wasn't those books. No, what struck me so quickly about Lansdale - after reading the truly bizarre The Complete Drive-In and the short story collection The Best of Joe R. Lansdale - was the absolute inability to pigeonhole him into anything approaching a single genre. Does he write horror? Crime? Science fiction? Comedy? Noir? Supernatural thrillers? Character studies? Drama? Lansdale writes all of those and more, but does them all at the same time, running through genre boundaries as though they were non-existent, and doing it all with a Texas drawl and a storyteller's voice that's undeniable.

Driving to Geronimo's Grave and Other Stories, Lansdale's latest short story collection, is just another reminder - if you needed one - of the wild range he has as a writer. And if the contents aren't quite among his best collections, there's still plenty to enjoy here - trust me, even lesser Lansdale is better than most writers will ever manage to be. 

Geronimo's Grave consists of six stories and copious notes from Lansdale himself - notes that serve partly as introductions to the stories, partly as a chance for him to opine and muse about things. Oddly, the most compelling set of notes comes as a predecessor to the collection's weakest entry, the H.P. Lovecraft homage "In the Mad Mountains," which finds Lansdale playing around in Lovecraft's famous Mountains of Madness, all while bringing his own sensibility to it. The story itself is fine - Lansdale adds some great touches towards the story's end, but often feels as though he's not super comfortable in Lovecraft's world - but the notes before it are fascinating, as Lansdale discusses not only his own mixed feelings on Lovecraft, but the much larger questions about Lovecraft that so many authors have to grapple with - namely, how to handle his virulent racism. Lansdale has never made any secret of his loathing of any and all racial prejudice, and his long, thoughtful take on Lovecraft's legacy and how we handle it today makes for a great read, with lots of insight to spare.

Really, all of the introductory notes are fascinating, and if you're a fan of Lansdale, they're worth the price of admission in of themselves - sometimes they're relevant to the story, sometimes they're more about the issues the stories raise, and sometimes they're just Lansdale telling stories about himself, same as he tells stories about his characters. But the tales themselves are fun, and often - though not entirely - orbit around Lansdale's version of a coming of age story. There are exceptions, of course; the aforementioned "Mad Mountains" is more of a surreal horror tale, while the collection's closer, "Everything Sparkles in Hell," is a Western about an African-American bounty hunter named Nat Love (featured in a couple of other Lansdale stories, as yet unread by me), some ruthless criminals, and one nightmarish grizzly bear.

But many of the rest are stories of young people forced to grow up in unexpected ways. The title story, for instance, tells of a Depression-era youth who goes on a road trip with his bratty sister to go retrieve the corpse of a distant relative from where it's been left, a story that gives Lansdale the chance to play around with the variety of occurrences that can come up in a road trip novel. Meanwhile, "Robo Rapid" finds Lansdale playing around in a post-apocalyptic science-fiction world (an homage to a famous sci-fi classic) where a young girl is attempting to save her family members from robots bent on human sacrifice for bewildering reasons. (Those reasons, when they are eventually revealed, are both slyly funny and give Lansdale the chance to make some barbed points about human nature and where our creations might be getting their bloodlust from.) Or there's "The Projectionist," a mix of grim noir and teenage love, set in a movie theater that's being blackmailed by some very dangerous guys. In other words, even within the parameters of "coming of age" story, Lansdale finds every possible way to do it.

Then there's the collection's highlight, "Wrestling Jesus," a wonderfully odd story that starts with a young boy being beaten up by bullies before being saved by a senior citizen with martial arts training. In so many ways, "Wrestling Jesus" could fall into cliches - it's the story of an older man who takes a young bullied kid under his wing; the story of how martial arts training and learning to fight fills that kid with confidence; the story of how the grouchy old man and the bullied kid become friends. Oh, and it's also the story of how that senior citizen and another equally old man have annual wrestling matches for the honor of a woman who might be a witch. So, you know. That old chestnut.

Whatever else you can say about Joe Lansdale, the man is incapable of phoning it in or giving you just another story you've heard before. The pieces in Driving to Geronimo's Grave may not have the perfect tightness and snap of some of his best work, but there's a joy in luxuriating in Lansdale's dialogue, musings, and worlds, and in losing yourself in his gift of storytelling. And when it's impossible to read any of these stories and not wish there was more - well, that tells you enough, doesn't it?

DRIVING TO GERONIMO'S GRAVE is a rather enjoyable read. No one can write like Joe R. Lansdale. His style is unique and sharp. Joe R. Lansdale's stories are always fresh and crisp, never stale. Each story is placed in a meticulous way, which makes DRIVING TO GERONIMO'S GRAVE even better.

After reading this collection, I know for a fact that I need to read more Joe R. Lansdale. DRIVING TO GERONIMO'S GRAVE contains diverse stories that will grow on you like a moldy fungus. Joe R. Lansdale's writing style is deliciously addictive. It was hard for me not to devour the entire collection in one sitting. I took my time, letting the stories sink in. One-by-one, the stories burrow under your skin. Look for the afterword where Lansdale lets you know how the story took shape. The afterwords are just as good as the stories themselves.

Driving to Geronimo's Grave is a depression era tale set in Oklahoma that's filled with humor only Lansdale can deliver.

In the Mad Mountains is a wonderful hat tip to H.P. Lovecraft. My favorite of the collection.

Wrestling Jesus is a father-son/student-mentor type story that

Robo Rapid is a terrifying science fiction tale of a post-apocalyptic future.

The Projectionist is about a film projector operator. The story is based on an Ed Hopper painting.

Everything Sparkles in Hell is one helluva western. This one is another favorite.

If you've never experience Joe R. Lansdale, then DRIVING TO GERONIMO'S GRAVE is a great starting point. I will definitely read his other work.

Recommend!

Lansdale demonstrates his wonderful ability to create a narrative landscape and voice that is smooth and riveting. I'm most impressed with his ability to take on a backwoods-rural dialect effectively without overemphasis and with powerful force. I didn't find it distracting, but very effective as a narrative tool. I found the stories to be extremely interesting, delivered in a compelling way that, truly, Lansdale is famous for.

I was first introduced to the author's writings with his collection, "By Bizarre Hands," and although there were a little extreme, he has, for 30 years, been consistently unique in his creative talent.

Review copy eARC provided by the publisher through NetGalley.

Joe R. Lansdale has been on my radar for many years, and always seemed to be an author I’d enjoy. But the shame of it is that until now, I’ve only read one or two short stories of his. This collection was fantastic, and if it’s any indication of a consistent writing style from Lansdale, I’ll certainly be reading more of his work in short order.

“Driving to Geronimo’s Grave” – I had no idea where this story was going as it got started, but wasn’t disappointed. Terri was the best part of this. I really got a feel for the Great Depression setting here.

“In the Mad Mountains” – You know, I don’t think I’ve ever actually read an HP Lovecraft story. But even so, I recognize when something is “Lovecraftian”, and this is certainly it (confirmed by the author’s notes after the story). Besides that, it reminded me of what might have happened if Dan Simmons wrote about the Titanic in the spirit of The Terror, and maybe had some contributions from Stephen King in the vein of “The Langoliers”. And then so much more than all of that. Loved it.

“Wrestling Jesus” – What a fantastic story! I couldn’t see where it was going*, and I was glued to the page from beginning to end. This is a unique take on the “young guy meets old mentor” story and is very well written. *What’s even more amazing is that in the notes, I discovered that I’d actually read this story before, in the Dangerous Women anthology. Looking back at my review, I had flagged it as a favorite.

“Robo Rapid” – and he does science fiction too. This was a great tale of a disturbing post-apocalyptic future.
“The Projectionist” – This was based on an Ed Hopper painting, so I had to look it up online after reading. I would have done so before, but didn’t know that fact until the author notes after the story. Anyway, this fits with “Wrestling Jesus” as a mentor-student bond type tale, though quite different in its execution. <spoiler>Pun intended</spoiler>

“Everything Sparkles in Hell” – Great title for the final story! Oh, and it’s a Western. Great way to close out an excellent collection. I really liked this one, with the suspense of the hunting grizzly bear. I was also pleased to see that there are other stories out there about Nat Love, so this is just the beginning.

All in all a great collection which left me wanting more. Lansdale is a great short story writer; most authors have a good one here and there but their collections are pretty uneven. This one is rock solid, with every single story being of equal high intensity and quality. I’m looking forward to reading more of his work. I’ll be grabbing more of the short stories, and I look forward to trying a novel as well.

Joe Lansdale returns with another wonderful collection of top-notch short stories. Every story here is a gem, but the best is “Everything Sparkles in Hell” which features Nat Love, the Black cowboy from his novel Paradise Sky. The introduction to each story is also fascinating to read. A highly enjoyable book.

A collection of six short stories by an author mostly known for capturing the spirit of rural east Texas, both in historical and modern fiction.

In the title story, a brother and sister run afoul of a bank robber in Oklahoma during the Great Depression. This one had an excellent first-person narrator and a great sense of humor. In the Mad Mountains is a surprisingly straightforward Lovecraft pastiche, with hints of the Titanic's sinking and Amelia Earhart's disappearance mixing with the cosmic horrors. There's no twists or revisionism here; you could almost mistake this one for actual Lovecraft, except that Lansdale is much better at writing well-rounded characters. Though that's a low bar.

Robo Rapid is an old-fashioned, surprisingly cozy YA post-apocalyptic story – more Edgar Rice Burroughs than Hunger Games – with a girl heading out on an adventure across a vast and unknown desert. The Projectionist is darker than the other stories; a noir tale of mobsters and unrequited obsession.

Everything Sparkles in Hell is probably my favorite of the six. It reminded me a bit of Django Unchained, having a similar sort of violent humor tucked into a revisionist Western. A black bounty hunter and his Native American buddy track down four murderers, at least until a man-killing grizzly bear and a massive snowstorm complicate matters.

Wrestling Jesus is the only story of these that I'd before; it was published in the Dangerous Women anthology and I have to say that I really disliked it there. A bullied teen is semi-adopted by an elderly ex-wrestler, who teaches him how to fight in between preparing for his own big match – he and another man have a rivalry going back decades where they compete for the attentions of a beautiful woman. Read as a story explicitly about a 'dangerous woman' it's a disaster, since a) the woman only appears in one scene, where b) she's literally a prize to be fought over by men. Read by itself, it's a fine story about a father-son relationship. Or it would be, if Lansdale hadn't included a long afterword complaining about the bad reviews he got for the anthology. Don't write a story that so blatantly misses the point and then get upset when people say you missed the point, dude! I hate it when authors I like act like dingbats in their nonfictional writings.

But with all that said, this is a very nice collection of stories, with a surprising diversity of tones and settings. I've long been a fan of Lansdale's Hap & Leonard series, but this book would make a good introduction for newcomers.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show/2508360391

A collection of excellent short stories from Joe Lansdale. These span a wide variety of genres, but all have that touch of Lansdale that is a stamp of quality.

This collection of some of Joe Lansdale's short stories demonstrates why he's such a popular author. These are beautifully-crafted, honest, evocative works, capturing a wide variety of voices and time periods. Including a story based on the real-life US Marshal Nat Love, a Lovecraftian tale of horror and discovery, and accounts of the defining moment of young people's lives, this book is one to savor.

I was drawn to this book by the cover, which gives off strong 1930's Americana vibes, and was glad to find that many of the stories inside share the same characteristic. Landsdale writes authentic, down to earth people who tell their stories vibrantly. Besides the title story, Wrestling Jesus and In the Mad Mountains were particular standouts. Landsdale is clearly a writer who understands his characters and the unique human connections to others that bring them to life. He concludes each story with a commentary that offers insight into how and where and what he draws inspiration from. These sections provided context that enriched the stories, and were just as fun to read. If I have one criticism, it is that sometimes the dialogue felt repetitious. There were also a few times when a character seemed to speak longer than a person could in a single breath.

This book was provided through NetGalley.

Copy furnished by Net Galley for the price of a review.

Opening up this book of short stories by Joe Lansdale was like being presented with a handful of magic beans.  I didn't know what flavors they were, just that they would be good.  And so they were.  Lansdale can tell a story in almost any genre, and his characteristic humor is always a pleasure.  

<b>Driving to Geronimo's Grave</b> - Uncle Smat has up and died in Oklahoma, lying in repose in a chicken coop, an ignominious death.  A brother and his smarty pants little sister are sent to collect the body and bring it back home for burial.  Set during the Depression, I would have liked for this road trip to have lasted longer.

<b>In the Mad Mountains</b> - In the cold and dark, what happens when you fall through a hole in your dreams?  

<b>Wrestling Jesus</b> - '. . .the mojo, the juju, the black doo-doo. . .' .

<b>Robo Rapid</b> - A sci-fi tale that bodes ill for the future.  The weather changes, wars take place, and machines start to do the thinking.  Where will that leave the humans?

<b>The Projectionist</b> - 1950's movie theatre and the man who sits in the projection booth and shows the films.  Don't sell him short.

<b>Everything Sparkles in Hell</b> - I read about one of these characters in Black Hat Jack.  Marshal Nat Love has his hands full here with an irate grizzly mama bear, killer outlaws, and Mother Nature.