Joe R. Lansdale’s In the Mad Mountains: Stories Inspired by H. P. Lovecraft collects several stories where weirdness prevails. “The Bleeding Shadow” features a blues recording with vinyl magic which opens the gate between dimensions. Dread Island is a tale of Huck Finn, Tom Sawyer, and Jim exploring an island in the Mississippi that appears and disappears with sinister aspects.
I really enjoyed Lansdale’s Edgar Allan Poe tribute in “The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning.” The Necronomicon makes a cameo appearance. “The Tall Grass” reveals an incident where a stopped train exposes a passenger to the horrors around it. “The Case of the Stalking Shadows” tells the story of a young girl’s experience with inter-dimensional terror. “The Crawling Sky” is one of Landsdale’s weird westerns. “Starlight, Eyes Bright” confronts the impact of alien artifacts.
If you put Lovecraft’s At the Mountains of Madness, the Titanic, and Philip Jose Farmer into a blender, the result would be “In the Mad Mountains.” Survivors of the sinking of the Titanic face more peril when their life boat lands in a freezing, bizarre hell-scape. If you’re a fan of Lovecraft pastiches, In the Mad Mountains delivers plenty of eerie entertainment. GRADE: B
TABLE OF CONTENTS:
Introduction by Joe R. Lansdale — 1
“The Bleeding Shadow” — 11
Dread Island — 47
“The Gruesome Affair of the Electric Blue Lightning” — 91
“The Tall Grass” — 123
“The Case of the Stalking Shadows” — 135
“The Crawling Sky” — 159
“Starlight, Eyes Bright” — 189
In the Mad Mountains — 201
About Joe. R. Lansdale — 251
I’m up and down about Lovecraft pastiches, but I am a big fan of Joe Lansdale, so this is a maybe. I know I’ve read one of his Lovecraft-related stories in the past, but not sure if it is one of the ones included here on not.
What’s the latest from your sisters in Florida? Are they staying put?
Jeff, Hurricane Milton seems to be aimed at Sarasota, Florida now. I’m still not convinced that hunkering down in a Hurricane is a Good Strategy.
No. I’d have left days ago, but what can you do?
Jeff, I just heard on NPR that 40% of Florida gas stations are out of gas. Yikes!