Friday, September 14, 2018

The Big Blow by Joe R. Lansdale

(hb; 2000: novella)

From the inside flap

Galveston, 1900.

“Local fighter, future legend, Jack Johnson versus a professional street fighter brough in to put the black upstart in his place.

Galveston, 1900.

“Whorehouses, gambling, racial tension, the intersection between myth, history, legend and reality.

Galveston, 1900.

“The hurricane of the century is coming to destroy it all.”


Review

Lansdale’s stripped-to-the-bone, perverse and violent tale is─for this reader, anyway─a perfect read. Lansdale deftly sketches out his characters’ actions and motivations,  and the results when these characters collide. When Mother Nature, in the form of a hurricane, hits the shore, Blow becomes  a darker, headier brew of the aforementioned bluntly stated elements and characterization. This is one of my all-time favorite books, not for those who require pretty, drawn-out and pleasant stories.


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According to a May 31, 2018 deadline.com article, Reinaldo Marcus Green is preparing to direct the forthcoming film, scripted by Oren Moverman. 

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