The Nightrunners

By Joe R. Lansdale and Dean Koontz

Book Overview

In the field of country noir--the dark side of rural and small-town America--Lansdale staked his claim to East Texas with The Nightrunners. A '66 Chevy bears down on the countryside, with a carful of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 061589755X
• ISBN13: 9780615897554
• Release Date: October 2013
• Publisher: Behooven Press
• Length: 256 Pages
• Weight: 0.80 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.6" x 6.0" x 9.0"

Customer Reviews

The Darkest, Nastiest, Most Disturbing Mainstream Horror Book Ever

Here's a book that should NOT be read in the young adult circle. "The Nightrunners" is my stock answer to the question, "What's the most extreme horror novel you've ever read?" In the hands of most other writers, it would be dismissable as sick, even pornographic, with its hyper-violent storyline, sex-driven villains, and the whole "riding the razor" thing ... However, this was written by Joe Lansdale, and he's both talented and empathetic. His characters don't just force stories along. They resonate. I will say, I read this book when I was much younger, and I still recall how disturbing, upsetting, and riveting the book was. It had a lasting hold and influence on me. That reason, more than any other, is why I include the caviat FOR ADULTS ONLY, that to date I have not put on any other book I've reviewed. Great stuff, but not for everyone. (This review posted by Marcus Damanda, author of the vampire book "Teeth: A Horror Fantasy.")

The Nightrunners

I had read more recent Lansdale books (A Fine Dark Line, The Bottoms, etc.), so when I read this book I was little behind the times. Nightrunners is a show of the extreme dark side of human nature and what happens when light and dark begin to mix unwittingly. Lansdale is a master with the articulation of how good must fight the murky veil of evil without falling into the same mindset or abyss of an incredibly chaotic and insane situation that he draws so well in his story. The story compels one to reevalute the weakness of a person that when confronted with nightmarish horrors, as presented in this book, that person will not only rise to the ocassion, but can find a hidden strengh that may well take the breath away. Some books have to be read between the lines, not just as horror stories; i.e. The Drive-In: A Double Feature Omnibus, but as studies of human nature. When you read Nightrunners and are immediately plunged into the depth and degradation of the human spirit, you are also reading about the characters who are regular people who battle their own, albeit well-hidden, dark side. But when really examined, both are chasing their own demons and their own side of weaknesses and strengths. The big question is, which side will win out. Like the movies, we all want a happy ending. Just dont't go to the triple feature at the Orbit Drive-In. I purchased a hardbound copy in excellent condition and it is on its way to Lansdale right now to be signed.

Extremely scary. Extremely disturbing and very violent

I got into Joe Landsdale through his comic book work and I thank G-d that he took those jobs because it lead me to this twisted nasty little edge of Hell. A nice liberal couple comes face to face with hell when the wife is raped and the husband must confront his notions about human goodness head-on and ponder whether or not he is a coward instead of a pacifist. Meanwhile the rapist, hanging in his cell, isn't completely dead as his compatriots are alive and well and one of them is possessed. The car is racing towards them ready for more death. This book brings you face to face with pure evil.There are rough portions. The teenagers are just nasty and evil, while you can see the husband's transformation from weakling to ravenous fighter coming a mile away. But this is an amazing book on its own merits and shouldn't be read if you are expecting a deep philosophical treatise on human nature. It's just fast, evil and damn good.

the suspense doesn't end when the book ends..

this book truly made me live all the events in it, all the thoughts, all the horror. once i started to read it i just couldn't stop, i did try.. it usually takes about half a year for me to read a book but this took only a day. the story is so captivating, to get into the minds of all the characters. i just want to read it again and again, live it once more. in the middle of the night when i finished the book i could swear i saw a wooden doll sitting close to me in a blood red chair staring to nothingness ready to break the silence.

A blast from a true master of the game...

How would one describe the plot? In Hollywood terms its "Strawdogs meets The Evil Dead." I think this is Lansdale's last CONVENTIONAL horror novel to date, but man if it doesn't hold up. As always his prose is blistering and white hot. This if one man who DESERVES to have his works made into films. Read this one and you'll know why.