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bhalpin's review
3.0
I've liked a lot of Lansdale's work, so when this came up on the "wicked cheap ebook" email, I bought it.
Pretty much defines a mixed bag. The God of the Razor short stories are good, if a little same-y after a while. It's a really good, creepy idea, and the first story is fantastic, but there's no evidence here of taking it in a new or interesting direction. The screenplay is godawful--obvious, cheesy, cliched, and offensive. Rape is the worst horror movie cliche, and the contemptible intellectual who finally becomes a real (aka violent) man at the end is a bad one too. Blecch.
The Magic Wagon is a good, entertaining western noir about a traveling medicine/sharpshooting/wrestling ape show. Good stuff. Engaging while I was reading it, but it evaporated from my mind almost immediately.
You could do worse, but you could do better as well.
Pretty much defines a mixed bag. The God of the Razor short stories are good, if a little same-y after a while. It's a really good, creepy idea, and the first story is fantastic, but there's no evidence here of taking it in a new or interesting direction. The screenplay is godawful--obvious, cheesy, cliched, and offensive. Rape is the worst horror movie cliche, and the contemptible intellectual who finally becomes a real (aka violent) man at the end is a bad one too. Blecch.
The Magic Wagon is a good, entertaining western noir about a traveling medicine/sharpshooting/wrestling ape show. Good stuff. Engaging while I was reading it, but it evaporated from my mind almost immediately.
You could do worse, but you could do better as well.
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