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Terror is Our Business: Dana Roberts' Casebook of Horrors by Kasey Lansdale, Joe R. Lansdale
thaatswhatsheread's review
3.0
Terror is Our Business is a short story collection written by father-daughter team Joe R. Lansdale and Kasey Lansdale. The first couple stories are by Joe and center around the character Dana Roberts. These stories follow a setup where Dana the "supernormal" investigator is a guest at this (kinda) men's club and tells stories. The collection gets a lot livelier when Kasey begins contributing and introduces the witty Jana to balance out Dana's seriousness. The stories also drop the "guest at a meeting" format and go right into the narrative, which I preferred.
The first part of this collection is very dry. Dana doesn't feel fully fleshed out as a character and those stories end with a few "mic drop" moments that ultimately don't feel earned. The addition of Jana works wonders to the pace and the character of Dana.
Perfect for fans of the X-Files (Dana has a Scully thing going on) and the Ghosts in the Burbs podcast.
The first part of this collection is very dry. Dana doesn't feel fully fleshed out as a character and those stories end with a few "mic drop" moments that ultimately don't feel earned. The addition of Jana works wonders to the pace and the character of Dana.
Perfect for fans of the X-Files (Dana has a Scully thing going on) and the Ghosts in the Burbs podcast.
paperdreamsblog's review
4.0
I received Terror Is Our Business: Dana Roberts' Casebook of Horrors from Smith Publicity earlier this summer in exchange for an honest review. I wasn't entirely sure what to expect as I have never read Joe Lansdale's work before and also had no idea that he is a fairly well known and at- large writer in the horror genre, some say ideas are similar to Stephen King's. I'm so very glad I was given the chance to read this book because what I got from Joe Lansdale and his daughter Kasey was a wonderfully well written collection of short stories featuring Dana Roberts and her somewhat of a sidekick, Jana. Honestly, after the first short story I was definitely hooked!
*
Like I said, I wasn't sure what to think at first, especially with 'horror' in the title - it's not a genre I generally pursue. However, after reading the first short story, titled - The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler which is an introduction story to Dana Roberts character and just Joe Lansdale's story I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed his writing and the story itself which didn't end up being very 'horror' driven, it was more paranormal and supernatural to me. I was eager to keep reading the rest!
*
So, Dana Roberts is a character created by Joe Lansdale, who is very much like Sherlock while Jana (Does she have a last name? I don't know) is a character created by Kasey Lansdale, who is very much like Watson. It even says in a little intro before one of the short stories that they used that famous pair as a basis for their characters. So in this collection of short stories there are tales of Dana Roberts, Supernormal Investigator, on her own as well as a short story of Jana being introduced to the supernatural (or 'supernormal') world which leads to her discovery of Dana Roberts.
*
I love the stories of both ladies on their own, especially Jana's standalone - it's real creepy - in a good way! However, having both ladies interact in stories where they are partners is super satisfying. The sarcastic humor and banter between them is so on point. I actually laughed out loud during one of their conversations and that's usually a GOOD sign that I am falling in love with the writing!
*
As I was reading these stories I got vibes from other authors I've read and TV shows I've watched. To sum that up I think these stories along with their concepts are a good mix between Canadian author Kelley Armstrong's novels and Netflix's Stranger Things. I had some goosebumps reading some of the stories because they had concepts that I'm really interested in. For example, in Stranger Things - the parallel universe called 'The Upside Down', yeah, there's something similar in one of these stories and the feeling while reading about it was so haunting!
*
Every short story was unique. Whether it was Dana's or Jana's story, I never felt bored or uninterested in what I was reading and was genuinely interested in the development and characters. I read somewhere that it was a good idea to take a few hours or a day in between each short to give it time to sink in but I was too invested in the writing to wait that long and usually read a couple of stories back to back.
*
Sometimes I have an issue with short stories too - mostly being just that - they're too short for my liking. However, I think Joe and Kasey did a wonderful job of writing an enticing and satisfying story with the limited amount of pages they used. So, coming from someone who doesn't prefer short story collections this rated really high for me!
*
YES! I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes supernatural or paranormal type of stories. Also, if you like short stories. This was also very action packed and witty. The writing is superb and will leave you wanting Joe and Kasey to collaborate again! I am so thankful that Smith Publicity sent this to me in exchange for a review because I definitely hope to be checking out more of the Lansdale's work in the future!
*
Like I said, I wasn't sure what to think at first, especially with 'horror' in the title - it's not a genre I generally pursue. However, after reading the first short story, titled - The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler which is an introduction story to Dana Roberts character and just Joe Lansdale's story I was really pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed his writing and the story itself which didn't end up being very 'horror' driven, it was more paranormal and supernatural to me. I was eager to keep reading the rest!
*
So, Dana Roberts is a character created by Joe Lansdale, who is very much like Sherlock while Jana (Does she have a last name? I don't know) is a character created by Kasey Lansdale, who is very much like Watson. It even says in a little intro before one of the short stories that they used that famous pair as a basis for their characters. So in this collection of short stories there are tales of Dana Roberts, Supernormal Investigator, on her own as well as a short story of Jana being introduced to the supernatural (or 'supernormal') world which leads to her discovery of Dana Roberts.
*
I love the stories of both ladies on their own, especially Jana's standalone - it's real creepy - in a good way! However, having both ladies interact in stories where they are partners is super satisfying. The sarcastic humor and banter between them is so on point. I actually laughed out loud during one of their conversations and that's usually a GOOD sign that I am falling in love with the writing!
*
As I was reading these stories I got vibes from other authors I've read and TV shows I've watched. To sum that up I think these stories along with their concepts are a good mix between Canadian author Kelley Armstrong's novels and Netflix's Stranger Things. I had some goosebumps reading some of the stories because they had concepts that I'm really interested in. For example, in Stranger Things - the parallel universe called 'The Upside Down', yeah, there's something similar in one of these stories and the feeling while reading about it was so haunting!
*
Every short story was unique. Whether it was Dana's or Jana's story, I never felt bored or uninterested in what I was reading and was genuinely interested in the development and characters. I read somewhere that it was a good idea to take a few hours or a day in between each short to give it time to sink in but I was too invested in the writing to wait that long and usually read a couple of stories back to back.
*
Sometimes I have an issue with short stories too - mostly being just that - they're too short for my liking. However, I think Joe and Kasey did a wonderful job of writing an enticing and satisfying story with the limited amount of pages they used. So, coming from someone who doesn't prefer short story collections this rated really high for me!
*
YES! I would definitely recommend to anyone who likes supernatural or paranormal type of stories. Also, if you like short stories. This was also very action packed and witty. The writing is superb and will leave you wanting Joe and Kasey to collaborate again! I am so thankful that Smith Publicity sent this to me in exchange for a review because I definitely hope to be checking out more of the Lansdale's work in the future!
lilyn_g's review
4.0
Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book from the publicist for review consideration.
Terror is Our Business is the first time I’ve ever read Joe or Kasey Lansdale. I love horror, but by all accounts I’m not nearly as wide read in it as I should be. (At least not when it comes to the more well-known names.) I was a bit nervous about accepting a free copy of the book for review consideration because of that. However, I figured this might give me a taste of Lansdale’s writing to see if I wanted to pursue other works from him.
This was a set of seven stories, six having been previously printed. There are four stories from Joe R. Lansdale alone, and then Kasey’s character, Jana, gets introduced and the rest of the stories are dual-written. It also contains an introduction from Joe Lansdale talking about the formation of the Dana Roberts’ series, and how it has changed. There’s a similar introduction from Kasey’s point of view when the Jana-inclusive stories are getting ready to be told.
Dana and Jana are a good contrast to each other. Dana is rich, well-educated, and a bit of a snob. I initially liked her quite a bit, but over time she started to annoy me a tad. I did appreciate the fact that she was a self-professed atheist, though (who wasn’t evil! Imagine that!) She’s very good at what she does, but she’s not exactly the type of person I want to spend any considerable amount of time around. Jana, on the other hand, is more down to earth. She’s a bit crude, has no filter, and isn’t exactly the picture of grace that Dana is. Needless to say, I liked Jana a whole lot more. I think Dana and Jana have the potential to develop a rapport as a team that will be consistently engaging. However, to be quite honest, I don’t think they’re there yet. There are enough hints of a relationship forming that I would definitely pick up more, but at this point it’s on potential rather than true enjoyment of the series. I hope Nora and Gary aren’t completely written out of the series, either. I liked them both, what little we got to see, and would love to see them on page a bit more.
Anyways, here’s my breakdown. The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler and The Case of the Creeping Shadow were the least liked ones from the book. The format is okay, but the way Dana relays things is so stiff and formal that it’s hard to get into. I liked the edge of horror they had, but couldn’t connect. The Case of the 4 Acre Haunt got my attention. I had never heard of an H-tree, but the way Joe Landsdale described it, and what happened in the woods was definitely creepy! The Case of the Angry Traveler was my favorite of the solely Dana cases. This one was a sci-fi horror, and even though it wasn’t really ever scary, it was interesting, and I liked the ending. Blind Love, the story following Angry Traveler was lovely. It disgusted me, but it also delighted me. I almost instantly felt a lot more connected to the stories when the humorous element was introduced. The Case of the Bleeding Wall made me like Dana a little bit more. It showed that yes, even though she’s stiff and formal, she’s definitely human, and what she experienced truly bothered her. The Case of the Ragman’s Anguish wasn’t as good as The Case of the Bleeding Wall, but I still enjoyed it, and the scene in the car made my skin prickle a bit.
My favorite case in the book was Blind Love, with The Case of the Angry Traveler being a close second.
Joe and Kasey Lansdale are a wonderful team and Terror is Our Business is a solid collection of stories with a supernormal (sometimes Lovecraftian) bent to them. For those of you that read J.D. Robb’s In Death series, I think you’ll recognize a bit of the Eve and Peabody relationship with Dana and Jana. I hope to see more works from the father-daughter team in the future.
Terror is Our Business is the first time I’ve ever read Joe or Kasey Lansdale. I love horror, but by all accounts I’m not nearly as wide read in it as I should be. (At least not when it comes to the more well-known names.) I was a bit nervous about accepting a free copy of the book for review consideration because of that. However, I figured this might give me a taste of Lansdale’s writing to see if I wanted to pursue other works from him.
This was a set of seven stories, six having been previously printed. There are four stories from Joe R. Lansdale alone, and then Kasey’s character, Jana, gets introduced and the rest of the stories are dual-written. It also contains an introduction from Joe Lansdale talking about the formation of the Dana Roberts’ series, and how it has changed. There’s a similar introduction from Kasey’s point of view when the Jana-inclusive stories are getting ready to be told.
Dana and Jana are a good contrast to each other. Dana is rich, well-educated, and a bit of a snob. I initially liked her quite a bit, but over time she started to annoy me a tad. I did appreciate the fact that she was a self-professed atheist, though (who wasn’t evil! Imagine that!) She’s very good at what she does, but she’s not exactly the type of person I want to spend any considerable amount of time around. Jana, on the other hand, is more down to earth. She’s a bit crude, has no filter, and isn’t exactly the picture of grace that Dana is. Needless to say, I liked Jana a whole lot more. I think Dana and Jana have the potential to develop a rapport as a team that will be consistently engaging. However, to be quite honest, I don’t think they’re there yet. There are enough hints of a relationship forming that I would definitely pick up more, but at this point it’s on potential rather than true enjoyment of the series. I hope Nora and Gary aren’t completely written out of the series, either. I liked them both, what little we got to see, and would love to see them on page a bit more.
Anyways, here’s my breakdown. The Case of the Lighthouse Shambler and The Case of the Creeping Shadow were the least liked ones from the book. The format is okay, but the way Dana relays things is so stiff and formal that it’s hard to get into. I liked the edge of horror they had, but couldn’t connect. The Case of the 4 Acre Haunt got my attention. I had never heard of an H-tree, but the way Joe Landsdale described it, and what happened in the woods was definitely creepy! The Case of the Angry Traveler was my favorite of the solely Dana cases. This one was a sci-fi horror, and even though it wasn’t really ever scary, it was interesting, and I liked the ending. Blind Love, the story following Angry Traveler was lovely. It disgusted me, but it also delighted me. I almost instantly felt a lot more connected to the stories when the humorous element was introduced. The Case of the Bleeding Wall made me like Dana a little bit more. It showed that yes, even though she’s stiff and formal, she’s definitely human, and what she experienced truly bothered her. The Case of the Ragman’s Anguish wasn’t as good as The Case of the Bleeding Wall, but I still enjoyed it, and the scene in the car made my skin prickle a bit.
My favorite case in the book was Blind Love, with The Case of the Angry Traveler being a close second.
Joe and Kasey Lansdale are a wonderful team and Terror is Our Business is a solid collection of stories with a supernormal (sometimes Lovecraftian) bent to them. For those of you that read J.D. Robb’s In Death series, I think you’ll recognize a bit of the Eve and Peabody relationship with Dana and Jana. I hope to see more works from the father-daughter team in the future.
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