East Texas pulpster Lansdale never writes a dull book and his new novel proves no exception. This latest wild tale veers sharply towards the western, albeit in a highly picaresque fashion, narrating the tale of Nat Love, a buffalo soldier, a black slave who escapes lynching and gains an education before he has to go on the run. His flight and travails over the years see him come across Buffalo Bill, apaches, and sundry colourful characters of the Old West as he himself balances between cowboy, bouncer, ratcatcher, dime novel hero and sharpshooter. Based on a real life historical figure, this is a joyful, if at times bloody romp, with all the verve of Tarantino or the modern movies all the while betraying terrible affection for the rugged landscapes of Texas and Deadwood. Memorable. ~ Maxim Jakubowski
| Primary Genre | Historical Fiction |
| Recommendations: |
Meet Nat Love. Born a slave in Texas, he escapes a lynching and finds a mentor who trains him in shooting, riding, reading, writing and gardening. But the enemies of his youth pursue him, and soon he is on the run again...In the course of a tumultuous life, he becomes in turn a Buffalo Soldier, a bouncer, a ratcatcher, a sharpshooter, a dime-novel star, a friend to Wild Bill Hickock and a US Marshall. From Texas to Deadwood and back down south, he both dodges and courts violence, hoping one day to get his revenge. Featuring cowboys, Apaches, buffalo and much, much more, this is a mostly true tale of how the West was won from one of America's most original writers.
Paradise Sky features in the following genres: Historical Fiction, eBooks of the Month, Fiction, Recommendations
Paradise Sky is available in Paperback
Paradise Sky was written by Joe R. Lansdale and published by Mulholland Books an imprint of Hodder & Stoughton General Division
Paradise Sky has 416 pages
£9.89
