Dark Harvest

Description

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Customer Reviews

good work, but...
This novel starts out quickly, and rarely slows down the pace, which is good. However, I would not say that this is an excellent book. as someone said earlier, it's way too short and I believe patridge could have developed the entire novel a bit better. It's hard to write a concise review on this story, to be honest. This really had me reminiscing on my days of a teenager, reading christopher pike books by my window. Now anyone familiar with christopher pike knows that all of his books are basically the same redundant, easy to figure out plot. This is how this book is. It wasn't life changing, nor was it awful. It's an average book...something you could buy used and tattered. Would I recommend this to someone? Eh, maybe. If I remembered it, that is.

2010-07-01 | Levira | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 3

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Awesome!
Rarely do I just pick up a book and fall absolutely in love with it. I will definitely look forward to finding other books by Norman Partridge

2009-12-22 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A creepy little thrill-ride
A breeze to read, "Dark Harvest" could very well be picked up on a stormy afternoon and concluded by nightfall--it took me about three hours to finish, and its length allows for full immersion from start to finish, like a good movie. Partridge has carved his novella clean of every extraneous bit of background and characterization that typically embellish more traditional horror stories, preferring instead to deliver a lean, mean narrative that covers about the same amount of time as you'll take to ingest it.

Without revealing any important plot information, suffice it to say that this unsettling little horror story delivers a pretty good punch, full of action and violence and dark secrets. Partridge doesn't let the reader get away with being a passive observer, either; he grabs the reader right from the beginning, telling us that this takes place in "a Midwestern town. You know its name. You were born there."

But this is no Peoria. Set in 1963, this little burb is like the underbelly of Thornton Wilder's "Our Town." JFK is still president, Elvis rules, and muscle cars and greasy hair still reign supreme. It's Halloween, a couple of hours before midnight, and what's unfolding is a black-hearted, murderous little tradition that that might remind some of Shirley Jackson's famous short story "The Lottery."

There's no trick or treating in this town--in fact, every male teenager 16 and older has been locked in their rooms for five days, starved into a murderous rage, and let loose with all manners of weapons to take part in an annual rite known as the Run. Their goal: to exterminate a vicious, bloodthirsty ghoul known as October Boy who will rise out of the fields any minute with the sole purpose of taking as many of them with him as he can before midnight.

Stripped to the core as it is, "Dark Harvest" still has a trick or two up its scarecrow's sleeves, and it chooses to limit its narrative to three main characters, each diametrically opposed at the story's start. Partridge does a very good job of using these three viewpoints to provide interior motivations to transform the characters and the town itself as the story progresses.

If there is anything to fault here, it's that there are times I felt that certain characters fell off the radar every so often, but that's pretty understandable given this author's "real-time" exposition style: if one character receives focus, another outside the scene cannot. But that's small potatoes; though I've never read any of Partridge's other works, I intend to now. Grab "Dark Harvest" if you'd like to spend a couple of enjoyable hours on a moonless, stormy evening curled up around a spine-tingling book.

2009-11-26 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Great Halloween story
I really enjoyed reading Dark Harvest. The autumn imagery was beautifully captured, and it's the perfect book to read around Halloween!

2009-11-02 | Desdemona (Ambler, PA United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Ray Bradbury pumped up on teen aged testosterone!
This Book is so good, I read it every October! It's moody, midwestern town is where I grew up... thinking about just such pumpkin-headed monsters stalking the dead cornfields at night. The Book's crammed full of action, and roars along like a teen aged boy's hot rod.

Excellent reading. Norman Partridge is so good he reminds me of Ray Bradbury. Bradbury wrote the other most classic "Halloween" books: "The Halloween Tree", and "Something Wicked This Way Comes".

In Dark Harvest, Norman has expertly taken Ray Bradbury's pre-teen boys from "Something Wicked This Way Comes" - pumped them full of testostone and teenage rebellion. He's created a new heavy metal version of Ray Bradbury's "October Country". You cheer for the boys AND the Monster!

Mandatory Halloween reading! Get it and give yourself a real TREAT!

2009-10-11 | Art is dead. Undead. (The Big Island, Hawaii, USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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The Man with the Barbed-Wire Fists

Description

A brand new collection from Norman Partridge! This volume gathers several previously uncollected stories together with some new works. The Man With the Barbed-Wire Fists contains 24 stories that span the length of Partridge’s writing career. It also feature an 8,500 word introduction, as well as a complete bibliography. This career retrospective collection is sure to appeal to both fans of Partridge’s novels (Saguaro Riptide, The Ten-Ounce Siesta, Slippin Into Darkness), as well as new readers, who may not familiar with his distinctive voice, and gripping style.

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Customer Reviews

Incredible.
One of the best short story collections I've ever read. Partrige, who usually gets unfairly overlooked because he is lumped under "Horror", is one of the best writers that genre has ever seen. His prose and dialect far outweigh anything that Stephen King has ever put down on paper and the brutality and penchant for glorious violance will appeal to mainstream readers of say, Chuck Palahniuk. I just thoroughly enjoyed this book and was upset when it ended. I will never trade it. It sits on my shelf waiting to be re-read in a few years. the introduction alone is worth the price of the book and gives glimpses that Partridge could write humor just as good as "horror" if he wanted too

2006-06-07 | John Hubbard (Atlanta, GA United States) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A MASTER OF TWISTED FICTION
I just finished TMWTBWF and I'm completely amazed. Norm twists reality in a very personal way and shows to his readers how much an inventive writer he can be. Melding noirish language, lots of references to pop culture ( golden age hollywood, Drive-in movies, Spagetthi Western and 50's and 60's culture in general etc ), strong literary metaphors ( some passages borders on prose poetry ) in stories that are at the same time disturbing, blackly humorours, poignant,stupendously entertaining and original.
Mr Partridge has a special knack to tackle famililar themes ( Frankenstein, Vampires, Werewolves ) and gives entirely new twists, he always takes his stories to such unexpected directions so that the reader never knows what expect from them.

Norman Partridge is a truly one-of-kind and a HELL OF A WRITER.

1 * Seeing Past the Corners
23 * Red Right Hand ======================== ***1/2
47 * Coyotes =============================== ***1/2
67 * Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu ========= *****
87 * The Man with the Barbed-Wire Fists ==== ****1/2
99 * The Pack ============================== ***1/2
117 * Blood Money ========================== ****1/2
141 * Last Kiss ============================ ****
153 * Blackbirds =========================== -
167 * Wrong Turn =========================== ****
183 * Spyder =============================== ****1/2
199 * In Beauty, Like the Night ============ ***
219 * Minutes ============================== **
227 * Where the Woodbine Twineth =========== ****
235 * Mr. Fox ============================== *****
255 * The Hollow Man ======================= -
263 * Return of the Shroud =================
287 * Tombstone Moon ======================== ****
297 * The Mojave Two-Step =================== ****
311 * ¡Cuidado! ============================= ****
323 * Carne Muerta ========================== ***1/2
335 * Bucket of Blood ======================= ***1/2
353 * Undead Origami ========================
375 * Harvest ================================ ****1/2
385 * The Bars on Satan's Jailhouse ========== *****
417 * Bibliography

2004-11-02 | www.maquinariodanoite.blogspot.com (Bahia - Brazil) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 5

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The Man With the Remarkable Talent
Norman Partridge has been doing some of the best work in horror over the past decade. A fan favorite, he also draws high praise from critics and peers, and his work is frequently included in various "Year's Best" collections. In fact, of the twenty-four stories included in The Man With the Barbed Wire Fists, four, "Blackbirds," "Bucket of Blood," "Harvest," and "The Bars on Satan's Jailhouse," found places in such volumes (The Year's Best Fantasy and Horror 11 & 12, and The Mammoth Book of Best New Horror 6 & 7, respectively).

What stands out in this collection is Partridge's consummate professionalism, particularly his ability to give familiar archetypes a new twist. Thus, he does intriguing work even when constrained by the boundaries of theme anthologies. This is especially evident in the title story (Partridge's take on the Frankenstein mythology), and in tales like "Undead Origami" (featuring Howard Hughes as a vampire), "Do Not Hasten to Bid Me Adieu" (a deconstruction of and epilogue to Stoker's Dracula), "In Beauty, Like the Night (where he uses zombies to make a point about the porno industry), and "The Pack" (a clever mixture of werewolves, bikers, and Mayberry).

Another talent on display is Partridge's ability to grab his audience's attention from the first sentence. Witness this, from "Red Right Hand":

"Claire held the gun in her left hand, the blood in her right."

This, from "Coyotes":

"I was out past the dump, digging a grave for the coyote, when I spotted the van with the naked Mexican chained to the bumper heading my way."

Finally, this, from "Tombstone Moon":

"Black entered the cemetery shack and tossed the severed ear onto the desk, between a can of Brown Derby and a salami sandwich missing a bite."

Not everything in the Partridge universe is this straightforward, however. Tales like "Blood Money," `Wrong Turn," Minutes," "Where the Woodbine Twineth," and "Mr. Fox" are less accessible, more exercises in style than in linear storytelling. Their often surreal qualities require more work on the part of the reader, an investment of time and effort that is ultimately rewarding.

Despite the obvious craftsmanship behind his work, there is nothing self-conscious or mannered about Norman Partridge's writing. There's an urgency about almost everything he writes, as if, to quote Peter Straub, Partridge is writing "as though his life depends on the words he sets down on the page." This urgency has served him well thus far (pick up previous collections, Mr. Fox and Other Feral Tales and Bad Intentions for further proof), and, by all indications, should exert a positive influence on his work for years to come.

2002-09-24 (Rockaway, NJ USA) | Helpful Votes: 3 | Rating: 4

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You love this guy
Hey, it's Norman Partridge. What else you need to know? If you've ever read so much as one story by this guy then you know how great and original a storyteller he is. Buy this sucker now. Norman needs your money and attention.

2001-09-30 | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Hit Low and Hard then don't look back
Once in awhile a new collection of stories by a single author comes along that grabs the reader and forces him to take notice. Karl Wagner's posthamous "Exorisms and Ecstasies" was one and Harlan Ellison's "Love ain't nothing but sex mispelled" was another. Norman Partridge comes along and takes us for a spin along a gravel track with motor's spiting fire and both carbs blazing. This is a major contender for a World Fantasy Award, produced by Night Shade Books with a real cloth binding, a killer cover painting and an attention do detail that will leave you breathless. This collection offers 24 stories from Partridge that turned this reader into an instant fan. Be warned, if your idea of literature is a safe escape from the mundane world, don't get this book. Nothing is safe about it, it will grab you, hit you low and hard - but you won't look back and nothing will ever be safe again.

2001-08-11 (Jacksonville, FL United States) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 5

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Lesser Demons

Product Details

• ISBN13: 9781596062948
• Notes: BUY WITH Conviction, Over one million books sold! 98% Positive feedback. Compare our books, prices and usage to the competition. 100% Satisfaction Guaranteed
• Prepare: New

Description

While the sun blisters a dying world, a mutant spider battles a squad of toy soldiers and a plastic cowboy on his last ride...

A gangster, a sheriff, and a mysterious traveler face an army of mechanical vampires burrowing up from hell itself during a wild Montana storm...

In a desert poisoned by atomic radiation, an abused boy stands between a rampaging giant and the hunter who would make him a grisly trophy...

Beneath a full Arizona moon, a drifter faces a pack of merciless human animals and the werewolf who butchered his sister...

In the American West, a legendary gunslinger delivers a cursed bounty to the one-horse town where his partner's ghost awaits.

Tales of hardboiled horror and Twilight Zone noir. Cross-genre blowtorches with bad guys and worse guys. Love stories both dark and bittersweet. A brand new novella and extensive story notes. You'll find this and more in the fifth collection from three-time Bram Stoker award-winner Norman Partridge, an author Locus calls "one of the most dependable, exciting, and entertaining practitioners of dark suspense and dark fantasy... emphasis on the dark."

In Lesser Demons, Partridge explores the kind of fiction that made him both a horror fan and a writer. Using the shotgun prose of a crime novel, the title story draws a deadly bead on H. P. Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos. "The Iron Dead" introduces Chaney, a monster-hunting pulp hero with a mechanical hand built in hell. "Carrion" cuts a mean swath through Robert E. Howard territory, while 'The Big Man' explores dark shadows of American life never imagined in the atom-age horror movies of the fifties.

Part celebration, part reinvention, Lesser Demons only serves to underscore RevolutionSF s verdict: "Norman Partridge is the finest writer of short horror fiction going."

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Customer Reviews

Masterful and Effortless
There are many words that be can be used to describe "Lesser Demons", most of which have already been used in recent reviews. To be succinct, here's two: Masterful and Effortless. Partridge's control of his narrative never wavers. He exhibits firm control of every story, but sacrifices neither suspense nor unpredictability.

Also, though most everyone understands that the writing process itself takes great, painstaking effort - which Partridge clearly has taken - these stories read with an effortless ebb and flow. For discerning readers this is of great importance, in an age when so many writers produce "stock and store" stories that require more effort to read than perhaps their creation required. Picking the "best" stories in a collection this fine may be a fruitless task, however...

"Second Chance", a story about a con-man seeking revenge, only to be beaten to it by someone closer to him than he can possibly imagine; "Lesser Demons", a delightful contemporary spin on the classic Lovecraftian trope of summoning the unspeakable from the ether; "Carrion", a tale about a boarded up old house out in the desert, a house brimming with a dark evil from a twisted world that infects the soul of all who encounter it; "The Fourth Stair Up From the Second Landing", a tale sporting a rich narrative about a woman and son who can never escape the shadow of the father...until the son takes final, permanent action; "Road Dogs", a werewolf tale with a decidedly American flavor; "The House Inside", a story that resonates with a delightful Bradbury-esque strangeness in a world where the sun has flamed out of control, killing all humans and bring to life OTHER things and finally "The Iron Dead", an introduction to a monster killer with a hand forged in hell, a classic, hard-bitten character that hopefully will stand on his own soon in a longer, separate work.

Like Bradbury's "The October Country", "Lesser Demons" features stories of a wide and diverse nature, and Partridge himself displays a unique sense of lyricism. Also, for a collection of "dark fiction", Partridge still manages to infuse several of his tales with hope and a sense of resolution, if not happy endings, which is hard to find in horror and noir fiction, something that makes enduring the darkness worthwhile.

2010-07-11 (New Hampshire) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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A fantastic collection of short horror stories
//Lesser Demons// is a collection of short horror stories. The tales are very diverse, ranging from dystopian futures to the meaning of heroism, but they share excellent characterization and a visceral writing style.

Norman Partridge's ability to evoke an image is on display throughout all the stories in this collection. In each, the characters take center stage but are surrounded by excellently painted sets. While there is quite a bit of gore featured in many of the stories, it's unfair to simply call them gory. What they are is alive and vibrant, placing the reader dead center in the action. It doesn't hurt that his narratives feature wonderfully sympathetic characters whose fates remain in the reader's mind long after the story is over.

The collection certainly targets readers of horror fiction, but Partridge's fantastic characterization and great story-telling will appeal to a variety of readers. One particular story, "The House Inside", should not be missed by anyone.

Reviewed by Rachel Wallace

2010-07-10 | Sacramento Book Review (Sacramento, CA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 4

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Master of American Small Town Horror Does It Again
30 words or less: A showcase of pulp heroics, sharp prose and dark horror, Lesser Demons delivers the American blend of horror quickly becoming synonymous with the name Norman Partridge.

My Rating: 4/5

Pros: Fantastic prose with a distinctive structure that reads smoothly; Stories that recall the pulp adventures of the past while delivering a second layer of commentary; Small town American characters that are recognizable and relatable.

Cons: While good, the majority of the stories share a similar voice and tone; Collection lacks a diverse set of characters; Surreal stories not as strong as the rest of them.

The Review: Norman Partridge is an American Horror writer. By that I don't mean he was born below Canada and above Mexico; I mean he's a writer, a damn good one, and when he writes horror, he writes American horror. Cowboys and criminals, lawmen and drifters, soldiers and strangers. Hard edged men forged from US steel who take whatever life gives them without complaint and chase it with shot of straight whiskey. Partridge's latest collection from the always impressive Subterranean Press is no different, full of characters ripped from the pages of classic westerns and noir mysteries. These men are given hell and more in the 10 stories that comprise Lesser Demons and Other Stories and with the rich prose that appears to be Partridge's trademark, it's hard not to enjoy their misery.

His prose reads like a well cooked cut of steak - thick, juicy, and oh so delicious. It's the kind of meal that you just close your eyes and savor, chewing slowly to enjoy every last bite. This analogy is an apt one as the stories in this collection are best enjoyed in the same way. You wouldn't try to pack away ten sirloins in one sitting and if you did, you wouldn't enjoy it as much as if you had taken your time. Many of these stories seem to be built around similar character archetypes and when taken in quick succession, they begin to blend together. The majority of Partridge's characters are rough souls from rougher backgrounds, often coming to grips with the type of men they are at the same time providing subtle commentary on the genres they typically inhabit.

One particular similarity is the unexplained marginalization of female characters. When they are present, they are more often than not victims or relegated to forgettable background roles. To be fair, Partridge does work in very masculine settings and many of the pulpy stories he emulates here are guilty of the same crime. The stories in Lesser Demons are born from westerns and monster movies, full of violent men and violent acts. To change the characters from the source material they are derived from would be to give up part of their core essence, something that Partridge holds dear based on the standard style of his writing.

Here is an individual look at each of the stories in this collection and the characters within.

Second Chance - 3.5/5 - A dispute over ill-gotten gains turns out to be a bit more complicated than first glance would reveal in Second Chance. Partridge does a great job of drawing the reader in with the first story in Lesser Demons but ultimately leaves a little too much unsaid leaving the final twist somewhat unclear.

The Big Man - 4.5/5 - A local bigshot, a literal giant, and an orphaned boy are the three principal characters in this small town story that some may recognize as an homage to the 50-foot monster stories B-movies of the past.. But which is The Big Man indicated by the title? That question and the amount of emotion Partridge is able to evoke in only a few pages really gave this story an extra layer that I enjoyed.

Lesser Demons - 5/5 - One of the best stories in the collection of the same name, Lesser Demons engenders feelings of I Am Legend mixed with just a touch of Lovecraftian horror. The simple sheriff doesn't care who or what caused the outbreak of horrible monstrosities plaguing his town, he just does what it takes to survive, one day at a time. Lesser Demons really illustrates Partridges defining qualities; rich, flavorful prose, relatable "small-town American" characters, and a dark predilection for unromanticized violence.

Carrion - 3/5 - A chance meeting on the side of the road in the middle of nowhere ends the life of a former soldier and intertwines the destiny of three other unfortunate souls, driving them to a mysterious house in the desert, one whose windows don't look out on the same world that you left when you entered it. I enjoyed the lawless Western feel of the plot but the surreal nature of the house and the encircling vultures left me a little cold.

The Fourth Stair up from the Second Landing - 3/5 - A bit more subdued that the average tale in this collection, The Fourth Stair is better categorized as psychological horror. The Fourth Stair up from the Second Landing marks a place where lives end and lives begin and it begins to haunt the minds of the mother and son who step over it on a daily basis. While there was nothing to complain about, I simply didn't enjoy this story the way I did the majority of this collection.

And What Did You See in the World? - 3/5 - This is a strange story and honestly one I couldn't really wrap my head around. I found the characters and their peculiarities both repulsive and intriguing especially the way Partridge keeps you guessing as to who the crazy one really is. This is one of those stories that are short enough to experiment with something different without wearing out its welcome in a longer format.

Road Dogs - 3.5/5 - If paranormal romance is turning werewolves into little more than lusty Chihuahuas, Partridge has something to say about it. His werewolves are mangy, violent beasts more likely to rip your heart out than to break it (as they should be). Drawing parallels between the savagery of spousal abuse and the irrational loyalty of family blood ties with the animal instincts of canines, Partridge sharpens the claws of a tired cliché. Although the characters are for the most part unlikeable, Road Dogs again demonstrates Partridge's ability for crafting realistic, small-town-American characters. An American Werewolf in Paris? More like A Whitetrash Werewolf in Bumf***, Nowhere.

The House Inside - 1.5/5 - Reading like a horror version of Toy Story, The House Inside is the most surreal of all the stories in the collection and my least favorite. Surprisingly, I don't enjoy surreal very much and this story didn't change my opinion much. It might have been the fact that the main characters are plastic cowboys and Indians and little green army men that inexplicably spring to life under a strangely powerful sun or the fact that they continued to ask why when no answers would have made sense. The plastic violence just fell flat. I need an internal logic to my stories and when that isn't there, I start to lose focus.

Durston - 5/5 - Haunted by his past and his reputation, the titular cowboy attempts to put his dark past behind him in this gritty tale of guns and guilt. Durston has blood money in his pocket: money he can't scrub clean and he can't gift away. The stark characterization of Durston and his quest for redemption is compelling and multifaceted. Again, Partridge takes a story typically linked with pulp fiction and gives it a third dimension focusing on acts of violence and death and the way humans deal with the resulting realities. Partridge's razor sharp prose is brilliant in all of his stories but I think it really stands out especially well in Durston.

The Iron Dead - 5/5 - In what I felt this was the strongest story in the collection, Partridge gives us a badass pulp-tacular hero in the mysterious Chaney as well as an unrelenting evil to rally against. A minion of the devil himself has come to town in prohibition era America, one who slaughters without mercy and rebuilds the mutilated remains of his victims into perverse foot soldiers using whatever spare parts he can find, be they metal or man. Chaney is the last of a group of mortals sworn to end this demon's terrible reign. This story represents Partridge at his best, gory and violent, making pulp plots read like fine literature. In A Few Words after, a brief essay about the stories in this collection, Partridge mentions that we may be seeing more of Chaney and his hell-forged hand in the future. Yes. Please.

Despite the similarities between several of the stories, there is no denying that Partridge has mastered a blend of classic pulp and literary metaphor using his gift for prose to craft tales that are enjoyable, evocative, and undeniably American. Razor sharp with a wit as dark as the hearts of his heroes, Partridge is simply one of the best prose stylists I've ever read. Provided you have the stomach for it, you won't regret pulling the trigger on Lesser Demons.

2010-06-16 | -YetiStomper (Chicago) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 4

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Mr. Fox and Other Feral Tales

Description

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Customer Reviews

A Horror Writer's Instruction Manual
If I had to recommend only two writing books for aspiring horror authors, "Mr. Fox" would be one of them (Stephen King's "On Writing" being the other). Partridge looks back at his first collection of stories and uses them as a framing device to dispense invaluable advice. Fans of his later work may not be as impressed with the stories here, but the writing advice is worth many times the cover price. Limited to just 750 copies, it's a damn shame that more authors may not get the chance to be schooled by Norman Partridge.

2008-01-14 | Author, Philosopher, Romance Novel Cover Model (Davenport, Iowa) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Insights, Entertainment, and Multiple Types of Chills
As other reviewers have mentioned, the stories are superb and the recommendations for writers are candid and thoughtful. Like any collection, some tales are better than others. The breadth of topics, styles, and format of the stories shows an impressive range. Fans of his later work will see the seeds of it planted here. The strongest stories are truly creepy in haunting ways that make them stay with you for days and days. The others are still informative by revealing a lot about craft through their imperfections.

The notes for writers are realistic without being bitter. This is obviously a guy who writes because he has something to say and wants to say it well. It's not the usual cheer leading that you get from writing manuals. He's quite clear that this is not an easy road; anyone anticipating rewards outside of the writing process itself should probably find something else to do. In a sense, the most frightening thing about the book is the realization that a talented person can spend a lifetime honing skills and still receive modest recognition at best. In truth, though, if he discourages some people from trying, he's done them a real service.

2007-11-14 | Dr. Mitch (Albany, NY USA) | Helpful Votes: 0 | Rating: 5

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Good but I expected more.
Not nearly as good as The Man With The Barbwire Fists (another short story collection by Partridge) Mr. Fox is still enjoyable - if you can describe Partridge's brutal and forceful prose as "enjoyable". Much of his writing blows my mind. His phrasing, descriptions, action sequences, etc. the guy is just a genius. It's a pity he doesn't write more novels.

I will say this however. Much of this book, half perhaps, are kind of journal/diary notes from partridge about the stories, his career, his advice, etc. and while it is interesting, i did find myself skipping over the majority of it. I don't want a "how to" book. I loved the intro to Barbwire Fists - it was poignant and hysterical - but much of that type of writing feels like filler in Mr. Fox.

Still, a "sub-par" Partridge is better than a "high quality" anybody else.

2006-06-07 | John Hubbard (Atlanta, GA United States) | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 3

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Undervaluated master
The invisibility of Norman Partridge among fans of horror and dark fiction is difficult to understand.He is the most undervaluated writer of the 90's and the most original voice since Thomas Ligotti.
Partridge's fiction is often compared to that of Joe Lansdale, they share a love of drive-in movies, old west mythology and similar stuff, but when comes to approach and style they are poles apart and IMHO his short stories are superior to that of Lansdale.
Partridge's prose is richly textured and the facility with wich he blends genres and handle different styles borders on the scary.
The quality of Partridge's short fiction is remarkable high and even his lesser pieces are far superior to the majority of dark fiction being published today.
The expanded MR FOX AND OTHER FERAL TALES isn't Partridge`s best collection (Bad Intentions and The Man With the Barbed-Wire Fists are slightly superior) but it displays his immense range, from weird dark suspense (The Entourage) to subtle ghost stories (Vessels, Sandprints), delightful juveniles (Velvet Fangs), weird western (!Cuidado!), pop culture and media (The Beauty, Like the Night, Save the Last Dance for Me) and unclassifiable pieces ( Mr Fox), I could go on and on...
For those who aprecciate literate dark fiction Partridge is the writer.


MR FOX AND OTHER FERAL TALES:

Mr Fox ==================================== *****
The Baddest Son of a Bitch in the House === ****
Black Leather Kites =======================
Save the Last Dance For Me ================ ****
Sandprint ================================= ****
Vessels =================================== ****
In Beauty, Like the Night ================= *****
The Body Bags =============================
Cosmos ==================================== **
Stackalee ================================= ****
Tooth & Nail ============================== ****1/2
The Entourage ============================= ****
Kiss of Death ============================= **
Treats ==================================== ****
Velvet Fangs ============================== ****
!Cuidado! ================================= ****1/2
When the Fruit Comes Ripe ================= **1/2
Walkers =================================== **
The Season of Giving ====================== *****

2005-12-28 | www.maquinariodanoite.blogspot.com (Bahia - Brazil) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 5

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Essays
The essays on the aspects of writing justify the price of this book alone. Combination how-to and fiction collection, this ranks up their with Richard Laymon's A WRITER'S TALE.

2005-11-30 (San Marino, CA USA) | Helpful Votes: 2 | Rating: 5

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Slippin' into Darkness

Description

Eighteen years after high school, the suicide of a former cheerleader-turned-prostitute inextricably binds together the lives of all those who loved her, abused her, wronged her, and envied her. Reprint. Winner of the Bram Stoker Award. AB. LJ.

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His style is unique, to be sure, but Partridge is in the same ballpark as Joe Lansdale and Ed Gorman -- bright-colored comic book imagery, embattled and flawed protagonists, and a melancholy tone that seeps in around the edges. This story is reminiscent of "Twin Peaks": a sweet, lovely high-school girl stars in a scene of sex and violence that continues to haunt her male classmates long after her death. This time, though, "Laura Palmer" gets her revenge. The prose is vivid and satisfyingly detailed, the characters are crisply delineated, and the mood is like a sad rock-n-roll song with a good backbeat.

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Customer Reviews

One helluva read!
With Partridge's debut novel, he takes you on a whirlwind ride like no other can. Partridge cooks some some terrifying scenes and great characters. He's what you'd get if you threw Stephen King, Elmore Leonard, and Quenting Tarantino together. He's just great.

1999-03-05 | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 5

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A mysterious, dark, and saddening tale.
I personally found this book to be wild. It had danger, mystery, violence, and love all put carefully inside a devouring plot. I would find myself hysterically crying one moment and rivited the next. This book made me have a true understanding of all the April Destino's of the world.

1998-10-27 | Helpful Votes: 1 | Rating: 4

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Pheasants, Partridges and Grouse: Including Buttonquails, Sandgrouse and Allies (Helm Identification Guides)

Description

Covering almost 260 species of gamebirds, this book focuses on identification, status and distribution, habitats and geographical variation. Many of these species are both exotic and endangered, some are kept in private aviaries, while others are exploited commercially.

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