Paradise Sky - by Joe R Lansdale (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

A rollicking novel about Nat Love, an African-American cowboy with a famous nickname: Deadwood Dick.

Young Willie is on the run, having fled his small Texas farm when an infamous local landowner murdered his father. A man named Loving takes him in and trains him in the fine arts of shooting, riding, reading, and gardening. When Loving dies, Willie re-christens himself Nat Love in tribute to his mentor, and heads west.

In Deadwood, South Dakota Territory, Nat becomes a Buffalo Soldier and is befriended by Wild Bill Hickok. After winning a famous shooting match, Nat's peerless marksmanship and charm earn him the nickname Deadwood Dick, as well as a beautiful woman. But the hellhounds are still on his trail, and they brutally attack Nat Love's love. Pursuing the men who have driven his wife mad, Nat heads south for a final, deadly showdown against those who would strip him of his home, his love, his freedom, and his life.

Review Quotes

"Paradise Sky is a rowdy, funny, suspenseful, and often quite moving yarn."--Booklist (starred)

"[A] breakout novel . . . Addictive fun . . . A rollicking ride that's suspenseful, hilarious and satisfyingly redemptive. . . . Lansdale at his funniest and most energetic, with some of the most engaging writing you'll read this year. . . . Lansdale has unleashed something remarkable."--Dwight Silverman, Houston Chronicle

"A deftly told yarn. Everything about Paradise Sky is classic Western drama . . . You can almost smell the beans heating up on the campfire and see the rugged beauty of the frontier."--Evan Rodriguez, Austin American-Statesman

"Beautiful literary prose . . . He fills each page with heartbreak, suspense, hope, and laughter."--Eric J. Guignard, New York Journal of Books

"Fantastic . . . Lansdale has pulled out all the stops to deliver a rip-roaring tale."--Paula L. Woods, Los Angeles Times

"Folksy, cinematic . . . Lansdale fills his pages with true-hearted heroes, dastardly scoundrels, and rollicking adventures."--Publishers Weekly (starred)

"It is a full-blooded western, served up unapologetically and masterfully Lansdale-style and set in the 1870s....Paradise Sky is an unblinking and unvarnished look at a rough-edged time and place in United States history, one that never becomes overburdened with the sorrow of tragic events while respecting the good times and recognizing their temporary nature. Lansdale is one of those very rare authors who can have his readers howling with laughter during one sentence while bringing tear to their eyes with the next."--BookReporter

"Joe R. Lansdale takes on Nat Love and the legend of Deadwood Dick in his new novel, Paradise Sky, and hosannas should be sung to him for doing so. Paradise Sky is a remarkable achievement, an instant classic of Western lit. . . . It sometimes seems as if [Lansdale] has published around a thousand novels, and he, no doubt, will publish many more. Paradise Sky may well prove to be Lansdale's best."--W.K. Stratton, Dallas Morning News

"Lansdale is a master storyteller and this novel is a prime example of his talent. Paradise Sky is at times exciting, inspiring, surreal, and heartbreaking. In other words, the novel is true to life."--Josef Hernandez, Examiner.com

"This fast-paced Western with its multicultural cast of characters is a winner."--Library Journal (starred)

"Too often overlooked in American literature is that lineage descending from our early humorists such as Bierce, and from Twain: regional, darkly comic, bizarre. That's where Joe Lansdale lives. He's very Texan, very American, very funny--and a stone brilliant writer."--James Sallis, author of Drive

PRAISE FOR JOE LANSDALE:

"Reading Joe Lansdale is like listening to a favorite uncle who just happens to be a fabulous storyteller."--Dean Koontz

About the Author

Joe R. Lansdale is the author of nearly four dozen novels, including Rusty Puppy, the Edgar-award winning The Bottoms, Sunset and Sawdust, and Leather Maiden. He has received nine Bram Stoker Awards, the American Mystery Award, the British Fantasy Award, and the Grinzane Cavour Prize for Literature. He lives with his family in Nacogdoches, Texas.