Twenty-one stories for mature audiences only! The career of Joe R. Lansdale has spanned more than twenty-seven years, in which period he has written over two hundred short stories. This collection is the best of these. As Lansdale states in his Introduction, "... these stories are the ones I think best reflect my work. " Some of these are obviously horrific ab initio; others, the realization will slowly, surely creep upon one. Others will visit alternate history, humor, or dark crime. Mixing the impossible, the improbable, and the never-before-thought-of, Lansdale uses his innate East Texas storytelling abilities to perfection. As an added bonus, each story starts with an Introduction by Lansdale, describing the story-behind-the-story. "A folklorist's eye for telling detail and a front-porch raconteur's sense of pace" - New York Times Book Review "A terrifically gifted storyteller. " - Washington Post Book World "Like 10-alarm chili, Lansdale is pretty strong stuff. " - People Weekly "Lansdale is an immense talent. His ability to generate sidesplitting laughter and gut-wrenching terror on the same page is unique in modern fiction. There's something special going on here, and it ought not be missed. " - Booklist