Much as The Nightrunners gets to be over the top in more than one spot, I have to admit to really enjoying it. This was a fast-paced horror reader that mostly struck just the right balance of horror, action, and character development for such a short book. Generally, I like horror that's a little heavier, but reading this one felt like falling into a great B-horror movie and getting lost for a while. I don't see myself re-reading it, but at the same time, it was a lot of fun while it lasted. Just be aware that the gore factor gets taken overboard a few times... ( )

A solid first novel for Joe Lansdale and a minor near-masterpiece of horror, The Nightrunners is somewhat derivative of Stephen King (was there a single '80s horror writer who didn't follow King's example?), but gorier and more visceral. Lansdale delivers a powerful concoction of juvenile delinquency and supernatural menace that's loaded with action; it also happens to be well-written, and in terms of pure craftsmanship is several notches above the standard paperback scare fare of its decade. High literature it ain't, but when you pick up a book like this you're hardly expecting Shakespeare or Tolstoy. Three and a half stars. ( )

http://moloch981.wordpress.com/2012/03/06/il-lato-oscuro-dellanima/ ( )