The King and Other Stories
Review by James R.Cain
'The King and Other Stories' is a collection of seventeen short-short stories and one regular story, namely 'The King'. The pieces range in length from one paragraph to a couple of pages and are intended as light-hearted tit-bits for the die-hard Lansdale fan. Most are unpublished or have only appeared for a limited time on Lansdale's site. The inside of the dust jacket described them as "pops of pleasure and weirdness", and I must say they are just that.
The book is limited edition of 750 signed and numbered copies and 52 lettered copies. The book itself is of excellent quality: it's hardcover produced on high-grade paper with each story wonderfully illustrated by Glenn Chadbourne. The recommended price for the signed, limited edition is $40 US, and $100 US for the signed, lettered edition.
The stories themselves were enjoyable. I found many of them like contemporary fairy tales, and that's fine by me as I'm a fan of fairy tales. However, even though I am a Lansdale fan, the highlight of the book was the illustrations for me - they really brought the fiction alive. I was disappointed though. I enjoyed the read, but for the price, I felt there were not enough "pops" for my dollar - it's not a cheap book. Definitely a piece for the avid collector.
Publisher: Subterranean Press 2005
ISBN: 1-931081-98-0 - Hardcover (98 pages)