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Hap and Leonard #1
Savage Season
Here comes Trudy back into Hap's life, thirty-six but looking ten years younger, with long blonde hair and legs that begin under her chin, and the kind of walk that'll make a man run his car off the road. Here comes trouble, says Leonard, and he's right. She was always trouble, but she had this laugh when she was happy in bed that could win Hap over every time. Trudy has a proposition: an easy two hundred thousand dollars, tax-free. It's just a simple matter of digging it up ...Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, white and black, straight and gay, are the unlikeliest duo in crime fiction. Savage Season is their debut.
178 pages, Paperback
First published August 1, 1990
451 people are currently reading
6,027 people want to read
About the author
Joe R. Lansdale
788Ìýbooks3,777ÌýfollowersChampion Mojo Storyteller Joe R. Lansdale is the author of over forty novels and numerous short stories. His work has appeared in national anthologies, magazines, and collections, as well as numerous foreign publications. He has written for comics, television, film, newspapers, and Internet sites. His work has been collected in more than two dozen short-story collections, and he has edited or co-edited over a dozen anthologies. He has received the Edgar Award, eight Bram Stoker Awards, the Horror Writers Association Lifetime Achievement Award, the British Fantasy Award, the Grinzani Cavour Prize for Literature, the Herodotus Historical Fiction Award, the Inkpot Award for Contributions to Science Fiction and Fantasy, and many others. His novella Bubba Ho-Tep was adapted to film by Don Coscarelli, starring Bruce Campbell and Ossie Davis. His story "Incident On and Off a Mountain Road" was adapted to film for Showtime's "Masters of Horror," and he adapted his short story "Christmas with the Dead" to film hisownself. The film adaptation of his novel Cold in July was nominated for the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, and the Sundance Channel has adapted his Hap & Leonard novels for television.
He is currently co-producing several films, among them The Bottoms, based on his Edgar Award-winning novel, with Bill Paxton and Brad Wyman, and The Drive-In, with Greg Nicotero. He is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats.
He is currently co-producing several films, among them The Bottoms, based on his Edgar Award-winning novel, with Bill Paxton and Brad Wyman, and The Drive-In, with Greg Nicotero. He is Writer In Residence at Stephen F. Austin State University, and is the founder of the martial arts system Shen Chuan: Martial Science and its affiliate, Shen Chuan Family System. He is a member of both the United States and International Martial Arts Halls of Fame. He lives in Nacogdoches, Texas with his wife, dog, and two cats.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 863 reviews
October 20, 2023
MUCHO MOJO
È in questa zona del Texas orientale che è ambientata la storia.
Qui comincia l’avventura di Hap e Leonard, i due eroi antieroi creati da Lansdale. Al momento mi pare che esistano quattordici romanzi, più cinque novelle e quattro raccolte di racconti. Questa è, appunto, la prima.
La prima apparizione dei due personaggi. Che sono alquanto inusuali, fuori dai canoni: Hap è un reduce degli anni Sessanta che non ha ancora ceduto del tutto al cinismo, ma al disincanto sì � che conserva una vena di romanticismo (vedi come abbocca a ogni apparizione della bella Trudy), ma ha acquisito anche un filo di concretezza.
Leonard è nero, gay, reduce del Vietnam.
Entrambi con poca arte e parte, si mantengono lavorando a giornate in un roseto.
Siamo nel Texas orientale.
Come mi pare fuori dai canoni la scelta di evitare un narratore esterno preferendo un io narrante, Hap, il bianco, quando i protagonisti sin dal titolo sono due.
Alquanto inusuale è anche il plot. Un certo giorno, che non è assodato se definire bello, Trudy riappare nella vita di Hap. Sono stati sposati: poi quando lui era in prigione, lei ha divorziato e si è risposata. Fanno l’amore come ai vecchi tempi, il sesso tra loro ha sempre fatto scintille. Trudy propone a Hap un lavoro remunerato da parte del bottino. Hap tira dentro anche il suo caro amico e “pal� Leonard. Si tratta di recuperare il bottino di una rapina di svariati anni prima, che è rimasto sepolto sott’acqua in un fiume della zona. Non solo Hap e Leonard se la cavano bene con pinne bombole e maschera, ma Hap è cresciuto in quella zona, la conosce.
Quella zona sono le Wetlands del Texas: acquitrini, paludi. Terreno che muta, si trasforma, pieno di insidie. I soldi dovrebbero essere dentro una barca accanto a una macchina in fondo al fiume vicino a un ponte di ferro tutto arrugginito.
Alla fine dell’arcobaleno è nascosta un pentola piena d’oro.
Un po� come inseguire la pentola piena d’oro sepolta alla fine dell’arcobaleno.
La trama evolve, meglio non raccontarla tutta.
Hap e Leonard affondano le loro radici negli anni Sessanta, uno in modo e uno in un altro - il bianco partecipando a manifestazioni e movimenti, il nero da soldato in Vietnam � hanno vissuto quella stagione. adesso hanno appeso quelli che Lansdale chiamerebbe gli occhiali rosa al chiodo: basta inseguire la rivoluzione, quel che è stato è stato, ma senza rinnegare, senza essere passati dall’altra parte della barricata.
Entrambi coltivano le arti marziali (così come il loro creatore). Ed entrambi si direbbe che vivano un giorno alla volta: pronti a farsi coinvolgere, ma senza farsi risucchiare.
Lansdale è famoso, oltre che per la sua prolificità e la capacità di variare genere, credo per la qualità dei suoi dialoghi, che a me pare nascano da Elmore Leonard ed evolvano in Quentin Tarantino (che di Leonard ha preso Rum Punch per farne Jackie Brown): e sono effettivamente dialoghi frizzanti, divertenti, in presa diretta. In questo Savage Season si permette anche lunghe tirate con racconto tutti sotto forma di dialogo, mai stancante, senza mai mostrare la corda. I dialoghi sono anche il motivo per il quale ho avviato la mia conoscenza di Lansdale che finora mi risultava del tutto sconosciuto.
Nell’omonima serie televisiva, fermatasi alla terza stagione, Hap Collins è interpretato da James Purefoy e Leonard Pine da Michael Kenneth Williams.
È in questa zona del Texas orientale che è ambientata la storia.
Qui comincia l’avventura di Hap e Leonard, i due eroi antieroi creati da Lansdale. Al momento mi pare che esistano quattordici romanzi, più cinque novelle e quattro raccolte di racconti. Questa è, appunto, la prima.
La prima apparizione dei due personaggi. Che sono alquanto inusuali, fuori dai canoni: Hap è un reduce degli anni Sessanta che non ha ancora ceduto del tutto al cinismo, ma al disincanto sì � che conserva una vena di romanticismo (vedi come abbocca a ogni apparizione della bella Trudy), ma ha acquisito anche un filo di concretezza.
Leonard è nero, gay, reduce del Vietnam.
Entrambi con poca arte e parte, si mantengono lavorando a giornate in un roseto.
Siamo nel Texas orientale.
Come mi pare fuori dai canoni la scelta di evitare un narratore esterno preferendo un io narrante, Hap, il bianco, quando i protagonisti sin dal titolo sono due.
Alquanto inusuale è anche il plot. Un certo giorno, che non è assodato se definire bello, Trudy riappare nella vita di Hap. Sono stati sposati: poi quando lui era in prigione, lei ha divorziato e si è risposata. Fanno l’amore come ai vecchi tempi, il sesso tra loro ha sempre fatto scintille. Trudy propone a Hap un lavoro remunerato da parte del bottino. Hap tira dentro anche il suo caro amico e “pal� Leonard. Si tratta di recuperare il bottino di una rapina di svariati anni prima, che è rimasto sepolto sott’acqua in un fiume della zona. Non solo Hap e Leonard se la cavano bene con pinne bombole e maschera, ma Hap è cresciuto in quella zona, la conosce.
Quella zona sono le Wetlands del Texas: acquitrini, paludi. Terreno che muta, si trasforma, pieno di insidie. I soldi dovrebbero essere dentro una barca accanto a una macchina in fondo al fiume vicino a un ponte di ferro tutto arrugginito.
Alla fine dell’arcobaleno è nascosta un pentola piena d’oro.
Un po� come inseguire la pentola piena d’oro sepolta alla fine dell’arcobaleno.
La trama evolve, meglio non raccontarla tutta.
Hap e Leonard affondano le loro radici negli anni Sessanta, uno in modo e uno in un altro - il bianco partecipando a manifestazioni e movimenti, il nero da soldato in Vietnam � hanno vissuto quella stagione. adesso hanno appeso quelli che Lansdale chiamerebbe gli occhiali rosa al chiodo: basta inseguire la rivoluzione, quel che è stato è stato, ma senza rinnegare, senza essere passati dall’altra parte della barricata.
Entrambi coltivano le arti marziali (così come il loro creatore). Ed entrambi si direbbe che vivano un giorno alla volta: pronti a farsi coinvolgere, ma senza farsi risucchiare.
Lansdale è famoso, oltre che per la sua prolificità e la capacità di variare genere, credo per la qualità dei suoi dialoghi, che a me pare nascano da Elmore Leonard ed evolvano in Quentin Tarantino (che di Leonard ha preso Rum Punch per farne Jackie Brown): e sono effettivamente dialoghi frizzanti, divertenti, in presa diretta. In questo Savage Season si permette anche lunghe tirate con racconto tutti sotto forma di dialogo, mai stancante, senza mai mostrare la corda. I dialoghi sono anche il motivo per il quale ho avviato la mia conoscenza di Lansdale che finora mi risultava del tutto sconosciuto.
Nell’omonima serie televisiva, fermatasi alla terza stagione, Hap Collins è interpretato da James Purefoy e Leonard Pine da Michael Kenneth Williams.
May 24, 2015
I finally got to meet the famous Hap and Leonard that I've heard so much about here on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.
Sorry, Terry Crews is in my head as Leonard Pike. Leonard and Hap are best buddies. Why? I have no clue. They really are not much alike.
Leonard is a gay, Vietnam vet who seems pretty mellow at first. Just don't mess with his vanilla cookies.
Hap is a guy with a prison record because he wanted to make a statement during the sixties about the war. Hap was kind of stupid then.
Now Hap's ex-wife has returned to the scene and has a scam up her very short dress. She wants Hap to find some missing robbery money for her and her new man. Hap won't do it unless Leonard is involved. Leonard is not crazy about the ex-wife or the scam.
The two guys are fun. I think they are those two friends that when the shit starts to hit the fan they might make it worse because neither of them can keep their mouths shut. But then they kick ass so it evens out in the end.
Sorry, Terry Crews is in my head as Leonard Pike. Leonard and Hap are best buddies. Why? I have no clue. They really are not much alike.
Leonard is a gay, Vietnam vet who seems pretty mellow at first. Just don't mess with his vanilla cookies.
Hap is a guy with a prison record because he wanted to make a statement during the sixties about the war. Hap was kind of stupid then.
Now Hap's ex-wife has returned to the scene and has a scam up her very short dress. She wants Hap to find some missing robbery money for her and her new man. Hap won't do it unless Leonard is involved. Leonard is not crazy about the ex-wife or the scam.
The two guys are fun. I think they are those two friends that when the shit starts to hit the fan they might make it worse because neither of them can keep their mouths shut. But then they kick ass so it evens out in the end.
March 9, 2016
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Joe Lansdale was barely a blip on my radar until a few months ago when it seemed errrrryone started reading his stuff. Since I am an idiot, I had no idea WTF Hap and Leonard even was or that it was a soon-to-be television program. I just knew that Real Dan and Kemper were reading the crap out of these stories and everybody else seemed to be reading Lansdale too. Then during one of ourbitch sessions highly intellectual conversations, Shelby reminded me the show had premiered. It sounded like something my husband would TOTALLY dig so I cued it up for him and planned to get back to my regularly scheduled porno Pulitzer winner. But then Omar appeared on my screen and my hubs was like “are you seriously going to watch T.V. and not read right now??!?!?!?!� and I was like . . .
Alright, so there’s the backstory of why I’m so late to this party. My apologies for the couple minutes of your life you just wasted and will never get back. Now let’s get on with the show.
Hap and Leonard are just a couple of good ol� boys � never meaning no harm. They’ve been makin� their way the only way they know how, but then Leonard’s ex-wife shows up with her magic poonany and reveals a scheme that’s just a little bit more than the law will allow . . .
“One hundred thousand dollars for each of us.�
“Shit. What we got to do, shoot someone?�
“Nope. We have to swim for it.�
If the paraphrased lyrics above don’t ring a bell or if you are a millennial, there’s a good chance Hap & Leonard probably aren’t the guys you want to spend time with. However, if you’re not easily offended by foul language or some pretty gnarly asskicking and want to read the best dialogue of your life - Lansdale will provide. I may have shown up way more than fashionably late for this party, but I’m most definitely here to stay . . . .
3.5 Stars rounded up because I need some wiggle room as I continue the series and also because the final action sequence went on just a wee bit too long for my liking. I blame the waning of my attention during that part on my lack of penis. Happy belated International Women’s Day ; )
Joe Lansdale was barely a blip on my radar until a few months ago when it seemed errrrryone started reading his stuff. Since I am an idiot, I had no idea WTF Hap and Leonard even was or that it was a soon-to-be television program. I just knew that Real Dan and Kemper were reading the crap out of these stories and everybody else seemed to be reading Lansdale too. Then during one of our
Alright, so there’s the backstory of why I’m so late to this party. My apologies for the couple minutes of your life you just wasted and will never get back. Now let’s get on with the show.
Hap and Leonard are just a couple of good ol� boys � never meaning no harm. They’ve been makin� their way the only way they know how, but then Leonard’s ex-wife shows up with her magic poonany and reveals a scheme that’s just a little bit more than the law will allow . . .
“One hundred thousand dollars for each of us.�
“Shit. What we got to do, shoot someone?�
“Nope. We have to swim for it.�
If the paraphrased lyrics above don’t ring a bell or if you are a millennial, there’s a good chance Hap & Leonard probably aren’t the guys you want to spend time with. However, if you’re not easily offended by foul language or some pretty gnarly asskicking and want to read the best dialogue of your life - Lansdale will provide. I may have shown up way more than fashionably late for this party, but I’m most definitely here to stay . . . .
3.5 Stars rounded up because I need some wiggle room as I continue the series and also because the final action sequence went on just a wee bit too long for my liking. I blame the waning of my attention during that part on my lack of penis. Happy belated International Women’s Day ; )
August 26, 2014
When laborer Hap Collins' ex-wife Trudy pops back into his life with a story about retrieving unrecovered money from a bank robbery, Hap's up for it. In tow is Hap's best friend, Leonard, a gay black man who happens to be the toughest son of a bitch on the planet. Will Hap and Leonard finally make the big score that saves them from a life of backbreaking labor or is Trudy leading them to their deaths?
2014 reread: Since nothing on my unread pile looks appealing at the moment and a Hap and Leonard TV series is in the works, I thought it would be a good time to revisit the Hap and Leonard books I read pre-Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. One of the perks of getting older is that old books magically become new books after seven or eight years. I remembered the basic plot of this book but forgot most of the wrinkles.
Savage Season introduces Hap Collins and Leonard Pine to the world. Hap is an ex-hippy who spent a year and a half in prison for dodging the Vietnam draft and Leonard is a gay black Vietnam vet who is the toughest man on Earth. Together, they coast through life on crap wages and make a lot of smart ass remarks.
Since originally reading this, I've read a lot of other crime books. It seems to me that Hap and Leonard owe something to Robert Parker's Spenser and Hawk characters, transported to Lansdale's rural east Texas setting. No matter how you slice it, though, Hap and Leonard are one of the most entertaining duos in crime fiction.
The plot of this one is pretty straight forward. Some money from a bank robbery was stashed on boat and sunk in the Sabine River. Trudy, Hap's ex, with some other radicals in tow, want Hap's help in retrieving it. Funny quips and bloody double-crosses ensue and Hap and Leonard wind up in the hospital for the first of many times in the series.
It always surprises me how funny Joe Lansdale's books are without lessening the impact of the violence that often follows. There are some pretty brutal images in this one.
While Savage Season isn't the best book of the series, it's a great beginning. Even in their first appearance, Hap and Leonard are very much the losers I've come to love over the years and I'm excited to be experiencing their adventures once again. Four out of five stars.
2014 reread: Since nothing on my unread pile looks appealing at the moment and a Hap and Leonard TV series is in the works, I thought it would be a good time to revisit the Hap and Leonard books I read pre-Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ. One of the perks of getting older is that old books magically become new books after seven or eight years. I remembered the basic plot of this book but forgot most of the wrinkles.
Savage Season introduces Hap Collins and Leonard Pine to the world. Hap is an ex-hippy who spent a year and a half in prison for dodging the Vietnam draft and Leonard is a gay black Vietnam vet who is the toughest man on Earth. Together, they coast through life on crap wages and make a lot of smart ass remarks.
Since originally reading this, I've read a lot of other crime books. It seems to me that Hap and Leonard owe something to Robert Parker's Spenser and Hawk characters, transported to Lansdale's rural east Texas setting. No matter how you slice it, though, Hap and Leonard are one of the most entertaining duos in crime fiction.
The plot of this one is pretty straight forward. Some money from a bank robbery was stashed on boat and sunk in the Sabine River. Trudy, Hap's ex, with some other radicals in tow, want Hap's help in retrieving it. Funny quips and bloody double-crosses ensue and Hap and Leonard wind up in the hospital for the first of many times in the series.
It always surprises me how funny Joe Lansdale's books are without lessening the impact of the violence that often follows. There are some pretty brutal images in this one.
While Savage Season isn't the best book of the series, it's a great beginning. Even in their first appearance, Hap and Leonard are very much the losers I've come to love over the years and I'm excited to be experiencing their adventures once again. Four out of five stars.
March 31, 2016
Hap Collins and his friend Leonard Pine seem like pure east Texas rednecks in a lot of ways. They have crappy jobs working in rose fields, shoot clay pigeons with their shotguns, drive worn out piece-of-shit vehicles, raise hunting dogs and listen to country music. But Leonard is black and gay, and Hap is a former damn dirty hippie who got sent to prison for refusing his induction notice during Vietnam as a protest against the war. So they aren’t exactly the Dukes of Hazard.
Years after his prison stay ended his marriage, Hap’s ex-wife Trudy still likes to come around regularly to break his heart all over again. Trudy is another former flower child who still thinks she can change the world while Hap’s time in prison took care of all his idealistic notions. When Trudy shows up again, she’s got a new proposal for Hap.
Trudy and some other old damn dirty hippies have gotten a lead on a lot of cash from a bank robbery that was believed lost. They think it’s in a sunken boat in an remote river area that Hap grew up in. Trudy wants Hap’s help, and Hap insists on cutting Leonard in, too. But both have second thoughts when they meet the old radicals they’ll be working with. Still convinced that they can revive the spirit of the �60s, they want the money for their pet causes while Hap and Leonard just want to be able to stop working in the rose fields.
Joe Lansdale is one of the funniest guys I’ve ever read, and he really knows about rural living and the redneck lifestyle. Every time I read one of his books, I feel like I’m sitting on a front porch in my old hometown while listening to some entertaining story teller spin a yarn about the trouble that some idiot good old boys got themselves into. The series is profane, politically incorrect, violent, and hilarious. Lansdale created a couple of my all-time favorite characters in Hap and Leonard.
Years after his prison stay ended his marriage, Hap’s ex-wife Trudy still likes to come around regularly to break his heart all over again. Trudy is another former flower child who still thinks she can change the world while Hap’s time in prison took care of all his idealistic notions. When Trudy shows up again, she’s got a new proposal for Hap.
Trudy and some other old damn dirty hippies have gotten a lead on a lot of cash from a bank robbery that was believed lost. They think it’s in a sunken boat in an remote river area that Hap grew up in. Trudy wants Hap’s help, and Hap insists on cutting Leonard in, too. But both have second thoughts when they meet the old radicals they’ll be working with. Still convinced that they can revive the spirit of the �60s, they want the money for their pet causes while Hap and Leonard just want to be able to stop working in the rose fields.
Joe Lansdale is one of the funniest guys I’ve ever read, and he really knows about rural living and the redneck lifestyle. Every time I read one of his books, I feel like I’m sitting on a front porch in my old hometown while listening to some entertaining story teller spin a yarn about the trouble that some idiot good old boys got themselves into. The series is profane, politically incorrect, violent, and hilarious. Lansdale created a couple of my all-time favorite characters in Hap and Leonard.
May 16, 2022
"A gun and a dead body will hypnotize you, especially with the echo of the shot still ringing in your ears, the coppery smell of blood and shit stuffed full in your nostrils."
Initial Thoughts
I have a number of series lined up for 2022 and Joe Lansdale's famous Hap and Leonard series was not one of them. However, after a close friend started reading the collection and would not shut up about them, I decided to change my reading schedule and give them a whirl. My reading tastes are very similar to his and if nothing else it will give us something to talk endlessly about when the conversation runs dry.
So Savage Season is the first novel in the Hap & Leonard series, where Lansdale give his own, East Texas, blue collar style crime fiction. I did have high hopes for this one initially as I've read a number of his novels, including The Bottoms and Paradise Sky, and enjoyed them all. He really is a great writer and knows how to inject both humour and horror into an engaging plot.
The Story
Savage Season can best be summed up as an action-comedy, similar to that 80s classic 48 Hours with Eddie Murphy and Nick Nolte. We have Hap Collins, a good-natured, aging, ex-hippie who has served time in prison for refusing to fight in the Vietnam War. For someone who's against this type of conflict he certainly doesn't shy away from getting his fists dirty when the need arises. And neither does his best bud, gay, ex-vietnam vet Leonard Pine.
Despite being an odd couple, the pair have a fantastic friendship based on their love of martial arts and drinking beer, as well as the ability to insult one another in that good humoured, macho way. Both men are working dead end jobs and money is at a premium. So when the love of Hap's life, Trudy, waltzes back in with a get rich quick scheme it presents an offer they can't refuse. Or at least one that Hap can't refuse and has to talk Leonard into, as Len really can't stand the sight of Trudy on account of her tendency to break poor Hap's heart at every opportunity.
So the trio, with the help of a few of Trudy's acquaintances set about finding a stash of stolen money. But as we know, these get rich quick schemes rarely go according to plan.
The Writing
Joe Lansdale's prose are as smooth as ever, as he crafts this fairly short but intense novel. The plotting is tight and his description of rural East Texas with its impoverished and down trodden community is on the money. This author is certainly writing what he knows and he adds real flavour and character to his descriptions.
"We got some beer and some cheap wine and rented a room at a rundown motel and stayed up most of the night telling lies and a few sad truths that we hoped the other would think were lies. "
But for me it's with the dialogue that this one really shines. The one-liners come thick and fast and it's jam packed with Lansdale's trademark humour that had me in stitches. Honestly this was the funniest book I've read this year. I had to change my pants when I'd finished. But it's not just a laugh a minute and Lansdale still manages to inject some heart into this one with the friendship between the two main characters and other relationships. I couldn't get enough of it.
The Characters
Now to the important part, the characters. I’m a very firm believer in Stephen King’s philosophy that what people want to read about is interesting and engaging characters, that you care about, in difficult situations. And this is where Savage Season definitely shines. The duo of Hap and Leonard are brilliantly done. They appear as complete opposite of each other and yet they are they work so well together. They really are the cornerstone of this novel.
One minute the pair are as close to each other as brothers and the next minute bickering like a married couple. This friendship is so authentic and realistic, that it started to remind me of my own friends and some of the mad conversations that we have. I began to see them as real people and ones that I would love to share a beer with. But the best I’m going to get is reading these books so I’ll stick with that.
Although the duo are a product of their environment, deep down they are both good guys who strive to rise above it. I know Lansdale is an accomplished author of westerns and the pair did remind me of throw-backs to the cowboy days. It certainly had that feel to the story. They operate outside of the law� emotionally damaged characters Hap is good with his fists, but he’s bad with real emotion.
There’s a number of other characters that all work together to make this story tick and allow the author to explore some interesting themes. Through the character of Trudy he explores the problems with idealism and it’s conflict with the harsh realities of life. Particularly in down and out East Texas.
"Idealism was a little like Venus in the daytime. There’d been a time when I could see it. But as time went on and I needed it less and wanted to pass on the responsibility, I had lost my ability to see it, to believe it. But now I thought I might see it again if I made an effort and looked hard enough."
Final Thoughts
Savage season is a very fun and fast paced read that I had an absolutely great time with. Although it is somewhat basic, Lansdale delivers an impressive range of emotions ranging from side splitting humour to dark and nasty violence. It’s something I’ve become very familiar with when reading his stories and he is one of the best in the business at it, in my opinion. And like I’ve already said it does contain some great characters, that is always going to win points in my book.
It can definitely be read as a standalone and is a complete story in its own right. However, it does to a very effective job of setting up the relationship between Hap and Leonard and I’m confident there’s more life left in this duo yet.
Was this the best book I’ve read this year? Most certainly not. But it definitely was the most fun and there’s a lot to be said for that. Joe Lansdale certainly is a master at what he does and he has a dedicated fan in me. And I’m not talking about the Annie Wilkes style fan that is going to kidnap him and tie him to a bed. Maybe just by him a beer and talk his ear off for a few minutes.
One of my main goals for this year is to read more Hap/Leonard and it really should be yours to.
Thanks for reading. Cheers!
Mr Joe R. Lansdale - The pride of Texas
April 27, 2016
3.5 stars!
For my Year of Lansdale project I had this audio book all lined up and then the TV show came out. I have to say that the show spoiled me as far as the voices go. The actors will forever be the voices of Hap and Leonard in my head. (If you haven't seen the show, I highly recommend it!)
The drama mirrored this book pretty closely except for a few changes near to the end. The humor that I found so appealing in the other two Hap and Leonard's that I've read was here, but not as much, and I found myself wishing for a little more.
I'm still glad that I listened to this book, but I will be reading, rather than listening, to the rest of the series. Recommended to fans of Joe Lansdale!
P.S. The narrator of this book, Phil Gigante, has a disturbing recent past, to which he plead guilty, and this, too, played a part in my decision to READ the rest of the series, rather than listen. I cannot with good conscience support Mr. Gigante in the future.
For my Year of Lansdale project I had this audio book all lined up and then the TV show came out. I have to say that the show spoiled me as far as the voices go. The actors will forever be the voices of Hap and Leonard in my head. (If you haven't seen the show, I highly recommend it!)
The drama mirrored this book pretty closely except for a few changes near to the end. The humor that I found so appealing in the other two Hap and Leonard's that I've read was here, but not as much, and I found myself wishing for a little more.
I'm still glad that I listened to this book, but I will be reading, rather than listening, to the rest of the series. Recommended to fans of Joe Lansdale!
P.S. The narrator of this book, Phil Gigante, has a disturbing recent past, to which he plead guilty, and this, too, played a part in my decision to READ the rest of the series, rather than listen. I cannot with good conscience support Mr. Gigante in the future.
July 25, 2011
A recipe for Delicious Fiction:
Take a pair of VERY UNCONVENTIONAL good old buddies + one BITCHOSAURUS of an ex-wife.
Add in half a million in lost, stolen money, a group of wannabe radicals and an awesomely PSYCHOlarious duo of drug dealers.
Spice all the above with sharp writng, brilliantly witty dialogue, heaping helpings of southern humor and stir in several pounds of violence, bloodshed and betrayals..... and VOILA....
Criminally YUMMY Buddy NOIR Cake.
Definitely one I am going to recommend as this book has made me an instant fan of the Hap and Leonard series. Joe Lansdale has an slick, breezy writing style that comes across with a very authentic, rural Texas feel to it. I haven’t read much of Lansdale’s work, but what I have read has been very engaging. That is certainly the case here.
Good writing aside, the true charm of this story begins and ends with the two main characters, Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. Hap and Leonard are a terrific “odd buddy� tandem that mesh perfectly together, despite their rather different backgrounds.
Hap Collins is a straight, white 40 year old, former 60‘s idealist, who went to prison for 18 months for refusing to go to Vietnam. He has since become rather cynical of his former radical-ness. Leonard Pine is a gay, black vietnam vet who is distinctly “non political,� reads Walden and loves country music (especially Patsy Cline and Hank Williams). Leonard has few friends (besides Hap) and loves his 6 bird dogs like they were family. Both Leonard and Hap work together in east Texas, like to shoot skeet and are martial arts buffs. The bond of friendship they share is something that comes across immediately and I have to give Lansdale full marks for that because it is central to the feel of the story.
Plot-wise, there is really nothing ground-breaking here, but it is still very effective. Hap’s “trouble on two legs� ex-wife, Trudy, shows up out of the blue with a scheme to retrieve hundreds of thousands of dollars of stolen money lost years ago. Trudy’s return sends Hap’s angst meter into the red as Trudy’s pattern has been to blow into his life every couple of years and make it go KABOOM!!
Despite that, Hap still has strong feelings for her though he has learned to be much more guarded. For Leonard it’s pretty straight-forward: he can’t stand the bitch for everything she has put Hap through and has nothing but contempt for her and her “causes.�
Well, turns out that Trudy is part of “yet another� radical group that wants to use the stolen money to help fund their activities. She offers to cut Hap and Leonard in if they can help locate the money which is buried in an area Hap knows well. From there, the violence, bloodshed, vulgarity and betrayals quickly commence.
Despite a fairly conventional plot, this story is still pure gold. The magic is in Lansdale’s writing and the terrific banter/dialogue between Hap and Leonard which is constantly witty and loaded with “down home� irony and sarcasm. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion listening to these two go back and forth and was chuckling for much of the rest.
Great writing, a fast-paced plot and two of the best buddy characters I have ever come across add up to an enthusiastic thumbs up for this one. I was left wanting more and I can’t wait to see what they get into next. 4.0 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
Take a pair of VERY UNCONVENTIONAL good old buddies + one BITCHOSAURUS of an ex-wife.
Add in half a million in lost, stolen money, a group of wannabe radicals and an awesomely PSYCHOlarious duo of drug dealers.
Spice all the above with sharp writng, brilliantly witty dialogue, heaping helpings of southern humor and stir in several pounds of violence, bloodshed and betrayals..... and VOILA....
Criminally YUMMY Buddy NOIR Cake.
Definitely one I am going to recommend as this book has made me an instant fan of the Hap and Leonard series. Joe Lansdale has an slick, breezy writing style that comes across with a very authentic, rural Texas feel to it. I haven’t read much of Lansdale’s work, but what I have read has been very engaging. That is certainly the case here.
Good writing aside, the true charm of this story begins and ends with the two main characters, Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. Hap and Leonard are a terrific “odd buddy� tandem that mesh perfectly together, despite their rather different backgrounds.
Hap Collins is a straight, white 40 year old, former 60‘s idealist, who went to prison for 18 months for refusing to go to Vietnam. He has since become rather cynical of his former radical-ness. Leonard Pine is a gay, black vietnam vet who is distinctly “non political,� reads Walden and loves country music (especially Patsy Cline and Hank Williams). Leonard has few friends (besides Hap) and loves his 6 bird dogs like they were family. Both Leonard and Hap work together in east Texas, like to shoot skeet and are martial arts buffs. The bond of friendship they share is something that comes across immediately and I have to give Lansdale full marks for that because it is central to the feel of the story.
Plot-wise, there is really nothing ground-breaking here, but it is still very effective. Hap’s “trouble on two legs� ex-wife, Trudy, shows up out of the blue with a scheme to retrieve hundreds of thousands of dollars of stolen money lost years ago. Trudy’s return sends Hap’s angst meter into the red as Trudy’s pattern has been to blow into his life every couple of years and make it go KABOOM!!
Despite that, Hap still has strong feelings for her though he has learned to be much more guarded. For Leonard it’s pretty straight-forward: he can’t stand the bitch for everything she has put Hap through and has nothing but contempt for her and her “causes.�
Well, turns out that Trudy is part of “yet another� radical group that wants to use the stolen money to help fund their activities. She offers to cut Hap and Leonard in if they can help locate the money which is buried in an area Hap knows well. From there, the violence, bloodshed, vulgarity and betrayals quickly commence.
Despite a fairly conventional plot, this story is still pure gold. The magic is in Lansdale’s writing and the terrific banter/dialogue between Hap and Leonard which is constantly witty and loaded with “down home� irony and sarcasm. I laughed out loud on more than one occasion listening to these two go back and forth and was chuckling for much of the rest.
Great writing, a fast-paced plot and two of the best buddy characters I have ever come across add up to an enthusiastic thumbs up for this one. I was left wanting more and I can’t wait to see what they get into next. 4.0 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
March 10, 2016
First appearing in 1990, this is the book that introduced Joe R. Lansdale's most popular characters, Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. Brothers under the skin, Hap is a good-old-boy white guy from East Texas while Leonard is a black, gay Vietnam War vet. The two practice martial arts together and when we first meet them, they're living close to poverty and eking out a living working in a rose field.
Still, life is fairly copacetic until, out of nowhere, Hap's very sexy ex-wife, Trudy, suddenly shows up. There's no love lost between Leonard and Trudy, but Hap is a guy who more often than not is happy to let his little head do the thinkin', especially when it comes to Trudy.
After a blissful and energetic reunion, Trudy confesses that she hasn't returned just for a quick romp. She and her current beau, Howard, have a line on what may be upwards of a million dollars that was stolen from a bank years earlier and apparently lies sealed in containers under the deep, frigid waters of a tributary of the Sabine River. Trudy, an unreconstructed hippie, would like Hap to help them recover the money so that she and Howard can donate it to Save the Whales and other worthy causes.
Trudy is willing to give Hap two hundred thousand dollars of the loot for his trouble since she, Howard and their two other confederates have only a vague idea of where the money might actually be while Hap, who was born and raised in the area has a very good idea. Sexually exhausted, Hap isn't thinking all that clearly, but he agrees to at least consider the scheme. Much to Trudy's consternation, Hap immediately brings Leonard into the action, promising to share his end of the money 50-50.
Much against his better judgment, Leonard agrees and what follows is an action-filled and often hilarious romp. Inevitably a scheme like this is going to go sideways almost immediately, putting everyone involved in the harebrained scheme in grave danger. It's a lot of fun watching all of this play out, and this book provides the basis for the first season of "Hap and Leonard" which is now playing on the Sundance Channel. I'm a huge fan of Michael K. Williams ("The Wire" and "Empire Boardwalk") who's signed on to play Leonard. For that reason alone, I'm really anxious to give the series a try.
Still, life is fairly copacetic until, out of nowhere, Hap's very sexy ex-wife, Trudy, suddenly shows up. There's no love lost between Leonard and Trudy, but Hap is a guy who more often than not is happy to let his little head do the thinkin', especially when it comes to Trudy.
After a blissful and energetic reunion, Trudy confesses that she hasn't returned just for a quick romp. She and her current beau, Howard, have a line on what may be upwards of a million dollars that was stolen from a bank years earlier and apparently lies sealed in containers under the deep, frigid waters of a tributary of the Sabine River. Trudy, an unreconstructed hippie, would like Hap to help them recover the money so that she and Howard can donate it to Save the Whales and other worthy causes.
Trudy is willing to give Hap two hundred thousand dollars of the loot for his trouble since she, Howard and their two other confederates have only a vague idea of where the money might actually be while Hap, who was born and raised in the area has a very good idea. Sexually exhausted, Hap isn't thinking all that clearly, but he agrees to at least consider the scheme. Much to Trudy's consternation, Hap immediately brings Leonard into the action, promising to share his end of the money 50-50.
Much against his better judgment, Leonard agrees and what follows is an action-filled and often hilarious romp. Inevitably a scheme like this is going to go sideways almost immediately, putting everyone involved in the harebrained scheme in grave danger. It's a lot of fun watching all of this play out, and this book provides the basis for the first season of "Hap and Leonard" which is now playing on the Sundance Channel. I'm a huge fan of Michael K. Williams ("The Wire" and "Empire Boardwalk") who's signed on to play Leonard. For that reason alone, I'm really anxious to give the series a try.
September 20, 2021
Review published with photos and a video from Joe R. Lansdale here:
My first review of the BIG Hap & Leonard Read Along hosted by me, Sadie Hartmann “Mother Horror� in partnership with Tachyon Publications & Mulholland Books.
I’ve been literally moving from one Joe Lansdale book to the next unable to quench this thirst for Lansdale’s unique, gritty, and often hilarious (albeit emotional) storytelling style.
It’s my fondness for THE BOTTOMS, PARADISE SKY, MOON LAKE, FREEZER BURN, THE DRIVE-IN, and THE EDGE OF DARK WATER that lead me to Hap & Leonard and a desire to binge the whole series. Of course, I had to throw an invite out into the book nerd universe to see if anyone wanted to join me and the response has been overwhelming! We have a big group discussion hosted on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ HERE with about 50 members.
Tachyon has kindly provided us with a unique discount code for their collection of Lansdale’s books and you can take advantage of that HERE including but not limited to, future Hap & Leonard books you’ll need later on in the read along.
SAVAGE SEASON is book one in the Hap & Leonard series and introduces us to three, main, colorful characters: Hap Collins, Leonard Pine, and Hap’s ex-wife Trudy. The dialog that transpires between these three characters is seriously laugh-out-loud funny.
Hap & Leonard’s friendship consists mostly of busting each other’s balls but it’s easy to get a sense of that strong brotherhood bond that rests just under the surface of all that banter.
I loved the sexual tension and chemistry between Hap and Trudy. Especially whenever Leonard is around to be the third, disapproving, wise-cracking third wheel. In no time at all, this unlikely trio gets in over their heads when the two guys wind up getting involved in some shady, under-the-table job offer presented by Trudy. Some unsavory characters are introduced when Hap and Leonard find out that Trudy’s get-rich-quick scheme comes with plenty of strings attached.
In just under two hundred pages this is a great first book in a series there’s just enough there to get invested in Hap & Leonard’s lives as well as get acquainted with what seems to be the main selling points: Mayhem & Comedy. I’m so down for it. And excited for the future.
On to the next book: MUCHO MOJO
My first review of the BIG Hap & Leonard Read Along hosted by me, Sadie Hartmann “Mother Horror� in partnership with Tachyon Publications & Mulholland Books.
I’ve been literally moving from one Joe Lansdale book to the next unable to quench this thirst for Lansdale’s unique, gritty, and often hilarious (albeit emotional) storytelling style.
It’s my fondness for THE BOTTOMS, PARADISE SKY, MOON LAKE, FREEZER BURN, THE DRIVE-IN, and THE EDGE OF DARK WATER that lead me to Hap & Leonard and a desire to binge the whole series. Of course, I had to throw an invite out into the book nerd universe to see if anyone wanted to join me and the response has been overwhelming! We have a big group discussion hosted on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ HERE with about 50 members.
Tachyon has kindly provided us with a unique discount code for their collection of Lansdale’s books and you can take advantage of that HERE including but not limited to, future Hap & Leonard books you’ll need later on in the read along.
SAVAGE SEASON is book one in the Hap & Leonard series and introduces us to three, main, colorful characters: Hap Collins, Leonard Pine, and Hap’s ex-wife Trudy. The dialog that transpires between these three characters is seriously laugh-out-loud funny.
Hap & Leonard’s friendship consists mostly of busting each other’s balls but it’s easy to get a sense of that strong brotherhood bond that rests just under the surface of all that banter.
I loved the sexual tension and chemistry between Hap and Trudy. Especially whenever Leonard is around to be the third, disapproving, wise-cracking third wheel. In no time at all, this unlikely trio gets in over their heads when the two guys wind up getting involved in some shady, under-the-table job offer presented by Trudy. Some unsavory characters are introduced when Hap and Leonard find out that Trudy’s get-rich-quick scheme comes with plenty of strings attached.
In just under two hundred pages this is a great first book in a series there’s just enough there to get invested in Hap & Leonard’s lives as well as get acquainted with what seems to be the main selling points: Mayhem & Comedy. I’m so down for it. And excited for the future.
On to the next book: MUCHO MOJO
September 27, 2016
What have we here? The old and reliable 'heist' story. One would think it's been done enough times already to get a bit stale and predictable. Fear not! Joe Lansdale has some surprises in store for you. And even if sometimes you feel you've heard it all before, a good storyteller will still get you hooked with a couple a sympathetic scoundrels and their sharp, hilarious banter, he would still keep you intrigued about motives and possible outcomes and he would still knock you down flat with intense, heartstopping terror before the end. I believe Joe Lansdale deserves all the accolade and literary prize nominations he gets, and "Savage Season" is a prime example of his style. This is only my second novel by him, but I know I will eventually try to read them all - he's that good!
If I were to break the novel into easier to chew components I would settle for these archetypical building blocks: the location, the team, the sell, the heist, the split, the endgame.
Location
East Texas, the same sort of small, impoverished town that was covered in The Bottoms . Texas is commonly associated with sweltering heat, sweeping vistas of dry brush and oil rigs. Lansdale though has a soft spot for the humid lowlands and in the present novel he also throws in an atypical snow and ice winter spell. Not the best season to be outdoors looking for buried treasure. Probably one reason to call it 'savage'.
They were nothing like the Everglades of Florida or the greater swamps of Louisiana. Not nearly as many miles as either of those, but they were made up of plenty of great forest and deep water, and they were beautiful, dark and mysterious - a wonder in one eye, a terror in the other.
The Team
For their first misadventure, we should probably start by getting to know the titular characters in the series.
Hap Collins : approaching forty, college reject, former hippie peace activist who went to jail to protest the Vietnam War. Now doing oddjobs and farm work, when he can get it. He likes karate and skeet shooting, but despises guns and killing on principle. He's big, has alcohol issues and women issues, mostly courtesy of his ex-wife Trudy who can still wrap him around her little finger.
Leonard Pine : Hap's best friend and guardian angel, a Vietnam vet and a man immune to Trudy's charms (he's gay and proud of it!). Also likes karate, loves his dogs, Hank Williams, vanilla cookies and an untroubled existence. Leonard tries to act as the brakes and the voice of reason for the more impulsive Hap.
Despite coming from opposing sides of the war in Vietnam, Hap and Leonard respect each other and share in a wicked sense of humour that manifests mostly in rapid fire repartees and sarcastic comebacks in high octane situations.
The Sell
winter is not the best of times for penniless, itinerant workers. Hap and Leonbard are just killing time, shooting at ceramic flying saucers when temptation walks in. She's tall, blonde, curvaceous with impossibly long legs and a smile that promises illicit delights. Leonard is out in a huff and Trudy is back (in Hap's bed). Soon enough though it becomes evident that a second honeymoon is not on the menu. Trudy has a business proposition, and she believes men are more open to persuasion after sex. What she wants is for Hap to help her retrieve the loot hidden somewhere in the East Texas marshes, money from a decade old bank robbery. It appears her new husband, Howard, has found out about the sunken treasure during his own stint in prison. History tends to repeat itself, and Trudy, Howard and a couple of others are still in the eco-warrior business even though the sixties are long gone.
The Heist
Some of Hap's neurons are still functioning, and he convinces Leonard to come along, help retrieve the money and watch over Hap's back. The two buddies get to meet Trudy's team: a sorry and amateurish lot composed of Howard, a big boned sap not much different from Hap; Chub, a chubby loser who thinks he is a psychanalist and Paco, a former homegrown terrorist, now heavily disfigured by a bomb mishap. The criminal club plans to use their share of the money for some unspecified 'good cause', probably saving the whales or stopping nuclear proliferation.
To make a long story short, the team members dislike each other intensely, but somehow manage to recover part of the loot.
The Split
Of course, where there's money, there's trouble and I don't think there ever was a heist movie or book where things didn't go pear-shaped after a succesful hit. Hap and Leonard are in deep s__t!
The Endgame
This is the part where all hell breaks loose, all bets are off and readers are reminded that Lansdale is a writer with a penchant for horror. The less I say now about the way the game is played, the better. Read it and weep! Or if you are of a more tender disposition and/or soft heart, turn around now and go watch a Disney movie. This stuff is bad for you!
>><<>><<>><<>><<
I wouldn't sing so loud in praise of Lansdale if he was a one trick pony. Yes, he's good at mixing humour with horror and he writes excellent action scenes, but his range is much broader. Lansdale truly shines in the confessional mode, in the unguarded moments when his actors let their guard down and reveal their core values, their most cherished dreams.
Idealism was a little like Venus in the daytime. There'd been a time when I could see it. But as time went on and I needed it less and I wanted to pass on the responsibility, I had lost my ability to see it, to believe it. But now I thought I might see it again if I made an effort and looked hard enough.
>><<>><<>><<>><<
I am planning to continue with the Hap and Leonard series, provided they get back on their feet after the drastic pounding they got for dreaming of easy money.
January 12, 2024
4.5 stars
short review for busy readers:
Our first introduction to the East Texas wonder duo of Hap & Leonard! The dynamic between the two isn't quite worked out yet, but the plot and action are utterly satisfying and the quality of writing pretty high. Under 200 pages. Fast paced, fast read. Rather violent, rather funny. Highly enjoyable.
in detail:
The series can be read as standalones, but it helps to read in order. For newbies, this one is a very good "taster" to see if you'd like to read further.
I'm completing this series for the Serial Challenge 2024.
short review for busy readers:
Our first introduction to the East Texas wonder duo of Hap & Leonard! The dynamic between the two isn't quite worked out yet, but the plot and action are utterly satisfying and the quality of writing pretty high. Under 200 pages. Fast paced, fast read. Rather violent, rather funny. Highly enjoyable.
in detail:
The series can be read as standalones, but it helps to read in order. For newbies, this one is a very good "taster" to see if you'd like to read further.
I'm completing this series for the Serial Challenge 2024.
February 10, 2017
I really loved The Thicket last year when I chose it to quench my thirst for a good Western read. I was impressed by how engaging the writing was. I decided this year to jump into more books by author Joe Lansdale, and I thought a good start would be his popular Texas crime series featuring his characters Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. This first novel in the series lived up to my lofty expectations!
Hap & Leonard are best buddies, are minding their own business and shooting some skeet in Hap's backyard, when a cute blond heartbreaker walks back into Hap's life, offering more of that sweet love that he remembers fondly. But like any experienced femme fatale knows, most human men would agree to any post-coital request no matter how stupid. So in bed, he agrees to help her and her new man find a treasure trove of cash lost after a bank heist years ago.
Lansdale is one of those writers that makes it seem so easy. He manages to find that balance between economic storytelling and lyrical, expressive prose; a balance that my favorite writers possess. It makes for a captivating read that's entertaining and still leaves an impression. In just this one book, Hap and Leonard become two of the most enjoyable protagonists I've come across in a crime series. They seem like two guys I'd like to be friends with and so I would be willing to go on any adventure with them in the future. In this way, they're right up there with Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins and Dennis Lehane's Kenzie and Gennaro as some of my favorite crime heroes. Likeable, everyday people caught up in dark, extraordinary situations, where they have to step up and be heroes. Hap and Leonard are so different on the surface but are perfect compliments for each other, making for hilarious banter between them that makes the proceedings that much more enjoyable. Can't wait to see what craziness they get into next.
Hap & Leonard are best buddies, are minding their own business and shooting some skeet in Hap's backyard, when a cute blond heartbreaker walks back into Hap's life, offering more of that sweet love that he remembers fondly. But like any experienced femme fatale knows, most human men would agree to any post-coital request no matter how stupid. So in bed, he agrees to help her and her new man find a treasure trove of cash lost after a bank heist years ago.
"I didn't want to be anywhere near Trudy right then. I had a hunch she would have harsh words to say about me and Leonard, and I wasn't up to it. I didn't want her to get me near a bed either. She could really talk in bed, and if she talked long enough and moved certain parts of her body just right, I might agree to have Leonard shot at sunset."
Lansdale is one of those writers that makes it seem so easy. He manages to find that balance between economic storytelling and lyrical, expressive prose; a balance that my favorite writers possess. It makes for a captivating read that's entertaining and still leaves an impression. In just this one book, Hap and Leonard become two of the most enjoyable protagonists I've come across in a crime series. They seem like two guys I'd like to be friends with and so I would be willing to go on any adventure with them in the future. In this way, they're right up there with Walter Mosley's Easy Rawlins and Dennis Lehane's Kenzie and Gennaro as some of my favorite crime heroes. Likeable, everyday people caught up in dark, extraordinary situations, where they have to step up and be heroes. Hap and Leonard are so different on the surface but are perfect compliments for each other, making for hilarious banter between them that makes the proceedings that much more enjoyable. Can't wait to see what craziness they get into next.
"Yea, that money could make up for a lot of missed ambitions, but without it we were nothing more than a batch of losers, standing cold and silly, empty-handed on the muddy bank of an unnamed creek."
June 8, 2020
This was brilliant! Hap and Leonard are such great characters. I can’t wait to read more of the series. One reviewer called this ‘Redneck noir� and I couldn’t agree more.
January 11, 2016
3.5
I've heard so much about this duo and finally started this series. Unlike so many other books, Savage Season has a perfect summary.
The two main protagonists can't be any different even if they tried, but they work well together.
Hap's ex-wife Trudy asks him for help to find some money that's been hidden for the last twenty years, he lets his best friend in on the scheme and that's the basic plot. The thing that makes Savage Season different and more interesting than other maybe similar books isn't the plot, but the relationship of the two main characters and their seeming inability to keep their mouths shut. The worse the situation is, the more they banter and talk.
At first a character annoyed me so much that I thought I would be happy to see them suffer at least a bit. In the end the author made me feel sorry for them.
As an introduction to the series and to these two, Savage Season does what it set out to do very well with an additional unexpected punch in the end.
I've heard so much about this duo and finally started this series. Unlike so many other books, Savage Season has a perfect summary.
The two main protagonists can't be any different even if they tried, but they work well together.
Hap's ex-wife Trudy asks him for help to find some money that's been hidden for the last twenty years, he lets his best friend in on the scheme and that's the basic plot. The thing that makes Savage Season different and more interesting than other maybe similar books isn't the plot, but the relationship of the two main characters and their seeming inability to keep their mouths shut. The worse the situation is, the more they banter and talk.
At first a character annoyed me so much that I thought I would be happy to see them suffer at least a bit. In the end the author made me feel sorry for them.
As an introduction to the series and to these two, Savage Season does what it set out to do very well with an additional unexpected punch in the end.
June 5, 2019
This, the first “Hap and Leonard� adventure, is so early in the development of the detective series that Hap and Leonard aren’t even detectives yet. They are East Texas men in their thirties, working off-and-on at low-paying jobs (flower pickers in the rose fields, for example), just trying to get along, while amusing themselves by shooting skeet and beating each other up in martial arts duels. Hap is a straight white male, a sixties radical who did time for resisting the draft, and Leonard is a black gay Vietnam vet with serious anger issues (but then, how could a gay, black Vietnam vet not have anger issues?)
Into Hap and Leonard’s mostly tranquil lives walks Trudy, Hap’s manipulative ex- wife, who tries to rope Hap into a hair-brained project to resurrect some old bank heist money from the tributary of local Texas river. Soon, against Leonard’s better judgment (he hates Trudy), he and the still love-smitten Hap become part of Trudy’s radical sixties crew—boyfriend Howard, fatboy Chub, and facially disfigured Paco—who plan to used the bulk of the money to “save the whales,� or in service of some equally idealistic cause. Hap and Leonard, though, get an equal share each, and plan on keeping the money for themselves.
Of course, as is true of all such adventures, things do not go according to plan. Soon stupidity, betrayal, and unexpected evil take their toll, and Hap, Leonard and Trudy are on the run, trying to save not just their money but their lives.
This is an entertaining novel, full of twists and turns and a lot of smart-ass dialogue. I liked the local East Texas atmosphere (described by narrator Hap with an affectionate cynicism) and loved the two protagonists (particularly Leonard). Odds are good I’ll come back to this series for more.
June 1, 2018
Avevamo una causa, e nessuno è più pericoloso di un fanatico
Non avevo mai letto Lansdale, qualcuno se n’� accorto e me ne ha regalata una copia. Una stagione selvaggia fa parte di quei libri che si leggono da soli, che non richiedono applicazione, basta seguirli in punta di dito, son pieni d’azione fino a traboccare. La prima parte mi ha divertito, Hap il narratore e soprattutto Leonard, l’amico suo, si prendevano gustosamente per il culo in qualità di reduci beatinik. Il divertimento ha preso scemare quando lo spirito degli anni '60 riesumato come pretesto, li ha infilati in un‘avventura prima strampalata, poi strampalatamente tragica che è costata la vita ad un numero di personaggi da film di Tarantino. Non avendo riferimenti per giudicare questo tipo di narrativa, è proprio al pulp di Tarantino che mi vien da paragonarla. Nei film di Quentin però di solito ci sono colonne sonore strepitose, in Landasale invece capita che Hap scriva:
-Misi su l'album di Hank Williams di Leonard, Greatest Hits, Volume 2, e alzai il volume.
Avrei premiato la facilità di lettura e l’ironia con tre stelle se Lansdale non avesse deciso di concludere con un gran bel messaggio edificante e metaforico in barba alla logica evoluzione ventennale dei suoi personaggi. Oltre alla colonna sonora e al montaggio, una delle caratteristiche che rendono piacevoli i film di Tarantino è l'amoralità . Mi può andar bene veder morire decine di personaggi come mosche senza venir sollecitato emotivamente, non mi va invece che alla fine di quello che è stato il pretesto per un divertimento, sia inserita la lezioncina etica.
Non avevo mai letto Lansdale, qualcuno se n’� accorto e me ne ha regalata una copia. Una stagione selvaggia fa parte di quei libri che si leggono da soli, che non richiedono applicazione, basta seguirli in punta di dito, son pieni d’azione fino a traboccare. La prima parte mi ha divertito, Hap il narratore e soprattutto Leonard, l’amico suo, si prendevano gustosamente per il culo in qualità di reduci beatinik. Il divertimento ha preso scemare quando lo spirito degli anni '60 riesumato come pretesto, li ha infilati in un‘avventura prima strampalata, poi strampalatamente tragica che è costata la vita ad un numero di personaggi da film di Tarantino. Non avendo riferimenti per giudicare questo tipo di narrativa, è proprio al pulp di Tarantino che mi vien da paragonarla. Nei film di Quentin però di solito ci sono colonne sonore strepitose, in Landasale invece capita che Hap scriva:
-Misi su l'album di Hank Williams di Leonard, Greatest Hits, Volume 2, e alzai il volume.
Avrei premiato la facilità di lettura e l’ironia con tre stelle se Lansdale non avesse deciso di concludere con un gran bel messaggio edificante e metaforico in barba alla logica evoluzione ventennale dei suoi personaggi. Oltre alla colonna sonora e al montaggio, una delle caratteristiche che rendono piacevoli i film di Tarantino è l'amoralità . Mi può andar bene veder morire decine di personaggi come mosche senza venir sollecitato emotivamente, non mi va invece che alla fine di quello che è stato il pretesto per un divertimento, sia inserita la lezioncina etica.
March 23, 2017
Binge watched the first series of the TV adaptation of the Hap & Leonard books, loved it and so I had to read the source novels, since everyone at the AV Club comment pages said they were SO much better. Not sure I agree, then it's always like that when much loved books make the transfer to the screen- see Game of Thrones, LOTR, and many more ( hence my mixed feelings about the rumoured adaptation of Dorothy Dunnett' s Lymond series, my all-time favorites). Having seen the show I had the back story filled in that's missing from the first novel but I doubt that would've mattered had I read the book first.
The story is roughly similar to what plays out over six episodes of TV, with some changes. Again, that doesn't bother me. These are books I will read with pleasure simply for the wonderful relationship between Hap & Leonard. I can't get enough male friendship and will happily absorb both versions, double the fun. The East Texas setting adds colour for sure. The writing goes down easy, with dry humour and some memorable characters, e.g. Teacher, Angel and Paco.
I had never heard of Hap & Leonard before finding them on Amazon Prime video, so book purists ought to be grateful their literary hero has gained wider recognition through the show. Personally, I think James Purefoy makes a fine Hap and Michael Kenneth Williams is a perfect Leonard. I was sold from the get-go with Hap & Leonard, one a cynical middle-aged former hippy who served time rather than be drafted, the other a gay black Vietnam vet. An unlikely friendship but an enduring one based on trust, dependency and mutual support, It's a kind of love though Hap is strictly hetero and Leonard only goes for men. Hap, of course, is attracted to the wrong kind of women, who inevitably let him down, though like a rejected puppy he keeps coming back for more. Leonard is only attracted to straight-looking men, though he says Hap is not his type. I was reminded of Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, McCrae & Call, two very different men who make a perfect team, somehow incomplete without the other; though outside relationships sometimes get in the way they always come back together, each having the other's back and best interests at heart.
The story is roughly similar to what plays out over six episodes of TV, with some changes. Again, that doesn't bother me. These are books I will read with pleasure simply for the wonderful relationship between Hap & Leonard. I can't get enough male friendship and will happily absorb both versions, double the fun. The East Texas setting adds colour for sure. The writing goes down easy, with dry humour and some memorable characters, e.g. Teacher, Angel and Paco.
I had never heard of Hap & Leonard before finding them on Amazon Prime video, so book purists ought to be grateful their literary hero has gained wider recognition through the show. Personally, I think James Purefoy makes a fine Hap and Michael Kenneth Williams is a perfect Leonard. I was sold from the get-go with Hap & Leonard, one a cynical middle-aged former hippy who served time rather than be drafted, the other a gay black Vietnam vet. An unlikely friendship but an enduring one based on trust, dependency and mutual support, It's a kind of love though Hap is strictly hetero and Leonard only goes for men. Hap, of course, is attracted to the wrong kind of women, who inevitably let him down, though like a rejected puppy he keeps coming back for more. Leonard is only attracted to straight-looking men, though he says Hap is not his type. I was reminded of Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove, McCrae & Call, two very different men who make a perfect team, somehow incomplete without the other; though outside relationships sometimes get in the way they always come back together, each having the other's back and best interests at heart.
October 1, 2016
This dude is such a good writer that I sat down immediately after finishing this book and began writing myself and my output was 25% better than it normally is. Lansdale is just one of those people who understand language, and harness it like a samurai sword. Savage Season, the first of many Hap and Leonard books, was a page-turning crime novel - at times funny, at times touching, at times violent - much like the best Coen Brothers movies are. You're doing yourself a disservice by not reading this book.
September 5, 2024
This book is freaking amazing. What makes it so good is the characters of Hap and Lenoard. They are two best friends from different walks of life, and how it's written is so authentic. The banter they have between themselves, each giving each other a hard time, but all in good fun was hilarious. In such a short time, Lansdale makes you love both of them and understand how meaningful their friendship is. This is some of the best character work I have read in a long time.
The basic plot is an ex of Hap returns with an offer of a large sum of money that needs to be located at the bottom of a lake. For their part in retrieving it, they will get a share of 200k. Haps Ex and the rest of the crew are revolutionaries and wish to return to the good old days of the 60s with a big middle finger to the government and big plans on how to use the cash. As you would expect, not all goes to plan, and there is a lot of double crossing and backstabbing leading to a violent and awesome conclusion.
It takes a while to really get into the plot, but that was a good thing. I was so engaged in Hap and Lenoard and learning about them that I didn't care at all that not much was progressing with the main plot. They honestly steal the show with their dialogue and how different they are from each other. I'm very happy this is a series and excited to see what happens with them next. Beautifully written with descriptive writing on landscapes, action and the elements really put you in the characters' mindset as things progress. I can't praise this enough.
The basic plot is an ex of Hap returns with an offer of a large sum of money that needs to be located at the bottom of a lake. For their part in retrieving it, they will get a share of 200k. Haps Ex and the rest of the crew are revolutionaries and wish to return to the good old days of the 60s with a big middle finger to the government and big plans on how to use the cash. As you would expect, not all goes to plan, and there is a lot of double crossing and backstabbing leading to a violent and awesome conclusion.
It takes a while to really get into the plot, but that was a good thing. I was so engaged in Hap and Lenoard and learning about them that I didn't care at all that not much was progressing with the main plot. They honestly steal the show with their dialogue and how different they are from each other. I'm very happy this is a series and excited to see what happens with them next. Beautifully written with descriptive writing on landscapes, action and the elements really put you in the characters' mindset as things progress. I can't praise this enough.
August 21, 2011
I've read five previous Hap and Leonard adventures, but somehow managed to miss this first outing. Once again, Hap lets "lil' Hap" get him into trouble, and drags mouthy Leonard into the fray. Count on everything to go wrong. And if you have a lick o' sense, better stay far away from Leonard's vanilla cookies.
October 11, 2024
Fun, but at times difficult read by Lansdale, and not one for people easily offended. the first adventure of Hap and Leonard starts off innocently enough, with Hap and Leonard working a field hands. One day, however, Hap's ex, Trudy, shows up. Trudy ditched Hap when he was in prison for not going to the Vietnam war; a protest designed to impress her, but in the end, pointless. These days, Hap just takes it from day to day.
Trudy, however, comes to Hap asking for help and wanting to make a deal. It seems her last husband (and current one) just got out of jail and while incarcerated, made friends with a guy who knocked off a bank, netted a cool 1 million, but then lost it. He had the cash on a small boat in waterproof containers, but wrecked the boat and almost drowned. It seems where he wrecked the boat was near where Hap grew up in East Texas-- the Bottoms. And, he remembers after coming ashore a few landmarks. Just before Trudy's ex got out of jail, the con died in a prison fight. Now, Trudy, her latest husband, plus a few others want to get the cash. Can Hap help? He will get a 5th of the loot, around 200 thou. Well, Hap and Leonard decide to help...
What makes this at times difficult consists of the frankness of the dialogue. Leonard, a gay black man, gets it the worst, especially with the N word flying around. Of course things turn to shit, but Lansdale does a masterful job building the tension. All the main characters grew up in the 60s, and all were part of the 'movement' except Leonard, who went to Vietnam. Lansdale eviscerates the glow from the 60s here, and Trudy and her 'gang' comprise aging idealists who desire to restart the revolution with their share of the cash. Leonard's snark had me giggling, and the dialogue often cuts to the quick. Within all that rests a solid adventure. I can see why this series has such a following! 4 nasty stars!!
Trudy, however, comes to Hap asking for help and wanting to make a deal. It seems her last husband (and current one) just got out of jail and while incarcerated, made friends with a guy who knocked off a bank, netted a cool 1 million, but then lost it. He had the cash on a small boat in waterproof containers, but wrecked the boat and almost drowned. It seems where he wrecked the boat was near where Hap grew up in East Texas-- the Bottoms. And, he remembers after coming ashore a few landmarks. Just before Trudy's ex got out of jail, the con died in a prison fight. Now, Trudy, her latest husband, plus a few others want to get the cash. Can Hap help? He will get a 5th of the loot, around 200 thou. Well, Hap and Leonard decide to help...
What makes this at times difficult consists of the frankness of the dialogue. Leonard, a gay black man, gets it the worst, especially with the N word flying around. Of course things turn to shit, but Lansdale does a masterful job building the tension. All the main characters grew up in the 60s, and all were part of the 'movement' except Leonard, who went to Vietnam. Lansdale eviscerates the glow from the 60s here, and Trudy and her 'gang' comprise aging idealists who desire to restart the revolution with their share of the cash. Leonard's snark had me giggling, and the dialogue often cuts to the quick. Within all that rests a solid adventure. I can see why this series has such a following! 4 nasty stars!!
September 24, 2012
Hap a tough country boy with iron foundry muscles just spent eighteen months in prison, during this time his wife Trudi was filing for divorce.
Leonard a Vietnam vet and a certified hardhead. His expertise is Martial arts, boxing, kenpo and hapkido.
Trudi ruled men with brains, passion and her downy triangle.
Hap a bird lover.
Leonard a dog lover.
An inseparable duo of characters.
On his release from prison Trudi temps Hap into a money making deal or shall we say money finding.
A bank job money stash needs to be recovered and she wants Hap to to find it and get a cut. Thing is, its an idea coming from Trudi's other lover. Things don't pan out as they should. Along down the line Revolutionaries and gun deals come into the picture and matters get a whole lot more complicated for Hap and Leonard.
This was a good promising starter to a series of books involving the characters Hap and Leonard. They are fun guys to be around and when they need to be serious and get the job done they get it done properly.
Also on my Blog
Leonard a Vietnam vet and a certified hardhead. His expertise is Martial arts, boxing, kenpo and hapkido.
Trudi ruled men with brains, passion and her downy triangle.
Hap a bird lover.
Leonard a dog lover.
An inseparable duo of characters.
On his release from prison Trudi temps Hap into a money making deal or shall we say money finding.
A bank job money stash needs to be recovered and she wants Hap to to find it and get a cut. Thing is, its an idea coming from Trudi's other lover. Things don't pan out as they should. Along down the line Revolutionaries and gun deals come into the picture and matters get a whole lot more complicated for Hap and Leonard.
This was a good promising starter to a series of books involving the characters Hap and Leonard. They are fun guys to be around and when they need to be serious and get the job done they get it done properly.
Also on my Blog
July 16, 2018
I'm officially a fan now. Hap and Leonard are buddy duo gold, and I can't wait to read more of their exploits.
Earlier this year my reading group The Night Worms read Terror is Our Business, a Dana Roberts book that Lansdale wrote with his daughter Kasey. I loved that one. So I finally had read some Lansdale, but I needed more. I had heard about him here and there on Instagram, but then all of a sudden I was hearing a lot from Hap and Leonard fans about how great the books are, and how much it sucks that the television series made from the books was getting canceled. I hate that. I just discover something awesome, and now they aren't going to continue the series. Hopefully the very vocal backlash and petition signing over its cancellation will bring the show back. In the meantime, I have a lot of reading to do!
It isn't often that I find a favorite new author with a series that has so many books to look forward to. I may be late to the Hap and Leonard party, but now I get to binge the rest of the novels. This one is a good introduction to the pair, even though there is nothing really new or groundbreaking to the story, it serves its purpose and makes me want to read more. I could pretty much guess where this was going, but that didn't ruin the story for me or make me less interested in the dynamic between the two main characters. Everyone else in the novel is pretty despicable, and I have a feeling that Hap is going to continue to be led by his heart while Leonard is the voice of reason. I love how Leonard knows the scheme in this novel is too good to be true, but he's such a good friend to Hap that he can't let him go on his own.
I'm not going to rehash the plot, but I will say there's a "get rich quick" scheme that goes exactly the way you think it would. The dialogue is hilarious, the characters are colorful, and Hap and Leonard are the hapless duo we all need right now. I just wrote that and suddenly realized how Lansdale most likely named one of his most popular characters. It's fitting. Pick this one up. I highly recommend it.
Earlier this year my reading group The Night Worms read Terror is Our Business, a Dana Roberts book that Lansdale wrote with his daughter Kasey. I loved that one. So I finally had read some Lansdale, but I needed more. I had heard about him here and there on Instagram, but then all of a sudden I was hearing a lot from Hap and Leonard fans about how great the books are, and how much it sucks that the television series made from the books was getting canceled. I hate that. I just discover something awesome, and now they aren't going to continue the series. Hopefully the very vocal backlash and petition signing over its cancellation will bring the show back. In the meantime, I have a lot of reading to do!
It isn't often that I find a favorite new author with a series that has so many books to look forward to. I may be late to the Hap and Leonard party, but now I get to binge the rest of the novels. This one is a good introduction to the pair, even though there is nothing really new or groundbreaking to the story, it serves its purpose and makes me want to read more. I could pretty much guess where this was going, but that didn't ruin the story for me or make me less interested in the dynamic between the two main characters. Everyone else in the novel is pretty despicable, and I have a feeling that Hap is going to continue to be led by his heart while Leonard is the voice of reason. I love how Leonard knows the scheme in this novel is too good to be true, but he's such a good friend to Hap that he can't let him go on his own.
I'm not going to rehash the plot, but I will say there's a "get rich quick" scheme that goes exactly the way you think it would. The dialogue is hilarious, the characters are colorful, and Hap and Leonard are the hapless duo we all need right now. I just wrote that and suddenly realized how Lansdale most likely named one of his most popular characters. It's fitting. Pick this one up. I highly recommend it.
August 10, 2024
I've read and enjoyed a few other Lansdale books but this is the first Hap and Leonard novel that I have read. It is also the first book in the series. I decided to read some of these because I have watched the first two seasons of the Hap and Leonard TV series which I really found enjoyable. This book is the basis for the first season of the show which followed the novel pretty closely but expanded on the story in some aspects.
This was a pretty quick read (I read it in one afternoon) and I liked it enough to want to read more in the series. Being the first in the series, this one provided some background on the pair, Hap being a straight white male who decides to go to prison rather that fight in Vietnam. While Leonard is a gay black man who did fight in Vietnam. Hap's ex-wife, Trudy turns up with a job for Hap that could net him a substantial amount of money and of course Hap insists on including Leonard in the adventure. They're out to find some cash from an old bank robbery that was left in the swamps of the Sabine River in East Texas. Hap grew up in the area and feels he can locate where the stash may be. Leonard goes along to try to keep Hap out of trouble and provide some expertise in diving even though he feels Trudy is a snake and can't be trusted. Things get complicated along the way and a lot of bloodletting ensues before it reaches its conclusion where you wonder if anyone will be left standing. Lansdale manages to make his characters believable for the most part and throws in a lot of humor along the way...a good mix with the extreme violence. I'll be looking forward to reading more in this series.
This was a pretty quick read (I read it in one afternoon) and I liked it enough to want to read more in the series. Being the first in the series, this one provided some background on the pair, Hap being a straight white male who decides to go to prison rather that fight in Vietnam. While Leonard is a gay black man who did fight in Vietnam. Hap's ex-wife, Trudy turns up with a job for Hap that could net him a substantial amount of money and of course Hap insists on including Leonard in the adventure. They're out to find some cash from an old bank robbery that was left in the swamps of the Sabine River in East Texas. Hap grew up in the area and feels he can locate where the stash may be. Leonard goes along to try to keep Hap out of trouble and provide some expertise in diving even though he feels Trudy is a snake and can't be trusted. Things get complicated along the way and a lot of bloodletting ensues before it reaches its conclusion where you wonder if anyone will be left standing. Lansdale manages to make his characters believable for the most part and throws in a lot of humor along the way...a good mix with the extreme violence. I'll be looking forward to reading more in this series.
October 20, 2022
Savage Season is the first book in the Hap and Leonard series and introduces us to the fictional East Texas town of LaBorde. Two of the town’s more extreme characters are Hap Collins and Leonard Pine, a couple of close friends who are scratching a living out of whatever small or menial job they can find.
As the story opens the boys are toiling away doing field labor cutting roses. Their backgrounds are quite different as Hap is a white good ol' boy and former hippy who was jailed as a conscientious objector in his past while Leonard is a black, gay Vietnam war veteran.
Hap’s ex-wife, Trudy, waltzes back into his life one afternoon, much to Leonard’s disgust. Hap, of course, can’t resist but welcome her back into his home. Problem is, she has ulterior motives for her visit and is not above using her charms to quickly bring Hap across to listen to her plans.
It turns out that she has taken up with a motley crew of environmentalists who are not exactly operating within the law and they have come up with a scheme to find a stash of stolen money. The scheme involves using Hap and Leonard as the local grunts who will be most likely able to locate the money because it turns out, it was inside a getaway car that is now submerged in the nearby Sabine River.
The problems aren’t related to locating the money. The problems start when the crew turns out to be a greedy bunch of so-and-so’s who are all prepared to double-cross their buddies any way they see fit.
What follows is a rapidly disintegrating situation that results in every hope and plan falling apart in the most devastating of ways. The fact that the team all hate each other intensely dooms the entire caper from the start, it’s just that no-one is willing to concede that they’re going to miss out on the cash.
The series is notable for the violence, the imaginative swearing and the ability of its lead characters to totally piss off just about every person they come in contact with. And speaking of violence, it takes place in spades in all its graphic and unflinching glory.
Where Joe Lansdale really hits the bullseye is with the dialogue, particularly the snappy exchanges between Hap and Leonard themselves. He captures the laid back nature of the East Texas natives and the humor is as simple and down to earth as you can possibly imagine. It enriches what is a taut narrative with some fine down-home flavor.
This is a hardboiled crime novel that indulges in as much politically incorrect humor as it’s possible to include. It is violent and it is unapologetic in the way it embraces the redneck element of rural East Texas. It is also a helluva good read that sets up the future books in the Hap and Leonard series very nicely.
As the story opens the boys are toiling away doing field labor cutting roses. Their backgrounds are quite different as Hap is a white good ol' boy and former hippy who was jailed as a conscientious objector in his past while Leonard is a black, gay Vietnam war veteran.
Hap’s ex-wife, Trudy, waltzes back into his life one afternoon, much to Leonard’s disgust. Hap, of course, can’t resist but welcome her back into his home. Problem is, she has ulterior motives for her visit and is not above using her charms to quickly bring Hap across to listen to her plans.
It turns out that she has taken up with a motley crew of environmentalists who are not exactly operating within the law and they have come up with a scheme to find a stash of stolen money. The scheme involves using Hap and Leonard as the local grunts who will be most likely able to locate the money because it turns out, it was inside a getaway car that is now submerged in the nearby Sabine River.
The problems aren’t related to locating the money. The problems start when the crew turns out to be a greedy bunch of so-and-so’s who are all prepared to double-cross their buddies any way they see fit.
What follows is a rapidly disintegrating situation that results in every hope and plan falling apart in the most devastating of ways. The fact that the team all hate each other intensely dooms the entire caper from the start, it’s just that no-one is willing to concede that they’re going to miss out on the cash.
The series is notable for the violence, the imaginative swearing and the ability of its lead characters to totally piss off just about every person they come in contact with. And speaking of violence, it takes place in spades in all its graphic and unflinching glory.
Where Joe Lansdale really hits the bullseye is with the dialogue, particularly the snappy exchanges between Hap and Leonard themselves. He captures the laid back nature of the East Texas natives and the humor is as simple and down to earth as you can possibly imagine. It enriches what is a taut narrative with some fine down-home flavor.
This is a hardboiled crime novel that indulges in as much politically incorrect humor as it’s possible to include. It is violent and it is unapologetic in the way it embraces the redneck element of rural East Texas. It is also a helluva good read that sets up the future books in the Hap and Leonard series very nicely.
May 13, 2018
Ha-Hap...
Se non fossi frocio forse l'amerei anch'io.
Ma dal mio punto di vista è solo una puttana con la lingua lunga, e tu un coglione di prima categoria che non sa distinguere tra un'erezione e il vero,dolce amore. Buonanotte.
La cosa che preferisco di Leonard è la sua sensibilità .
Non male questo mio primo Lansdale, 3/4 stelle! (e arrivederci,cari Hap e Leonard! :D )
Se non fossi frocio forse l'amerei anch'io.
Ma dal mio punto di vista è solo una puttana con la lingua lunga, e tu un coglione di prima categoria che non sa distinguere tra un'erezione e il vero,dolce amore. Buonanotte.
La cosa che preferisco di Leonard è la sua sensibilità .
Non male questo mio primo Lansdale, 3/4 stelle! (e arrivederci,cari Hap e Leonard! :D )
July 22, 2024
This is actually a book that lived up to the hype. I wasn't sure what to expect and when I was done, I felt like I had ridden in the back of a pickup truck with no shocks on an unpaved country road.
Hap is a white boy from Texas with a weakness for certain women, specifically those who are not good for him. Leonard is a black Vietnam vet who is gay and in excellent shape. Talk about an odd couple. Leonard gets dragged into, literally, a hair-brained scheme that Hap is duped into by a past love who knows she has him wrapped around her finger. It is a quick read, and the dry humor is hilarious. I will have to continue this series.
Hap is a white boy from Texas with a weakness for certain women, specifically those who are not good for him. Leonard is a black Vietnam vet who is gay and in excellent shape. Talk about an odd couple. Leonard gets dragged into, literally, a hair-brained scheme that Hap is duped into by a past love who knows she has him wrapped around her finger. It is a quick read, and the dry humor is hilarious. I will have to continue this series.
July 10, 2021
So many painful dialogues that just went on and on ...
October 11, 2010
SAVAGE SEASON is a fast-paced, hard-boiled suspense novel about two hardworking friends, Hap and Leonard, who can't resist the opportunity to make a quick $200,000 a piece. All they have to do is find the money that is supposedly buried somewhere in an icy river where Hap grew up. But nothing comes easy for these two and it isn't long before they're not only dealing with vicious weather but also greedy and psychotic humans.
This is a short little book that packs a punch. It is unflinchingly and sometimes painfully graphic but the characters of Hap and Leonard, who both have a really nasty sense of humor, provide much needed comic relief. I don't want to give too much away here but this book isn't going to become one of my favorites, even though I enjoyed most of it, because of a certain horrendous plot twist towards the end of the story that tore out my heart.
This is a short little book that packs a punch. It is unflinchingly and sometimes painfully graphic but the characters of Hap and Leonard, who both have a really nasty sense of humor, provide much needed comic relief. I don't want to give too much away here but this book isn't going to become one of my favorites, even though I enjoyed most of it, because of a certain horrendous plot twist towards the end of the story that tore out my heart.
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