Customer Reviews

Captains Outrageous (Hap and Leonard Series)

5 star:		(12)
4 star:		(8)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

What does the "R." in Joe R. Lansdale stand for? I've been reading this phenomenal East Texas writer for almost fifteen years now, and I still don't know. I suppose I could click the mouse a few times and get right back to you with the real answer, the right answer. But where's the fun in that? Isn't it better to imagine than it is to know? Back when I was a kid, when only dead flies were on the web, you didn't have any choice but to imagine. So here goes...

After reading Joe R. Lansdale's sixth Hap `n' Leonard novel, "Captains Outrageous," I'd guess the R. might stand for refreshingly-readable (sounds like something made by the Keebler elves). Then again, it could just as easily stand for rip-roarin'ly-raunchy or rhapsodically-R-rated. What I'm getting at is that reading a Joe R. Lansdale novel is like going river-rafting through the rapids or roller-skating on the roof. You're in for a wild ride whenever you pick up a Lansdale book, so you better make sure your seatbelt is good and fastened.

"Captains Outrageous" is maybe the wildest-plotted yet of the six novels comprising Lansdale's East Texas series starring Hap Collins and Leonard Pine. Hap and Leonard are two well-meaning ne'er-do-wells living in the small East Texas town of LaBorde. Hap is white and straight, Leonard black and gay, but they're the fastest of friends-brothers without the burden of family. And yet, for some reason, whenever they get together, trouble is never far behind.

This time out, Hap seems to have some good luck shine on him for once. While leaving his job as a security guard at a chicken plant one night, the martial-arts-savvy Hap successfully interrupts a rape/murder-in-progress. The would-be victim's father is well-to-do and insists on Hap accepting a ... reward for his chivalry.

With some money in the bank, eager for some time away from the chickens, Hap decides to take a vacation. And who better to ask along than his best friend Leonard? Hap's good luck begins to sour somewhere around the time he and Leonard get on the bad side of their budget cruise ship's buffet bouncer. They soon find themselves stranded somewhere in Mexico with no way to get home. Things get considerably more complicated after they're nearly murdered and then rescued by a machete-wielding fisherman and his bad news femme-fatale daughter. Hap `n' Leonard then get themselves embroiled in the dealings of a dangerous Mexican mobster who also happens to be a staunch nudist.

The wildness of plot and fierceness of humor that have become hallmarks of Lansdale's writing are out in full force in Captains Outrageous. Equally prevalent are the attention to character and richness of voice that keep Lansdale's books a few notches up from being merely entertaining (not that that's the worst of crimes).

Lansdale has always reminded me something of Mark Twain. Throw in bits and pieces of an old "Love Boat," some Hemingway à la "Old Man and the Sea," and you have an idea of what to expect from "Captains Outrageous." My only complaint is that the second half of the novel isn't nearly as inventive as the first. There's a restrictive symmetry to the book's revenge plot that makes the story arc more of a parabola than an ascending staircase. Still, "Captains Outrageous" is an immensely entertaining read. It's wildly funny, consistently well written, and deserves to earn Joe R. Lansdale new legions of fans.

You don't have to have read any of Lansdale's earlier Hap `n' Leonard novels to enjoy this one, but you'll definitely want to get caught up afterward. So if you happen to like your books entertaining and well written, you'd be remiss to miss out on this rare and rewarding writer.

I was looking for a mystery with a comic touch and this delivered. It is my first Landsdale book and I plan to try others in the Collins and Pine series. I actually laughed out loud several times. The author keeps the story moving and even though the main characters have some superhero characteristics you can ignore that and sit back and enjoy the fast moving story. A realistic take on Mexico doesn't hurt. All in all a good read.

Yeah right!

Another fantastic, can't put down tale from the master, Joe R. Lansdale. Brothers to the end, Hap and Leonard go on a vacation and ponder advancing age, life and love. Being Hap and Leonard you know that mayhem will have to follow. All the favorites are back for this one; Charlie, Hanson, Jim Bob Luke, Brett and even Bob the armadillo, and the mix is explosive, hilarious and so uniquely Lansdale.

You gotta read this book!

This was actually my first experience reading a Lansdale novel. I must say it was well worth it. It had a certain originality I truly enjoyed.

Hap Collins and Leonard Pine are two good oleâ boys from East Texas working as security guards at a huge chicken processing plant. Although Leonard is black and gay and Hap is straight and white, they are as close as brothers. When Hap saves the life of the ownerâs daughter, he is given a substantial reward, as well as time off for him and Leonard to go on vacation. They opt for a Caribbean cruise that doesnât bring much relaxation. First theyâre abandoned, and then theyâre mugged. They could have been killed, but an old man and his machete save them. Hap gets involved with the old mans daughter and soon finds that this family is having some major problems.

Murders, kidnappings, and a wide assortment of odd characters and situations are played out in a way that gives this work of fiction a fresh originality. As secrets are revealed the body count begins. Hap and Leonard seem to find trouble wherever they go and that keeps the entertainment factor high. Itâs rude and itâs crude and itâs incredibly fun to read. Joe R. Lansdale will be on my must read list.

Highly recommended for guys who like a crude and fun ride.

This is the 6th novel in the Hap and Leonard series (There are also two short story collections, Veil's Visit and Hyenas, both published in limited release, although Hyenas is also available on Kindle for $3.99)

This entry took a while to get going. It didn't really start to click until about mid-way through. There was the usual comedic back-and-forth between Leonard, the gay black Republican, and ex-hippie Hap Collins. There's plenty of fighting, and killings, and gore. As usual, fate is not kind to the cast of supporting characters. But with Rumble Tumble and Captains Courageous, the series has become darker and more introspective.

Lansdale is one of the best short story writers working today. His novels, in general, are not as strong, but even so, I always look forward to the next one

I've been listening to these Hap and Leonard books on audio and it's been quite the experience. If you've never listened to the audio versions I recommended buying or borrowing copies. Narrator Phil Gigante does a terrific job of bringing these guys to life in all of their over the top glory and has a friendly, humorous, comforting southern drenched voice that I could listen to all the live long day. Captains Outrageous is book #6 in the series. I recommend reading them in order because this book does reference previous mishaps and mayhem from the previous books.

Leonard and Hap are two unlikely best friends who when together manage to get themselves in all sorts of dangerous, over-the-top situations. Leonard is big, black and gay while Hap is straight, white, very average in looks, brain-power and penis size. And they love each other like brothers. Their camaraderie and dialogue is something to behold. It's usually vulgar and could be insulting if it weren't so funny. Hap doesn't understand Leonard's sexual activities and Leonard feels the same about Hap's attraction to a woman's parts.

Hap starts off the book a little morose. He's lost his love and is working at a chicken slaughterhouse. The only thing he's got going for him is his sense of humor and the fact that Leonard is working at the same crappy job and they get to spend some time chit chatting after their shifts. When leaving work one night Hap hears a female scream, witnesses a young lady being attached and recklessly chases down the culprit. Apparently Hap hadn't read "The Summer I Died by Ryan Thomas" because he might've thought twice about following up on the scream. Regardless, he saves the girls life because he's a good guy and his rescue sets off a series of events that will find Hap and Leonard in Mexico where they, of course, find trouble, violence and lots of dead bodies.

This story moves along at a good clip with plenty of raunchy humor and a dark streak of mean but somewhere after they return from the mess in Mexico I felt like it should have been over. Things were getting wrapped up, it seemed, but then more very bad things happen and they return to clean up their mess and the book starts to drag a bit. Maybe I had just had enough of the mayhem and death at that point? I'm not sure but I do know my attention started to drift and for that reason this one squeaks by at four stars and that's because the humor and narration were done so well.

I have read the first five of the "Hap and Leonard" series by Jon Lansdale. There are three more in the series that I am looking forward to reading. They are good adventure/crime stories. I will read all of them eventually. Amazon purchase review.

I LOVE ALL OF JOE LANSDALE BOOKS. I ESPECIALLY LOVE HIS HAP & LEONARD SERIES WHICH THIS IS ONE OF. This is one is the 6th in the series. It moved a little slow, but overall it was still good.

There's a bit of guilty pleasure in reading Joe Lansdale's Hap and Leonard - a curious blend of cynical humor and improbably zany predicaments as the odd couple from east Texas engages in another episode of righteous crusades and sordid violence. But what really holds this venerable series and its whacky pair together is Lansdale's rapier dialog - cutting prose with country bred sensibility and barn yard color; vivid portraits of places inhabited "cockroaches big enough to work in an iron foundry," and with guys who "laugh at what amuses wolves" and can "disappear faster than sweat on an Eskimo's lip." Pick up any Hap and Leonard, thumb to any page, and as sure as "sex and chicken processing are two of life's great mysteries," you'll turn up another gem of Lansdale's offbeat wisdom.

"Captains Outrageous" is the 6th Hap and Leonard, and the last before a seven year hiatus ending with last year's "Vanilla Ride." Like "Rumble Tumble" before it, the violence and bloodshed movaround to the rendering wagon. Both Hap and Leonard are working security for the local chicken processing plant when Hap intervenes to save a teenage girl from a grisley death - barely - delivered by a drug-crazed assailant. Turns out the girl is the daughter of the factory's owner, who shows his gratitude by giving Hap $100,000 and some time off to enjoy it. Hap and Leonard decide on a Caribbean cruise, which predictably goes from bad to disaster, leaving the pair stranded in Mexico. From there it is your usual (for Lansdale) collection of a Mexican nudist gangster and his gargantuan assassin, machete-yielding cops and the "old man and the sea." As Hap and Leonard struggle to get back to Texas, Hap's pining for Brett, and the usual cast of Texans show up to lend a hand. But home is no respite and ... look, you get the idea. More of the same and deliciously so - another installment of pop crime's most unlikely heroes penned by one its cleverest and under-read authors. Fans of the series will not want to miss it, while for the uninitiated, while these all stand alone, going back to start with the brilliant "Savage Season" is a good bet.

In CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS-the newest in the "Hap Collins/Leonard Pine" series-Joe R. Lansdale once again proves that he has no equal in the field of writing in the great state of Texas. He is to Texas what Stephen King is to Maine. Both authors have a particular style of writing that appeals to the "everyman" in its simplicity, yet forceful and soul-searching deliverance. If Mysterious Press/Warner Books put more money into promoting Mr. Lansdale's novels here in the United States, they would definitely have a New York Times best selling author on their hands. As it is, the world still hasn't discovered what a major storyteller and master craftsman this East Texas writer really is.
In this novel, the hilarious, dysfunctional, butt-kicking duo of Hap and Leonard return for another outing of outrageous bantering, not to mention going the distance to help those who are in trouble. Hap and Leonard (think Bruce Willis and Samuel L. Jackson) are now security guards in a chicken processing plant. One night after work, while walking to his truck, Hap hears a desperate cry for help. He sees a man stomping the living daylights out a girl near the trees that border the plant and quickly goes to her rescue. Jumping a chain-link fence like an avenging angel, Hap charges the guy and swiftly finds himself in a fight to the death, using everything he's been taught in the martial arts to put this psycho down. After Hap saves the life of the young girl, her father (he happens to be the owner of the chicken plant) rewards him with the gift of a hundred thousand dollars. Accepting the money against his better judgment, Hap decides to take a vacation with his buddy, Leonard. They sign on for a cheap cruise down to Mexico and the Caribbean. As usual, Leonard's mouth gets them into trouble on the boat, and they eventually find themselves stranded in a place called Playa Del Carmen. When a group of muggers from a bordering town attack our two heroes with knives and a machete, wounding Leonard in the process, an old fisherman comes to their rescue. The fisherman and his daughter, Beatrice, allow Hap and Leonard to recuperate at their home. While Leonard is recovering from his knife wound, the fisherman's daughter uses sex to lure Hap into helping her scam a local mobster. Things, however, don't go quite the way Beatrice expects. Her actions lead to death on a major scale, and it follows Hap and Leonard back to Texas in the form of a giant killer named Hammerhead, who likes to skin people alive and then cut their hands and feet off. A close friend of the duo will be murdered because of what happened in Mexico. From that point on the name of the game is revenge for our boys. Hap and Leonard, with the help of Jim Bob Luke, will return to Mexico to take out the mobster and his henchman. A lot of people are going to die before the ending of this novel is reached; and, if Hap has his way, he's going to be the one doing the killing!
CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS had me laughing and crying. Never was a novel funnier; yet, at the same time, sadder. The violence is intense, and a lot of good people die this time around. Mr. Lansdale's prose is "mojo" writing at its best, capturing the pure essence that breathes life into Hap and Leonard, holding the reader within its tight grasp from the first page to the last. These are guys that will put their lives on the line time and time again to help others, risking everything to right a wrong and to bring a little justice into this mixed-up world. Even the secondary characters (Jim Bob Luke, Veil, Charlie Blank, Marvin Hanson, Beatrice and her father, Ferdinand, Brett Sawyer, and the Mexican mobster, Juan Miguel) are written with the same precise detail and strength as the primary ones. The twists and turns are more numerous than ever, offering surprises for the reader every few pages. CAPTAINS OUTRAGEOUS isn't just a novel; it's a grand adventure with two guys who love each other as brothers and who are heroes in the strongest sense of the word. This book will run you through the gamut of emotions, leaving you with an avid feeling of being alive and that the world isn't such a bad place after all. I can't thank Joe R. Lansdale enough for the books he's written, including this fabulous series about friendship, love, honor, and a willingness to put your life on the line for what you feel is right. I have to admit to a certain degree of sadness, knowing that it may be two years or longer before the next book in the series comes out. As I stated in a previous review, I only wish that Mr. Lansdale could write a "Hap and Leonard" book every year, along with one of his stand-alone novels. It's hard saying goodbye to friends like this for a lengthy period of time. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED!