A good old-fashioned shoot-out in the American West of the frontier days serves as the springboard for this hyperkinetic adventure in which gunslingers lead by Kim Carson fight for galactic freedom.AUTHORBIO: William S. Burroughs was born in St. Louis in 1914.His many other works include NAKED LUNCH and JUNKY.Described by Norman Mailer as one of America’s few writers genuinely “possessed by genius,“ he died in 1997.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
"It's a comedy . . . a nightmare . . . Bosch-like visions, extraordinarily precise vivid visualizations . . . outrageous ideas like mind bombs."—Allen Ginsberg
"Powerful . . . a raging torrent of words and images . . . Burroughs, like Dalí, first draws from his insanity, then selects with reason. And what a master of the mother tongue he is—sculpted sentences, poetic prose, riffs that make you gasp in amazement . . . More accessible and murkily poetic than ever."—Los Angeles Times Book Review
"One of the wildest rides into the Wild West, and other parts known and unknown, we will ever have."—The Washington Post Book World
"A moving personal saga as well as a record of revolutionary vision."—Chicago Tribune Book World
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
"Powerful . . . a raging torrent of words and images . . . Burroughs, like Dalí, first draws from his insanity, then selects with reason. And what a master of the mother tongue he is—sculpted sentences, poetic prose, riffs that make you gasp in amazement . . . More accessible and murkily poetic than ever."—Los Angeles Times Book Review
"One of the wildest rides into the Wild West, and other parts known and unknown, we will ever have."—The Washington Post Book World
"A moving personal saga as well as a record of revolutionary vision."—Chicago Tribune Book World
About the Author
William S. Burroughs was born in St. Louis in 1914. He is best-known work is 1959's Naked Lunch—which became the focus of a landmark 1962 Supreme Court decision that helped eliminate literary censorship in the United States. Described by Norman Mailer as one of America's few writers genuinely "possessed by genius," he died in 1997. His many other works include Junky and Cities of the Red Night (Picador).
--This text refers to an alternate
Paperback
edition.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A fast-paced space/time adventure through the very wild west,
By A Customer
This review is from: The Place of Dead Roads: A Novel (Paperback)
The Place of Dead Roads is the second book in the Western Lands trilogy, which begins with Cities of the Red Night and concludes with The Western Lands. The story begins in late 19th century American west, following the exploits of the young, homosexual, opiate addicted gunslinger, Kim Carsons. We follow Carsons and his gang, the Wild Fruits, through wired western mythology and sci-fi space/time travelling adventure as they attempt to organize the world-wide "Johnson Family", to overthrow the humans infected by a venusian virus which turns them into religious snooping control freaks. All the elements of classic Burroughs are here. There's an abundance of drug frenzy, violence and wicked black humour. This book, or its prequel Cities of the Red Night, are ideal places to start for anyone who is approaching Burroughs for the first time; as well as being thoroughly challenging and entertaining to the initiated. This Trilogy (li! ke much of Burroughs' work reading the 3 in sequence is not specifically required) is my personal favourite of Burroughs. I highly recommend it, but be warned: it will change the way you dream forever! R.I.P Bill. We miss you.
10 of 11 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Twisted and beautiful novel with wonderful descriptions,
This review is from: The Place of Dead Roads: A Novel (Paperback)
This is only a little bit more coherent than Naked Lunch, but Burroughs seems to have become better at description since NL -- the descriptions of scenery, people, and everything else, are perhaps the best I've ever seen in the English language. Some people may be turned off by (or drawn by!) the graphic drug use, homosexual pedophilia, etc, but that's just a sideshow: Burroughs is a master of language and wording, and that's the big reason to read the book. This book is a must-read, even if only to see someone pushing the limits of language, writing, and imagination. See why the Beats considered Burroughs a literary mentor.
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Burroughs at his Best,
By
This review is from: The Place of Dead Roads: A Novel (Paperback)
This may be the most accessible of all of Burrough's books, and proves his brilliant command of the language. He starts with an incredibly strong novel, and then takes us on a head trip through the joys and evils of modern civilization. Remarkably coherent, considering the ground that he covers. Like a few other things, you really can't explain it - just try it and you'll see.
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First Sentence:
The Sunday played up the story, with pictures of the deceased and the cemetery, and diagrams showing the location of the bodies and the probable spot from which the shots had been fired. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sulfur candles, spring knife, rotten blood, carbolic soap, dead roads, shit house Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Kim Carsons, New York, Saint Albans, Saint Louis, Johnson Family, Western Lands, Clear Creek, Judge Farris, Mike Chase, Planet Earth, Salt Chunk Mary, Colonel Greenfield, Fort Johnson, Bill Anderson, Wild Fruits, Anita Huffington, Joe the Dead, Little Rivers, Slave Gods, South America, Big Picture, Boy's Life, Cherry Nose Gio, Doc White, Fox Boy New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The Sunday played up the story, with pictures of the deceased and the cemetery, and diagrams showing the location of the bodies and the probable spot from which the shots had been fired. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
sulfur candles, spring knife, rotten blood, carbolic soap, dead roads, shit house Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Kim Carsons, New York, Saint Albans, Saint Louis, Johnson Family, Western Lands, Clear Creek, Judge Farris, Mike Chase, Planet Earth, Salt Chunk Mary, Colonel Greenfield, Fort Johnson, Bill Anderson, Wild Fruits, Anita Huffington, Joe the Dead, Little Rivers, Slave Gods, South America, Big Picture, Boy's Life, Cherry Nose Gio, Doc White, Fox Boy New!
Books on Related Topics | Concordance | Text Stats Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | First Pages | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
Citations (learn more)
This book cites 16
books:
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38
books
cite this book:
See all 38 books citing this book
- Moving on Johnson Book CD by Mark Johnson on page 132
- Port of Saints by William S. Burroughs in Front Matter
- The Old Man of the Mountain by Robert Hutchinson on page 203
- Naked Lunch (Harper Perennial Modern Classics) by William Burroughs in Front Matter
- Nova Express by William S. Burroughs in Front Matter
See all 16 books this book cites
- Retaking The Universe: William S. Burroughs in the Age of Globalization by Davis Schneiderman on 17 pages
- The Lost Years of William S. Burroughs: Beats in South Texas by Robert Earl Johnson Jr. on 12 pages
- Wising Up the Marks: The Amodern William Burroughs by Timothy S. Murphy on 8 pages
- Word Virus: The William S. Burroughs Reader (Burroughs, William S.) by William S. Burroughs on 8 pages
- Conversations with William S. Burroughs (Literary Conversations) by Allen Hibbard on 7 pages
See all 38 books citing this book
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