The Place of Dead Roads [Hardcover]

William S. Burroughs (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 1984

A good old-fashion shoot-out in the American West of the frontier days serves as the springboard for this hyperkinetic adventure in which gunslingers, led by Kim Carson, fight for galactic freedom. The Place of Dead Roads is the second novel in the trilogy with Cities of the Red Night and The Western Lands.

--This text refers to the Paperback edition.

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 the Paperback edition.

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 the Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 306 pages
• Publisher: Henry Holt & Co; 1st edition (January 1984)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0030632560
• ISBN-13: 978-0030632563
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6.3 x 1.2 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.4 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (12 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,182,999 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

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, August 7, 1998

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, July 7, 2000

By 

"pierce_inverarity" - See all my reviews

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, September 7, 2001

By 

Lee Higgs (Deerfield, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

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.