The Place of Dead Roads

Last updated
The Place of Dead Roads
PlaceOfDeadRoads.jpg
Cover of the hardcover edition by Viking Press
Author William S. Burroughs
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
SeriesCities of the Red Night trilogy
Publisher Viking Press
Publication date
1983
Media typePrint (Hardcover and Paperback)
Pages306 pp
ISBN 0-03-070416-2
OCLC 9489103
813/.54 19
LC Class PS3552.U75 P54 1983
Preceded by Cities of the Red Night  
Followed by The Western Lands  

The Place of Dead Roads is a 1983 novel by William S. Burroughs, the second book of the trilogy that begins with Cities of the Red Night (1981) and concludes with The Western Lands (1987). It chronicles the story of a gay gunfighter in the American West, beginning with the gunfighter's death in 1899, incorporates contrasting themes and time travel episodes, and makes use of Burroughs’ extensive knowledge of firearms. Non-linear in construction, it makes use of vivid imagery and repetition but does not employ the famous “cut-up” method of literary collage used in his earlier novels.

The novel received a negative review from Kirkus Reviews . [1]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William S. Burroughs</span> American writer and visual artist (1914–1997)

William Seward Burroughs II was an American writer and visual artist, widely considered a primary figure of the Beat Generation and a major postmodern author who influenced popular culture and literature. Burroughs wrote eighteen novels and novellas, six collections of short stories and four collections of essays, and five books have been published of his interviews and correspondences; he was initially briefly known by the pen name William Lee. He also collaborated on projects and recordings with numerous performers and musicians, made many appearances in films, and created and exhibited thousands of visual artworks, including his celebrated "Shotgun Art".

<i>Naked Lunch</i> 1959 novel by William S. Burroughs

Naked Lunch is a 1959 novel by American writer William S. Burroughs. The book is structured as a series of loosely connected vignettes, intended by Burroughs to be read in any order. The reader follows the narration of junkie William Lee, who takes on various aliases, from the U.S. to Mexico, eventually to Tangier and the dreamlike Interzone.

<i>Naked Lunch</i> (film) 1991 science fiction drama film directed by David Cronenberg

Naked Lunch is a 1991 surrealist science fiction drama film written and directed by David Cronenberg and starring Peter Weller, Judy Davis, Ian Holm, and Roy Scheider. It is an adaptation of William S. Burroughs' 1959 novel of the same name, and an international co-production of Canada, Britain, and Japan.

Lieutenant Joe Leaphorn is a fictional character created by the twentieth-century American mystery writer Tony Hillerman; he is one of two officers of the Navajo Tribal Police who are featured in a number of Hillerman's novels. The other officer is Jim Chee.

<i>Cities of the Red Night</i> 1981 novel by William S. Burroughs

Cities of the Red Night is a 1981 novel by American author William S. Burroughs. His first full-length novel since The Wild Boys (1971), it is part of his final trilogy of novels, known as The Red Night Trilogy, followed by The Place of Dead Roads (1983) and The Western Lands (1987). The plot involves a group of radical pirates who seek the freedom to live under the articles set out by Captain James Misson. In near present day, a parallel story follows a detective searching for a lost boy, abducted for use in a sexual ritual. The cities of the title mimic and parody real places, and Burroughs makes references to the United States, Mexico, and Morocco.

<i>Thuvia, Maid of Mars</i> 1916 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs

Thuvia, Maid of Mars is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fourth of the Barsoom series. The principal characters are Carthoris and Thuvia of Ptarth, each of whom appeared in the previous two novels.

James Grauerholz is a writer and editor. He is the bibliographer and literary executor of the estate of William S. Burroughs.

<i>The Gods of Mars</i> 1913 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Gods of Mars is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs and the second of Burroughs' Barsoom series. It features the characters of John Carter and Carter's wife Dejah Thoris. It was first published in The All-Story as a five-part serial in the issues for January–May 1913. It was later published as a complete novel by A. C. McClurg in September, 1918 and in many editions subsequently.

<i>Desolation Angels</i> (novel) 1965 novel by Jack Kerouac

Desolation Angels is a semi-autobiographical novel written by Beat Generation author Jack Kerouac, which makes up part of his Duluoz Legend. It was published in 1965, but was written years earlier, around the time On the Road was in the process of publication. The events described in the novel take place from 1956-1957. Much of the psychological struggle which the novel's protagonist, Jack Duluoz, undergoes in the novel reflects Kerouac's own increasing disenchantment with the Buddhist philosophy. Throughout the novel, Kerouac discusses his disenchantment with fame, and complicated feelings towards the Beat Generation. He also discusses his relationship with his mother and his friends such as Allen Ginsberg, Neal Cassady, Lucienn Carr and William S. Burroughs. The novel is also notable for being a relatively positive portrayal of homosexuality and homosexual characters, despite its use of words that were at the time considered homophobic slurs.

<i>And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks</i> 1945 novel by Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs

And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks is a novel by Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. It was written in 1945, a full decade before the two authors became famous as leading figures of the Beat Generation, and remained unpublished in complete form until 2008.

<i>The Chessmen of Mars</i> 1922 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Chessmen of Mars is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the fifth of his Barsoom series. Burroughs began writing it in January, 1921, and the finished story was first published in Argosy All-Story Weekly as a six-part serial in the issues for February 18 and 25 and March 4, 11, 18 and 25, 1922. It was later published as a complete novel by A. C. McClurg in November 1922.

<i>The Master Mind of Mars</i> 1928 novel by Edgar Rice Burroughs

The Master Mind of Mars is a science fantasy novel by American writer Edgar Rice Burroughs, the sixth of his Barsoom series. Burroughs' working titles for the novel were A Weird Adventure on Mars and Vad Varo of Barsoom. It was first published in the magazine Amazing Stories Annual vol. 1, on July 15, 1927. The first book edition was published by A. C. McClurg in March, 1928.

<i>The Western Lands</i> 1987 novel by William S. Burroughs

The Western Lands is a 1987 novel by William S. Burroughs. The final book of the trilogy that begins with Cities of the Red Night (1981) and continues with The Place of Dead Roads (1983), its title refers to the western bank of the Nile River, which in Egyptian mythology is the Land of the Dead. Inspired by the Egyptian Book of the Dead, Burroughs explores the after-death state by means of dream scenarios, hallucinatory passages, talismanic magic, occultism, superstition, and his characteristic view of the nature of reality.

William Wallace Johnstone was an American author most known for his western, horror and survivalist novels.

<i>Dead Boys</i> (novel) 1994 novel by Richard Calder

Dead Boys is a science fiction novel by British writer Richard Calder, first published in 1994.

<i>In the Courts of the Crimson Kings</i> 2008 novel by S. M. Stirling

In the Courts of the Crimson Kings is a 2008 alternate history science fiction novel by American writer S. M. Stirling.

<i>My Name Is Mina</i>

My Name Is Mina is a 2010 children's novel by David Almond. It is a prequel to Skellig and is about Mina, a homeschooled girl who lives across the road from the house that Michael's family moves into at the beginning of Skellig. The novel takes the form of a stream of consciousness journal. It is written in a way that shows us Mina's opinions.

<i>Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire</i>

Dead on the Bones: Pulp on Fire is a collection of novellas and short stories written by American author Joe R. Lansdale. He dedicated this work to his major influences of his youth: Edgar Rice Burroughs and Robert E. Howard. All the stories were written by Lansdale. This book was also dedicated to longtime collaborator artist Timothy Truman and is limited to 1500 copies published by Subterranean Press of Burton, Michigan. It's also available as a Kindle E-Book.

Three Rooms Press is a New York City-based small press. It was founded in 1993 by Kat Georges and Peter Carlaftes with a focus on poetry, but the press now publishes mainly fiction, memoir, and art. Three Rooms Press's name was inspired by one of the themes in Harold Pinter's play The Homecoming. The press also manages an annual international dada art and poetry journal called Maintenant, which was featured by the Brussels Poetry Fest in 2016 and 2017. Issues of Maintenant have been featured and sold in museums such as the Museum of Modern Art in New York City and the BelVUE Museum in Brussels. Three Rooms Press books are distributed by PGW / Ingram.

<i>Dracul</i> (novel) 2018 novel by Dacre Stoker and J.D. Barker

Dracul is a 2018 prequel novel to Bram Stoker's classic 1897 work Dracula. The book was written by Bram Stoker's great-grandnephew Dacre Stoker and American author J. D. Barker. It is Stoker's second novel, after his 2009 Dracula sequel, Dracula the Un-dead.

References