Paradise Sky

By: Joe R. Lansdale

Narrated by: Brad Sanders

A rollicking novel about Nat Love, an African-American cowboy with a famous nickname: Deadwood Dick.

Young Willie is on the run, having fled his small Texas farm when an infamous local landowner murdered his father. A man named Loving takes him in and trains him in the fine arts of shooting, riding, reading, and gardening. When Loving dies, Willie re-christens himself Nat Love in tribute to his mentor, and heads west.

In Deadwood, South Dakota Territory, Nat becomes a Buffalo Soldier and is befriended by Wild Bill Hickok. After winning a famous shooting match, Nat's peerless marksmanship and charm earn him the nickname Deadwood Dick, as well as a beautiful woman. But the hellhounds are still on his trail, and they brutally attack Nat Love's love. Pursuing the men who have driven his wife mad, Nat heads south for a final, deadly showdown against those who would strip him of his home, his love, his freedom, and his life.

Critic reviews

"Paradise Sky is a rowdy, funny, suspenseful, and often quite moving yarn."—Booklist (starred)

PRAISE FOR JOE LANSDALE:

"Reading Joe Lansdale is like listening to a favorite uncle who just happens to be a fabulous storyteller."—Dean Koontz

"Too often overlooked in American literature is that lineage descending from our early humorists such as Bierce, and from Twain: regional, darkly comic, bizarre. That's where Joe Lansdale lives. He's very Texan, very American, very funny--and a stone brilliant writer."—James Sallis, author of Drive

"Classic Lansdale, his own self peppered throughout by much piney backwoods philosophizing on everything from religion to whoring, [with] the author's long-ago trademarked heaping helping of wry, often delightfully vulgar humanism."—Austin Chronicle

A great Western novel. My personal favorite.

The short story that inspired to this novel, introduced me to a writer that I wish I had found much earlier. This is that author at his best. Hap and Leonard have a special place in my atrophied little heart, but Nat is about as human as words on a page can get.

Dam fine yarn...

Joe R Lansdale is an American treasure. The story has just the right amount of grit, laughs and pullin' at your heart strings to make this one unforgettable. The narrator absolutely crushes it, making me want to find some more of his performances .

Not so Tall Tales of the Wild West

Follow the life and times of Deadeye Dick a young black man trying to navigate thru life after the Civil War. Indians, outlaws and bigots, oh my! Wonderfully read and most entertaining and perhaps a bit closer to historic accuracy than the usual Western.

Realistic historical Western

With a serious plot, the right settings, and period dialogue that often makes you laugh, plus believable characters and a happy ending for the protagonist, I see why the author thinks this is his best novel. The narrator does a fantastic job of it, with a relaxed pace, five stars for his performance. (I hate it when narrators read too fast and flat with no feeling for it. That’s far from the case here.)

An Epic, Unflinching Look at the Old West

Joe R. Lansdale’s Paradise Sky is far more than a typical Western—it's a blazing, epic tale that simultaneously honors the mythology of the frontier while tearing down its sanitized historical facade. Told in the unforgettable voice of the legendary African-American cowboy Nat Love, known as "Deadwood Dick," this novel is a powerful blend of rollicking adventure, sharp wit, and brutal honesty about life in post-Civil War America.
The story begins with young Willie, the son of a freedman in East Texas, who is forced to go on the run after a small, unavoidable mistake ignites the murderous fury of a racist landowner. What follows is a lifelong journey of transformation, first under the mentorship of an enigmatic older man, then as he reinvents himself as Nat Love and rides west. He becomes a Buffalo Soldier, a renowned sharpshooter, and eventually, the subject of sensational dime novels.
Lansdale captures Nat Love's voice with stunning authenticity. It's a "smoked barbecue" Texan voice—simple, folksy, and peppered with smartass quips, yet deeply wise and an astute observer of human nature. This first-person narration is the novel's greatest strength, allowing Lansdale to pull off a Mark Twain-like trick: giving a brilliant, captivating voice to a man the world tried to keep uneducated. Nat Love himself is a complex, fully-realized character, surviving not just on luck and instinct, but on a capacity for learning and an iron will.
Beyond the thrilling shootouts, cattle stampedes, and encounters with historical figures like Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, Paradise Sky never flinches from the ugly realities of the era. The constant, looming threat of racism and the fight for dignity and freedom are not just a backdrop; they are the core conflict. Nat's long, harrowing cat-and-mouse chase with his original persecutor provides the novel's framework, transforming the Western from an adventure into a gripping quest for revenge and self-determination.
For readers who enjoy complex historical fiction, especially those with an interest in Black History and the often-overlooked figures of the American West (which, as an avid reader of history, you may appreciate), Paradise Sky offers an unvarnished and necessary look at a rough-edged time. It manages to be an epic, a comedy, and a heartbreaking tragedy all at once, making it a highly original and unforgettable piece of educational entertainment.
Lansdale has delivered a spectacular and essential novel. It’s a steak knife, sharpened to a bleeding edge, that cuts straight to the heart of the American mythos. Highly recommended for anyone looking for a historical fiction novel that is as wildly entertaining as it is thought-provoking.