Quietly, From Afar: A Dark-Comedy Cartoon-Western

Fed up with his dead-end job at the slaughterhouse, our “hero”—later dubbed “Mayor Pistolface”—decides to take a stab at living the life of the American cowboy. With no more than a secondhand pistol, a bag full of loose hot dogs and an asthmatic horse, Mayor Pistolface ventures off into the unforgiving Wild West to fight his way up the ranks to become cowboy legend, but his romantic notion of what it means to be a cowboy is quickly dissolved. In the Wild West, where tourists are eaten alive and wicked men prosper, there's no place for romance.

About the Author

Lucas Gardner on Points in Case – Lucas Gardner is a comedian and writer whose work has been published by The New Yorker, McSweeney's and more. His debut novel Quietly, From Afar… was named one of the top 15 comedy books of 2015 by Splitsider.com. He resides in Queens, NY.

Editorial Reviews

“Gardner is a Splitsider contributor and this is his first novel. It’s a dark, silly, absurd Western novel that embraces dimestore cowboy novel tropes while also upending them, satirizing them, and extending them to their most illogical conclusions. I don’t throw the phrase ‘delightful romp' around a lot, you guys.”
-Vulture.com

“A little bit Blazing Saddles, a skosh Looney Tunes, and a smidgen Simon Rich. While not every joke hits and not every pratfall sequence quite lands, the intent is true, and the overall effect is an innovative, easy-to-read comedy that indicates real promise and solid comedic chops.”
-Guff Book Reviews

Reader Reviews

“This book is up there with John Swartzwelder's Frank Burly series for the most joke-dense prose I've ever seen. It operates in a Looney Tunes reality where visual gags play out in text. ”
-Amazon Reviewer

“Lucas Gardner is my favorite modern author and humorist. This book reads like a cross between Blazing Saddles and Last Exit to Brooklyn in it's comedic heights and it's darkest moments. If you like slapstick, absurdity, and not knowing what crazy thing could possibly happen next, I recommend this book to you.”
-Amazon Reviewer

More Book Details

• Paperback: 354 pages
• Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform; Large Print edition (October 20, 2015)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 151469669X
• ISBN-13: 978-1514696699
• Product Dimensions: 6 x 0.9 x 9 inches