The Mailman

by Bentley Little

Book Overview

Available as a SIGNED LIMITED EDITION for the first time ever! Once upon a time, waiting for the mail was filled with warm anticipation. But the suicide of the local mailman has left the residents of... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0739413309
• ISBN13: 9780739413302
• Release Date: January 1991
• Publisher: Signet
• Length: 320 Pages
• Weight: 0.95 lbs.

Customer Reviews

Bentley makes mundane life activities terrifying.

I don’t know how he does it but I love it.

Love Bentley Little but not this one

I actually couldn’t finish this one because it was so vulgar. I’ve loved every one of his other books but this one was just over the top gross. The Store is one of my all time favorite books though. Don’t pass up a chance to read his books. I just don’t recommend this one.

Bentley does it again

As usual Little does Weird and Creepy as only he can I so enjoyed the tension too

Great book

Bentley always writes very good books and the mailman is no exception. Wonderful reading.

Excellent Book! A MUST READ!

This is a very good book. I read the biography of Bentley Little and he first few books were about him turning his bad experiences with certain things into horror. The Mailman will have you on the edge of your seat. Buy it now and get a good fright out of it!

So good, I was sorry to turn the last page!

This is just one of those super novels that just draws you into the author's mad universe -- ready, willing and able to suspend disbelief! Bentley Little's outrageous skill as a writer keeps you hooked from the first paragraph. Once you begin, there's no turning back. A must-read for the horror fan.

No More Mail!

I'm making an effort to read most of Bentley Little's books as fast as I possibly can. To me, Little is an absolute master of a strange mix of horror, humor, and general wackiness. This book, "The Mailman," is one of Little's earliest efforts (written in 1991), and it looks like it is the first of several Little novels, such as "The Store" and "The Association," that employ brilliant black comedy in order to poke fun at the staples of American culture. In these novels, Little takes mundane scenarios such as shopping or the post office, and turns them into hilariously horrific tales of murder and mayhem. His goal is to show how little power we have over our modern lives, and how close we are to allowing our institutions to become bulwarks of fascism. This isn't to say that Little doesn't write straight horror; I know now that he does, but his books can be broken down into two distinct categories: horror (such as "The Walking"), and social satire ("The Mailman," "The Store," etc.). Of Little's social satire books that I've read, "The Mailman" is the darkest and most effective of the lot."The Mailman" is set in Willis, Arizona. The main characters are Doug, a schoolteacher starting his summer break, his wife Tritia, and his son Billy. Life is looking promising until the local postman, Bob Ronda, commits suicide. His replacement, a strange looking man named John Smith, never really seems to fit in. His attitude is suspicious, and he delivers the mail much earlier than his predecessor did. Soon, the mail begins to change. Instead of finding the usual junk mail and bills, customers find letters from long lost friends, or unexpected refunds. It also becomes apparent that Smith is constantly changing his delivery times. Mail starts appearing in the box in the middle of the night. Those that make trips to the post office to complain to Howard, the local postmaster, discover that Smith is running the front counter. Howard, they are told, is sick and won't be in today. Things go from a nuisance to downright sinister when hateful and perverted mail starts showing up. I won't go any farther with this description because I don't want to spoil the fun for you. But by the time the town is chanting, "no more mail!" you'll be cheering right along with them.The main and secondary characters are drawn well. The only character I had trouble with was Tritia, Doug's wife. She became so annoying to me that I actually wished her harm at the hands of the mailman. Her health food kick, which Little plays up throughout the story, at times seemed to be the real horror story of the book. Maybe it's because I grew up in a household where health food was crammed down my throat, but I found Tritia to be the type of woman that rhymes with the word "witch." Fortunately, Doug and Billy are more sympathetic characters.My favorite part of the book is the local post office. As the town slowly disintegrates, the post office becomes more and more hideous. By the time the final showdown

THE MAILMAN- ANOTHER OUTSTANDING BOOK BY BENTLEY LITTLE

The Mailman is without a doubt one of the most original horror novels in my opinion. Benley Little can make ABSOLUTELY ANYTHING horrifying- even a mailman!! I read the Mailman in one sitting- extremely suspenseful and scary!! Find this book and buy it!!

My favorite Bentley Book

Loads of fun with lots of inventive scenes, characters you care about, and not overly descriptive (unlike the ramblings of Stephen King - at least his newer work). I would love to see this movie! I highly recommend this book - my personal favorite of Little's work. You'll never look at a mailman the same again!!!