Monsters, Gunslingers, and Demons Galore!
As a dark fantasy and horror author, this book was right up my alley.
While I haven’t read a wide range of weird westerns, this is the third weird-western novel I’ve read and I really enjoyed it!
What I loved is that every character felt like they could be an entire story unto themselves. They all had layers and stakes and colorful personalities that made them feel familiar and real, quite a trite thing to say, but having these elements to your characters, even with your minor characters, helps make a story come to life. There was one character in particular that I actually told K.C. Grifant I would love to see a spin-off of and that character is Eloise.
Without giving any spoilers, Eloise was just a gem with a dark history and a macabre sense of humor, which drew me in like a moth to a flame.
The main character, Melinda West, isn’t just a typical gruff gunslinger; she is reflective, has fears, desires, and regret and doubt radiating through her narrative and influencing her decisions throughout the story.
In the opening scene, Melinda West exterminates a giant spider, and not giant as in the context of, “honey, there’s a giant spider in the bathroom,” – this spider appeared to be the size of a carriage. But what the West reflects on throughout the story, is that the spider wasn’t just a senseless, rage-filled, fanged beast – she was a mother protecting her brood of baby spiders. It’s that type of reflection that I really enjoyed – that the protagonist doesn’t just shoot then move on like our typical gun-slinging sociopaths in entertainment; she’s bothered and haunted by her decisions and is constantly wondering if she’s doing the right thing.
The narration of this story carries the wild-west dialect and lexicon, which draws you right into the setting of this this monster-filled world. The author maintains a wonderful balance of using idioms and phrases that fit with the environment, while not losing us too far in the weeds of western words.
I would highly recommend this book to someone who is up for a whirlwind adventure that dabbles in matters that shake strong relationships and that looks deep into the eyes of an anti-hero.
If you have any book recommendations, drop me a note in the comments below! Thank you for reading and see you next time!
