Friday, July 30, 2010

Eric S Brown, How the West Went to Hell

Title: How the West Went to Hell

Author: Eric S Brown

Rating: Four Siren Stones

Genre: Horror

Sub-Genre: Western

Keywords: Demons, Wild West

Page Count: 120

ISBN For Print: 978-1617060120

Publisher: Pill Hill Press

Reviewer: Rhonda J Callum-King

Blurb/Summary:

Eric S Brown, horror author extraordinaire, takes readers on an Old West adventure of epic proportions. A bookish editor travels to Reaper's Valley, a small town set in the Wild West, to finish the macabre manuscript of a recently-deceased novelist. He arrives by stagecoach, where he is introduced to a classic bevy of characters who will join in the fight against the yellow-eyed demon bodysnatchers overtaking Reaper's Valley. A gun-toting, six-gun blazing tip of the hat to both the horror and Western genres.

Review:

How the West Went to Hell was a wonderfully gruesome tale from the very start. I enjoyed everything about it from the quaint western font beginning each chapter, to its amusing zombie like cowboy cover. The story begins with a prologue a year before describing a demonic possession but leaves the reader in doubt as to whether the correct action was taken.

A year later, we jump to an innocent group of individuals traveling west in a stage coach. Here we hear a “campfire” type tale of horror told by a writer/editor to the coach’s occupants. The editor is headed west to research and complete an unfinished story from another author who was found murdered, possibly ritualistically. From there, the tale continuously gains steam and takes the reader on a horrific journey into realms of horror.

This is an excellent example of a fireside tale brought to life and fleshed out. While not for the faint of heart, Eric S. Brown has created a tale worth reading for fans of the more noir genres.


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