Canary

by Scott Snyder, Dan Panosian (Artist), Richard Starkings (Letterer)

In 1891, a mine collapsed into itself. What is the dark substance found 666 feet underground? Illustrator DAN PANOSIAN provides the art for a terrifying blend of modern horror, historical fact, and western lore. Part of the Comixology Originals line of exclusive digital content only available on Comixology and Kindle. Read for free as part of your subscription to Comixology Unlimited, Kindle Unlimited or Amazon Prime. Also available for purchase via Comixology, Kindle and in print via Dark Horse Books.

Genres: Comics, Graphic Novels, Horror, Westerns, Historical Fiction, Graphic Novels Comics

184 pages, Paperback

Published July 9, 2024

About the author

Scott Snyder is the Eisner and Harvey Award winning writer on DC Comics Batman, Swamp Thing, and his original series for Vertigo, American Vampire. He is also the author of the short story collection, Voodoo Heart, published by the Dial Press in 2006. The paperback version was published in the summer of 2007.

Reviews

[Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Pretty cool supernatural western.
I read these as singles on Prime and thought the whole thing was worthwhile. I've got links to the individual issues if anyone is interested, but I think cowboy horror fans will dig this.

Canary (Comixology Originals) #1



Canary (Comixology Originals) #2



Canary (Comixology Originals) #3



Canary (Comixology Originals) #4



Canary (Comixology Originals) #5



Canary (Comixology Originals) #6

[Gianfranco Mancini · Rating 4 out of 5]

☆☆☆1/2 rounded up

[Alexander Peterhans · Rating 4 out of 5]

Snyder combines a western with cosmic horror. There's a good build-up of dread, and you think this is really going somewhere, but it doesn't really.

Still, not bad at all, there's good characterisation and the art is great.

3.5 stars

(Thanks to Dark Horse Books for providing me with a review copy through Edelweiss)

[Jim Ef · Rating 4 out of 5]

7.1/10
A very decent western/horror tale. It's fairly short, each issue progresses the story and it keeps a nice pace. Panosian's art matches nicely the vibe of Snyder's writing.

[Michael J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Scott Snyder tackles the weird western genre and puts together a compelling yarn, helped along by some brilliantly detailed art by Dan Panosian that suits the mood and atmosphere perfectly. Panosian also does the colors, and chooses his shades and highlights effectively,which helps create that Old West atmosphere.
Snyder has done some research into this period of the American West and sprinkles some of that knowledge into the story, helping to both flavor the proceedings and authenticate the time period. Compelling characters, some subtle social commentary as befitted those times, and a creepy mystery to keep things moving forward.
With the third act, the unnatural threats ramp up and this goes from weird western into full-blown horror, seasoned with Lovecraftian elements. I was entertained.
I read this in the three over-sized monthly issues, each of which contained two parts of the six-part story as originally featured on Comixology. Glad to see Dark Horse putting some of those titles into print.

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had a good time with this one! It was essentially a western set horror which I thought was an interesting setting for a story. The main drive of the book was the mystery to what was going on which kept me intrigued and I feel like this ended well without overstaying its welcome. Overall a fun read.

[Lukasz · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5/5

A gritty and unnerving story that fuses Western and horror. It's a suspenseful, compelling, and mostly thrilling read. I loved the art and appreciated the writing, though the ending didn't impress me.

[Rory Wilding · Rating 3 out of 5]

Originally published in two years, Canary is set in 1891, during the final days of the Gold Rush, where one mining company in Colorado pulled up radioactive uranium, causing the mine to collapse in on itself. When a famous federal marshal named Azrael William Holt is called in to investigate a series of random killings, he returns to the Canary mine, which is considered cursed by some of the townspeople.

Please click here for my full review.

[Alex Sarll]

Fuck me, Scott Snyder's done a horror story that doesn't have the same plot as all his other ones. Though there's a little overlap with American Vampire, I suppose, in that this is very much a weird Western – regular folk suddenly turning gruesomely murderous, and a suspicion that it's all down to something in the water, something to do with the worst killer our heroic, haunted US Marshal lead ever tracked down, a villain he thought he was done with – but his boss thinks otherwise. "You meet the rock doctor, you go back to Canary with him and help him run his tests. There's no making peace with this crazy present, or the crazier future, by the looks of it...but maybe you can at least make peace with the past before you ride off into the hoary wilds. So happy last assignment." What really makes it, though, is Dan Panosian's art, and specifically the colours, all oppressive red skies, and glints in the eye right on the border between plausible and definite sign of demonic possession. It takes in the end of the Old West, and how brief a period that really was, together with its passage into myth, and the bloody legacy it would leave in the American mindset. As our reluctant hero says:
"Look, when I was young, I believed that the ugliness I saw in these parts, I believed that it could be stamped out. That there were bad ones, sure. But overall, we were a people climbing a mountain, up, always up. Decency, bravery, logic...I was proud to be part of the climb. Now... I just..."

Sometimes the revisionist angle can trip over its own feet, mind. Local Paiute leader Wovoka warns of something dangerous in the mines, but, wary of the comic going down the native wisdom and woo route, he knows about uranium, and quickly adds "Not in some fucking magical, mystical way, friend. Maybe it's toxins." Except doesn't this just serve to make him look clueless when demonic skulls start surfacing and the geologist's equipment records eerie voices down there and it becomes clear that the danger is as magical and mystical as they come? The other big problem, of course, was the ten-month gap between the last two issues, long enough that I had to read the finale in a different app to the rest because this Comixology Original outlasted Comixology. Which inevitably fucked the tension and emotional impact of the resolution, but maybe that'll be fine if you read the collection.

[Spencer Greenwood · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a very fun weird western that actually has some decent character development which you don’t always see in these type of stories. The premise is interesting as well, and has you really wanting to know what is causing this mysterious situation. Unfortunately the series doesn’t stick the landing. The ending really leans into the weird part of weird west and after a well paced first half of the story, the end is a crazy blur. The ending wasn’t completely fumbled but I think if it had been handled a little better this could have been something really special.

[Max Gwynne · Rating 5 out of 5]

A beautiful little ‘weird west’ graphic novel here

[Jackson Brown · Rating 3 out of 5]

Neat premise that falters towards the end

[Sara · Rating 4 out of 5]

Read more graphic novel reviews at The Graphic Library.

Set in Wild West of Utah, Sheriff Azrael William Holt is a legendary figure thanks to exploits that have been popularized in Dime novels, but the fictionalized accounts and horror stories may be closer to reality than the public may believe. In his latest case, Holt is assigned to protect Dr. Ed, a geologist, as he investigates a collapsed copper mine outside the town of Canary. Holt and Dr. Ed get some assistance from Mabel, the town’s saloon maiden and daughter of Canary’s founder. The town and mine have had a string of supernatural occurrences surrounding it, and Dr. Ed theorizes it may have something to do with Canary's water.

I honestly didn’t realize this was going to be a horror story when I started, so I was a little disappointed when it turned out to be one. I enjoyed the first half focusing on Holt, Ed, and Mabel, and appreciated Panosian’s illustrations. As it turned more into horror, everything rushed into the conclusion and tried to bring a lot of elements into a short amount of time. Overall, the story was still fairly solid, but I think this could have been better if it stayed as a western murder-mystery.

Panosian’s illustrations are gritty and the people are often rough, but his landscapes are unique and fascinating. I appreciated the coloring and the different palettes employed — there were a lot of dusty, Western colors, but there were significant changes at times that provided necessary contrasts and reprieve from the constant brown and rusts.

There is a lot of swearing, alcohol consumption, and violence, but the overall feel of the book also makes this one best suited for the adult shelves.

Sara's Rating: 7/10
Suitability Level: Adult

[Dakota Morgan · Rating 3 out of 5]

Canary feels like a mash-up of American Vampire leftovers and style tips from Something Is Killing the Children (peep that bandanna on the lead). It's occasionally intriguing and sometimes engaging, but you have very much read this before.

The plot: a federal marshal in the late 1800s is tasked with investigating whether an abandoned mine is poisoning locals into acts of violence. He teams up with a rogue geologist and the daughter of the mine's owner. What he discovers will come as no surprise! (Of course there are devil monsters at the bottom of the mine)

Enjoyable enough as you read it, but totally forgettable.

[Sam Quixote · Rating 3 out of 5]

1891 and Marshal Azrael William Holt is sent out to the Utah Territory to investigate a series of bizarre and horrific murders. Signs point to the abandoned mine near the town of Canary whose water might be contaminated and could be driving people in the surrounding area to madness and despicable acts. But what’s really going on under the ground of Canary, and what does an old case of Holt’s, involving a demented child serial killer, have to do with all of this?

Scott Snyder and Dan Panosian’s Canary is a pretty decent western/horror that’s good when it’s focused on the western part and becomes worse when it leans into the horror.

The story starts well with a compelling, very dark crime, and we’re introduced to the similarly dark, compelling Marshal Holt whose adventures are chronicled in the pulp fiction of the time. It’s an aspect of the times that you don’t often see referenced, that the lawmen of those days were both real people and written about as if they were fictional heroes, so that was different to see. Snyder throws in a flashback to an even darker crime and the present mystery is set up in a tantalising way.

Then the pacing slows down as we’re introduced to the stock western townsfolk characters of Canary, along with the distractingly anachronistic diversity additions, and the story becomes less interesting with little conflict happening as Holt and the geologist look into Canary’s mine. The occasional fun scene breaks up the monotony though, like the inclusion of the Native Americans trying to shut the mine down for good.

Snyder tries to do too much in the second half, throwing in a rushed backstory for Holt that’s vague in how it connects to the current mystery, as well as the people involved in the mine and what they were trying to accomplish. Lots of occult details are piled on too without much payoff and cliches are tacked on that undermine the story’s seriousness. This is Holt’s last case before he retires, there’s the stock creepy old house that’s in every horror story, the monsters gurn for the audience because monsters, etc.

Snyder’s big finale is really uninspired, falling back on the usual hero fighting the monster at the end trope and it’s something he’s done so many times before - both the scenario and the type of villain, in personality and design - in titles like Batman and American Vampire that it feels rote at this point.

The obstacles the characters overcome are feeble jokes for the most part too. Descending thousands of feet below ground leads to them bleeding from the ears and lowering oxygen levels - but if you address them then they’re no longer a concern! Oh no, monsters in the way - bang, shot them dead - no more problem! If they’re that irrelevant/easy to deal with, why even mention/have these things to begin with?

Dan Panosian’s art is really good throughout. I loved the painted skies of Utah in vivid reds and yellows, indicating a hellish setting, and the period details look convincing and are impeccably drawn. Holt’s mask has a weird design to it - it’s an inverted coffin - that I’m not sure is all that effective as it's unclear what you’re looking at initially and then silly when you realise what it is, but it doesn’t detract from the quality of the artwork overall.

Canary is a decent western comic with forgettable horror features. The western elements are the most enjoyable parts and I feel like it would’ve been a more satisfying read if Snyder had stuck to the crime story, making it about the terrible things humans can do to one another rather than work in supernatural elements to explain it away (not least as it would then avoid that trite final act). The unimaginative horror stuff drags down Canary into mediocrity but it’s still worth a read if you’re after a somewhat entertaining western comic.

[Frank · Rating 2 out of 5]

First of all, am I crazy or do Dan Panosian's faces sometimes look weirdly like Mort Drucker's Mad magazine caricatures? They have those crazy eyes ... I dunno, maybe I'm imagining things. Plus the two main women characters both look like Generic Pretty Lady #1 ... something else that looks like what Drucker would do. Other than that, this is wonderful artwork, especially early in the series.

The first issue of this six-issue series is great: subtle, creepy, rewards close attention by the reader. But by the middle of the book, the wheels have come off the bus. This whole thing is only about 150 pages, but it keeps introducing bizarre new plot elements, then fails to properly develop them. Meanwhile the slow build-up of the protagonist's back story, which is crucial to this plot, ends up being irrelevant. There's no real emotional payoff, only the explosive confrontation with the source of all this evil. Along the way we get a secret society (which shows up but doesn't really do anything before being chased away), some esoteric astrological/geological mumbo-jumbo that never really makes sense, some creatures that seem like zombies or morphing monster-humans, or maybe both, an American Indian subplot (which goes nowhere), a scheming small-town mayor subplot (which goes nowhere), some stuff about global press attention that seems to occur within a matter of hours (how this happens is never explained), and more. Along the way, our three main characters survive events which surely should have been lethal. And it all happens so fast it really does not make sense. This book feels more like a sketch of what the plot should have been, not the plot itself. Events that connect what we see, which should have been depicted over several pages, occur in a single panel, or even a single line of text. It's exasperating.

I can't help wondering whether Snyder intended the book to be so short. Maybe he first wrote it as a 12-issue series, but then had to condense it to fit Amazon's demands? I don't know. But it wouldn't surprise me. This story definitely would have worked better if given more room to breathe.

For a book this short, the plot should have been boiled down to something much more low-key and grounded - not the cosmic global domination nonsense we get. Reading this book is like watching the MCU Avengers/Thanos saga boiled down to a one-hour tv special. It just does not work.

Still, there are good things here. Scott Snyder obviously knows what he's doing (which makes this plot all the more frustrating), and the art seems perfect for this kind of story (apart from the aformentioned Mort Drucker influence). But by the end, I had stopped caring.

PS. I mentioned Mort Drucker because that was the artist I think I remembered seeing in Mad magazine when I was a kid. When I read Canary I kept thinking some of the faces looked like Mad magazine images, but I couldn't remember the artist's name, so I searched for him. Drucker seems to be the best fit, but it could be someone else I now can't find. Also, there are general similarities in style, with the satirical elements from Mad toned down. They are not identical to Drucker, obviously. And like I said, I could be completely wrong.

[Cody Wilson]

Canary is a horror Western that left me with mixed feelings. The story starts with high intrigue as nearly retired Marshall Azrael William Holt investigates “something in the water” that has driven ordinary townspeople to murderous insanity. Artist Dan Panosian convincingly evokes the late-nineteenth century, drawing on research to capture the period’s architecture and fashion. Writer Scott Snyder clearly has something to say about contemporary attempts to construct American national identity through folk heroes, often at the expense of confronting less glamorous aspects of U.S. history.

However, the wheels slowly come off this train until readers are left with something of a wreck by its conclusion. The plot unravels as Snyder struggles to bridge the gap between the small-town murder investigation and a demonic (literally) underground plot with unclear aims. This failure is laid bare as the supposed climax grinds to a halt for an exposition-heavy monologue by the ultimate villain. Exposition is a broader issue for Snyder, as characters often deliver information like they’re in a video game cutscene. His use of metaphor is similarly underdeveloped; for a geologist character, “pressure produces diamonds” feels like the most obvious possible choice.

Panosian also bears responsibility for the story’s narrative confusion. He’s an excellent draftsman, with linework that articulates figures’ forms while retaining a controlled looseness. His colors are evocative and intense, effectively foreshadowing the story’s descent into horror. However, Panosian’s background in cover illustration rather than interior storytelling is apparent. His panel-to-panel storytelling is often weak with noticeably off-model characters from one panel to the next. He frequently struggles to establish clear spatial relationships between characters and objects (such as through a simple establishing shot), leading to a particularly confusing gunfight midway through the narrative. Action is poorly choreographed across panels, producing abrupt transitions and confusion. These issues are compounded by frequent shifts between past and present, which are not always well-distinguished (a more deliberate use of color could have helped). By the story’s final stretch, the storytelling problems intensify, suggesting deadline pressure may have been catching up to Panosian.

Ultimately, I’m surprised by the shoddy craftsmanship in Canary given the creators’ reputation. The ingredients to a better story are present but to use an appropriate idiom for the comic’s subject, the devil is in the details.

[Krazzykarry]

Gruesome murders are happening in and around the mining village of canary. The legendary hero from the Dime Novels himself Marshall Willam Holt is recruited to tag along with a geologist by the name of Mr. Ed Edwards to solve the mystery, along with them is the local saloon owner and the daughter of the discoverer of the mines Ms. Mabel Warren.
Ms. Warren is on a life long mission to expose her father's mistakes. Holt is haunted by his previous mission in Canary and very reluctantly accepts the job. Edwards is a scientist who wants to discover the secrets of the mines. This is what leads our protagonists to explore the mines of Canary and discover the haunting secrets that lie within. This story is set in the very old age of the 19th century.
First off this story reminded me of Scott Snyder's another story "American Vampire". This could have been set in the same world and could have been a spin off story. A supernatural monster story set in an old school western stroy. The marriage of the two genres officiated by Scott Snyder is amazing. Secondly, like "The Night of the Ghoul" the highlight of this comic is the artwork and coloring both helmed by Dan Panosian. With just simple doodle-like scratches Dan can create the most beautiful backgrounds and sceneries. The gun play sequences are visually pleasing and the ever vibrant sky gives a unique look to the overall aesthetic. The character design of Holt stands out. Dan creates a classic perfect looking mask clad cowboy marshall. The lettering by Richard Starkings is wonderful. Like all good letterers this one does not distract the readers. The SFX for the shoot out sequences may it be the reloading or the sound of a six-shooter makes the scene come alive.
This is another of Scott Snyder's Comixology Originals which you can read it for free on Kindle if you have a subscription. Give it a try and let me know your thoughts. Please leave your comments what you liked or disliked about the post. All kinds of feedback is appreciated.

[Owen Townend · Rating 3 out of 5]

An understated Weird West tale, at least until the end.

I have enjoyed Snyder's writing in the past though this is the first time I've experienced Panosian's art. Snyder's slow-burn storytelling and Panosian's dusky ink and colour work complement each other as well as the Old West setting.

Canary features Azrael William Holt, a celebrated marshal, assisting geologist Dr Ed Edwards with investigating strange underground waterways that lie between towns where spontaneous and horrific acts of violence have occurred. As the two men arrive into the town of Canary, they discover more trouble than either bargained for in a collapsed mine that runs deep beneath the earth.

I liked Holt's swagger and the idea of a man whose legend disguises nightmares he couldn't solve. Also I learned a lot about geology and how mines were sunk in the 19th Century. It's all good character work and context but I think it ended up taking more room than the actual plot. The ending heavily features biblical horror but it felt like there weren't sufficient pages to explain the depth of what was going on. The monstrous reveal and heroic sacrifice deserved just as many panels as setting up the backstory. Also some of the unpleasant mysteries of the initial chapter weren't sufficiently tied to the main plot by the end. Still, these are common issues for limited run comic books.

I enjoyed the experience of Canary but wish it had lasted long enough to bring things together in a more satisfying way. I recommend it to anyone who likes both lawmen with grit and subterraneous abominations.

[Peter · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another fun horror story from Snyder. I'm a horror buff who is not a fan of Westerns, and I enjoyed it. It isn't necessarily an original story; I'd say it's more a mixture of recycled stories and characters, but done in an interesting way with good pacing. The art could have been better. The images all looked just slightly blurry to me, as though they were scaled too large when printed, and the thick outlines almost give the appearance of being done with a Sharpie at times. Some panels have scans of hastily-painted yellow brushstrokes in the background, which was obviously an artistic decision to create a bold yellow effect, but I found it distracting. The lettering also looked a bit rushed, which might have been intentional to give it an edge. The binding on the book started falling apart immediately upon first read, which has happened with every Dark Horse paperback I've bought so far. I'm hoping this will be released as a hard cover so I can own a copy that I can read more than once.

[Chad · Rating 3 out of 5]

This starts off pretty strong as a weird Western where random people across the Old West are doing awful things out of nowhere. The main character is a marshall popularized in the pulps. He wears this kerchief with a design on it that I didn't know what it was supposed to be until it was finally called out that it was a coffin. He is called to bring a geologist back to Canary where he used to live, to check out a mine that's went deeper than any other. It's all a slow burn for the first 4 issues. Then the last 2 feel like we missed about 6 issues. There's all of a sudden this supernatural element as things spin out of control and none of it is explained well. This is also when Amazon killed Comixology and there was a 10 month gap between issues. Not sure if that had anything to do with how the pacing felt terribly off. It felt like going to see an old movie and they missed one of the reels. Anyway, this starts real well but couldn't stick the landing.

[Stephen · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a book that I strictly picked up because I saw Scott Snyder and Dan Panosian. I like western movies, and sometimes western books…but those names had me on board to see what this was all about. I must say I was impressed. This combination made for such an impression and while I see this as western first, horror is obviously also a part of this. I guess you could argue it is a western/horror story (which is not a highly populated genre). I do believe the story moves at a pace that draws the reader in and that the finale also works…but I feel the story could have gone just a little further. I love this period peace taking place in 1891. The way the story unfolds you can clearly see that Scott Snyder did not skimp on research and that Dan Panosian truly submerges you in the timeframe with the beautiful art. I believe the admission to this tale is well worth the ride it takes you on.

[Cherofoblyat · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'histoire est attrayante, les design excellent et le mystère monte progressivement, jusqu'au final qui, malheureusement je trouve bâclé, on passe très très vite sur le combat final, qui termine par un cliché, ce qui rend intrigue et le personnage principal beaucoup moins intéressant que je pensait. Sa aurai mérité d'être en plusieur tomes, pour ne pas avoir une fin qui coupe l'appétit, chaque page montre un nouvelle élément qu'on passe très vite à côté pour aller à l'autre bizzarerie, ce qui donne cet effet de "woah regardez y'a plein de truc bizarre à la fin c'est mystérieux" mais sa dégoute au final. Le scenarisiton était excellente ua début pourtant mais les dernière pages frustré énormément car on ne retrouve pas cette qualité qu'on avait au début.

[Nicko · Rating 3 out of 5]

*3.5 stars*

I enjoyed most of this. I really enjoyed like the first two thirds. Great art that really goes with the western tone. Great set ups and mythology work and intrigue. It just kinda gets rushed and turns into the most simplified version of what came before it. So that was disappointing. I wish the threat was a little more complex — something that took the unique mythos that was building up, instead of zombie creatures (although Panosian nailed the designs). Flew over my head but I still don’t get how or why the killings in the beginning were tied to the Canary. Were these ppl infected but not fully like Hyrum? I also feel like while the uniquely placed flashbacks to Holt’s character were interesting, his arc didn’t quite stick the landing for me.

[Ben A · Rating 4 out of 5]

Canary is Scott Snyder and Dan Panosian's well-crafted Weird Western tale. There is some thematic overlap with some of Snyder's other comic stories, but he really nailed the landing here, which is the one thing I have been overly aware of reading his work over the years. It oozes with horror and pulp in all the right ways, and it was great reading it collected instead of having to wait for the next installment.

Special Thanks to Dark Horse Comics and Edelweiss Plus for the digital ARC. This was given to me for an honest review.

[Jordan · Rating 3 out of 5]

I will never not read a book with Scott Snyder’s name on the cover. With that being said, he’s been coasting on brand name recognition for awhile now.

Canary is packed with promise and potential, but sadly the writer doesn’t keep his pact and leaves his readers unfulfilled and wanting more. It’s just a little sloppy, rushed, and a too familiar.

The art is magnificent and is truly what holds the book up. I’ve yet to find a comixology title I really vibe with, but I’m determined to keep searching.

[Brandon · Rating 4 out of 5]

8/10

A great western-horror. There's something beautiful about old western art styles. Dan Panosian drew fantastic art that looks beautiful yet rough around the edges - the perfect encapsulation of our glorified western idealization. Scott Snyder writes another fantastic horror story that does a great job at tying things from the beginning into the end. The legendary gunslinger has been done many times before but William Holt still feels unique and fresh, largely due to the backstory character arc Snyder writes for him.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

The story jumped back and forth between the past and the present without any notification to the reader, and I was taken out of the story consistently. It was an interesting horror story and the characters were mostly realistic, although at times I felt as though I was reading a comic, novel, or watching a movie from the 1950s. The art was quite good, but again, I was taken out of the story by the intensity of the art. If you haven’t read the book, you might want to read the story first, and then go back and appreciate the art.

[Christian · Rating 2 out of 5]

Western horror from Snyder and Panosian - sign me up!
Some famous gun helps a researcher and a gal to investigate the mines below town.

Mediocre story. Tries too much at the same time. The characters and the story is equally uninteresting. The art from Dan is very good, but his characters - while beautiful - all look the same. If you read anything with his art in it before, you have already seen the characters. I hope we see more horror collabs from these creators. There is great potential, but this was a big miss

[Travis Duke · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cool western with some horror elements and a dash of crazy. Marshal Holt is a bad ass who took down some big time criminals and it tasked with one more job to look at some spooky mine. It has a really good cast and good writing from Snyder (this time around). Snyder really wrote a lot during this time frame and some of it good, some just meh. This is one of the better ones he wrote. Characters are developed nicely with some good mystery unfolding. The end is a wild ramp up into some bat shit crazy ideas but it was fun. Worth a read