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Dead West #2
The Ten Thousand Things
Stalked across the Sierra Nevada wilderness by an evil they hardly understand, Nina Weaver and her allies have learned one crucial lesson: the only sure thing in life—and death—is a loaded gun. As they slog their way through scrubland and scree, still reeling from their encounters and feuds in Those Poor, Poor Bastards, they come across enemies, strangers, and turmoil within the group, as well. But this journey is more than physical for Nina Weaver, as she is discovering things about her spiritual powers and her connection to her Shoshone roots in the Land, the spirit world, and through the ancestors of her People.
‘Deaduns’ and other horrors abound, and Nina struggles to uphold unlikely alliances as the stale waft of rot threatens to overrun the Nevada Territory. Can Nina and company stand against...The Ten Thousand Things?
‘Deaduns’ and other horrors abound, and Nina struggles to uphold unlikely alliances as the stale waft of rot threatens to overrun the Nevada Territory. Can Nina and company stand against...The Ten Thousand Things?
258 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 23, 2014
2 people are currently reading
66 people want to read
About the author
Tim Marquitz
109 books214 followersTim Marquitz is the author of the Demon Squad series, The Enemy of My Enemy series (Kurtherian Gambit) along with Michael Anderle, the Blood War Trilogy, co-author of the Dead West series, as well as several standalone books, and numerous anthology appearances alongside the biggest names in fantasy and horror. Tim also collaborated on Memoirs of a MACHINE, the story of MMA pioneer John Machine Lober.
"Horror becomes art when it flows from the pen of Tim Marquitz." ~ Bobby D. Whitney - BookWenches
"Witty, sarcastic and hilarious." Michelle - Publishers Weekly
"Horror becomes art when it flows from the pen of Tim Marquitz." ~ Bobby D. Whitney - BookWenches
"Witty, sarcastic and hilarious." Michelle - Publishers Weekly
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Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews
March 26, 2014
Nina Weaver and company are riding the rails and Lao Xu's hell train is right behind them. Can they stop the train full of Deaduns before it catches them? And even then, can they elude Lao Xu?
Step aboard the cliche train for a moment. The Ten Thousand Things is Those Poor, Poor Bastards on steroids with the volume turned up to eleven. Nina and company go out of the frying pan and into the fire so many times they should have burn marks on their asses.
Ahem... The Ten Thousand Things is the second book in the Dead West series, currently slated as a sextology. Heh, sex. Anyway, these books are so action-packed they're exhausting to read at times. Lots of Deaduns get killed and the good guys take a world-class shit-kicking. The gore level is pretty high.
The writing group of Soward, Marquitz, and Martin deliver the goods. I've grown to care about the Daggett brothers, miserable assholes they may be, as well as the rest of the cast. Nina continues taking steps toward her destiny and the rest of the characters prove to be more multifaceted than originally suspected. I'm getting really excited about the final confrontation with Lao Xu and it's likely still several installments away.
I don't have many bad things to say about this series so far. I expected a higher body count among the main cast in this one but I'm sure a few of them will drop like flies in the next installment. Much like the last book, there's a gag-inducing part near the end, this time involving a worm the size of a whiskey bottle pulled out of someone's head.
If you like weird westerns prominently featuring zombies, give this one a shot. The guys at Ragnarok Publications are good people and they know how to spin a yarn. Four out of five stars.
Step aboard the cliche train for a moment. The Ten Thousand Things is Those Poor, Poor Bastards on steroids with the volume turned up to eleven. Nina and company go out of the frying pan and into the fire so many times they should have burn marks on their asses.
Ahem... The Ten Thousand Things is the second book in the Dead West series, currently slated as a sextology. Heh, sex. Anyway, these books are so action-packed they're exhausting to read at times. Lots of Deaduns get killed and the good guys take a world-class shit-kicking. The gore level is pretty high.
The writing group of Soward, Marquitz, and Martin deliver the goods. I've grown to care about the Daggett brothers, miserable assholes they may be, as well as the rest of the cast. Nina continues taking steps toward her destiny and the rest of the characters prove to be more multifaceted than originally suspected. I'm getting really excited about the final confrontation with Lao Xu and it's likely still several installments away.
I don't have many bad things to say about this series so far. I expected a higher body count among the main cast in this one but I'm sure a few of them will drop like flies in the next installment. Much like the last book, there's a gag-inducing part near the end, this time involving a worm the size of a whiskey bottle pulled out of someone's head.
If you like weird westerns prominently featuring zombies, give this one a shot. The guys at Ragnarok Publications are good people and they know how to spin a yarn. Four out of five stars.
March 24, 2014
Review copy
Nina Weaver, part Shoshone Indian, and the other survivors of Those Poor, Poor Bastards, Book 1 in Ragnarok Publication's Dead West series are making their way across the western frontier, by way of locomotive, being chased by a demon train controlled by the evil, and seemingly all-powerful, Liao Xu.
Much like it's predecessor, The Ten Thousand Things, jumps right into the action with an attack on their transportation by thousands of crows as their nemesis gets closer by the minute. "The nightmare train chugged beneath the uncovered moonlight, rounding a bend and charging between two hills, red furnace glow beneath as though it ran on the fires of Hell itself. Nina swore the cylindrical body and frame twisted on the tracks, bulging, as if something inside strained against its mechanical confines."
It takes more than half the book for the deaduns to show up, but believe me, it's worth the wait. Plus, The Ten Thousand Things is much more than zombies in the old west. It's a battle of good versus evil on a grand scale.
Although, The Ten Thousand Things is a totally enjoyable tale where we meet new characters and lose a few along the way, there is no resolution. What does the evil Liao Xu have in store for our weary travelers, will they be able to continue to defend against all the things he throws their way, will Nina Weaver be able to call upon the strength of her ancestors to finally defeat the powerful Liao Xu? Looks like we will have to wait for book 3, The Devils In Reno, due later this year, in order to get those answers.
The Ten Thousand Things is published by Ragnarok Publications and is available now for the Kindle through Amazon.com.
BTW, I strongly recommend reading Book 1 in the Dead West series first. Those Poor, Poor Bastards is great fun and available now.
Nina Weaver, part Shoshone Indian, and the other survivors of Those Poor, Poor Bastards, Book 1 in Ragnarok Publication's Dead West series are making their way across the western frontier, by way of locomotive, being chased by a demon train controlled by the evil, and seemingly all-powerful, Liao Xu.
Much like it's predecessor, The Ten Thousand Things, jumps right into the action with an attack on their transportation by thousands of crows as their nemesis gets closer by the minute. "The nightmare train chugged beneath the uncovered moonlight, rounding a bend and charging between two hills, red furnace glow beneath as though it ran on the fires of Hell itself. Nina swore the cylindrical body and frame twisted on the tracks, bulging, as if something inside strained against its mechanical confines."
It takes more than half the book for the deaduns to show up, but believe me, it's worth the wait. Plus, The Ten Thousand Things is much more than zombies in the old west. It's a battle of good versus evil on a grand scale.
Although, The Ten Thousand Things is a totally enjoyable tale where we meet new characters and lose a few along the way, there is no resolution. What does the evil Liao Xu have in store for our weary travelers, will they be able to continue to defend against all the things he throws their way, will Nina Weaver be able to call upon the strength of her ancestors to finally defeat the powerful Liao Xu? Looks like we will have to wait for book 3, The Devils In Reno, due later this year, in order to get those answers.
The Ten Thousand Things is published by Ragnarok Publications and is available now for the Kindle through Amazon.com.
BTW, I strongly recommend reading Book 1 in the Dead West series first. Those Poor, Poor Bastards is great fun and available now.
August 22, 2014
Review from Dead West Omnibus, the collected edition of two novels by Tim Marquitz, J.M. Martin and Kenny Soward: Those Poor, Poor Bastards, and The Ten Thousand Things, published by Ragnarok Publications. As I wrote in my review of the Those Poor, Poor Bastards, this zombie romp through the wild west is unique, fast paced and well written. The Ten Thousand Things amps up the excitement in every way.
Dead West is the story of many conflicting characters, but centers on Nina, a young adult with mixed White and Native American heritage. Her father is her only parent alive, and as she strives to keep him that way when the zombie apocalypse happens, she also must embrace a supernatural power blessed upon her by her Native American side.
I’ve read quite a bit of zombie fiction, but this is where Dead West is most unique: the powers that Nina must embrace in order to become an Old West kind of super hero are some I’ve never seen. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but they are pretty awesome, and chilling in exactly the kind of Old West Horror tone that I wanted.
see full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
Dead West is the story of many conflicting characters, but centers on Nina, a young adult with mixed White and Native American heritage. Her father is her only parent alive, and as she strives to keep him that way when the zombie apocalypse happens, she also must embrace a supernatural power blessed upon her by her Native American side.
I’ve read quite a bit of zombie fiction, but this is where Dead West is most unique: the powers that Nina must embrace in order to become an Old West kind of super hero are some I’ve never seen. I don’t want to ruin the surprise, but they are pretty awesome, and chilling in exactly the kind of Old West Horror tone that I wanted.
see full review here: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...
April 3, 2014
Originally published at Risingshadow.
The Ten Thousand Things is the second part of the Dead West series. It's an excellent and entertaining sequel to Those Poor, Poor Bastards.
I have to admit that I'm difficult to please when it comes to western novels, but weird western novels are my kind of novels. In my opinion The Ten Thousand Things is - just like Those Poor, Poor Bastards - an excellent example of a good and entertaining weird western novel, because the authors know how to entertain their readers. To be honest, I was impressed by this novel, because it turned out to be an even better novel than its predecessor.
Before I begin to analyze the contents of this novel, it's good to mention that it's recommendable to read Those Poor, Poor Bastards before reading this novel. In my opinion knowledge of the previous happenings is essential in order to fully understand what happens in this novel.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
In The Ten Thousand Things Nina Weaver and the people with her are riding the rails and fight against Liao Xu's zombies. Liao Xu is responsible for unleashing the horde of the deaduns and other creatures against them. He relentlessly pursues them, because he wants something from them...
The Ten Thousand Things differs a bit from the first novel, because it brings more depth to the story. The first novel introduced the characters to the readers and now the authors begin to add depth and more details to the story and to the characters. For example, the authors reveal a few interesting things about Liao Xu and his past, and Nina begins to accept her abilities and experiences sexual awakening. The authors also tell what happened to James' family.
Nina is a fascinating heroine, because she's almost like a female version of the male western heroes and rogues played by Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and other famous actors. Although she's a fighter and survivor, she's much more than that, because she has strange abilities that separate her from others. She has a spiritual connection to the People and the Land. She has slowly begun to change inside, because she hears the sounds of the People, their drums and flutes, and their whispers. The realization of this change rattles her, because she has to accept the changes.
There are several excellent and thrilling scenes in this novel. For example, the attack of the birds is an impressive scene. Reading about Liao Xu's demon train is also memorable, because it adds a wonderfully otherwordly atmosphere and a malicious supernatural threat to the storyline.
The prose in The Ten Thousand Things is surprisingly good (in the first novel the prose was good, but now it's even better). The authors have found the right kind of rhythm and that they use to move the happenings forward. The pacing is also much better in this novel, because the story feels more balanced than before.
One of the best things about this novel (and its predecessor) is that it's genuinely interesting to read about how Nina and the other survivors get along with each other. The authors have managed to write about this aspect of their survival in a surprisingly realistic way.
The authors write boldly about sex and things related to sex. I won't reveal what happens in the story, but there's an explicit and passionate sex scene in the middle of the novel that has been written well.
It's nice that there's also a bit of humour in the story. For example, the scene in which one of the characters has to drop his pants is a funny scene. I think it'll amuse several readers.
Because I'm a Finn, I have to mention that it was interesting that the authors used one Finnish word and a few Swedish words in the story. These words surprised me, because I didn't expect to find Finnish and Swedish words in a weird western novel.
It's possible that there are readers out there who think that this series is only about a fight against zombies. I can say to these readers that they're wrong, because the authors have created a story that tells of an epic and desperate fight between good and evil. There are - of course - plenty of zombies in this series, but there's much more to the story than them, because the fight between good and evil is the core of the story.
Tim Marquitz, J. M. Martin and Kenny Soward have written an exciting and gory tale that will please fans of zombie stories and weird western novels. I'm sure that the viewers of The Walking and Hell on Wheels will also love The Ten Thousand Things, because this novel is almost like a combination of The Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels.
If you're interested in zombie stories and weird western novels, The Ten Thousand Things is the novel to read, because the authors deliver a fantastically gory and entertaining story that's full of action. If you like zombie stories, please take a look at this novel, because it's an enjoyable novel.
My final words are: This novel is good and exciting entertainment!
The Ten Thousand Things is the second part of the Dead West series. It's an excellent and entertaining sequel to Those Poor, Poor Bastards.
I have to admit that I'm difficult to please when it comes to western novels, but weird western novels are my kind of novels. In my opinion The Ten Thousand Things is - just like Those Poor, Poor Bastards - an excellent example of a good and entertaining weird western novel, because the authors know how to entertain their readers. To be honest, I was impressed by this novel, because it turned out to be an even better novel than its predecessor.
Before I begin to analyze the contents of this novel, it's good to mention that it's recommendable to read Those Poor, Poor Bastards before reading this novel. In my opinion knowledge of the previous happenings is essential in order to fully understand what happens in this novel.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
In The Ten Thousand Things Nina Weaver and the people with her are riding the rails and fight against Liao Xu's zombies. Liao Xu is responsible for unleashing the horde of the deaduns and other creatures against them. He relentlessly pursues them, because he wants something from them...
The Ten Thousand Things differs a bit from the first novel, because it brings more depth to the story. The first novel introduced the characters to the readers and now the authors begin to add depth and more details to the story and to the characters. For example, the authors reveal a few interesting things about Liao Xu and his past, and Nina begins to accept her abilities and experiences sexual awakening. The authors also tell what happened to James' family.
Nina is a fascinating heroine, because she's almost like a female version of the male western heroes and rogues played by Clint Eastwood, Lee Van Cleef and other famous actors. Although she's a fighter and survivor, she's much more than that, because she has strange abilities that separate her from others. She has a spiritual connection to the People and the Land. She has slowly begun to change inside, because she hears the sounds of the People, their drums and flutes, and their whispers. The realization of this change rattles her, because she has to accept the changes.
There are several excellent and thrilling scenes in this novel. For example, the attack of the birds is an impressive scene. Reading about Liao Xu's demon train is also memorable, because it adds a wonderfully otherwordly atmosphere and a malicious supernatural threat to the storyline.
The prose in The Ten Thousand Things is surprisingly good (in the first novel the prose was good, but now it's even better). The authors have found the right kind of rhythm and that they use to move the happenings forward. The pacing is also much better in this novel, because the story feels more balanced than before.
One of the best things about this novel (and its predecessor) is that it's genuinely interesting to read about how Nina and the other survivors get along with each other. The authors have managed to write about this aspect of their survival in a surprisingly realistic way.
The authors write boldly about sex and things related to sex. I won't reveal what happens in the story, but there's an explicit and passionate sex scene in the middle of the novel that has been written well.
It's nice that there's also a bit of humour in the story. For example, the scene in which one of the characters has to drop his pants is a funny scene. I think it'll amuse several readers.
Because I'm a Finn, I have to mention that it was interesting that the authors used one Finnish word and a few Swedish words in the story. These words surprised me, because I didn't expect to find Finnish and Swedish words in a weird western novel.
It's possible that there are readers out there who think that this series is only about a fight against zombies. I can say to these readers that they're wrong, because the authors have created a story that tells of an epic and desperate fight between good and evil. There are - of course - plenty of zombies in this series, but there's much more to the story than them, because the fight between good and evil is the core of the story.
Tim Marquitz, J. M. Martin and Kenny Soward have written an exciting and gory tale that will please fans of zombie stories and weird western novels. I'm sure that the viewers of The Walking and Hell on Wheels will also love The Ten Thousand Things, because this novel is almost like a combination of The Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels.
If you're interested in zombie stories and weird western novels, The Ten Thousand Things is the novel to read, because the authors deliver a fantastically gory and entertaining story that's full of action. If you like zombie stories, please take a look at this novel, because it's an enjoyable novel.
My final words are: This novel is good and exciting entertainment!
March 30, 2014
The Ten Thousand Things (Dead West Book 2) by Tim Marquitz, J.M. Martin, and Kenny Soward. Published by Ragnarok Publications.
With Book 1 of the series, Those Poor Poor Bastards, being touted as Hell on Wheels meets The Walking Dead, we can evolve the assemblage with Hell on Wheels meets The Walking Dead, in the mind of Lovecraft, if he listened to Motorhead and Slayer. And that, dear reader, is a splendid recipe!
The Ten Thousands Things takes the baton from Those Poor Poor Bastards and runs like a motherfunker. The pacing has calmed down into a nice rhythm of action, dialogue, and description. The writing has matured (less profanity, and less forced Old West slang) and is blended together nicely, considering we are looking at three authors here.
Not only did this bring the action and gore of Book 1 to a higher level of tendon-snapping goodness, but a good portion of these paragraphs and chapters really brought forth a solid horrific tension, something that I do not usually get from a book. I was actually looking over my shoulder at one point I was so wrapped up (Mind you, I was also drinking a Red Eye and listening to some industrial doom stations).
As the series progresses, I hope the writing continues to blossom, and that maybe we get to see more character’s backgrounds, which is the only thing I find lacking as we giddy-up into the sunset of the apocalypse.
Highly recommended for those who love Zombie, Horror and Gore Splattered Westerns.
With Book 1 of the series, Those Poor Poor Bastards, being touted as Hell on Wheels meets The Walking Dead, we can evolve the assemblage with Hell on Wheels meets The Walking Dead, in the mind of Lovecraft, if he listened to Motorhead and Slayer. And that, dear reader, is a splendid recipe!
The Ten Thousands Things takes the baton from Those Poor Poor Bastards and runs like a motherfunker. The pacing has calmed down into a nice rhythm of action, dialogue, and description. The writing has matured (less profanity, and less forced Old West slang) and is blended together nicely, considering we are looking at three authors here.
Not only did this bring the action and gore of Book 1 to a higher level of tendon-snapping goodness, but a good portion of these paragraphs and chapters really brought forth a solid horrific tension, something that I do not usually get from a book. I was actually looking over my shoulder at one point I was so wrapped up (Mind you, I was also drinking a Red Eye and listening to some industrial doom stations).
As the series progresses, I hope the writing continues to blossom, and that maybe we get to see more character’s backgrounds, which is the only thing I find lacking as we giddy-up into the sunset of the apocalypse.
Highly recommended for those who love Zombie, Horror and Gore Splattered Westerns.
April 19, 2014
Moments of humanity in all of its ugliness and beauty alternating with action that keeps you on the edge of your seat. A well-written sex scene, and a surprise at the end that I saw coming but was still surprised by. Characters are both reassuringly predictable and surprising.
Favorite line: Nina smiled and reached out to touch her Colt 1861 Navy where it rested just
inches away.
Hard iron in front, an iron-hard man behind. She was covered.
Favorite line: Nina smiled and reached out to touch her Colt 1861 Navy where it rested just
inches away.
Hard iron in front, an iron-hard man behind. She was covered.
April 3, 2014
Longer and better than the first book. This was a much more measured and balanced story, with a more even pace. The action is excellent, the fighting gruesome.
Hopefully in book three we can see our heroes becoming more proactive. They have spent two books on the run being reactive, so it would be nice to see them take charge
Hopefully in book three we can see our heroes becoming more proactive. They have spent two books on the run being reactive, so it would be nice to see them take charge
June 19, 2014
Great follow-up to the first in the series.
Fine writing, great setting, great characters, and a fun read.
Weird western lovers unite and read this!
Fine writing, great setting, great characters, and a fun read.
Weird western lovers unite and read this!
April 25, 2014
This 2nd entry into the Dead West series was as enjoyable as the first. Love that it takes place in my neck of the woods. The last few chapters were like sex while camping, f#! $ in tents. Been over the zombie genre for a while, but with the old west setting and an original antagonist behind the rising of the dead this series rises above the cliches that made me loose interest.
May 21, 2014
Nina Weaver and her group of survivors pick back up right where 'Those Poor, Poor Bastards' ended. It starts off fast and keeps the pace going. It's graphic, gory, funny, and everything else you could want in a Horror Western.
July 11, 2014
This second volume is as good as the first. One of my professors once told me that if I was skeptical of one aspect of plot, character development, or philosophy I would treat the whole thing as a comedy (like, Crime and Punishment). For a very long time, I thought the Old West such a boring setting as to be laughable; it took the coordinated efforts of several favorite authors to make me realize the Old West is just as fascinating, beautiful, and dark as medieval France.
This series of zombie tales were written by people who have an obvious love for the Old West. The two books are the kind of vicious fun one could expect from a tale set on the very boundary between civilization and lawlessness. Also: zombies.
Oh, did I mention the books are funny? ;-)
This series of zombie tales were written by people who have an obvious love for the Old West. The two books are the kind of vicious fun one could expect from a tale set on the very boundary between civilization and lawlessness. Also: zombies.
Oh, did I mention the books are funny? ;-)
July 16, 2014
Like the first book in the series, Those Poor Poor Bastards, The Ten Thousand Things is action-packed from start to finish, and I cannot wait for the next book.
The characters stay true to what was established in the first book, and the new characters that are introduced are distinct in their own ways. Nina Weaver continues to grow and develop, and Rachel becomes important in her own right. I'm curious to see how Nina's abilities will play out in the next book, but until then, I'll probably reread the first two.
Though there isn't a resolution in this book, it is nicely set up for the next one. I hope the third book is as good as this one!
The characters stay true to what was established in the first book, and the new characters that are introduced are distinct in their own ways. Nina Weaver continues to grow and develop, and Rachel becomes important in her own right. I'm curious to see how Nina's abilities will play out in the next book, but until then, I'll probably reread the first two.
Though there isn't a resolution in this book, it is nicely set up for the next one. I hope the third book is as good as this one!
December 29, 2023
So, where to begin? I told myself that I was not going to read The Ten Thousand Things after struggling to finish Those Poor, Poor Bastards. But I was curious after several reviews.
The beginning of the book just didn't grip me what so ever. The part with the possessed demon train was just unessesary in my opinion. Not the best introduction to a book that did have potential. With a train wreck of an introduction, (no pun intended) it did somewhat find it's feet. In fact, looking back, the rest of the book was okay. Disappointed to find that there was to be a third book in the series titled, 'Devils in Reno'. Given that this instalment of the Dead West series was released back in 2014, there won't be a follow-up to these two books.
3 stars for this one.
The beginning of the book just didn't grip me what so ever. The part with the possessed demon train was just unessesary in my opinion. Not the best introduction to a book that did have potential. With a train wreck of an introduction, (no pun intended) it did somewhat find it's feet. In fact, looking back, the rest of the book was okay. Disappointed to find that there was to be a third book in the series titled, 'Devils in Reno'. Given that this instalment of the Dead West series was released back in 2014, there won't be a follow-up to these two books.
3 stars for this one.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 25, 2015
Very entertaining read. The slow build of the first book continuously shifts gears throughout this one, carrying the reader through many adrenaline-filled confrontations with Liao Xu's twisted creations. I don't want to say too much and risk spoiling something or turning this into an extremely long review (which I'm not good at), so I'll just say if you're a 'weird west' fan you definitely need to check this one out; I'd suggest the omnibus edition compiling the first two books.
Displaying 1 - 14 of 14 reviews