Black Rose

by Arlo Z. Graves

Step into an Old West of legends, legacies, and lies, where machines come to life and deadly silver terrorizes the land.

Twenty-four years have passed since the devastating Awakening of the rogue commuter train, Bucephalus, left countless dead and America forever changed. It also took everything from Geist Warden Gabriel Velasquez. It took his father, his sister, and left him infected with silver, an illness that can be controlled but not cured. Since that day, Gabriel has lived for vengeance, but his time is running out.

A chance encounter in the Nevada desert sets Gabriel on the trail of the legendary Colt .45 Buntline Special, the Black Rose. Fabled lawman Wyatt Earp himself once carried the cursed revolver. No one knows how he bent the demon to his will. Some say the Rose twisted him to hers. Whatever their pact, Wyatt Earp once carried the most feared gun in the West, a silver-spitting fiend.

Only silver can kill Bucephalus, and only the Black Rose shoots silver. She’s exactly what Gabriel needs, and he’ll go to any lengths to get his hands on her. He will take the Black Rose for himself, one way or another, and finally have his revenge.

But the Black Rose has plans of her own …

Genres: Westerns, Horror

137 pages, Kindle Edition

Published February 7, 2025

Reviews

[Adrielle Reina · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can’t believe how much worldbuilding was packed into this novella. I loved the speculative aspect of the story with machines and other objects (like a gun—Black Rose—cough cough) turning sentient in the backdrop of the old west in a horror-fueled alternate timeline.

There’s a lot of pertinent commentary here that revolves around chronic illness, authority, diversity, vengeance, forgiveness, and love. This is the most unique piece of fiction I think I’ve ever read (not just in the horror genre) and I’m quite sure it will stick with me for the rest of my life as I’m also certain that I’ll revisit this story often to find new details and meaning.

Innovative, elevated, and with a talking gun, Black Rose delivers a story worth the read. I think it took me about three hours total (and that’s with taking my dogs out). I promise it’s worth the time. I can’t believe how amazing this was.

I highly recommend this book to everyone! You won’t be disappointed. 🫶🏼

Woohoo! Another review down without spoilers! Yay!

[Nina · Rating 5 out of 5]

"We make machines and then they steal soul from us. The more we use them, the more soul they take."

Or so they say.

This book is an amazing take on the classic Wild West trope of the gun-loving righteous man. Except the guns are actually alive and help him out in a pinch. And he's not hunting outlaws, he's hunting Awakened machines and people who have been touched by silver, because they are all evil.

Or so says the Church.

It's a story about obedience and the power of authority, a story about how things are not always as they seem. A story of heartwrenching losses and lonely determination for vengeance, yet also, as it turns out, full of empathy and love.

[Logan · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cool, weird, and captivating. The writing was clean, and sometimes beautiful. As to avoid spoilers, let’s just say this gave me feels I never thought I’d have. Not sure if a sequel is even a consideration at this point, but I’d totally read it. Can’t wait to see what Graves writes next.

[J.B. Corvin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Rose by Arlo Z. Graves is a cinematic weird-western tale with a fascinating world and a lot of heart.
Gabriel Valasquez is a man that suffers from an affliction that will never be cured as he hunts down machines that have become self-aware at the behest of the church, a geist-warden. Through the tragic, vengeance craving, lens of Gabriel I was immersed in a supernatural take on the old west that serves as an interesting backdrop for what seems like a classic revenge story, at first. I won’t spoil anything here, but I was genuinely surprised at the twists in this Novella.
I was thrilled by the way that living machines were handled in Black Rose. Firearms and trains are given souls and personalities, and this concept weaves perfectly into a plot with themes of perception and chronic illness.
I thought that Black Rose was paced really well, giving you just enough detail to feel immersed in its world and protagonist without ever losing a spiraling sense of urgency. Something else that added to the urgent feel was that the prose was in the present tense. This choice would normally be a bit off-putting for me, but it worked SO well here.

On a side note, I never thought I would be so emotionally invested in a sawed-off shotgun, but here we are.

[Kat · Rating 4 out of 5]

The guns were my favorite characters, although I did develop an affection for poor tormented Gabriel as well. If I have a complaint (I don't) it's that I want MORE! NOW! I genuinely didn't realize the book was almost over when it ended.

Truthfully though, I would have liked a bit more time with this story, a bit more of those small moments that make a fictional world seem to breathe. This efficiently-told story went by almost too quickly. I'll have to just be patient for the next one!

[Mathewsjh · Rating 3 out of 5]

An enjoyable read. Met the author at the Bay Area Book Fest and they seemed very nice and excited by the book being available.

[Alexis · Rating 4 out of 5]

Really good story! Nice turns of phrase and solid imagery.

I received a free copy of this book via Graveside Press and am voluntarily leaving a review.

I received a free copy of this book via Graveside Press and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Caroline Ailanthus · Rating 5 out of 5]

It's been awhile since I've read a book purely for pleasure, not research or something, and this one delivers. I do quibble with its designation as Horror, as I did not find it horrifying (there are a few scenes where the characters are terrified or horrified for quite understandable reasons, but I wasn't). But as I don't actually like horror, I can't fault this book for being...more enjoyable than it made itself out to be.

I will say it's a book for grown-ups.

The blurb summarizes the premise fairly well, and it's probably better that I not to spoil the plot. I'll just say this one hits on all cylinders--characterization, theme development, world-building, plot coherence, pacing, the author really gets everything right. I don't often say that, even with books I really like. I don't have anything to criticize.

An interesting element is a somewhat dreamlike quality--not everything quite makes sense, and it's clearly a feature, not a bug. What IS silver? WHY are machines coming alive? Has the moon always been orange? These questions don't have answers. The story is a dream in somebody's restless sleep--possibly a nation's restless sleep.

You'll want to think about this dream.

[Colin Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This ended up weirder than expected.

I grew up a fan of ‘The Good, The Bad, and The Ugly’ and ‘Tombstone’, and the whole series around ‘The Black Cauldron’. Maybe that is part of the reason I love ‘The Black Rose’. It’s kind of like starting with a mix of all, but then handed it over to a dreaming Hayao Miyazaki in his creative prime. Bounced to Quentin Tarantino a few goes at it for spice, and then Noam Chomsky slapped them all with redevelopment feedback, because socially relevant stories are more… relevant to readers who live lives in society, which includes most of us, be with thriving of thrashing, or thrashing to thrive, or ….

And then somebody got some cow patty shrooms and booked insanity for an final consult, and when that fine chap manifested, strapped it up and down, snapped it into a leash, named it ‘Coherence’, taught it how to sit, shake, wait, and pee in the neighbor’s bed while they walk to the 7-11 for cigs… because they knew how to write, and pure madness is indistinguishable from trash, but art informed by madness trained… arguably a masterpiece.

So, would I recommend it? If you’re the type of person for whom the above sounds interesting, absolutely. I liked it anyway.

[Natalie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely LOVED this one! I don't read horror that often as I'm a bit of a scaredy-cat but I love me a good western so I couldn't say no to this.

I actually won an ebook giveaway by the author but due to chronic illness I struggle a bit with regular ebooks and Arlo+Graveside Press went above and beyond and got me a pdf so I could listen with my screen reader(I have no tablet). The inside turned out to be as beautiful as the cover(both the story and the art) I ended up buying the paperback for my shelf.

I don't want to spoil anything but it's a quick read(novella length) and it's impossible to put down from page one. The prose and world building is compelling, I loved the subtle but effective character work and it's impossible not to both root and fear for Gabriel as it's pretty clear right away that he's in big trouble in several ways.

Having machines become sentient over time and silver be like an infectious also sort of sentient zombie-virus is just brilliantly unique to me and the western vibes were absolutely immaculate!

I can't recommend this one enough, even if you don't read horror normally, I think this is a story that'll engage most people so give it a go!

[Skye · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Rose takes the weird Western to a new level. It exemplifies both genres - the headiness and legends long-past of a Western and the deep lore and wild magic of the weird combine into a ride that you can't get off of once you're on it. Graves instantly transports us into a world that's alive, where legends are born and silver floods ghost towns in Nevada and a revolver that shoots silver might be out there, waiting...

Gabriel's characterization was wonderful - we got to know him really well through such a short time frame, and I felt for him as the story progressed. His arc was intensely satisfying, and though I would kill to read more about him, I'm also totally content with this being the last I see of Gabriel Velasquez because his story was the perfect payoff. Also I might be in love with him?

Read this if you're a veteran of weird westerns or if you're just starting to explore the genre, it really is a triumph on all levels.

I received an advanced copy for free on Booksprout and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.

[Christopher Pate · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now, I have to admit that from the synopsis and book cover, Black Rose is not necessarily a book I would have chosen to read, but Arlo and I have corresponded and supported each other on various social media since we were both published in Red Capes' Rogue Waves (where Arlo had a terrific story!). I was asked to read it by Arlo as their first book and I was happy to do so - and even happier as I tore through it! Gripping, fast-paced, strange and compelling, its a highly addictive tale that Arlo's crafted. A very unusual and unexpected tale, at least from my typical line of reading, I was immediately caught up in the story and pleasantly surprised to have been wrong about my first impression. If you like westerns, weird westerns, the uncanny, mercurial and compelling, look no further than this book. Get it. Enjoy it. Well done Arlo!

More at my blog: https://bookworminthedark.blogspot.com.

[Molly Haniszewski · Rating 5 out of 5]

I had planned to take my time with this one--and then I just couldn't put it down. The setting is so insanely unique. It's the Wild West, except machines come to life if you use them too much. Trains gain sentience and abandon their tracks, remolding their own wheels into hundreds of legs. People become infected with a silver sickness for which only the Church holds the antidote. And our main character, Gabriel, a warden who hunts down people with the same silver sickness he hides, plots his revenge upon the train that destroyed his family years ago. To take down the sentient train, he needs a special gun--the Black Rose, once carried by Wyatt Earp--and he'll do anything to find it. My favorite part was Gabriel's relationship with his own guns, which all are on the verge of gaining sentience themselves. The story was absolutely brilliant--the perfect combination of grim and peculiar. I'm obsessed.

[Terry Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arlo Z. Graves takes us on a thrilling, dark and tragic rise across a bleak old west landscape, a world where machines turn on humans. Gabriel Valesquez is on a quest to find the Black Rose, the only gun that can spit silver over lead, in order to kill Bucephalus, the Awakened renegade train. Even as he struggles to maintain control of his own slowly Awakening weapons. It's western, it's steampunk, it's horror, it's tragic, and these make it beautiful. I am a sucker for incorporating the Old West into other genres, and Arlo knocks it out of the desert in Black Rose. The great Wyatt Earp of Tombstone fame even makes an appearance. I can't recommend this highly enough.

I received a free copy of this book via Graveside Press and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[Sean D Gregory · Rating 5 out of 5]

I don't read a lot of westerns but I do read a lot of dark fantasy. BLACK ROSE hits on so many levels. Dark, emotional, action packed, and visually stunning (you really can see the world Arlo Graves creates as you read). This is unique story telling. One of the most ingenious reads I've read in a while and worth every second of the time you put into reading. Loved this book and will read more from this author. This book comes out of the gate guns blazing and doesn't let up...even after the last shot is fired. Beautifully told dark fantasy western. I want more.

Not since Edgar Allan Poe's TELLTALE HEART or Robert Bloch's ENOCH have I been so mesmerized.

[David O'Mahony · Rating 5 out of 5]

In all my literary travels and trails I don’t think I’ve ever come across a book like this.

It’s part western, part weird fiction, part alternative Earth with Wyatt Earp and real people from history, but is more than the sum of its parts.

I enjoyed the unfathomable magic of machines and equipment coming to life, and of them having sentience and personality if allowed to get all the way there. I also liked how the main character, Gabriel, is trying to do as much of the right thing in the time he has left, and how that motivates him to do things and make decisions that feed the pace of the book.

[Eric · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Rose by Arlo Graves is phenomenal work of western horror. A dark tale about a haunted lawman hunting living machines, it tells its story with a strong voice and singular vision. It paints a vision of an alternate American west that stark, gripping and weird in the best way possible. It’s short enough to read in one sitting but packs enough of a punch that it will stay with you long after. It’s an impressive debut and I can’t wait to see where their writing journey takes them from here.

[Perry Harrison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Arlo Z. Graves' first release doesn't disappoint. They put together a fascinating world with some nice touches and some keen (though not heavy-handed) social commentary. I found that the book fit together nicely, and I honestly had a blast from beginning to end. I'm looking forward to seeing what the author puts together next.

I received a free copy of this book via Graveside Press and am voluntarily leaving a review.

[PlotTwist_Addict · Rating 5 out of 5]

Black Rose is a fast-paced thrilling & griping ride through the old west. Where supernatural, stream punk, horror and Western blend together seemlessly.

Geist Warden Gabriel Velasquez lost everything after the machines awaken. The Black Rose a cursed revolver once carried by Waytt Earp, is the only gun that can shoot silver and he needs it in order to kill Bucephalus, the Awakened renegade train.

How I would love to watch this as a movie in a sucker for old westerns.

[S · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a thoroughly engrossing dark western fantasy. Without any excess words, the author is able to create characters that capture your attention (human and not). My only complaint is that it could have been a full novel.

I would recommend this book in particular to anyone who enjoyed Laura Anne Gilman's The Devil's West series. To me it had a very close vibe.

[Kienn Nguyen · Rating 5 out of 5]

i loved this one so much, the characters, the emotional moments really got me. like. why am i feeling this. blown away. sentient machines in a western. with religious undertones. and written by a wonderful queer author!! bro
"Whatever god bestowed a soul to you, Gabriel, so, too, have They bestowed a soul to me

[J. Brian · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fast-paced, fun, and a unique world. A great little book!

[Cat Treadwell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve loved the rise of the Weird West phenomena in recent years. From Professor Elemental to the Splatter Westerns of Deaths Head Press (such as this) and the Buzzard’s Edge saga, imagination is running wild on those fictionalised plains, venturing into unexplored lands where who-knows-what may lie... and come back with you.

‘Black Rose’ goes all-out and creates its own alternate universe: what if machines suddenly woke up and gained sentience? Starting with a giant steam train and then spreading to everyday electrical devices, from guns to sewing machines and infecting biological life via silver, humanity is apparently now facing a whole new threat along its frontier.

Considering this is the first book from a new writer, it’s remarkable how far this railroad travels. Using the newly intelligent machinery as the ‘other’, in Western terms this is a clear parallel to racism, to those ‘less than’ the Good Christian Folk coming in and claiming what they want. The religious allegory is there from the first, as the Church claims it’s the only solution to the ‘evil’ machines, but of course it’s not as straightforward as that.

Hero Gabriel (yes, like that Gabriel) lost everything when the train awoke, but as he seeks his revenge he gets answers that he was never expecting. This is a true Western after all, a tale of grief, love, vengeance and awakening. Exploring the full human (and machine) experience, delving within as well as what’s over the horizon.

Arlo creates a world that draws the reader in and genuinely had me worried about who would survive (mild spoiler: the Singer makes it and I honestly did cheer!). Amusingly, Gabriel’s slowly-awakening firearms did remind me of the Toon guns from ‘Who Framed Roger Rabbit’ - and on being asked, the author did admit to being influenced by the infamous shoe-dipping scene from that movie! It’s a powerful reminder that everyone matters, from the regular humans to the smallest belt buckle. This is a truly heartfelt story that’s been gestating for many years, and I’m so glad that it’s finally being shared with the world.

I raced through ‘Black Rose’ in under a day and have been recommending it wildly since. A great adventure and an intense ride, you’ll never feel so much sympathy for personified technology as you do here.

I’d also like to thank my laptop and smartphone for helping with this review.

I was kindly sent an early copy of this book by the publisher, but the above opinions are entirely my own.