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Dead West #2
Dead West: Bond of Blood
Dead Men who Cannot Die, Blazing Winchesters, and Legends of the Old West
Everyone brought something from the old country. Grandfather’s watch, and grandmother’s china; great-grandfather’s folklore, and great-great-grandmother’s fairy tales. What is never discussed, however, are the undying characters of the folklore: nix and fairy, goblin and vampire, dragon and eldritch things who all came to America’s shores in time with the rhyme of their tales.
The Knights of Charlotte hunt those things, ensuring what came from the dark stays in the dark.
Two of their knights have returned from the wild. Battered, bloody, and barely alive after West of Pale, Charlie and Samuel return to headquarters. It is time for one of the Knights’ meetings, a reunion for old comrades.
But two problems are waiting for them. First, their coffers run dry. Hunting folklore’s refuges doesn’t bring riches, and a rich man’s inheritance has expired. Second, an old comrade seems to have returned from the grave, fire in his belly supplanted by a fire a touch more hellish. He rampages across the west, refusing to die.
The Knights must ride out on one last quest...
Everyone brought something from the old country. Grandfather’s watch, and grandmother’s china; great-grandfather’s folklore, and great-great-grandmother’s fairy tales. What is never discussed, however, are the undying characters of the folklore: nix and fairy, goblin and vampire, dragon and eldritch things who all came to America’s shores in time with the rhyme of their tales.
The Knights of Charlotte hunt those things, ensuring what came from the dark stays in the dark.
Two of their knights have returned from the wild. Battered, bloody, and barely alive after West of Pale, Charlie and Samuel return to headquarters. It is time for one of the Knights’ meetings, a reunion for old comrades.
But two problems are waiting for them. First, their coffers run dry. Hunting folklore’s refuges doesn’t bring riches, and a rich man’s inheritance has expired. Second, an old comrade seems to have returned from the grave, fire in his belly supplanted by a fire a touch more hellish. He rampages across the west, refusing to die.
The Knights must ride out on one last quest...
226 pages, Paperback
First published April 10, 2017
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
April 18, 2017
Great story, great writing, great book.
I haven't read the first one yet, and while I feel like I missed some important things this book still holds up really well as a stand-alone!
Entertaining romp through alternative history, where monsters and demons are real and kicking (often harder than the herds) in the American Wild West. First person narrated, this book tells the story from a young boy's perspective (how young? I really don't know, I feel like that is one of the things I missed by not reading Dead West #1) and takes the readers along on a manhunt through the midwest in the late 19th century. You join the boy (Charlie) and his mentors as they track a gang of thieves and murderers, fighting the paranormal and their own (more personal) demons along the way.
I don't want to say too much, spoilers and all, but it was a really fun and quick read and is a well-written jaunt. I would probably recommend reading Dead West #1 first, even though that comes off a bit hypocritical since I have not :)
A few minor things detracted ever so slightly from the book. The first that comes to mind is the language and style when the characters are speaking; it usually is fine, but at times feels a bit forced and unwieldy. I found myself occasionally having to re-read sentences over and over in order to comprehend their meaning, due to the stylized structure of some of the sentences. I get what the author was trying to do, the world he was trying to (re)create, and usually it works. But a little too frequently the narrative is interrupted because the sentences are just a bit too cumbersome.
The second is a pretty standard issue I have with books: it took the characters way too long to figure out some of their mysteries. Coming in handicapped as I was from not reading the first of the series, there were a few notable examples where I knew several chapters ahead of the characters what the secret/mystery was. This makes it a little more inconsistent than I would like; these people are supposed to be experts and they live in this world J. Patrick Allen has created --they definitely should have figured some of these plot-points out faster than they did.
But, like I said, these are two very minor detractors from a very enjoyable book.
It's action packed, but still contains a real plot. It's detailed without being needlessly gory. The characters are appropriately stoic for their setting, but their concern and care for one another is tangible and constant.
I haven't read the first one yet, and while I feel like I missed some important things this book still holds up really well as a stand-alone!
Entertaining romp through alternative history, where monsters and demons are real and kicking (often harder than the herds) in the American Wild West. First person narrated, this book tells the story from a young boy's perspective (how young? I really don't know, I feel like that is one of the things I missed by not reading Dead West #1) and takes the readers along on a manhunt through the midwest in the late 19th century. You join the boy (Charlie) and his mentors as they track a gang of thieves and murderers, fighting the paranormal and their own (more personal) demons along the way.
I don't want to say too much, spoilers and all, but it was a really fun and quick read and is a well-written jaunt. I would probably recommend reading Dead West #1 first, even though that comes off a bit hypocritical since I have not :)
A few minor things detracted ever so slightly from the book. The first that comes to mind is the language and style when the characters are speaking; it usually is fine, but at times feels a bit forced and unwieldy. I found myself occasionally having to re-read sentences over and over in order to comprehend their meaning, due to the stylized structure of some of the sentences. I get what the author was trying to do, the world he was trying to (re)create, and usually it works. But a little too frequently the narrative is interrupted because the sentences are just a bit too cumbersome.
The second is a pretty standard issue I have with books: it took the characters way too long to figure out some of their mysteries. Coming in handicapped as I was from not reading the first of the series, there were a few notable examples where I knew several chapters ahead of the characters what the secret/mystery was. This makes it a little more inconsistent than I would like; these people are supposed to be experts and they live in this world J. Patrick Allen has created --they definitely should have figured some of these plot-points out faster than they did.
But, like I said, these are two very minor detractors from a very enjoyable book.
It's action packed, but still contains a real plot. It's detailed without being needlessly gory. The characters are appropriately stoic for their setting, but their concern and care for one another is tangible and constant.
Displaying 1 of 1 review