Have Glyphs Will Travel

Merkabah Rider #3

by Edward M. Erdelac

A Hasidic gunslinger tracks the renegade teacher who betrayed his mystic Jewish order of astral travelers to the Great Old Ones across the demon haunted American Southwest of 1881. The acclaimed weird western series continues in this third and penultimate installment. The Rider and Kabede must rally a US Cavalry troop against an army of the undead led by three of Adon's renegade riders if they are to survive THE LONG SABBATH. The Rider infiltrates an Apache stronghold to convince the combined forces of Vittorio and Geronimo not to lend their might to the forces of THE WAR PROPHET. The Rider sets out to rescue the succubus Nehema from the wrath of THE MULES OF THE MAZZIKIM. In a frontier prison, he comes face to face with his greatest enemy, THE MAN CALLED OTHER. Finally, seeking to learn the remaining secrets of Adon's plot to bring about The Hour of Incursion, the Rider and his companions arrive in Tombstone only to be confronted with the horror of THE FIRE KING TRIUMPHANT.

Genres: Fantasy, Horror, Weird West, Westerns, Fiction, Lovecraftian, Weird Fiction

472 pages, Kindle Edition

First published November 23, 2011

About the author

Edward M. Erdelac is the author of thirteen novels including the acclaimed Judeocentric/Lovecraftian weird western series Merkabah Rider, Rainbringer: Zora Neale Hurston Against The Lovecraftian Mythos, Conquer, Monstrumfuhrer from Comet Press, Terovolas from JournalStone Publishing, and Andersonville from Random House/Hydra.

Born in Indiana, educated in Chicago, he lives in the Los Angeles area with his wife and a bona fide slew of kids and cats.

Reviews

[Dan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Every reader eventually stumbles upon a book (or series) that feels like it was written with their particular tastes in mind. For me, one of those works is the Merkabah Rider series.

Volume three picks up where volume two left off, with The Rider, a Jewish mystic gunfighter in the old west, persuing Adon, his teacher and betrayer who means to bring about the end of the world.

The Long Sabbath: The Rider and Kabede ride into a remote camp with a horde of zombies on their trail, led by three rogue Sons of the Essenes. How can they survive when the soldiers throw them in jail on sight?

The Long Sabbath was a good reintroduction to the saga of the Merkabah Rider. The gore factor was high, both with the zombies and the other vile things, and more details of Adon's plans were revealed. One of the things that I love about the Rider is that he isn't a super hero and frequently takes quite a beating. Adon's renegades were formidable foes and I have a feeling we'll be seeing more of the same.

The War Shaman: Misquamacus is massing an Indian army to exterminate the Mexicans and white men and it's up to The Rider, Belden, and Kabade to stop him with the help of friends new and old. But can they stop Misquamacus from summoning one of the Great Old Ones?

The Rider didn't actually do that much in this one. It was more of an expository segment with the identity of Adam Belial revealed. Without giving anything away, I was not dissatisfied with the revelation in the least.

The Mules of Mazzikim: The Rider parts ways with Kabede and Belden to go to Yuma to find Nehema. But will he find her... or trouble?

Here we go! The Rider meets up with the succubus from then first book and chaos ensues. More details of the overall plot are revealed and the Rider winds up in a precarious predicament by the end.

The Man Called Other: The Rider winds up in the clink and meets up with...

Holy Sh!t! Revelations of a unbelievable magnitude are revealed when the Rider has a meeting that has been a long time coming. Much like the last stories in the previous volume, Erdelac turns everything on its ear. Man, the wait for the fourth and final volume is going to be torturous.

The Fire King Triumphant: The Rider and company return to Tombstone to get some answers...

There's not a lot I can reveal about this story without giving too much away. There are revelations, shocks, a cliffhanger, and Lovecraftian beasties.

In conclusion, Edward M. Erdelac consistently delivers the goods with this series. The Merkabah Rider should appeal to fans of Stephen King's Dark Tower, HP Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, and similar works. If you like any of those things, you owe it to yourself to give the Merkabah Rider a try.

And now the agonizing wait for the fourth book begins...

[Lee Conley · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Review of
Have Glyphs Will Travel (Merkabah Rider #3)
By
Edward M Erdelac

This is book three of the Merkabah Rider series which I have been bingeing.
Absolutely loving this series! This one picks up immediately after the last one ends and begins with The Rider and his new African companion being pursued across the desert by a horde of undead and three traitor Ex-Merkabah Riders who have joined Adon. The opening story was very enjoyable and gory. The last stand of a US army outpost they stumble into against the evil pursuing them. The Rider meets an old friend, who goes on to become a cool character in the now expanding team.
Loved the Indian story, and the Mexicans! I generally found this book a bit gorier than the first too, which was awesome. We are given more tidbits on the looming evil they are facing.

In previous books, The Rider has previously worked alone, or is the only survivor of a temporary alliance or friendship, so I like that book three gives The Rider some sidekick companions.
Again a very enjoyable string of stories, loved the ending but I wont spoil it.
Check these books out guys, they're awesome! On to the next one!

Thanks for reading
Lee

[Ryan Lawler · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Merkabah Rider series by Edward M. Erdelac is unlike anything I have read before. It is a collection of Weird Western novellas telling the story of a man named Rider as he tries to stop his former mentor from destroying the world. Erdelac mixes the Wild West with Jewish Mysticism, Catholicism, American Indian religion, a little Chinese religion, and a lot of Lovecraftian goodness. Have Glyphs, Will Travel contains episodes #9 - #13, and suffice to say that things do not go well for the Rider in these episodes. At all.

Episode #9 started this book with a bang, as the Rider's enemies come after him with an undead legion. Episode #10 was very slow and heavy on the exposition, but the ending was fantastic and the revelations were definitely worth it. Episodes #11 and #12 are two completely gripping episodes that pair together and deliver some heavy gut punches to the Rider. And Episode #13... wow. Just wow. I mean, I know the previous 12 episodes have been building towards this moment, but it still managed to take me by surprise.

I'll have my full review on Fantasy Book Review soon, but for now, I just want to say that everyone should be reading these stories.

[Seregil of Rhiminee · Rating 5 out of 5]

Originally published at Risingshadow.

Note! This is a joint and spoiler free review of Tales of a High Planes Drifter, The Mensch with No Name, and Have Glyphs Will Travel.

Before I write more about these three books, here's information about them:

Tales of a High Planes Drifter contains the following four stories:
- The Blood Libel
- Hell's Hired Gun
- The Dust Devils
- The Nightjar Women

Here are the official synopses for these stories:

Blood Libel: In 1879, the children of the Arizona mining town of Delirium Tremens have begun disappearing. The law has tracked the missing daughter of a local reverend to the neighboring Jewish settlement of Little Jerusalem. Old hatreds are fit to boil over when a mysterious Hasidic gunslinger known as the Rider checks into the local hotel. He soon discovers a rogue element of the population has taken over the settlement and instituted a cult dedicated to the profane worship of the demon king Molech. The Rider sets out to bring it down, with the lives of the innocent Jews and the kidnapped preacher's daughter in the balance. But as he sheds his physical form to do battle in the spirit world, an irate mob breaks into his hotel room and drags his unconscious body away. The Rider must smash the cult and return to his body in time to avert his own lynching...

The Dust Devils: An impenetrable dust storm blows the Rider into the border town of Polvo Arrido. Its affluence points to a town in the midst of a boom, but where have all the people gone? A ruthless bandit chief and his gang may hold the answer, or else a strange eyed ju ju man whose powers rival the Rider's own. Then there's the fact that the storm surrounding the town doesn't seem to dissipate...

Hells Hired Gun: When the Rider discovers a massacred Franciscan mis-sion, he turns aside from the trail of his master to track down the perpetrator. He is rescued from a snowstorm outside the remote town of Gadara by an odd old preacher, who spins him a yarn about Medgar Tooms, a cursed gunman who walks the West at the head of a herd of voracious pigs, dragging the broken chains of all those who have tried to bind him. But this is no fantasy. Tooms is coming to Gadara, and only the Rider and the preacher stand in his way...

The Nightjar Women: The Rider comes to a town without children where nightly, evil is born again and again. In the coils of his most secret dreams, an antedilivian menace calls him... by his true name.

The Mensch with No Name contains the following four stories:
- The Infernal Napoleon
- The Damned Dingus
- The Outlaw Gods
- The Pandæmonium Ride

Here are the official synopses for these stories:

In this installment the Rider unravels more of the mystery of Adon's Hour of the Incursion plot and quickly learns that demons are the least of his troubles. He defends a remote settlement against a gang of half-demon gunmen in "The Infernal Napoleon," joins forces with Doc Holliday to hunt down an invisible creature in "The Damned Dingus," aids a group of Indians against the mindbending horror of "The Outlaw Gods," and takes his hunt to hell itself in "The Pandæmonium Ride."

Have Glyphs Will Travel contains the following five stories:
- The Long Sabbath
- The War Shaman
- The Mules of Mazzikim
- The Man Called Other
- The Fire King Triumphant

Here are the official synopses for these stories:

The Rider and Kabede must rally a US Cavalry troop against an army of the undead lead by three of Adon's renegade riders if they are to survive The Long Sabbath. The Rider infiltrates an Apache stronghold to convince the combined forces of Vittorio and Geronimo not to lend their might to the mysterious forces of The War Prophet. The Rider sets out to rescue the succubus Nehema from the wrath of The Mules of The Mazzikim, then confronts his greatest enemy, The Man Called Other. Seeking to learn the remaining secrets of The Hour of Incursion, the Rider and his companions arrive in Tombstone only to face the horror of The Fire King Triumphant.

I admit that I'm difficult to please when it comes to speculative fiction that can be categorized as weird western, because I expect quality, good prose and imagination from weird western stories. I've often been more or less disappointed by weird western books and stories, but not this time, because I was impressed by Edward M. Erdelac's stories.

As a big fan of well written weird fiction, dark fantasy and horror, I can say that I loved these stories. Finding stories which combine Jewish mysticism, Lovecraftian horror and western elements is difficult, but Edward M. Erdelac has somehow managed to combine all of these elements and the result is truly stunning. I dare say that these stories will someday be considered classics of the genre, because they're excellent and atmospheric stories.

I think it's good to mention that these stories are stories for adults, because the author writes fantastically about the gory and bloody happenings. He manages to bring the grittiness and violence of the Old West to life, but doesn't overdo it. It's also good to mention that these stories must be read in order, because that's the only way to fully appreciate the beauty and strangeness of them.

I think it's intriguing that the author has decided to write several stories about the Rider and his adventures. This kind of storytelling is charming, because it reminds me of old pulp classics. For example, Robert E. Howard wrote several stories about Solomon Kane in a similar kind of way (I think that Howard's Solomon Kane stories have been an inspiration to the author).

I haven't read many weird western books, so I'm not an expert on this genre, but in my opinion Merkabah Rider outshines all the other weird western books and series on the market, because Edward M. Erdelac is a good author and his stories are imaginative.

It's possible that many readers will try to compare these stories to Stephen King's famous and popular The Dark Tower saga. In my opinion there's no room for comparison, because Merkabah Rider offers much better and more interesting fiction than The Dark Tower books. Erdelac has the raised the bar amazingly high and has taken weird western to new heights of excellence with his original storytelling style, so all other authors will be having difficulties writing similar stories.

This series follows the adventures of the Rider. The Rider is a Hasidic gunslinger who hunts his renegade teacher. Along the way he has to deal with all kinds of problems. He carries a pistol with him and riders with an onager. His travels take him from one adventure to another, and along the way he meets all kinds of demons and beasts etc.

Reading about the Rider and his adventures is interesting, because the author keeps the stories fascinating by revealing small bits and pieces of the world in each story. I'm sure that every reader who likes weird fiction and is willing to read western flavoured dark fantasy will be charmed by the author's revelations and will like his writing style. The author moves the story easily forward by telling about the Rider's adventures and what happens to him. Each story is part of a big story arc (the first book introduces the Rider, but the grandness and epicness of the story arc is revealed in the second book, and the third book is pure pleasure from start to finish).

The Rider is a fascinatingly mysterious character, because the author has created a bit different kind of a hero. The Rider can almost be seen as a classic drifter character, but he's much more than that, because he fights against evil and horrors, and he can enter the spirit world. He's almost like a combination of Robert E. Howard's Solomon Kane and Clint Eastwood's classic western heroes.

The other characters are portrayed well too. I liked the way the author wrote about them and how they interacted with each other. Reading about Doc Holliday was very interesting.

In my opinion Edward M. Erdelac writes slendidly descriptive prose. His descriptions are vivid and fascinating, and he manages to evoke beautiful and disturbing images of the Old West where almost anything is possible. The descriptions of the locales reminded me of Sergio Leone's classic westerns (and other classic western movies), because there's dust, mountains, valleys, gunmen and prostitutes etc in these stories. The only difference is that the events in these books are spiced with fantasy and horror elements.

In my opinion Edward M. Erdelac has a talent for combining western, fantasy and horror. He uses classic western elements as the core of the story arc and boldly leads his readers into the realms of the fantastic. I liked it very much that the author has infused his stories with Lovecraftian weirdness and even uses such names as Necronomicon, the Great Old Ones and Shub-Niggurath (these Lovecraftian elements add a nice touch of weirdness and fascination to the stories).

As the story of the Rider begins to unfold, the readers will have a chance to read more about Lovecraftian elements. In my opinion the author uses Lovecraftian elements in a creative and impressive way. I think that everybody who loves weird fiction will enjoy reading about the Adon's Hour of the Incursion and other things. I think I'd better not write more about these things, because I might reveal too much information to the readers and spoil the fun of reading the stories, so I'll just mention that fans of H. P. Lovecraft will enjoy these stories.

The author pays a lot of attention for building up the atmosphere and the world. The worldbuilding works well. At first it seems that the stories are straight forward stories, but when you read all of them, you'll notice that they're full of details and how perefectly they're interlinked to each other.

Edward M. Erdelac writes fluently about crimes, racism, prostitution, gun fights and other things that made the Old West a wild and dangerous place. The author also writes realistically about the beliefs of the people and even shows how ignorant some of them can be, because they shun the Rider for being different.

The author has an intriguing way of writing about Jewish mysticism, mythology, religion and biblical elements. His descriptions of these things are genuinely interesting and fascinating. I enjoyed reading about the religious, mythological and supernatural elements, because he doesn't underestimate the intelligence of his readers, but trusts that his readers are intelligent and are able to figure out certain things for themselves.

There are good glossaries of Hebrew, Yiddish, and Aramaic terms at the end of the books. I think it's good that the author has added glossaries to each book, because otherwise it might be difficult to understand certain terms. I'll also mention that I liked the cover art images by Cinsearae Santiago.

It was a pleasure to read Tales of a High Planes Drifter, The Mensch with No Name, and Have Glyphs Will Travel, because I loved the stories. In my honest opinion these books are damn good dark fantasy flavoured weird western books. If you like weird fiction, dark fantasy and westerns, you must read these books, because they're perfect entertainment and full of strange and macabre happenings.

I'm sure that these books will especially appeal to fans of Robert E. Howard and H. P. Lovecraft, because there are traces of their style in these books. I can also recommend these stories to readers who like such modern horror masters as Laird Barron and Richard Gavin.

Highly recommended!

[Shedrick Pittman-Hassett · Rating 4 out of 5]

From my blog: http://serialdistractions.com

Last year I reviewed the previous two entries in this weird-west series, Tales of a High Planes Drifter and The Mensch With No Name. In fact, the series made my soon-to-be-distinguished-and-renowned "Top Distractions of 2011" list. In the review I stated that I was looking forward to the next entry. Well, it finally came and did not disappoint. In fact, I think it's the author's best yet.

"Glyphs" is set up in the same episodic style as the other books, this volume being comprised of episodes nine through thirteen. "The Long Sabbath" picks up the action immediately after the final tale of The Mensch With No Name ("The Pandaemonium Ride") with the Rider and his companion Kabede being pursued across the desert by a hoard of hungry undead. They happen upon an isolated military outpost where Rider meets an old friend and learns more about the renegade Essenes that seek the strange sacred scroll that he now carries. In "The War Shaman", the Rider and his allies take on an ancient Native American medicine man allied with the otherworldly forces that seek to force the Hour of Incursion. Next the Rider takes on a foolish mission to save a succubus from the wrath of "The Mules of the Mazzikim", a task that places him in the hands of his greatest enemy in "The Man Called Other". Finally, he receives some answers--and no few questions--in the boom town of Tombstone in "The Fire King Triumphant".

"Glyphs" has all of the things I loved about the first two novels only more so. This volume is chock full of revelations about the nature of the planes, Adon's identity and true motives, the Rider's ultimate destiny, and the role of gods and men across the spheres. Erdelac does a great job of paring complex paranormal concepts with good old fashioned western action. These tales are truly the love children of Robert E. Howard, H. P. Lovecraft, and Sergio Leone. There is great action, an intricate and well-researched system of metaphysics and mysticism, and an interesting character fighting for the highest of stakes--the continued existence of all creation.

Also, Erdelac's dialog is crisper and the prose is less forced--not that it was terribly forced to begin with. This is clearly the work of an author completely in his element and having fun with it, making it infectious for the reader as well. The final events of episode thirteen (I didn't really think about the numerological significance until now...hmm...) are huge and, true to form, set up an ending that's really not--enhancing anticipation for the next volume.

Count me as being first in line.

[Jeff Carter · Rating 5 out of 5]

Merkabah Rider: Have Glyphs Will Travel is book three in the MR series, and it starts off chugging along at break-neck speed. The payoffs for readers are enormous and the revelations come fast and furious, but nothing on the Rider's grim and perilous quest comes without a price. The enemies are more powerful and terrifying, faith and sanity are pushed to the breaking point and the stakes reach a fever pitch.

This book will thrill anyone who loves strong writing, and will delight fans of westerns, horror, mythology, mysticism, action, history and rip snorting adventure. I can't wait until the next book!

[Ashe Armstrong · Rating 5 out of 5]

The third book picks up right after the second and things are bad for the Rider still. And about to get worse. Do you love zombie hordes & Lovecraftian horrors? Do you love six shooters? Do you love weird westerns? Of course you do! And if you don't love weird westerns, you will after reading this series. Go buy the first two, then get this one. I said in the second review that I can't say enough good things, and I can't. The characters are just as great, story's just as great. Go, buy them, read them, love them.

[Wayne · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a manuscript I read in preparation for an upcoming illustration project. Having been involved as illustrator in the new editions of the previous two Merkabah Rider collections, I know and love the character and was ready to experience the next set of tales. Edward Erdelac pulled out all the stops here, and delivered an excruciating crucible through which the Rider and his companions were ground repeatedly. I honestly feel for the Rider, who showed infinite resilience by having made it through all five stories! And things are only beginning, if what I expect comes to pass in the next collection. Man, now the hard part; figuring out just how to depict these tales visually. Game on!

[Preston Postle · Rating 4 out of 5]

As The Rider continues to get to the bottom of the overarching mystery at the heart of the series--and the revenge he seeks--the stakes become higher. Author Edward Erdelac continues to top himself as he creates one show-stopping conflict after another, but how can this painfully mortal character keep living through these encounters? Ah, well, love this complex, flawed character and his struggles. Can't wait to read Book Four!

[Thiago d'Evecque · Rating 4 out of 5]

A história do Merkabah continua e nesse volume cada conto lasca ainda mais com o couro dele, até um ápice em que não dá pra imaginar como ele vai se livrar.

Personagens antigos retornam, novos personagens são introduzidos, a fé do Merkabah é testada a fogo, a mitologia judaico-lovecraftiana é explicada e aprofundada ainda mais, e a Hora da Incursão se aproxima, que é quando os Deuses Antigos invadirão a Terra.

O encontro com Adon foi o destaque do livro pra mim.

[Mario · Rating 5 out of 5]

The continuing stories of a Jewish holy man who looks to destroy his former teacher turned evil, received a great blow in the last book, when he found what kind of conflict he is involved with.

The stories of this book answer many questions of the encounters of the second book, and of course provide us new questions to ponder, as the Judeochristian pantheon meets the Lovecraftian one in a huge battle for our universe.

Can the actions of a single man influence the outcome of a plot that has been planned for eons? Go ahead and read this fantastic adventure which will end in the next book.

Extremely recommended!

[Steve Valenzuela · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wild Western

I really like the intense, eerie and creepy, and other feelings, this book gives! The different stories have a great, individual drive.

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

It gets turned up to eleven. The Hour of the Incursion is nigh, and the Rider and his allies will need to keep their eye on the ball in this Weird West lovecraftian horror.

Not much more to add. If you loved the previous installments, you will love this one. If you didn't read those, what are you waiting on?

[Pierre Mare · Rating 5 out of 5]

It feels very much as if I am going to have to hang around and wait for the next in the series. That's utterly irritating, with a story this compelling.

[Vaughn45 · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great set of stories. Wonderful characters and very well written. This whole series comes highly recommended!