The Broken King

Bull Mountain #0.5

by Brian Panowich, Brian Troxell (Narrator)

A short story introduces listeners to Brian Panowich's brutal, mesmerizing North Georgia landscape, in preparation for Like Lions (4/30/19).

"No king lives forever, and Gareth was getting old."

Enter the world of Brian Panowich, where Gareth Burroughs runs McFalls County, in North Georgia, and all the criminal enterprises therein. Two of his three sons, Halford and Buckley, are aiming to follow in his footsteps. The third, Clayton, has turned his back on the family and became a lawman, a sheriff in town.

In Bull Mountain, the brothers' inevitable confrontation will change life in the county forever. In Like Lions, the last man standing, Clayton, must finally reckon with his heritage and with the expectations of everyone left in his father's and brothers' organization. But before Bull Mountain, before Like Lions, there was The Broken King and a final confrontation on a very cold night.

Genres: Fiction, Short Stories, Crime, Audiobook, Southern, Mystery, Thriller

Audible Audio

First published March 5, 2019

About the author

Brian writes and lives in Georgia but he dreams of Parma.

Reviews

[Annet · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wew, this book is pretty brutal! A prequel short story to Bull Mountain and Like Lions of Brian Panowich, both great books. This short story may even be better, so excellently written, not a word too much, great atmosphere and full of character and yes, the fire licks from the pages. Although the content of this story is harsh and brutal I would despite that say this story is written in a poetic way. Weird, isn't it.... but that's my view.

It's about the bad side of the Burroughs clan. For generations, the Burroughs clan has made its home on Bull Mountain in North Georgia, running shine, pot, and meth over six state lines, virtually untouched by the rule of law. This is one badass family. There's one good guy in the clan and he's the sheriff, but he's not in this short story. May explain why this story is pitchblack. Really really good.
If you have a strong stomach, read this series! 4.4.
Note: thanks to Cheri for bringing this prequel to my attention!

[karen · Rating 4 out of 5]

now that Like Lions is out, you can read this!

**********************************

oh my god, this exists??

it does! and now i have read it!

it exists and it is 23 pages long and even though, chronologically, it can be called a prequel to Bull Mountain and Like Lions, and is (presumably) being released now in order to build excitement for Like Lions’ U.S. release date (april 30!!), it would be my advice to read this after Like Lions. there is a moment in that book where TRUTHS are REVEALED and long-held BELIEFS are OVERTURNED and this short story will remove all of the GASP of what is meant to be a pivotal scene. i’m not sure why this particular cat is being allowed such a head-start out of its bag, but it makes more sense to me to read this one last. but you’re a grown-ass human and will make your own grown-ass decisions.

in any case, this is another great piece of writing from panowich — a blunt, descriptive, and brutal story about a very bad night for the burroughs clan and also for the hamburger man (shudder).

99 cents also gets you the first few chapters of Like Lions, which you will have already read by the time you read this story because you heeded my advice.

or not, you grown-ass human! read or heed, do what you need!

come to my blog!

[Zoeytron · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fight, kill, survive.  This is the name of the game up on Bull Mountain and you play it your whole life.  It's inevitable that the proverbial king of the mountain will be toppled at some point.  Gareth Burroughs has always been untouchable, but old age has a nasty way of interfering with business.

[Cheri · Rating 5 out of 5]

This short story (e-story) is a prequel to Brian Panowich’s Like Lions originally slated for release in 2018, this is scheduled to be released on 30 April 2019. For those of you who are eagerly awaiting the release of Like Lions , this prequel also includes the first few chapters of that to whet your appetite.

”Gareth Burroughs died by fire during an ice storm.”

This is the opening sentence in The Broken King, describing the man as seen by the people of Bull Mountain as a saint to some, a firm hand, and a loyal provider, but to others, a ruthless son of a bitch. He was the man ruling the drug dealing business in North Georgia, and if you crossed him, well… you just don’t want to do that, or even know what would happen if you did.

There’s a sense of tautness to Panowich’s prose, as though he has this urgent need to share this story, no word is wasted; and yet, this short story is shared through stunningly affecting prose.

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well now......sure got more than I was expecting in this short prequel.

Could THE BROKEN KING be even darker and grittier than BULL MOUNTAIN and LIKE LIONS combined?

Read it and see how deddy Gareth, the most notorious patriarch of Bull Mountain gets his just reward. Even if you've read them all....especially if you've read them all.

Very dark and brutal......and OMGOSH the hamburger man!

[Sujoya - theoverbookedbibliophile · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I can't wait to read the next three books!

Rtc

[Diane S ☔ · Rating 4 out of 5]

Anyone who has read Bull Mountain knows just how brutal the place is to those who cross the Burroughs. This short which is a prequel to Like Lions is, if that is even possible, more brutal than the first. It does though, what it sets out to do which is lead into the next in series.

[Donne]

Yep, this 15pg prequel should have been the prologue to installment #1. Since it was written nearly four years after the #1, I have to ask, “what is Panowich hoping to accomplish with this?" The book summary says it all so I’m not going to repeat it here. Actually, I'm not even going to rate it because it's not really necessary. I'm beginning to question even reading the next book.

[Heather Adores Books]

I decided to just get it over with. I'll wait to rate it until after I read Bull Mountain to see if I made the right choice or not.

Prior to listening thoughts:
I've seen great things about this series, so I figured I'd start with the prequel. But I'm seeing this was released 4 years after book 1, so now I'm wondering if I should even read it first?? Does it matter? Will I get spoilers?

[Magdalena · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fabulous short story, can't wait to read the next novel!

[Richard · Rating 4 out of 5]

This short story set in the world of Bull Mountain is another great showcase of Panowich’s knack for brutal and engaging storytelling. Throughout the author’s first two novels, we get hints as to the circumstances surrounding clan patriarch Gareth Burroughs’s death, but this time we witness exactly what happened. And it’s savage. Panowich’s way with language is used to uncomfortable effect here as the description of the death is graphically horrible and stuck with me for a couple of days. This detailing of the last days of a king definitely makes the wait for a new novel even harder!

[Vleigh · Rating 4 out of 5]

A short story to start off a series that I don't think I'll continue. The writing was perfect, and I could picture every gruesome thing down to the last detail. Not for me.

[Cathrine ☯️ · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 🫣🫣🫣🫣

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fire is a hell of a way to die, especially when it's Brian Panowich doing the describing. O_O

This story is $1 and worth every penny. (Even better if you can do a No-rush shipping on something and get it for free, like I did. :D) But seriously, it's so good to be back in the land of brutality and beauty that is Brian Panowich's writing. I don't know what it is about him, but the way that he describes even the ugliest, harshest things has this quality to it that makes you want to see. I read the description of the death by fire TWICE because, as horrific as it was, it was vital and crucial, and yes, beautiful in its way.

This book is a prequel to the events of Bull Mountain, but I'm REALLY hoping that this is actually leading into a third full novel. Like Lions was great, but I want the hellstorm that was predicted in this book to happen. The king of Bull Mountain wasn't a pleasant man, but he was a fascinating one, and I would love to see the aftermath that would come of this story.

Loved this, but dropping a star for its length, because NO FAIR to give me 23 freaking pages and expect that to be enough.

[SUSAN *Nevertheless,she persisted* · Rating 5 out of 5]

When is the next book coming out????

[Alex Carbo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Best short story to come out of 2019 where Panowich humanize Garrett and makes us weep for the Burroughs clan.

Brian Panowich writes like his house is on fire and the only way to put it out is to put pen on paper.

[Abibliofob · Rating 3 out of 5]

It is always fun to get a little background information on a serie. This one goes back before the first book and give readers a little more about the clan on Bull Mountain. I look forward to reading the next one. Strong recommendations.

[Alicia · Rating 3 out of 5]

An excellent appetizer to get you hungry for the Bull Mountain saga.

[Cam · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’m playing catch up on my .5 books. If you are looking for good books the Bull Mountain books are good. There are people that live on the mountain that the only thing they are trying to do is survive. You have a family of drug dealers a mid some of the family decided to go into law enforcement. Their is a conflict of interest.

[Dr Brown · Rating 5 out of 5]

Could have been a long chapter in either of the two other books about Bull Mountain. But hey, i ain't complaining, I loved this family saga/tragedy

[Catherine Mihm · Rating 4 out of 5]

Burroughs law

Nice background into where Clayton came from and what happened in his youth to bring about his manner of being sheriff. Looking forward to reading Bull Mountain.

[Straw · Rating 3 out of 5]

Feels like starter stories for Bull Mountain.

[Roberta · Rating 3 out of 5]

Non ha molto senso leggerlo prima di Come Leoni o addirittura prima di Bull Mountain.
In ogni caso una piacevole chicca, sebbene di poche (e non indispensabili) pagine.

[Susan Crowe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent novella! Just downloaded Bull Mountain! I want more!

[Ann Frese · Rating 4 out of 5]

4 1/2 stars. The story of the death of the reigning king of the family- Gareth. Suggested read before Like Lions and included the prologue. The descriptions are almost poetical and the violence continues. Sometimes, you don't want to know what happens but use your own imagination.

[Kim · Rating 4 out of 5]

A prequel to the Bull Mountain series. It's so short (an hour long listen) that I'm surprised it's a standalone book. It does set the stage for the series but I'd need to read Bull Mountain again to get the significance of a couple of the players. It doesn't leave me with a "oh that fills in a lot of missing pieces" sense but a solid short story nonetheless. The language and violence are intense as expected with this crime lord family.

[Jackie Martello · Rating 5 out of 5]

I read the first book in the series “Bull Mountain” first, and then read this short story “The Broken King” and I believe it made this story much better and meaningful. I think these books are worth reading for those who love the southern people and culture. Looking forward to reading the entire series. These stories are very DARK, but beautifully written and wonderfully narrated on the audiobooks.

[Alea Greene · Rating 5 out of 5]

The book description on Like Lions intrigued me......and I said well let me start at the beginning. And I wasn't disappointed. This book was the preface for what you know will be a good series that will have you reading the entire saga in one weekend!! Can't wait to see what's going to happen next!!

[Charity · Rating 4 out of 5]

A quick little read that gives you the story before the story. I loved Bull Mountain and this was great too. I'm looking forward to reading Books #2 and #3. I hadn't realized that it continued in a series or I would have already picked these up.

[Sheri Howard · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed Bull Mountian, but wasn’t certain I’d move on to the next in the series. After listening to this prequel (#0.5), I have questions that may motivate me to find, listen to and/or read Like Lions.