What do you think?
Rate this book
They Built a Gallows for You and Me
"Was the threat of death all we needed to die?" When smiles act like monsters in the dark who are pretending to be friendly, it's hard to know where to put your trust. As a mysterious sickness starts killing the children in the town of Salinas, the townsfolk find themselves distraught and searching for answers.
A new family in town seemed to bring forth the illness. Did they bring it with them? Are they causing it to happen? Or did the family stumble into something dark and sinister, something with witchcraft on its lips?
A new family in town seemed to bring forth the illness. Did they bring it with them? Are they causing it to happen? Or did the family stumble into something dark and sinister, something with witchcraft on its lips?
71 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 1, 2021
7 people are currently reading
185 people want to read
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews
June 13, 2021
This is the tenth book in the Splatter Western line from Death’s Head Press and, by all accounts, the series has been a massive success. The publisher doesn’t seem content to rest on their laurels, however, as book nine (‘The Shadow of the Vulture’) offered a more serious tone and grounded take than what came before it and, with the recent release of book ten, Cody Higgins has delivered the most unique and distinctive entry to date.
When a new family arrive at the town of Salinas, looking to settle down, their arrival coincides with a terrible sickness that sweeps the population, taking their children from them. As the townsfolk begin to suspect this family may be responsible, and suggestions of a much darker evil living in the forest outside of town make themselves known, things come to a head in the poetic and chilling new entry in this popular series.
This will no doubt prove to be a divisive release, as the book has such a lyrical and oftentimes indecipherable prose style that people coming expecting more of the fast-paced, fun times the series has excelled in to date, will be left with something that defies both expectation and description. The book (the shortest of the series to date at a mere 71 pages) reads like a dreamlike, novella-length poem and I think readers wanting things like story, character arcs or any kind of typical reading experience will be left wanting. Even the ‘Splatter’ and ‘Western’ elements of the book are questionable, the former being present but suggestive as opposed to explicit and the books old west setting seems present because it needs to be, rather than because it fits.
I struggled a great deal with this book but the more I read the more I found that my frustration lay with the fact I was trying to enjoy it as a narrative, to engage with the characters and get a feel for where the story was going. I enjoyed the book far more when I just read, without expectation or pre-conceived notions of what I should be getting out of it. In the right frame of mind, I found the experience very evocative and ethereal. It reads like a fever dream, evoking a general sense of unease, or dread, coming back to broad musings on big themes and keeping maddeningly distant from anything concrete to focus on.
Read as an experience as opposed to a story, allowing the mood and cadence of the writing inform the forward momentum as opposed to actual narrative drive, then ‘They Built a Gallows For You and Me’ is a big success, as I’ve never read anything quite like it before. It is a challenging but ultimately fascinating book, and hats off to Death’s Head Press for publishing something so different and unexpected ten books into their already successful series. It may not have been the book I wanted it to be, but I appreciate the boldness of something so unlike anything that came before it and I’m left genuinely excited by the endless possibilities of what may come next.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/richard-m...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter and Instagram - @RickReadsHorror
When a new family arrive at the town of Salinas, looking to settle down, their arrival coincides with a terrible sickness that sweeps the population, taking their children from them. As the townsfolk begin to suspect this family may be responsible, and suggestions of a much darker evil living in the forest outside of town make themselves known, things come to a head in the poetic and chilling new entry in this popular series.
This will no doubt prove to be a divisive release, as the book has such a lyrical and oftentimes indecipherable prose style that people coming expecting more of the fast-paced, fun times the series has excelled in to date, will be left with something that defies both expectation and description. The book (the shortest of the series to date at a mere 71 pages) reads like a dreamlike, novella-length poem and I think readers wanting things like story, character arcs or any kind of typical reading experience will be left wanting. Even the ‘Splatter’ and ‘Western’ elements of the book are questionable, the former being present but suggestive as opposed to explicit and the books old west setting seems present because it needs to be, rather than because it fits.
I struggled a great deal with this book but the more I read the more I found that my frustration lay with the fact I was trying to enjoy it as a narrative, to engage with the characters and get a feel for where the story was going. I enjoyed the book far more when I just read, without expectation or pre-conceived notions of what I should be getting out of it. In the right frame of mind, I found the experience very evocative and ethereal. It reads like a fever dream, evoking a general sense of unease, or dread, coming back to broad musings on big themes and keeping maddeningly distant from anything concrete to focus on.
Read as an experience as opposed to a story, allowing the mood and cadence of the writing inform the forward momentum as opposed to actual narrative drive, then ‘They Built a Gallows For You and Me’ is a big success, as I’ve never read anything quite like it before. It is a challenging but ultimately fascinating book, and hats off to Death’s Head Press for publishing something so different and unexpected ten books into their already successful series. It may not have been the book I wanted it to be, but I appreciate the boldness of something so unlike anything that came before it and I’m left genuinely excited by the endless possibilities of what may come next.
You can read more reviews of new and upcoming horror releases at https://www.myindiemuse.com/richard-m...
I also promote indie horror via Twitter and Instagram - @RickReadsHorror
July 9, 2021
I appreciated this unique structure but unfortunately it didn’t really work for me. The majority of the book is written in what seems like verse and I found it difficult to read. It felt almost lyrical in nature and it was difficult for me to follow. The narrative seemed to all blur together with no clear distinction and I found my attention wandering throughout the entire story.
This is the 10th book in the Splatter Western series and it opens in a dramatic and compelling way with an execution. It started strong for me and I enjoyed this portion as well as the ending. Both which weren’t written in verse.
The tone of the book is almost quiet in nature and has a unique settled feel in comparison to the others in the series. It does not have the same in your face shock horror. It’s rather poetic and quite beautiful to read. Cody Higgins certainly has a way with words and although this didn’t work for me I feel some other readers will enjoy his unique contribution to the series.
This is the 10th book in the Splatter Western series and it opens in a dramatic and compelling way with an execution. It started strong for me and I enjoyed this portion as well as the ending. Both which weren’t written in verse.
The tone of the book is almost quiet in nature and has a unique settled feel in comparison to the others in the series. It does not have the same in your face shock horror. It’s rather poetic and quite beautiful to read. Cody Higgins certainly has a way with words and although this didn’t work for me I feel some other readers will enjoy his unique contribution to the series.
July 15, 2021
Well, hello there, Cody Higgins.
I just finished They Built a Gallows for You and Me, and wow, that was a cool experience. I’ll admit that I am not the most abstract brain in the reader/ reviewer landscape so some of the more obtuse lyrical themes in poetry can fly over my head, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying a nice prosetic offering. I’ve stated before that killer dialogue is what wins me over more times than not, so I suppose that a lyrical narrative floats in that same boat. Weaving a tapestry of implied thoughts and emotions to stated dialogue, it adds a certain intimacy which I find mentally stimulating.
Gallows offers passage after passage of gorgeous words. It also offers something different to the Splatter Western lineup, a series that (Note: strictly my own feelings) started amazingly strong before quickly waning as a certain sort of aggressive bluntness began to escalate, exponentially book by book. I’d say that waning has effectively been squashed as Deaths Head Press has been releasing fresh and diverse titles to the SW series, effectively offering something for everyone. Which is tough in this day and age.
I just hope that They Built a Gallows for You and Me isn’t too diverse and different for the target audience. It already feels like it’s being overlooked and overshadowed by the next book in the series (I get it, Im excited for book 11 also, but don’t sleep on this one!) The current rating here kind of feels like a travesty, with the predominant statement being (paraphrase) “I don’t like prose.” I’d love to see what some fellow prose fans think of Gallows. Let’s get more eyes on this one!
I really enjoyed this book, it’s a beautiful and refreshing read. I am new to Cody’s work but I will most definitely be seeking out more. 5⭐️
Zakk is a big dumb animal!
I just finished They Built a Gallows for You and Me, and wow, that was a cool experience. I’ll admit that I am not the most abstract brain in the reader/ reviewer landscape so some of the more obtuse lyrical themes in poetry can fly over my head, but that doesn’t stop me from enjoying a nice prosetic offering. I’ve stated before that killer dialogue is what wins me over more times than not, so I suppose that a lyrical narrative floats in that same boat. Weaving a tapestry of implied thoughts and emotions to stated dialogue, it adds a certain intimacy which I find mentally stimulating.
Gallows offers passage after passage of gorgeous words. It also offers something different to the Splatter Western lineup, a series that (Note: strictly my own feelings) started amazingly strong before quickly waning as a certain sort of aggressive bluntness began to escalate, exponentially book by book. I’d say that waning has effectively been squashed as Deaths Head Press has been releasing fresh and diverse titles to the SW series, effectively offering something for everyone. Which is tough in this day and age.
I just hope that They Built a Gallows for You and Me isn’t too diverse and different for the target audience. It already feels like it’s being overlooked and overshadowed by the next book in the series (I get it, Im excited for book 11 also, but don’t sleep on this one!) The current rating here kind of feels like a travesty, with the predominant statement being (paraphrase) “I don’t like prose.” I’d love to see what some fellow prose fans think of Gallows. Let’s get more eyes on this one!
I really enjoyed this book, it’s a beautiful and refreshing read. I am new to Cody’s work but I will most definitely be seeking out more. 5⭐️
Zakk is a big dumb animal!
June 2, 2021
Just not for me
I did not like this book at all, but it's just because I don't like poetic writing styles. I was often confused because of the way it was written.
I did not like this book at all, but it's just because I don't like poetic writing styles. I was often confused because of the way it was written.
June 2, 2021
A beautiful nightmare
Poetry?
Western?
Splatter?
The answer to all three is an emphatic YES!
It took me a few pages to acclimate to the writing style, but once I did I just flew through this tale of haunted lovers.
If I am correct, this would be the thinnest in the series yet. However, it doesn't pull any punches. Sadly, I can't really come up with a description for this one. It really is that original.
Highly recommend. Keep 'em coming DHP.🤘
Poetry?
Western?
Splatter?
The answer to all three is an emphatic YES!
It took me a few pages to acclimate to the writing style, but once I did I just flew through this tale of haunted lovers.
If I am correct, this would be the thinnest in the series yet. However, it doesn't pull any punches. Sadly, I can't really come up with a description for this one. It really is that original.
Highly recommend. Keep 'em coming DHP.🤘
December 30, 2023
Crazy how this book did a million different things and they all sucked <3
March 10, 2025
A family is new in town and the townspeople are skeptical. Children are dying off by a mysterious illness and this new family is being accused of dark witchcraft.
MY THOUGHTS
It’s a very poetic writing style which I understand and was expecting. It makes it different. Makes it very unique.
But let’s get into it shall we….This book is sooooo hard to read. There is a plot….you just have to wade and sift through all the wordy nonsense to see parts of it.
This is like a wanna be modern day Shakespearean writing style and it kinda gave me a headache to be honest.
So dense. Feels like I was running in circles sometimes or even running in place. It’s very descriptive, very introversive, very full of similes and feelings and wonderings and tangents that have nothing to do with what is actually going on in the moment. Can something be dense and vague at the same time? Ugh.
Barely any dialogue. Not a lot of answers to questions either. Like do they actually possess magic or witchcraft or were they just scapegoats? Who knows…
My expectations for this were low going into it knowing it had poetic elements woven throughout the story. And I’m glad I knew that ahead of time. I’ve got way more negatives and unfortunately not a lot of positives. I probably could have DNFd but I always push through no matter what. This one was not at all for me but happy to add it to the splatter western collection!
MY THOUGHTS
It’s a very poetic writing style which I understand and was expecting. It makes it different. Makes it very unique.
But let’s get into it shall we….This book is sooooo hard to read. There is a plot….you just have to wade and sift through all the wordy nonsense to see parts of it.
This is like a wanna be modern day Shakespearean writing style and it kinda gave me a headache to be honest.
So dense. Feels like I was running in circles sometimes or even running in place. It’s very descriptive, very introversive, very full of similes and feelings and wonderings and tangents that have nothing to do with what is actually going on in the moment. Can something be dense and vague at the same time? Ugh.
Barely any dialogue. Not a lot of answers to questions either. Like do they actually possess magic or witchcraft or were they just scapegoats? Who knows…
My expectations for this were low going into it knowing it had poetic elements woven throughout the story. And I’m glad I knew that ahead of time. I’ve got way more negatives and unfortunately not a lot of positives. I probably could have DNFd but I always push through no matter what. This one was not at all for me but happy to add it to the splatter western collection!
July 17, 2021
This is going to sound bad; it’s not: I almost stopped reading this about a dozen pages in. That was my fault. I came into it expecting a cookie-cutter, straightforward read. When I started it and it wasn’t that, I almost made the mistake of giving up. That would have been awful.
This book is surreal, written in metaphor, alliterations, repetition, phrase reversals. It’s hazy. It’s foggy. It’s a dream. It’s filled with existential diversions and eternal return. It splits into philosophical questions almost every paragraph. There are poetic breaks.
All of this is good.
The author’s word play and gloomy atmosphere is wonderfully done. The book is something that should be read twice. I’m sure I missed things on this first round.
It’s probably not for everyone, but everyone should give it a try.
This book is surreal, written in metaphor, alliterations, repetition, phrase reversals. It’s hazy. It’s foggy. It’s a dream. It’s filled with existential diversions and eternal return. It splits into philosophical questions almost every paragraph. There are poetic breaks.
All of this is good.
The author’s word play and gloomy atmosphere is wonderfully done. The book is something that should be read twice. I’m sure I missed things on this first round.
It’s probably not for everyone, but everyone should give it a try.
November 19, 2021
Such a haunting story! You can't go into this expecting to plow through each sentence and grasp what is happening. Go. Slow.
It is poetry. It is lyrical. It is prose.
To me it reads like a movie script. The narration wants you to grasp the imagery. Be immersed in it. Think of Ari Aster films, Lars Von Treer, and David Fincher. The atmosphere is just as much a part as the words your reading.
I love the characters in this short story and the psychological thrill as opposed to the blunt splatter of violence.
It's not for everyone. It was delightful for me.
It is poetry. It is lyrical. It is prose.
To me it reads like a movie script. The narration wants you to grasp the imagery. Be immersed in it. Think of Ari Aster films, Lars Von Treer, and David Fincher. The atmosphere is just as much a part as the words your reading.
I love the characters in this short story and the psychological thrill as opposed to the blunt splatter of violence.
It's not for everyone. It was delightful for me.
July 27, 2021
I almost stopped a few times...but it's not a terribly long book, so I kept going, hoping it would get better.....The underlying story was ok.....but the writing style was not to my taste at all. I'm not even sure how to describe it.....sing-songy? It felt like I should be rapping the words at times. I have really enjoyed this series, but this one was just not to my taste. Maybe it went over my head.
June 1, 2023
Good thing this wasn’t the first splatter western i had read because this one been have the only one. Lucky I read the first one The Magpie coffin and I loved that one. The only good thing I can say about this one is it have a good story to it but that’s it. Very bad writing style I almost stopped a few times trying to read it but it only have 90 same pages so why not. The characters are bad like they are not rememberable in anyway it did a awful job of telling you who is who after awhile I stop caring. I could see the ending a mile away. I wish it was more down to earth writing it would have been sooo much better instead of having a alien writing it.
March 10, 2023
I am not a fan of poetry. I also know it is not for everyone. Death's Head Press took this entry in the Splatter Western series and went for something different. It's not a story but more of an experience. It's poetry from the start to the end that reads like a story. My rating is based on me not enjoying poetry but recognizing that this is unique and I did enjoy it as I reached futher in. I also know this is not for everyone either and the author and the publisher surely know this. I would read this again and who knows maybe one day I will appreciate poems more.
March 22, 2023
Un uso genial y poéticamente barroco del lenguaje que no esconde una profunda violencia, a lo mejor no en el sentido splatter de muchas matanzas, pero sí en el sentido de que notamos que es un mundo reinado por la violencia y por la ley del más fuerte como en muchos westerns, de modo que el miedo a la muerte casi puede paladearse.
August 1, 2021
Unique, but also uneven
I generally enjoy poetic horror, but the shifting structure and uneven pacing left me tired too often. It became difficult to follow the story and it's characters at time, though there are some wonderful lines in the mix.
I generally enjoy poetic horror, but the shifting structure and uneven pacing left me tired too often. It became difficult to follow the story and it's characters at time, though there are some wonderful lines in the mix.
October 11, 2021
I struggled to get through this one. I believe that I am intelligent person with a decent knowledge of things. However, the writing style in this threw me for a loop. The plot was decent; the people of a town take revenge on the witch that has been killing children. That prose, though...
no.
no.
May 1, 2024
I thought there was one part in this book that was horrifying. However, most of this book read like beat poetry. I didn't feel like I was reading a splatter western. I kept envisioning some college girl in a dorm room with her bong and her bongos just a-scribbling away into a composition book.
June 13, 2021
10th book in the splatter western series. I didn't really like the writing style but I never like poetry either. If you don't like poetry you will not like this book.
June 30, 2021
The prose wasn't for me although I enjoyed the storyline
April 11, 2022
I thought the concept was good, but the writing structure made it HARD to get into
August 5, 2022
This book didn't work for me at all..didn't felt horror, splatter. I didn't connect with anyone, I was confused and the way it was shown/told was very confusing...least favourite so far
May 8, 2024
A different and interesting story
January 8, 2025
I think some of the reviews for this have been overly mean-spirited. I chose to listen to the Audible version of this, my first Splatter Western, and I sank into a lyrical examination of death and retribution that requires patience and concentration. That being said, I could have used a little more story with my poetry here. It's nowhere near as bad as a lot of reviewers are saying but I can see where some of them are coming from. It's a short read/listen so I think you should give it a chance - you might surprise yourself with a decent foray into SW territory.
Displaying 1 - 22 of 22 reviews