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How the West Went to Hell
Eric S Brown, horror author extraordinaire, takes readers on an Old West adventure of epic proportions. A bookish editor travels to Reaper's Valley, a small town set in the Wild West, to finish the macabre manuscript of a recently-deceased novelist. He arrives by stagecoach, where he is introduced to a classic bevy of characters who will join in the fight against the yellow-eyed demon bodysnatchers overtaking Reaper's Valley. A gun-toting, six-gun blazing tip of the hat to both the horror and Western genres.
120 pages, Paperback
First published March 18, 2010
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Eric S. Brown
273 books115 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author in the Goodreads database with this name.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
April 19, 2010
Two types of movies I love: Horror, and westerns. Leave it to Eric S. Brown to mash the two together into something that is fast-paced, full of energy, and pretty damned fun with How the West Went to Hell.
The story involves that classic "a stranger comes to town" vibe when Nathan, dressed in the obligatory black outfit, comes calling. There's a monster on his heels, a demon bent on unmaking everything that God has wrought, and will do it by infecting every man, woman and child (who isn't killed and eaten) with his evil. It's a bit like Tails From the Crypt: Demon Knight meets Silverado, but much shorter.
Brown doesn't beat around the bush here, considering what little space he has to tell his story. Honestly, the novella is ninety four pages long, the kind of book that could be read on a bus-ride, which makes the price seem a little steep. However, the story gallops along at a break-neck pace as lizard-skinned demons do their best to tear the heroes apart and end the world before the west can become civilized. Brown captures the feel of the old west and works well with character development, despite the low page-count.
This is a book that begs to be made into a Sci-Fi channel (no, I won't call it by that other assinine name) feature with all its cheesy goodness. But as a book, the biggest (read: Only) complaint is in its length. Brown deftly shows that his story is engaging and interesting. It's a book that could've easily gone to novel length without any hope of damage. I wanted to see backstory, details, more characters, motivations. But instead, I was left wanting more, but not in the good way. In fact, the book is enjoyable to the point of distraction, which makes it all the more disappointing that Brown didn't make it a novel-length book.
In all, it's worth a read. It's very enjoyable, but it's just too damned short. For a writer with the talent of Brown, anything less than novel-length isn't enough. If he were to put out a novel-length version, I'm sure it would be a (forgive me) rip-roarin' success.
The story involves that classic "a stranger comes to town" vibe when Nathan, dressed in the obligatory black outfit, comes calling. There's a monster on his heels, a demon bent on unmaking everything that God has wrought, and will do it by infecting every man, woman and child (who isn't killed and eaten) with his evil. It's a bit like Tails From the Crypt: Demon Knight meets Silverado, but much shorter.
Brown doesn't beat around the bush here, considering what little space he has to tell his story. Honestly, the novella is ninety four pages long, the kind of book that could be read on a bus-ride, which makes the price seem a little steep. However, the story gallops along at a break-neck pace as lizard-skinned demons do their best to tear the heroes apart and end the world before the west can become civilized. Brown captures the feel of the old west and works well with character development, despite the low page-count.
This is a book that begs to be made into a Sci-Fi channel (no, I won't call it by that other assinine name) feature with all its cheesy goodness. But as a book, the biggest (read: Only) complaint is in its length. Brown deftly shows that his story is engaging and interesting. It's a book that could've easily gone to novel length without any hope of damage. I wanted to see backstory, details, more characters, motivations. But instead, I was left wanting more, but not in the good way. In fact, the book is enjoyable to the point of distraction, which makes it all the more disappointing that Brown didn't make it a novel-length book.
In all, it's worth a read. It's very enjoyable, but it's just too damned short. For a writer with the talent of Brown, anything less than novel-length isn't enough. If he were to put out a novel-length version, I'm sure it would be a (forgive me) rip-roarin' success.
June 10, 2010
Louis is a New York book editor on his way west to try and finish a manuscript for an author who was brutally murdered. Travelling in the same stagecoach is O’Rourke, who is headed to the West to take a job as sheriff. Nathan is attempting to do God’s work to stop a demon from killing everyone in the West and bringing on the End of Days. All are converging on the town of Reaper’s Valley and all will ultimately confront the demon that is Legion.
Eric S. Brown sets his religious-based horror tale in the Old West, complete with the requisite cast of characters. He has done a fantastic job of introducing these characters in this 94-page novella. Nathan is exactly what you’d expect in a hero, except he is dressed in black. Legion is as menacing a demon as you’ll find, but for the fact he is an effeminate beauty in all white. Even Louis fits the stereotype of a Western-movie Easterner, right down to the glasses and inability to handle a firearm. This was a brutal but fun read, encompassing murder, mayhem, and demon possession. Another plus for me was the unpredictable, and unexpected ending—the hallmark of a great story for me. One thing that disappointed me was the lack of explanation as to the manuscript that Louis was attempting to finish. I understood that it was about what was happening in this tale, but I would have liked to have seen more, and learned more about the author’s murder…just a bit more. Otherwise, I loved How the West Went to Hell, and I think other horror fans would as well.
Review by Colleen Wanglund
Eric S. Brown sets his religious-based horror tale in the Old West, complete with the requisite cast of characters. He has done a fantastic job of introducing these characters in this 94-page novella. Nathan is exactly what you’d expect in a hero, except he is dressed in black. Legion is as menacing a demon as you’ll find, but for the fact he is an effeminate beauty in all white. Even Louis fits the stereotype of a Western-movie Easterner, right down to the glasses and inability to handle a firearm. This was a brutal but fun read, encompassing murder, mayhem, and demon possession. Another plus for me was the unpredictable, and unexpected ending—the hallmark of a great story for me. One thing that disappointed me was the lack of explanation as to the manuscript that Louis was attempting to finish. I understood that it was about what was happening in this tale, but I would have liked to have seen more, and learned more about the author’s murder…just a bit more. Otherwise, I loved How the West Went to Hell, and I think other horror fans would as well.
Review by Colleen Wanglund
September 12, 2010
Good guy dressed in black and a bad guy dressed in white, neither seems to die after getting ripped to shreds by bullets smashing into them. There is something silly going on. And it involves a book or two and some undead things, but really is quite forgettable. I did have fun reading it though. Still nothing compares to the SEASON IN HELL collection, so far.
April 29, 2010
Great little novella! Eric's wild west tale is not your ordinary western yarn. Loved it! Can't wait to read Eric's Bigfoot Wars!
November 23, 2011
Fun and gory Wild West story - review can be found at TerrorFlicks:
http://terrorflicks.com/reviews/fangt...
http://terrorflicks.com/reviews/fangt...
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews