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The Weird Wild West
Why the Weird Wild West?
The untamed frontier is a challenge, a test of character, a proving ground for the soul. It's a place where pioneers rewrite their future, or end their days…for better or worse. In the spirit of Bret Maverick, Cat Ballou, Kwai Chang Caine, and James West, The Weird Wild West blends western grit with the magical and mysterious unknown that waits beyond the next horizon.
With thrilling stories by Jonathan Maberry, Gail Z. Martin, John Hartness, RS Belcher, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Misty Massey, James R. Tuck, Robert E. Waters, David Sherman, Tonia Brown and many more, you've hit the Mother Lode!
stories:
Abishag Mary by Frances Rowat
Blood Tellings by Wendy N. Wagner
Ruin Creek by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin
Via Con Diablo by Bryan C.P. Steele
Rattler by R.S. Belcher
Rocky Rolls Gold by David Sherman
Son of the Devil by Jonathan Maberry
Mungo Snead’s Last Stand by Robert E. Waters
Frank and Earnest by Tonia Brown
From Parts Unknown by James R. Tuck
Sundown by L.D. Colter (credited as Liz Colter)
Fifteen Seconds by Scott Hungerford
Redemption Song by John G. Hartness
Grasping Rainbows by Diana Pharaoh Francis
The Faery Wrangler by Misty Massey
Haven by Ken Schrader
Eighteen Sixty by Faith Hunter
The untamed frontier is a challenge, a test of character, a proving ground for the soul. It's a place where pioneers rewrite their future, or end their days…for better or worse. In the spirit of Bret Maverick, Cat Ballou, Kwai Chang Caine, and James West, The Weird Wild West blends western grit with the magical and mysterious unknown that waits beyond the next horizon.
With thrilling stories by Jonathan Maberry, Gail Z. Martin, John Hartness, RS Belcher, Diana Pharaoh Francis, Misty Massey, James R. Tuck, Robert E. Waters, David Sherman, Tonia Brown and many more, you've hit the Mother Lode!
stories:
Abishag Mary by Frances Rowat
Blood Tellings by Wendy N. Wagner
Ruin Creek by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin
Via Con Diablo by Bryan C.P. Steele
Rattler by R.S. Belcher
Rocky Rolls Gold by David Sherman
Son of the Devil by Jonathan Maberry
Mungo Snead’s Last Stand by Robert E. Waters
Frank and Earnest by Tonia Brown
From Parts Unknown by James R. Tuck
Sundown by L.D. Colter (credited as Liz Colter)
Fifteen Seconds by Scott Hungerford
Redemption Song by John G. Hartness
Grasping Rainbows by Diana Pharaoh Francis
The Faery Wrangler by Misty Massey
Haven by Ken Schrader
Eighteen Sixty by Faith Hunter
312 pages, Paperback
First published November 21, 2015
About the author
Misty Massey
19 books66 followersI have always been a voracious reader. My parents encouraged my love of books, a gift more valuable to me than anything else they could have given me. It was no surprise to anyone when I began writing. I dabbled with short stories for years, even publishing a few in small press magazines, until I found and joined a writing critique group, and tried my hand at writing novels. When I'm not writing, I enjoy reading, belly dancing and playing a pirate character at the Carolina Renaissance Faire, based on the pirates of the early 17th century. My novel, Mad Kestrel, was born from my fascination with pirates and my love of fantasy.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
January 4, 2019
Just read the story Eighteen Sixty by Faith Hunter, set in the world of Jane Yellowrock. I really liked the concept, just felt like it needed more fleshing out.
November 10, 2015
Anthologies can be difficult to review. Very seldom is a reader happy with every story within. The quality of the writing can be, shall we say, varied from story to story. And in the case of themed collections, the subject matter can get old by the time you've turned the last page.
Let me tell you that none of this is the case with The Weird Wild West.
This means a lot coming from me. I've edited many anthologies and I cannot help but look at short fiction with an editor's eye. When reading The Weird Wild West not once did I need to restrain myself from making notes of what should be changed to elevate a particular story.
This collection takes the grit and glory that epitomizes the old west and gives it many delightful speculative spins.
Do yourself a favor and take my advice...don't just add this book to your to-read shelf, get your hands on a copy and immerse yourself in these tales.
Let me tell you that none of this is the case with The Weird Wild West.
This means a lot coming from me. I've edited many anthologies and I cannot help but look at short fiction with an editor's eye. When reading The Weird Wild West not once did I need to restrain myself from making notes of what should be changed to elevate a particular story.
This collection takes the grit and glory that epitomizes the old west and gives it many delightful speculative spins.
Do yourself a favor and take my advice...don't just add this book to your to-read shelf, get your hands on a copy and immerse yourself in these tales.
March 12, 2016
[I received a copy of this book through Netgalley, in exchange for an honest review.]
A fairly decent anthology of western-themed stories with a twist, often of the paranormal or supernatural variety, with a bit of steampunk thrown in. A lot of the “western codes” are followed here. Little towns and farms on the Frontier, homesteaders and professional players, gunslingers and sharpshooters, sheriffs and outlaws, finding themselves dealing with something that one day comes to disturb their life. Even though having so many stories follow the same “rule”, so to speak, it was still enjoyable. While none of the stories blew my mind, none was truly bad either; I probably wouldn't buy the book, but borrowing it from a friend or the library would be in order here. It would also provide a good introduction to this “weird wild west” genre (because all things said and done, it does feel like a genre to me).
The ones I liked best:
“Ruin Creek”: a pair of paranormal investigatores go to the little town of Ruin Creek, on board a night train, to investigate the disappearance of another investigator, after the latter reported mysterious occurrences.
“Son of the Devil”: or the trappings of a small town where people are so entrenched in their religious beliefs that they fail to apply them to people who're not perfect but could do with some mercy, thus driving them to committing dark deeds. I always tend to find this dichotomy interesting, because it raises the question of who is to blame: the sinners, or the “pure ones” who could have helped but didn't? And were the sinners “bad people” from the beginning, or did they just turn to “evil” because they were alone and desperate?
“Mungo Snead's Last Stand”: a brave and desperate tale, with aliens thrown in the middle for good measure. (It is the Weird West, after all!)
“Frank and Earnest”: fun and cute, with a bit of slapstick comedy. Two outlaws find themselves looking for a kitten, and stumble upon what could destroy the world.
Notes:
“Abishag Mary” wasn't my favorite, and it was a bit typical (homesteader trying to keep her land), however I found the twist at the end quite funny.
“Rocky Rolls Gold” had an interesting premise, but the way it was told didn't work too well for me, I get that the tone was to be light and funny, but the characters felt too silly to properly work (as if they were meant to be competent at what they did, yet the banter and their reactions made them appear as stupid nonetheless).
“Fifteen Seconds”: this one's a bit different, because of its contemporary setting (all the other stories are cleary 19th century Frontier adventures). I also thought it had a bit too much info-dumping.
3.5 stars overall.
A fairly decent anthology of western-themed stories with a twist, often of the paranormal or supernatural variety, with a bit of steampunk thrown in. A lot of the “western codes” are followed here. Little towns and farms on the Frontier, homesteaders and professional players, gunslingers and sharpshooters, sheriffs and outlaws, finding themselves dealing with something that one day comes to disturb their life. Even though having so many stories follow the same “rule”, so to speak, it was still enjoyable. While none of the stories blew my mind, none was truly bad either; I probably wouldn't buy the book, but borrowing it from a friend or the library would be in order here. It would also provide a good introduction to this “weird wild west” genre (because all things said and done, it does feel like a genre to me).
The ones I liked best:
“Ruin Creek”: a pair of paranormal investigatores go to the little town of Ruin Creek, on board a night train, to investigate the disappearance of another investigator, after the latter reported mysterious occurrences.
“Son of the Devil”: or the trappings of a small town where people are so entrenched in their religious beliefs that they fail to apply them to people who're not perfect but could do with some mercy, thus driving them to committing dark deeds. I always tend to find this dichotomy interesting, because it raises the question of who is to blame: the sinners, or the “pure ones” who could have helped but didn't? And were the sinners “bad people” from the beginning, or did they just turn to “evil” because they were alone and desperate?
“Mungo Snead's Last Stand”: a brave and desperate tale, with aliens thrown in the middle for good measure. (It is the Weird West, after all!)
“Frank and Earnest”: fun and cute, with a bit of slapstick comedy. Two outlaws find themselves looking for a kitten, and stumble upon what could destroy the world.
Notes:
“Abishag Mary” wasn't my favorite, and it was a bit typical (homesteader trying to keep her land), however I found the twist at the end quite funny.
“Rocky Rolls Gold” had an interesting premise, but the way it was told didn't work too well for me, I get that the tone was to be light and funny, but the characters felt too silly to properly work (as if they were meant to be competent at what they did, yet the banter and their reactions made them appear as stupid nonetheless).
“Fifteen Seconds”: this one's a bit different, because of its contemporary setting (all the other stories are cleary 19th century Frontier adventures). I also thought it had a bit too much info-dumping.
3.5 stars overall.
December 2, 2015
Given to me by the publisher for an early review, Weird Wild West is a mixture of paranormal plus the wild west era, a unique mixture of shamans, spirits and modern cowboys. Another great anthology by eSpecbooks, W3 features a lot of cool stories that revolve around the two themes: weird and wild west.
My favorite of the lot is Ruin Creek, a pair of paranormal investigators got called into Ruin Creek. Their adventures were fraught with mystery and danger, and the ending was spectacularly creepy. Each story have a different sub- theme, but action and adventure seems to be the ones making appearances in this book, as well as a lot of shooting.
Not only for those who live this genre, the W3 is a show of skill by the authors who wrote short stories with skill and flair. It takes a lot of effort to cram so many details into so little words. Each world/ story is different, and every one has a different tidbit to offer and entertain; some even aim to creep you out, maybe that’s just me.
This book is a bit for a fun read, unless you are looking to write one about the genre yourself, then this book is a guide of sorts. It gives you a hint about how the west should be during those era, and the world building is awesome despite the word limitations. I would recommend it for those who are interested, just because the writing is awesome.
Thank you to Publisher for the book =d
My favorite of the lot is Ruin Creek, a pair of paranormal investigators got called into Ruin Creek. Their adventures were fraught with mystery and danger, and the ending was spectacularly creepy. Each story have a different sub- theme, but action and adventure seems to be the ones making appearances in this book, as well as a lot of shooting.
Not only for those who live this genre, the W3 is a show of skill by the authors who wrote short stories with skill and flair. It takes a lot of effort to cram so many details into so little words. Each world/ story is different, and every one has a different tidbit to offer and entertain; some even aim to creep you out, maybe that’s just me.
This book is a bit for a fun read, unless you are looking to write one about the genre yourself, then this book is a guide of sorts. It gives you a hint about how the west should be during those era, and the world building is awesome despite the word limitations. I would recommend it for those who are interested, just because the writing is awesome.
Thank you to Publisher for the book =d
March 31, 2016
This Anthology introduced me to some new authors I have since hunted down to read their full-length work, plus reminded me of a lot of favorites.
In book appearance order, story titles and authors are:
Abishag Mary by Frances Rowat
Blood Tellings by Wendy N. Wagner
Ruin Creek by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin
Via Con Diablo by Bryan C.P. Steele
Rattler by R.S. Belcher
Rocky Rolls Gold by David Sherman
Son of the Devil by Jonathan Maberry
Mungo Snead's Last Stand by Robert E. Waters
Frank and Earnest by Tonia Brown
From Parts Unknown by James R. Tuck
Sundown by Liz Colter
Fifteen Seconds by Scott Hungerford
Redemption Song by John G. Hartness
Grasping Rainbows by Diana Pharaoh Francis
The Faery Wrangler by Misty Massey
Haven by Ken Schrader
Eighteen Sixty by Faith Hunter
Now to my actual review.
A combination of western, fantasy, and steampunk, the Weird Wild West anthology presents the frontier world that may have been. A couple alien stories and several stand-alone stories from established worlds round things out nicely. No clunkers in the mix but no must-read stories either. Some stories star heroes, others ... not-so hero. Some are about people ready to shape the frontier and others had their share of trouble and are ready to return to civilization.
Haven by Ken Schrader - My favorite of the lot. I just like the two peace officers recognizing what the other was and helping each other with their jobs, justice trumps jurisdiction and species.
Son of the Devil by Jonathan Maberry - An intense cautionary tale. I both loved and hated it. With a very disturbing thought - what happens when Hell fills up.
From Parts Unknown by James R Tuck - Wins best title award.
Sundown by Liz Colter - I think was the most original ... and felt the most tall-tale authentic. Something which could stand beside a Paul Bunyan or John Henry tale.
Redemption Song (John G. Hartness), Eighteen Sixty (Faith Hunter), and Ruin Creek (Gail & Larry Martin) (plus the previously mentioned From Parts Unknown) all use characters the authors have in other anthologies.
In book appearance order, story titles and authors are:
Abishag Mary by Frances Rowat
Blood Tellings by Wendy N. Wagner
Ruin Creek by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin
Via Con Diablo by Bryan C.P. Steele
Rattler by R.S. Belcher
Rocky Rolls Gold by David Sherman
Son of the Devil by Jonathan Maberry
Mungo Snead's Last Stand by Robert E. Waters
Frank and Earnest by Tonia Brown
From Parts Unknown by James R. Tuck
Sundown by Liz Colter
Fifteen Seconds by Scott Hungerford
Redemption Song by John G. Hartness
Grasping Rainbows by Diana Pharaoh Francis
The Faery Wrangler by Misty Massey
Haven by Ken Schrader
Eighteen Sixty by Faith Hunter
Now to my actual review.
A combination of western, fantasy, and steampunk, the Weird Wild West anthology presents the frontier world that may have been. A couple alien stories and several stand-alone stories from established worlds round things out nicely. No clunkers in the mix but no must-read stories either. Some stories star heroes, others ... not-so hero. Some are about people ready to shape the frontier and others had their share of trouble and are ready to return to civilization.
Haven by Ken Schrader - My favorite of the lot. I just like the two peace officers recognizing what the other was and helping each other with their jobs, justice trumps jurisdiction and species.
Son of the Devil by Jonathan Maberry - An intense cautionary tale. I both loved and hated it. With a very disturbing thought - what happens when Hell fills up.
From Parts Unknown by James R Tuck - Wins best title award.
Sundown by Liz Colter - I think was the most original ... and felt the most tall-tale authentic. Something which could stand beside a Paul Bunyan or John Henry tale.
Redemption Song (John G. Hartness), Eighteen Sixty (Faith Hunter), and Ruin Creek (Gail & Larry Martin) (plus the previously mentioned From Parts Unknown) all use characters the authors have in other anthologies.
May 22, 2018
Let me begin by saying, I am irrevocably in love with the weird west. This genre absolutely hits a sweet spot for me, and it's heartbreaking that more people aren't spinning tales within this bountiful genre. This anthology offers twelve short stories about the full-on spectacular weird west. But of course, like any anthology, I had my favorites; Ruin Creek by Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin, Rattler by R. S. Belcher, Son of the Devil by Jonathan Maberry, Mungo Snead's Last Stand by Robert E. Waters, Redemption Song by John G. Hartness, and Eighteen Sixty by Faith Hunter.
I'm intrigued to read more from these authors and plan on hunting them down. A vast majority of these stories are well written and very easy to follow from start to finish, no matter how long or short. There were only a few that did not really hold up to the others.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in trying the genre. It's the perfect anthology to get your feet wet with.
Overall, I'm giving this book three stars. The stories I didn't enjoy were really hard to get into and connect with. Those stories I mentioned above, however, I would have totally given four stars had I been reviewing each short story within the book.
I'm intrigued to read more from these authors and plan on hunting them down. A vast majority of these stories are well written and very easy to follow from start to finish, no matter how long or short. There were only a few that did not really hold up to the others.
I recommend this book to anyone who is interested in trying the genre. It's the perfect anthology to get your feet wet with.
Overall, I'm giving this book three stars. The stories I didn't enjoy were really hard to get into and connect with. Those stories I mentioned above, however, I would have totally given four stars had I been reviewing each short story within the book.
April 2, 2016
A few of the stories in this anthology of Weird Westerns are clunkers, but overall most of them are very good. Two exceptionally good ones are “Son of the Devil” by Jonathan Maberry (a horror story that haunted me for days after I read it) and “From Parts Unknown” by James R. Tuck (truly a “Weird Tale” in the best sense of that phrase; I hope we see more stories featuring Truett McCall). Those two novelettes alone are well worth the price of the book, but there are also great stories by R. S. Belcher, John G. Hartness, Misty Massey, and Faith Hunter. Highly recommended.
January 8, 2016
3.5 stars overall, individual stories vary -- This is an interesting collection of stories to introduce yourself to the genre and/or to give yourself a taste of some authors you might not know. Overall, I liked it, but as with most anthologies of short stories that I've read, it's hard for me to be completely thrilled by it.
Take that last statement with a grain of salt though. Fair warning: I'm not a short-story junkie. They just aren't long enough to give me what I crave with any sort of consistency, so I'm typically not ready to be done reading after just one. Thus, I have to wipe the mental notes clean before I can continue on to the next story, something that makes me feel the story was disposable whether I enjoyed it or not. It's a concept that makes me cringe even when applying it to the awful ones. And so it is that whenever I decide to read an anthology, I start with a bit of anxiety. It's rare for one to contain more than a story or two that I truly enjoy, that I even remember much after I've reached the end of the collection. So yeah, I'm a hard sell.
As far as this one goes, The Weird Wild West is a collection of seventeen speculative-fiction short stories thematically tied together by their setting in the lore of the American Old West. Dusty trails, saloons, gunslingers, Indians, mines? Yep, there are plenty to be found here. Alien artifacts, undead things, supernatural and fantastic creatures and happenings? Yep, this has that covered too.
Of the stories here, only one fell completely flat for me. That fact alone means this anthology is worth checking out if you're at all interested in the genre or curious about the theme. I'm not going to say which one, because I don't want to prejudice future readers. On the other hand, there were four stories that I call "stoppers." By this, I mean that I was unable to continue right on to the next story, because I needed some time to think and/or just enjoy the satisfaction of a story well told. Keep in mind what I said earlier to give this the proper context: FOUR! Yes! If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin's tale of "Ruin Creek," though James R. Tuck's "From Parts Unknown" isn't far behind. If I had to rate the stories individually, just the one as 1 star, a couple of 2's, and four as either 4 or 4.5 stars. Not a bad record for an anthology.
One of the things that really bothers me about spec-fic anthologies in particular is that they usually contain bunches of stories that feel like introductory chapters of novels that have yet to be written. That irks me; I truly hate a tease. Fortunately, I only got that impression a couple times in this one. Certainly, many of these stories could easily slip into more developed works if the authors chose to do so. For some of the stories here, I think there's a lot of potential. But the ones I liked best for this, they still worked simply as short stories. I can't ask for more than that, considering my mindset on short stories in general.
Overall, this ranks up in the top two or three anthologies I've read. Would I read it again? Probably not, but I would definitely read more works (particularly novels) by several of these authors. Now go pick up a copy!
Note: I was a backer for the Kickstarter project -- I'm listed second in the "Stakeholders" section *woot* -- and for full disclosure, one of the book's editors is a friend of mine, though I don't hold that against her, just like I didn't let that cloud my judgment of the work as a whole.
Take that last statement with a grain of salt though. Fair warning: I'm not a short-story junkie. They just aren't long enough to give me what I crave with any sort of consistency, so I'm typically not ready to be done reading after just one. Thus, I have to wipe the mental notes clean before I can continue on to the next story, something that makes me feel the story was disposable whether I enjoyed it or not. It's a concept that makes me cringe even when applying it to the awful ones. And so it is that whenever I decide to read an anthology, I start with a bit of anxiety. It's rare for one to contain more than a story or two that I truly enjoy, that I even remember much after I've reached the end of the collection. So yeah, I'm a hard sell.
As far as this one goes, The Weird Wild West is a collection of seventeen speculative-fiction short stories thematically tied together by their setting in the lore of the American Old West. Dusty trails, saloons, gunslingers, Indians, mines? Yep, there are plenty to be found here. Alien artifacts, undead things, supernatural and fantastic creatures and happenings? Yep, this has that covered too.
Of the stories here, only one fell completely flat for me. That fact alone means this anthology is worth checking out if you're at all interested in the genre or curious about the theme. I'm not going to say which one, because I don't want to prejudice future readers. On the other hand, there were four stories that I call "stoppers." By this, I mean that I was unable to continue right on to the next story, because I needed some time to think and/or just enjoy the satisfaction of a story well told. Keep in mind what I said earlier to give this the proper context: FOUR! Yes! If I had to pick a favorite, it would be Gail Z. Martin and Larry N. Martin's tale of "Ruin Creek," though James R. Tuck's "From Parts Unknown" isn't far behind. If I had to rate the stories individually, just the one as 1 star, a couple of 2's, and four as either 4 or 4.5 stars. Not a bad record for an anthology.
One of the things that really bothers me about spec-fic anthologies in particular is that they usually contain bunches of stories that feel like introductory chapters of novels that have yet to be written. That irks me; I truly hate a tease. Fortunately, I only got that impression a couple times in this one. Certainly, many of these stories could easily slip into more developed works if the authors chose to do so. For some of the stories here, I think there's a lot of potential. But the ones I liked best for this, they still worked simply as short stories. I can't ask for more than that, considering my mindset on short stories in general.
Overall, this ranks up in the top two or three anthologies I've read. Would I read it again? Probably not, but I would definitely read more works (particularly novels) by several of these authors. Now go pick up a copy!
Note: I was a backer for the Kickstarter project -- I'm listed second in the "Stakeholders" section *woot* -- and for full disclosure, one of the book's editors is a friend of mine, though I don't hold that against her, just like I didn't let that cloud my judgment of the work as a whole.
April 2, 2020
I enjoyed this anthology very much, with only a few small reservations. Overall, the quality of the writing and editing is excellent, and there are some very funky illustrations included for some (most?) stories. I understand this is the result of a crowdfunding campaign, and perhaps that is the reason why it feels as if the project had a great deal of time, thought and effort put into it.
One of my small reservations is that in a few (very few) stories, I wasn't entirely sure I understood what was going on. However, given the settings in time and place, and given the nature of the plots, perhaps that is inevitable, as the main characters don't always understand what's going on either.
I really loved the first story, "Abishag Mary" by Frances Rowat, which was very evocative. It was one where I didn't feel I grasped everything, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This was one of only two stories which included a character with queer inclinations, so I was always going to be on board. I loved all the sea-based imagery, and how that's brought so far inland. There was a twist or two I didn't see coming. Anyway! A strong start to the volume.
Another story I want to mention specifically is "Frank and Earnest" by Tonia Brown. This was very well written, with some absolutely brilliant exchanges of dialogue that made me LOL more than once. It also included a nice take on a more modern-day villain translated back into earlier times, where he is met with incomprehension (on his own terms, that is). Frank, the main character, understands the fundamentals, if not the details, and manages to respond accordingly.
I liked that the stories weren't all set in the 19thC West that we're so familiar with. "Fifteen Seconds" by Scott Hungerford featured (what seemed to me) a late-20thC West along with invading aliens, and that was very effective.
Overall, if you're inclined towards a Weird West blend of Westerns and speculative fiction, I think you'll find many things in here to enjoy.
One of my small reservations is that in a few (very few) stories, I wasn't entirely sure I understood what was going on. However, given the settings in time and place, and given the nature of the plots, perhaps that is inevitable, as the main characters don't always understand what's going on either.
I really loved the first story, "Abishag Mary" by Frances Rowat, which was very evocative. It was one where I didn't feel I grasped everything, but that's not necessarily a bad thing. This was one of only two stories which included a character with queer inclinations, so I was always going to be on board. I loved all the sea-based imagery, and how that's brought so far inland. There was a twist or two I didn't see coming. Anyway! A strong start to the volume.
Another story I want to mention specifically is "Frank and Earnest" by Tonia Brown. This was very well written, with some absolutely brilliant exchanges of dialogue that made me LOL more than once. It also included a nice take on a more modern-day villain translated back into earlier times, where he is met with incomprehension (on his own terms, that is). Frank, the main character, understands the fundamentals, if not the details, and manages to respond accordingly.
I liked that the stories weren't all set in the 19thC West that we're so familiar with. "Fifteen Seconds" by Scott Hungerford featured (what seemed to me) a late-20thC West along with invading aliens, and that was very effective.
Overall, if you're inclined towards a Weird West blend of Westerns and speculative fiction, I think you'll find many things in here to enjoy.
February 21, 2017
This is a great collection of stories, even though not all readers will like all entries. It's just thematically That Good. All set in the Old West, or some fantastical versions thereof, they share many trappings of the genre, and variously add all sorts of supernatural creatures or occurrences. A small handful tie in with their respective authors' other work, but it's not necessary to have read that work beforehand.
Among the completely stand-alone tales, many feel like they could be part of larger frameworks -- some in a good way (i.e., worldbuilding feels thorough and I'd love to read more) and some in a bad way (i.e., worldbuilding is inadequate and I feel as though I've been dropped into the middle of something I don't understand). But if you like your westerns with a dash of the supernatural, or vice versa, you will definitely enjoy this.
** I received a Review Copy of this book via NetGalley **
Among the completely stand-alone tales, many feel like they could be part of larger frameworks -- some in a good way (i.e., worldbuilding feels thorough and I'd love to read more) and some in a bad way (i.e., worldbuilding is inadequate and I feel as though I've been dropped into the middle of something I don't understand). But if you like your westerns with a dash of the supernatural, or vice versa, you will definitely enjoy this.
** I received a Review Copy of this book via NetGalley **
June 15, 2017
Take 17 authors, plop them down and have them write short stories. The only requirement is that the tale needs to be a Western. And thus was born The Weird Wild West anthology. There are horror westerns, a alien landing in the Old West, magic in the Old West and plenty of interesting stories. So if you hanker to ride alongside your favorite fantasy creature in the old west, read this volume and you might be in luck! Happy reading!
August 4, 2016
A mixed bag anthology, some good, some so so, and some questionable. On the whole it was worth reading for at least the Faith Hunter, Gail Z Martin, Ken Schrader, Scott Hungerford stories, to name a few of my favorites.
April 28, 2017
So I'm an author and I wanted to read a lot of weird west before I wrote one. So I picked this up and I have to tell ya-- it's a fantastic variety of authors and gives a great overview of the genre. I would highly recommend it!
October 31, 2017
I won a copy of this book during a Goodreads giveaway. I am under no obligation to leave a review or rating and do so voluntarily. So that others may also enjoy this book, I am paying it forward by donating it a local library.
November 22, 2018
Cool stories
Love reading and stories of the Wild West fantastic read. Will look for other stories. If that particular type. Loved it.
Love reading and stories of the Wild West fantastic read. Will look for other stories. If that particular type. Loved it.
October 3, 2023
Definitely weird and definitely old west. From sci fi to Steam punk. An amazing mix of 17 short stories.
February 9, 2016
Like any anthology, here's a mixed bag. The theme of 'a western, but with an genre element to make it weird' provides a pretty broad a array of stories for a reader to latch on to.
There aren't any true stinkers in the volume, but there's plenty of middle of the road fare. Lots of just we are cowboys who also hunt monster with bonus steampunk. The best one was a piece about two bandits who pick up a job finding a lost cat only to discover a mad scientist trying to use static electricity to power an earthquake machine.
Verdict: Skip it. the few standouts aren't worth the price of admission and wading through generic steampunkery.
There aren't any true stinkers in the volume, but there's plenty of middle of the road fare. Lots of just we are cowboys who also hunt monster with bonus steampunk. The best one was a piece about two bandits who pick up a job finding a lost cat only to discover a mad scientist trying to use static electricity to power an earthquake machine.
Verdict: Skip it. the few standouts aren't worth the price of admission and wading through generic steampunkery.
March 14, 2017
A very worthwhile read.
May 15, 2018
Eighteen Sixty (Jane Yellowrock #0.3)
September 1, 2021
I bought it for Ayas Firewind’s story. It was a great story
April 17, 2021
Most stories were pretty good
I recommend this book for some enjoyable light readIng. Will be looking for more short stories from many of these writers
I recommend this book for some enjoyable light readIng. Will be looking for more short stories from many of these writers
December 31, 2021
This was a really interesting collection! The stories were unique & I've never read another collection like this.
July 23, 2023
As promised by the titl.
June 6, 2021
Based on the credits this book was crowdsourced. That's not a negative - my own novel was crowdsourced. It's just an interesting factoid.
I didn't give this a higher rating because many of the stories pay lip service to the genre implied by the title. You expect western stories with weird elements. Some are, but some are steampunk (with a western bent), SF where the bad guy wearing black is it, and a fantasy story in which one race are the natives.
All the stories are good, but some belong elsewhere.
I didn't give this a higher rating because many of the stories pay lip service to the genre implied by the title. You expect western stories with weird elements. Some are, but some are steampunk (with a western bent), SF where the bad guy wearing black is it, and a fantasy story in which one race are the natives.
All the stories are good, but some belong elsewhere.
February 22, 2021
I can't say I cared for most of this. I only bought it for the Faith Hunter story and the only one I really enjoyed besides that was the new to me author Diana Pharaoh Francis = Grasping Rainbows. That was a great story and I went right to the internet to see if she had written more about it. Sadly, I don't see anything. I would love a whole book from that.
November 17, 2021
There were a couple of individual stories I enjoyed, but overall too many weak ones.
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