Bitten by Books
Showdown at Midnight is a collection of stories set in an Old West that is chock-full of the strange, supernatural, and at times horrific. Werewolves, ghost train robbers, wendigos, bloodthirsty vampire bats, you name it. The mix is creative and fulfilling. I liked some stories more than others, but there was not a bad one in the bunch.
As far as tone, that varies as much as the subject matter. Some stories delve deeply into the waters of the macabre, and others are both hilarious and spooky. I found myself suppressing shivers when reading “The Shadow Walkers” by Joel Jenkins, about evil spirits who have a taste for gold. With “Belfry’s in Your Bats” by Aaron Larson, I was laughing like a crazy person.
I liked that each story had something different to bring to the weird west table—plenty of the supernatural-without taking me out of the western setting and frame of mind. These stories have shoot-outs (with a zombie gunslinger), horse-riding, train-robbing, Indians, saloons, rotgut whiskey, mines (played out and haunted), and a couple of saloon girls-pretty much everything a western fan would want.
For a reader looking for a supernatural/fantasy/horror anthology with quick, fun reads, I would definitely recommend Showdown at Midnight.
Book Stats:
- Paperback: 278 pages
- Publisher: CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform (June 15, 2011)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 1463569165
- ISBN-13: 978-1463569167
This book is currently not for sale.
Review Overview
Overall Rating
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Summary : I liked that each story had something different to bring to the weird west table—plenty of the supernatural--without taking me out of the western setting and frame of mind. These stories have shoot-outs (with a zombie gunslinger), horse-riding, train-robbing, Indians, saloons, rotgut whiskey, mines (played out and haunted), and a couple of saloon girls--pretty much everything a western fan would want.
