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Dead West #1
Those Poor, Poor Bastards
'THE WALKING DEAD AND HELL ON WHEELS COLLIDE!'
The year is 1868...IN THE SIERRA NEVADA, during the expansion of the Central Pacific Railroad, Nina Weaver and her pa, Lincoln, trundle into Coburn Station with a wagonful of goods they're looking to barter. Of all the rotten luck, their world—and the future of the American West—is forever changed when a sudden swarm of zombies invades town on the hunt for some human-sized vittles.
THOSE POOR, POOR BASTARDS is the first volume in the all-new Old Western Action-Horror series, "Dead West."
What folks are saying...
"...the cover blurb describes [it] as 'The Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels collide.' Not having seen the former nor being familiar with the latter, I would describe it as Night of the Living Dead meets H. P. Lovecraft and Dr. Fu Manchu..."
—Keith West, Amazing Stories Magazine
"Those Poor, Poor Bastards (the authors, as well as the book) prove that zombies and the West were made for each other, and that the undead fiends still have plenty of guts and action to offer."
—Lincoln Crisler, author of WILD
"Unlike many zombie books in the genre, where you never really understand how the undead have risen from their graves, in 'Dead West' the authors don't mind sharing the zombies' origin. It is a very unique twist that I really enjoyed and comes straight out of American history...a nod I found to be a nice touch."
—Tyson Mauermann, Speculative Book Review
"If there is a typical zombie fan, then I am probably not it. In fact, this was my first time reading about 'deaduns' and now I'm hooked! The story flowed with ease, the characters were vivid and most parts likeable, even the not-so-pleasant characters gain your respect and empathy towards the end. I loved the fact that it's set in the Wild West rather than modern times or some apocalyptic future. I recommend Dead West to my friends, and am looking forward to book two!"
—Sarah Fernandes, Advance Reader
"A Rip-Snortin', Ace-High addition to the walking buzzard-food genre. Marquitz, Martin, and Soward have a hit series on their hands!"
—Paul Martin, Self-Publisher's Showcase
"I'm not a big Weird Western reader. I'm not a big zombie reader. But this first Dead West book is better than just another Weird Western or just another zombie book. The writing is very visceral, raw in a style similar to Chuck Wendig...this is a high octane story [but] what makes this story stand out among the rest is the drama between the human characters."
—Ryan Lawler, Amazon Reviewer
"Two parts bullets, three parts shambling undead, one part magic. All fast-paced Wild West action. Dead West takes you on a wild ride."
—Becca Butcher, Voluted Tales Magazine
The year is 1868...IN THE SIERRA NEVADA, during the expansion of the Central Pacific Railroad, Nina Weaver and her pa, Lincoln, trundle into Coburn Station with a wagonful of goods they're looking to barter. Of all the rotten luck, their world—and the future of the American West—is forever changed when a sudden swarm of zombies invades town on the hunt for some human-sized vittles.
THOSE POOR, POOR BASTARDS is the first volume in the all-new Old Western Action-Horror series, "Dead West."
What folks are saying...
"...the cover blurb describes [it] as 'The Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels collide.' Not having seen the former nor being familiar with the latter, I would describe it as Night of the Living Dead meets H. P. Lovecraft and Dr. Fu Manchu..."
—Keith West, Amazing Stories Magazine
"Those Poor, Poor Bastards (the authors, as well as the book) prove that zombies and the West were made for each other, and that the undead fiends still have plenty of guts and action to offer."
—Lincoln Crisler, author of WILD
"Unlike many zombie books in the genre, where you never really understand how the undead have risen from their graves, in 'Dead West' the authors don't mind sharing the zombies' origin. It is a very unique twist that I really enjoyed and comes straight out of American history...a nod I found to be a nice touch."
—Tyson Mauermann, Speculative Book Review
"If there is a typical zombie fan, then I am probably not it. In fact, this was my first time reading about 'deaduns' and now I'm hooked! The story flowed with ease, the characters were vivid and most parts likeable, even the not-so-pleasant characters gain your respect and empathy towards the end. I loved the fact that it's set in the Wild West rather than modern times or some apocalyptic future. I recommend Dead West to my friends, and am looking forward to book two!"
—Sarah Fernandes, Advance Reader
"A Rip-Snortin', Ace-High addition to the walking buzzard-food genre. Marquitz, Martin, and Soward have a hit series on their hands!"
—Paul Martin, Self-Publisher's Showcase
"I'm not a big Weird Western reader. I'm not a big zombie reader. But this first Dead West book is better than just another Weird Western or just another zombie book. The writing is very visceral, raw in a style similar to Chuck Wendig...this is a high octane story [but] what makes this story stand out among the rest is the drama between the human characters."
—Ryan Lawler, Amazon Reviewer
"Two parts bullets, three parts shambling undead, one part magic. All fast-paced Wild West action. Dead West takes you on a wild ride."
—Becca Butcher, Voluted Tales Magazine
212 pages, Kindle Edition
First published July 8, 2013
4 people are currently reading
300 people want to read
About the author
Tim Marquitz
103 books214 followersTim Marquitz is the author of the Demon Squad series, The Enemy of My Enemy series (Kurtherian Gambit) along with Michael Anderle, the Blood War Trilogy, co-author of the Dead West series, as well as several standalone books, and numerous anthology appearances alongside the biggest names in fantasy and horror. Tim also collaborated on Memoirs of a MACHINE, the story of MMA pioneer John Machine Lober.
"Horror becomes art when it flows from the pen of Tim Marquitz." ~ Bobby D. Whitney - BookWenches
"Witty, sarcastic and hilarious." Michelle - Publishers Weekly
"Horror becomes art when it flows from the pen of Tim Marquitz." ~ Bobby D. Whitney - BookWenches
"Witty, sarcastic and hilarious." Michelle - Publishers Weekly
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
March 4, 2014
When Nina Weaver and her pa ride into Fort Coburn, they have no idea of the carnage they are about to endure, for the Deaduns walk the earth...
Those Poor, Poor Bastards is the first in the Dead West series, a weird western from the fine fellows at Ragnarok Publications. If Night of the Living Dead happened in the Old West, it would be Those Poor, Poor Bastards.
While it's the first book in a series, it in no way falls victim to the syndrome common to those sorts of books. TPPB is polished and as smooth as fine Scotch. It's violent, gorey, and delightful.
The cast of characters is pretty large so you know some people aren't going to live through this book or the next. Nina is a halfbreed Indian that feels conflicted about her heritage. Her pa, Lincoln, is just trying to keep things together. You've got tough guy Manning, those asshole Daggett brothers, and a myriad of others, most notably Thomas Mathias, the Black Robe, and his archnemesis, Liao, the Yellow Hood.
Of course, I have to talk about the Deaduns. They are zombies of the angry fast sort, and have a hidden purpose. Things get a little Lovecraftian near the end, soemthing I always regard as a good thing.
The bodycount and gore level is pretty high. There's one particular scene near the end involving a ruptured eyeball that almost made me gag. Also regarding the end, it leads into the sequel but is pretty satifying on its own, unless we have to wait a decade or more like the gap between the third and fourth Dark Tower books.
Those Poor, Poor Bastards is a nugget of Weird Western gold. Four out of Five stars.
Those Poor, Poor Bastards is the first in the Dead West series, a weird western from the fine fellows at Ragnarok Publications. If Night of the Living Dead happened in the Old West, it would be Those Poor, Poor Bastards.
While it's the first book in a series, it in no way falls victim to the syndrome common to those sorts of books. TPPB is polished and as smooth as fine Scotch. It's violent, gorey, and delightful.
The cast of characters is pretty large so you know some people aren't going to live through this book or the next. Nina is a halfbreed Indian that feels conflicted about her heritage. Her pa, Lincoln, is just trying to keep things together. You've got tough guy Manning, those asshole Daggett brothers, and a myriad of others, most notably Thomas Mathias, the Black Robe, and his archnemesis, Liao, the Yellow Hood.
Of course, I have to talk about the Deaduns. They are zombies of the angry fast sort, and have a hidden purpose. Things get a little Lovecraftian near the end, soemthing I always regard as a good thing.
The bodycount and gore level is pretty high. There's one particular scene near the end involving a ruptured eyeball that almost made me gag. Also regarding the end, it leads into the sequel but is pretty satifying on its own, unless we have to wait a decade or more like the gap between the third and fourth Dark Tower books.
Those Poor, Poor Bastards is a nugget of Weird Western gold. Four out of Five stars.
May 12, 2014
Reviewed at Adventures in SciFi Publishing
I love when I find a publisher who consistently delivers a professional, entertaining story. It makes picking up unfamiliar authors and genres so much easier. With all the books I’m trying to read, I tire starting ones that end up putting down, so thank you to Ragnarok Publications for making my life easier and giving me another cool story to pass the time. Those Poor, Poor Bastards by Marquitz, Martin, and Soward was a pleasant surprise to a reader unsure about this kind of genre fiction. I came in thinking it would be a gritty, gory, weird west battle against zombies. I was right, but found that if written this well, I can enjoy such a mixture of elements. The editing is tight, the voice for the dead west time period is authentic, the violence is clearly written and effectively exciting, and there’s enough character and worldbuilding to make me leave the story wanting more. On top of that, the book is short, with Goodreads saying it is only 210 pages. With some of the Epic Fantasies I’ve been trying lately, it was really nice to read through a book I enjoyed in one day and want to pick the next one up immediately.
Ragnarok dubs this book as ‘The Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels Collide.’ Those Poor, Poor Bastards is more fast paced than either of those shows, but still manages to create a cast of characters with enough personality to make the action matter. Nina, our main character, is half-Native American, with her White father her only family left alive.
Nina’s story begins with the desire to
“do something other than scavenge abandoned sites and dicker for fixins with brown-toothed backwoodsmen.”
Guess what, Nina, you’re about to get your wish, kinda. How about a demon-type zombie apocalypse that starts with horses and dogs running rampage on the small town you just entered. But, while trying to find a place to hole up, you’ll get stuck with some racist backwoodsmen.
Here’s a sample of the action to come:
The action and fear amp up from this early sample, but it is a good picture of what’s to come. The prose doesn’t get in its own way so you can fly through what happens, but still manages to keep us in Nina’s senses and fear. Looking back, she comes off as almost juvenile in this sample, which goes to show how much she’ll grow up by the time this story is finished. Her story is about keeping her older father alive, meeting people she’ll care for and hate, and discovering her spiritual gift while being skeptical of the spiritual world.
The action and plot provided enough surprises to keep me in suspense, but there is room for growth in future stories. Those Poor, Poor Bastards takes our cast of heroes into an abandoned outpost where they get surrounded by deaduns and a mystical figure who may be responsible from raising them to undead life. This semi-stationary aspect gives us time to see that the deaduns are not the only threat, and to root us in the characters we’ll cheer for and against in future books, but also gets exciting as the wave crashes over them.
I knew what I was getting into right away and if this is your thing, you'll really enjoy it. I'd say it gets better as the story moves in, adding character stuff and emotion just enough to make this more than a escape the zombies book.
I will definitely read the next one, and may struggle not to read it right away.
I love when I find a publisher who consistently delivers a professional, entertaining story. It makes picking up unfamiliar authors and genres so much easier. With all the books I’m trying to read, I tire starting ones that end up putting down, so thank you to Ragnarok Publications for making my life easier and giving me another cool story to pass the time. Those Poor, Poor Bastards by Marquitz, Martin, and Soward was a pleasant surprise to a reader unsure about this kind of genre fiction. I came in thinking it would be a gritty, gory, weird west battle against zombies. I was right, but found that if written this well, I can enjoy such a mixture of elements. The editing is tight, the voice for the dead west time period is authentic, the violence is clearly written and effectively exciting, and there’s enough character and worldbuilding to make me leave the story wanting more. On top of that, the book is short, with Goodreads saying it is only 210 pages. With some of the Epic Fantasies I’ve been trying lately, it was really nice to read through a book I enjoyed in one day and want to pick the next one up immediately.
Ragnarok dubs this book as ‘The Walking Dead and Hell on Wheels Collide.’ Those Poor, Poor Bastards is more fast paced than either of those shows, but still manages to create a cast of characters with enough personality to make the action matter. Nina, our main character, is half-Native American, with her White father her only family left alive.
Nina’s story begins with the desire to
“do something other than scavenge abandoned sites and dicker for fixins with brown-toothed backwoodsmen.”
Guess what, Nina, you’re about to get your wish, kinda. How about a demon-type zombie apocalypse that starts with horses and dogs running rampage on the small town you just entered. But, while trying to find a place to hole up, you’ll get stuck with some racist backwoodsmen.
Here’s a sample of the action to come:
A ball of fire plumed. The concussion rocked the ground. Nina felt the heat all the way to their hiding spot. Debris whizzed by, landing in the mud with thunks. The smells of charred wood, powder, and cooked horse burned her eyes. The livery office blazed; the stable roof was on fire, too.
…
“Ain’t all we got to worry about, Lincoln.”
They followed Manning’s nod, looked down the street where a dark shadow came pressing down from the west. Beneath its oppressiveness, folks ambled in the capering fog, forty or fifty strong; men and women, gunshot or hacked, afflicted with grievous wounds that should have killed them; they stood, bleeding and warped, teeth gnashing like those sick dogs and horses, a small army of persistent flesh. Some looked recently dug up, skin glowing gray in the mist, hair hanging in patches from skull-bare heads.
Nina felt sick. Her gut screamed at her to flee. “Pa. Mister Manning…”
“I’m there with ya, darlin’,” Manning said.
The three of them backed away, boots creaking on the wooden boards. Several pairs of rheumy eyes among the legion of…undead…turned their way. Nina cupped her hands over her ears as a collective moan went up.
Pa took aim, but then drew back. “Too many. Whatever the hell they are.”
Nina looked at her father. “What do we do?”
“Run,” he said.
Then two cadaverous claws broke through the store window behind James Manning and took hold of his shoulders.
The action and fear amp up from this early sample, but it is a good picture of what’s to come. The prose doesn’t get in its own way so you can fly through what happens, but still manages to keep us in Nina’s senses and fear. Looking back, she comes off as almost juvenile in this sample, which goes to show how much she’ll grow up by the time this story is finished. Her story is about keeping her older father alive, meeting people she’ll care for and hate, and discovering her spiritual gift while being skeptical of the spiritual world.
The action and plot provided enough surprises to keep me in suspense, but there is room for growth in future stories. Those Poor, Poor Bastards takes our cast of heroes into an abandoned outpost where they get surrounded by deaduns and a mystical figure who may be responsible from raising them to undead life. This semi-stationary aspect gives us time to see that the deaduns are not the only threat, and to root us in the characters we’ll cheer for and against in future books, but also gets exciting as the wave crashes over them.
I knew what I was getting into right away and if this is your thing, you'll really enjoy it. I'd say it gets better as the story moves in, adding character stuff and emotion just enough to make this more than a escape the zombies book.
I will definitely read the next one, and may struggle not to read it right away.
July 10, 2013
Full review can be found here.
It is hard to find really good zombie novels lately with the genre being force-fed to readers. Nearly everywhere you turn there is a new zombie video game, movie, or television show vying for your attention. So when my good friend Tim asked me if I was interested in reading his latest collaboration with Kenny Soward and Joe Martin, I was a bit worried as I don't really care for Zombie books, They all have that been there done that feel to them and the category has a watered down feel to it. But he is a good friend and I have a hard time saying no to him and the offer of a free novel was just too good to pass up. I am glad that I took him up on his offer.
Dead West takes place in America's Wild West. While the location is hard to pin down, they do use a few landmarks and historical references to help you picture it in your mind. The Civil War has finished and Americans are expanding rapidly across the frontier. The best thing about this collaboration is that the three authors have done an impressive job of creating a world that feels familiar, and yet very unique. It is hard to describe but anyone could feel at home here, as long as they don't mind the undead knocking at their door from time to time.
That is where Nina comes in. She and her father are making a living trading with the various towns and trading posts. They make a decent living but because she is half Native American, or "injun," she has to maintain a low profile. Many people don't take kindly to Native Americans so she dresses in disguise as a boy and stays with the horses. Right off the bat, I found myself liking her. She is intelligent and doesn't put up with much crap, even when the cards are stacked against her. She doesn't talk much and isn't afraid to use her Colt to solve problems.
Her father is much more level-headed, he was a Union scout and after retiring he started a family with a Native American woman. While most would shun the idea marrying an Indian, he seems to wear it as a badge of pride and his daughter is his most precious possession. He does his best to keep her safe, while providing for his family.
Dead West starts out fast. The first page you meet your main characters and not too many pages after that all Hell breaks loose. While Nina and her father are out trading in the modest town of Coburn Station a stampede of the strangest magnitude occurs. Soon hordes of the undead attempt to make a meal out of them. In true zombie fashion, alliances are formed with some very unique personalities. Each new addition to the group has an uncommon background that feeds into the main plot, filling in the holes as the story progresses.
Unlike many zombie books in the genre, where you never really understand how the undead have risen from their graves. In the Dead West the authors don't mind sharing the zombie's origin and it is a very unique twist that I really enjoyed and comes straight out of American history, it was a nod that I found to be a nice touch.
If you enjoyed Rock Star's Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, the downloadable content that adds zombies to the western sandbox video game, then you will be right at home with this book. Marquitz, Martin, and Soward have definitely put their unique stamp on the zombie genre and you won't be disappointed with their efforts. Dead West is a fast paced western novel with an undead spin. Full of gunslingers, outlaws, indians and several unsavory characters, a tight, fast-past plot, and the beginnings of a series that will have you galloping to the bookstore yearning for the next book in the series. Dead West is highly recommended.
It is hard to find really good zombie novels lately with the genre being force-fed to readers. Nearly everywhere you turn there is a new zombie video game, movie, or television show vying for your attention. So when my good friend Tim asked me if I was interested in reading his latest collaboration with Kenny Soward and Joe Martin, I was a bit worried as I don't really care for Zombie books, They all have that been there done that feel to them and the category has a watered down feel to it. But he is a good friend and I have a hard time saying no to him and the offer of a free novel was just too good to pass up. I am glad that I took him up on his offer.
Dead West takes place in America's Wild West. While the location is hard to pin down, they do use a few landmarks and historical references to help you picture it in your mind. The Civil War has finished and Americans are expanding rapidly across the frontier. The best thing about this collaboration is that the three authors have done an impressive job of creating a world that feels familiar, and yet very unique. It is hard to describe but anyone could feel at home here, as long as they don't mind the undead knocking at their door from time to time.
That is where Nina comes in. She and her father are making a living trading with the various towns and trading posts. They make a decent living but because she is half Native American, or "injun," she has to maintain a low profile. Many people don't take kindly to Native Americans so she dresses in disguise as a boy and stays with the horses. Right off the bat, I found myself liking her. She is intelligent and doesn't put up with much crap, even when the cards are stacked against her. She doesn't talk much and isn't afraid to use her Colt to solve problems.
Her father is much more level-headed, he was a Union scout and after retiring he started a family with a Native American woman. While most would shun the idea marrying an Indian, he seems to wear it as a badge of pride and his daughter is his most precious possession. He does his best to keep her safe, while providing for his family.
Dead West starts out fast. The first page you meet your main characters and not too many pages after that all Hell breaks loose. While Nina and her father are out trading in the modest town of Coburn Station a stampede of the strangest magnitude occurs. Soon hordes of the undead attempt to make a meal out of them. In true zombie fashion, alliances are formed with some very unique personalities. Each new addition to the group has an uncommon background that feeds into the main plot, filling in the holes as the story progresses.
Unlike many zombie books in the genre, where you never really understand how the undead have risen from their graves. In the Dead West the authors don't mind sharing the zombie's origin and it is a very unique twist that I really enjoyed and comes straight out of American history, it was a nod that I found to be a nice touch.
If you enjoyed Rock Star's Red Dead Redemption: Undead Nightmare, the downloadable content that adds zombies to the western sandbox video game, then you will be right at home with this book. Marquitz, Martin, and Soward have definitely put their unique stamp on the zombie genre and you won't be disappointed with their efforts. Dead West is a fast paced western novel with an undead spin. Full of gunslingers, outlaws, indians and several unsavory characters, a tight, fast-past plot, and the beginnings of a series that will have you galloping to the bookstore yearning for the next book in the series. Dead West is highly recommended.
March 7, 2014
4 of 5 stars at The BiblioSanctum http://bibliosanctum.blogspot.com/201...
I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book at first. Thank goodness I was wrong! Still, can you really blame me for having my doubts? After being inundated in recent years with the dozens upon dozens of movies, TV shows, video games etc. all featuring the same mindless gory battles against the shambling, moaning hordes of the undead, my initial thought was: been there, done that, now what more can this zombie book offer?
Well, this is the review where I happily eat my words! I should have known better anyway, because Ragnarok Publications has never let me down. As it turned out, Those Poor, Poor Bastards had a lot more to offer than I'd anticipated, in addition to that charming little title. The book did contain some of the usual trappings you'll find in a lot of zombie stories, but there were some twists as well, and I loved how the authors took the familiar and created something new. Also, while I haven't read enough of the Weird West sub-genre to consider myself a fan, a description like "Zombie Western" wasn't really something I could resist.
It is 1868, in the Sierra Nevada. The book begins with Nina Weaver and her father Lincoln riding into Coburn Station only to find that everything has gone to hell in a chuckwagon. The "Deaduns" have arisen and are sowing bloody carnage all over town, forcing the living to band together in order to survive. In typical fashion, you end up with a large, diverse ensemble cast. And like watching The Walking Dead, you just know before you even begin that many of them are going to end up zombie food before this whole thing is over.
Put a big group of people with disparate personalities into a stressful situation and you'll also inevitably get your clashes and alliances within the ranks. There are the good folks like Nina and her pa, the priest Father Mathias as well as the charming James Manning. On the other side of the fence you have the less savory types and troublemakers like the Daggett brothers or the scummy Mister Strobridge. Then there are those caught in the middle who just aren't sure. With tensions this high and a swarm of Deaduns at the door, it's the perfect set up for explosive conflict. Emphasis on explosive.
So far, with the exception of the western setting, things might be sounding rather familiar. But then, the authors work their magic and you suddenly realize there is way more to this story. Bucking tradition, we're actually given an explanation into the Deaduns and how they came to be. Their origins and motives, not to mention the actual reveal itself, were so unique that it completely threw me for a loop -- in a good way! I have to say this ended up being a delightfully fun read, in all its blood-splattered glory.
Those Poor, Poor Bastards also taught me something important about myself -- that I will never be too old or too jaded for a good ol' zombie story! What a fast-paced, crazy wild book. I think I'll just end this review with a suggestion to the potential reader: there are a lot of characters, so definitely try to tackle this novel all in one go if you can, ensuring that the dozen or so identities will always remain fresh in your mind. Besides, it shouldn't be too difficult -- because once you start reading, you just might find it hard to stop!
I didn't think I was going to enjoy this book at first. Thank goodness I was wrong! Still, can you really blame me for having my doubts? After being inundated in recent years with the dozens upon dozens of movies, TV shows, video games etc. all featuring the same mindless gory battles against the shambling, moaning hordes of the undead, my initial thought was: been there, done that, now what more can this zombie book offer?
Well, this is the review where I happily eat my words! I should have known better anyway, because Ragnarok Publications has never let me down. As it turned out, Those Poor, Poor Bastards had a lot more to offer than I'd anticipated, in addition to that charming little title. The book did contain some of the usual trappings you'll find in a lot of zombie stories, but there were some twists as well, and I loved how the authors took the familiar and created something new. Also, while I haven't read enough of the Weird West sub-genre to consider myself a fan, a description like "Zombie Western" wasn't really something I could resist.
It is 1868, in the Sierra Nevada. The book begins with Nina Weaver and her father Lincoln riding into Coburn Station only to find that everything has gone to hell in a chuckwagon. The "Deaduns" have arisen and are sowing bloody carnage all over town, forcing the living to band together in order to survive. In typical fashion, you end up with a large, diverse ensemble cast. And like watching The Walking Dead, you just know before you even begin that many of them are going to end up zombie food before this whole thing is over.
Put a big group of people with disparate personalities into a stressful situation and you'll also inevitably get your clashes and alliances within the ranks. There are the good folks like Nina and her pa, the priest Father Mathias as well as the charming James Manning. On the other side of the fence you have the less savory types and troublemakers like the Daggett brothers or the scummy Mister Strobridge. Then there are those caught in the middle who just aren't sure. With tensions this high and a swarm of Deaduns at the door, it's the perfect set up for explosive conflict. Emphasis on explosive.
So far, with the exception of the western setting, things might be sounding rather familiar. But then, the authors work their magic and you suddenly realize there is way more to this story. Bucking tradition, we're actually given an explanation into the Deaduns and how they came to be. Their origins and motives, not to mention the actual reveal itself, were so unique that it completely threw me for a loop -- in a good way! I have to say this ended up being a delightfully fun read, in all its blood-splattered glory.
Those Poor, Poor Bastards also taught me something important about myself -- that I will never be too old or too jaded for a good ol' zombie story! What a fast-paced, crazy wild book. I think I'll just end this review with a suggestion to the potential reader: there are a lot of characters, so definitely try to tackle this novel all in one go if you can, ensuring that the dozen or so identities will always remain fresh in your mind. Besides, it shouldn't be too difficult -- because once you start reading, you just might find it hard to stop!
October 8, 2014
Those Poor, Poor Bastards felt like yet another cowboys versus zombies book - which is unfortunate. There are some funny moments and the characters are very real - especially Nina Weaver. The writing was also crisp and more or less enjoyable. My problem with the book was with the Zombie Outbreak itself.
In this book the zombie outbreak starts with a bang. Nina and her father roll up in town and, just as they are leaving, wave after wave of first animals and then infected people blow through town. There was no build up to it. It just started. And it felt very, I don't know, artificial. In zombie fiction the outbreak has to feel plausible (within the confines of the story). I guess I just didn't buy it. That's a problem when zombies are in the background.
Additionally, the book felt quasi predictable. With zombie fiction the real struggle is not so much with the undead, but with other survivors and, wouldn't you know it, that's exactly what happened here. Meh. The only real surprise was the Jesuit and his powers over the zombies. That was a nice twist, Zombies being turned by the power of faith.
Three stars. Maybe it just wasn't the book for me. Parts were very good, but on the whole I was very mixed on the book.
In this book the zombie outbreak starts with a bang. Nina and her father roll up in town and, just as they are leaving, wave after wave of first animals and then infected people blow through town. There was no build up to it. It just started. And it felt very, I don't know, artificial. In zombie fiction the outbreak has to feel plausible (within the confines of the story). I guess I just didn't buy it. That's a problem when zombies are in the background.
Additionally, the book felt quasi predictable. With zombie fiction the real struggle is not so much with the undead, but with other survivors and, wouldn't you know it, that's exactly what happened here. Meh. The only real surprise was the Jesuit and his powers over the zombies. That was a nice twist, Zombies being turned by the power of faith.
Three stars. Maybe it just wasn't the book for me. Parts were very good, but on the whole I was very mixed on the book.
July 12, 2013
Now I've read Tim Marquitz before, so I knew going in this was going to have some spunk to it, and I wasn't disappointed. Tim delivers in a big way, but I have to say I was even more impressed with relative newcomer Kenny Soward who shows once again he has great writing chomps [loved his work on Rough Magic]. Add this to an author who I'd read extensively for fluff content in the gaming field, J.M. Martin, and Those Poor, Poor Bastards is a thrill ride of action that I have to say makes me want more from this fresh, and dynamic trio. Highly recommend this read!
July 10, 2013
I'm not a big Weird Western reader. I'm not a big zombie reader. But this first Dead West book is better than just another Weird Western or just another zombie book. The writing is very visceral, raw in a style similar to Chuck Wendig, with some gooey depictions of bodies being torn apart and decaying in a very fluid way. It is at times high impact, so if you are somewhat squeamish at the thought of a body being emptied of all its fluids, you might want to check out the sample first. If not, get onboard and have some fun.
There is action aplenty, there is furious gunplay, there are characters knee deep in the blood and guts of their eviscerated friends - this is a high octane story. What makes this story stand out among the rest is the drama between the human characters - there are a bunch of survivors holed up a dilapidated and very fragile house, and they hate each other. They hate each other more than they want to survive this zombie outbreak. So while they have to protect themselves from the threat of the undead, they have to be even more watchful for sabotage within their ranks.
The lead character, Nina, is fantastic. She is a survivor, she is brave, she is loyal, and she is quick to lend her services to those who need help. She acts like she is the shoot first ask questions later type of person, but she always holds back from pulling the trigger, willing to give people the chance to redeem themselves right up until the end. The scenes between her and Jasmine are borderline wish-fulfilment, but they have context, they make sense, they are not gratuitous, and they make you feel stuff. The other characters get a fair representation, have their own quirks, strengths and weaknesses, but I think this story was a little to short to full flesh these people out. And there is the whole zombie outbreak thing so you never know when one of them will bite it. Marquitz, Martin and Soward have said that they are planning for five more similar size novels, so hopefully we get to see some more background on the characters.
I really enjoyed Those Poor, Poor Bastards. Marquitz, Martin and Soward have put something together that I think really harmonizes and enhances each of their unique qualities. The problem is - how long do I have to wait before I get my next fill of Dead West?!
There is action aplenty, there is furious gunplay, there are characters knee deep in the blood and guts of their eviscerated friends - this is a high octane story. What makes this story stand out among the rest is the drama between the human characters - there are a bunch of survivors holed up a dilapidated and very fragile house, and they hate each other. They hate each other more than they want to survive this zombie outbreak. So while they have to protect themselves from the threat of the undead, they have to be even more watchful for sabotage within their ranks.
The lead character, Nina, is fantastic. She is a survivor, she is brave, she is loyal, and she is quick to lend her services to those who need help. She acts like she is the shoot first ask questions later type of person, but she always holds back from pulling the trigger, willing to give people the chance to redeem themselves right up until the end. The scenes between her and Jasmine are borderline wish-fulfilment, but they have context, they make sense, they are not gratuitous, and they make you feel stuff. The other characters get a fair representation, have their own quirks, strengths and weaknesses, but I think this story was a little to short to full flesh these people out. And there is the whole zombie outbreak thing so you never know when one of them will bite it. Marquitz, Martin and Soward have said that they are planning for five more similar size novels, so hopefully we get to see some more background on the characters.
I really enjoyed Those Poor, Poor Bastards. Marquitz, Martin and Soward have put something together that I think really harmonizes and enhances each of their unique qualities. The problem is - how long do I have to wait before I get my next fill of Dead West?!
July 12, 2013
Those Poor, Poor Bastards isn’t perfect, but what is? It’s a high-octane thrill ride full of blood and guts. The zombie factor might pull in a lot of readers, but this is more than your grandma’s zombie book. This is something new and different full of unique characters and fantastic adventures. Those Poor, Poor Bastards sets the stage for a wonderful series to come. It’s amazingly fun and an incredibly fast read that will sink its teeth into you and leave you wanting more, more, more. It’s a unique, invigorating spin on a subject I generally hate, but I was swept away by the wonderful setting and interesting characters. The authors put a new spin on a very tired and uninteresting literary trope. They took a gamble and it paid off. Those Poor, Poor Bastards is definitely one of those books you’ll want to read right away. It is sure to surprise you.
Read my full review here:
http://www.bookwormblues.net/2013/07/...
Read my full review here:
http://www.bookwormblues.net/2013/07/...
October 29, 2013
For some reason zombies don't often wind up in westerns. Well, you need only read the collaboration between Tim Marquitz, J.M. Martin, and Kenny Soward to know that this is a problem that needs to be remedied, and those three guys are more than up for the challenge.
It's 1868 in the Nevada desert, and young Nina Weaver is traveling with her father into the town of Sierra to trade some goods just when all hell breaks loose on the streets. It starts with a stampede of horses gone mad, attacking other animals and even people, and from there it gets even worse. Whatever has afflicted the horses has spread to the people in town as well, with folks turning on each other and tearing and biting into flesh. Nina, her father, and a small group of survivors flee, but in the wilds of America it's not like you can rely on military intervention or seek out some compound for shelter.
It's a frenetic opening once the so-called "deaduns" pour into the dusty streets, but these aren't run-of-the-mill zombies, which becomes readily apparent after a few action-packed chapters. Think less Night of the Living Dead and more Brian Keene's The Rising. There's an intelligence to certain deaduns, but that's a mystery Nina and the others can't afford to concentrate on with hundreds of flesh-eating creatures snapping at their heels.
As far as characters go, Nina is a resilient and resourceful gal, and a far cry from a railroad damsel. A little bit of a spoiler here, but early on in the carnage Nina's grizzled father takes a hit and she has to become his guardian among a crew of disparate strangers. Some good, some bad, some just plain ugly. She may well be the least colorful character of the bunch, acting in many scenes as a "straight man" to the real oddball and sleezeballs she must align with in order to avoid becoming zombie feed, but she does become a very likable character and one who is easy to root for.
As far as villains go, a couple come close to being mustache-twirling scoundrels--in fact, one of them may have been twirling his mustache now that I think of it--but there is a diversity and a psychology to their actions. No one is evil for the sake of being evil. Even the truly evil villain of the tale has motivations beyond the generic bwah-hah-hah. And they definitely had a lot to offer in terms of swerves and obstacles for Nina as she tries to keep herself and her father alive amid the madness.
The blending of the wild west and horror can be a bit tricky, I suppose, but it's done quite well here. The ending is a little abrupt, but not cliffhanger-y. It does, however, leave me wanting more--and it looks like there is plenty more in store. Yee-hah!
It's 1868 in the Nevada desert, and young Nina Weaver is traveling with her father into the town of Sierra to trade some goods just when all hell breaks loose on the streets. It starts with a stampede of horses gone mad, attacking other animals and even people, and from there it gets even worse. Whatever has afflicted the horses has spread to the people in town as well, with folks turning on each other and tearing and biting into flesh. Nina, her father, and a small group of survivors flee, but in the wilds of America it's not like you can rely on military intervention or seek out some compound for shelter.
It's a frenetic opening once the so-called "deaduns" pour into the dusty streets, but these aren't run-of-the-mill zombies, which becomes readily apparent after a few action-packed chapters. Think less Night of the Living Dead and more Brian Keene's The Rising. There's an intelligence to certain deaduns, but that's a mystery Nina and the others can't afford to concentrate on with hundreds of flesh-eating creatures snapping at their heels.
As far as characters go, Nina is a resilient and resourceful gal, and a far cry from a railroad damsel. A little bit of a spoiler here, but early on in the carnage Nina's grizzled father takes a hit and she has to become his guardian among a crew of disparate strangers. Some good, some bad, some just plain ugly. She may well be the least colorful character of the bunch, acting in many scenes as a "straight man" to the real oddball and sleezeballs she must align with in order to avoid becoming zombie feed, but she does become a very likable character and one who is easy to root for.
As far as villains go, a couple come close to being mustache-twirling scoundrels--in fact, one of them may have been twirling his mustache now that I think of it--but there is a diversity and a psychology to their actions. No one is evil for the sake of being evil. Even the truly evil villain of the tale has motivations beyond the generic bwah-hah-hah. And they definitely had a lot to offer in terms of swerves and obstacles for Nina as she tries to keep herself and her father alive amid the madness.
The blending of the wild west and horror can be a bit tricky, I suppose, but it's done quite well here. The ending is a little abrupt, but not cliffhanger-y. It does, however, leave me wanting more--and it looks like there is plenty more in store. Yee-hah!
August 8, 2013
Very good book, very-well written.
I like zombies, but the literary world is so awash with them these days it's hard to find the gold amongst the dross.
This one is gold.
Brilliant pacing, fantastic writing, great editing and proofreading. This has it all.
Characters are varied and well-developed, and the story draws to a natural close, not at all forced like so many books these days.
Can't wait for the next in this series.
Geoff Brown - president , Australian Horror Writers Association
I like zombies, but the literary world is so awash with them these days it's hard to find the gold amongst the dross.
This one is gold.
Brilliant pacing, fantastic writing, great editing and proofreading. This has it all.
Characters are varied and well-developed, and the story draws to a natural close, not at all forced like so many books these days.
Can't wait for the next in this series.
Geoff Brown - president , Australian Horror Writers Association
July 17, 2014
You can read the full review over at my blog:
http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/2014...
In the short time that it has been operating, Ragnarok Publications has been doing some great work by all accounts. Their kaiju anthology that was released early this year, Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters was an awesome piece of kaiju fiction that covered all different sorts of genres and styles and what not, and the men behind the publisher have been going full at it for a good long while now. A few months ago Tim Marquitz, Joe Martin and Kenny Soward launched a new series for Ragnarok, called Dead West, and it was promoted quite heavily as a new spin on an old and popular genre.
Those Poor, Poor Bastards is set in the American Mid-West during the mid-1800s and it features zombies and holy magic and the American Frontier and everything else that goes with all of that. Having read some of Tim’s fiction previously, I was expecting the story to be quite bold and brash, with some rough humour thrown in for good measure, and I wasn’t disappointed in that at all. Tim collaborates on this with his Ragnarok co-publisher Joe Martin and with author Kenny Soward, with the three of them turning out quite an interesting zombie western that unfortunately does have a few flaws.
The story is basically that of half-Injun Nina and her father as they get caught up in a zombie plague somewhere in the American Midwest in the mid-1800s. Their resulting adventure sees them meeting all sorts of people as they make friends and enemies alike in their bid for survival and the ending is both interesting and a bit disappointing, largely because this is such a short story. I could definitely have done with a much longer story personally, because I liked the entire build-up and the suspense of the moment with respect to why the zombie plague happened at this particular time and to these particular people. Nina and her father are basically caught up in the events that happen and their story is most definitely intriguing, to say the least.
To get off the negatives first, I’d say that I could have done with a bit less swearing and the… rough talk. Nina is often described in less-than-gentle terms and there is a lot of swearing in this novel, to the point that it often detracted from the story itself. Whenever that happens, my enjoyment of a story is always lessened, for something essential is taken away from the moment. Knowing that Tim is one of the writers, I expected something like this of course, but even then it was a bit much.
And I had some issues with the portrayal of Nina and a couple of the other female characters in this story, for they always seemed to be reactionary or too willing to give denigrating comments a miss just because. That didn’t sit well with me, no matter what the era itself was like and all.
However, when you focus on the positives, there’s a lot to talk about for sure. Such as the fact that between the three of them, these writer shave crafted a really engaging story of the zombie plague sweeping up the American Midwest in its wake. The characters’ flight of terror from the zombies chasing them, the brutal scenes of horror, the full-on emotion of the whole thing, that’s where the novel really excels.
And more than that, it really gives you characters to either root for or to wish that they’d die by crashing into a super-speed train. There’s a really wonderful mix of characters in Those Poor, Poor Bastards, really validating the title in a lot of ways. Sometimes the story can be a bit too fast-paced but I didn’t mind it, for the page-count is a bit on the low-side and there are indeed a lot of characters to get through. Had the writers slowed down the story to properly give each character some form of development, then the story would indeed have suffered, so there’s a good balance of things here.
From what I understand, the authors have published at least one more Dead West story, and after reading Those Poor, Poor Bastards I am definitely of a mind to check them all out, for I did enjoy this one and want to read more. Ragnarok Publications has done some great things of late and Dead West looks set to be another feather in its cap, so I wish all the authors the best.
Rating: 8/10
http://sonsofcorax.wordpress.com/2014...
In the short time that it has been operating, Ragnarok Publications has been doing some great work by all accounts. Their kaiju anthology that was released early this year, Kaiju Rising: Age of Monsters was an awesome piece of kaiju fiction that covered all different sorts of genres and styles and what not, and the men behind the publisher have been going full at it for a good long while now. A few months ago Tim Marquitz, Joe Martin and Kenny Soward launched a new series for Ragnarok, called Dead West, and it was promoted quite heavily as a new spin on an old and popular genre.
Those Poor, Poor Bastards is set in the American Mid-West during the mid-1800s and it features zombies and holy magic and the American Frontier and everything else that goes with all of that. Having read some of Tim’s fiction previously, I was expecting the story to be quite bold and brash, with some rough humour thrown in for good measure, and I wasn’t disappointed in that at all. Tim collaborates on this with his Ragnarok co-publisher Joe Martin and with author Kenny Soward, with the three of them turning out quite an interesting zombie western that unfortunately does have a few flaws.
The story is basically that of half-Injun Nina and her father as they get caught up in a zombie plague somewhere in the American Midwest in the mid-1800s. Their resulting adventure sees them meeting all sorts of people as they make friends and enemies alike in their bid for survival and the ending is both interesting and a bit disappointing, largely because this is such a short story. I could definitely have done with a much longer story personally, because I liked the entire build-up and the suspense of the moment with respect to why the zombie plague happened at this particular time and to these particular people. Nina and her father are basically caught up in the events that happen and their story is most definitely intriguing, to say the least.
To get off the negatives first, I’d say that I could have done with a bit less swearing and the… rough talk. Nina is often described in less-than-gentle terms and there is a lot of swearing in this novel, to the point that it often detracted from the story itself. Whenever that happens, my enjoyment of a story is always lessened, for something essential is taken away from the moment. Knowing that Tim is one of the writers, I expected something like this of course, but even then it was a bit much.
And I had some issues with the portrayal of Nina and a couple of the other female characters in this story, for they always seemed to be reactionary or too willing to give denigrating comments a miss just because. That didn’t sit well with me, no matter what the era itself was like and all.
However, when you focus on the positives, there’s a lot to talk about for sure. Such as the fact that between the three of them, these writer shave crafted a really engaging story of the zombie plague sweeping up the American Midwest in its wake. The characters’ flight of terror from the zombies chasing them, the brutal scenes of horror, the full-on emotion of the whole thing, that’s where the novel really excels.
And more than that, it really gives you characters to either root for or to wish that they’d die by crashing into a super-speed train. There’s a really wonderful mix of characters in Those Poor, Poor Bastards, really validating the title in a lot of ways. Sometimes the story can be a bit too fast-paced but I didn’t mind it, for the page-count is a bit on the low-side and there are indeed a lot of characters to get through. Had the writers slowed down the story to properly give each character some form of development, then the story would indeed have suffered, so there’s a good balance of things here.
From what I understand, the authors have published at least one more Dead West story, and after reading Those Poor, Poor Bastards I am definitely of a mind to check them all out, for I did enjoy this one and want to read more. Ragnarok Publications has done some great things of late and Dead West looks set to be another feather in its cap, so I wish all the authors the best.
Rating: 8/10
February 26, 2014
4 of 5 Stars
Nina Weaver and her Pa have come to Coburn Station to trade for supplies. They barely leave town with their lives. Dead West - Book One: Those Poor, Poor Bastards opens with a bit of a ruckus that quickly erupts into full-blown chaos.
I've read a lot of Zombie tales over the years, but none has ever begun as strangely as this one. There are some genre bending twists right at the start which I really enjoyed and then we were quickly on more familiar ground, albeit dusty ground, this is the old west in the 1800's, after all.
The language is as raw as the times and that's pretty rough. I can't even post the quote I want to here, or Amazon would be editing me when I post the review there. Let's just say it's rough enough to have ladies of the evening tossing liquid waste from second story windows. In addition to the language there is plenty of offensive stereotyping complete with the slang that, thanks to modern political correctness, has all but been elimited from polite conversation. However, in the post Civil War 1800's, it's still commonplace.
For the most part Dead West - Book One: Those Poor, Poor Bastards Is fast paced and entertaining as all get out. The writers certainly managed to come up with a diverse group of characters who played well off one another creating both friction and friendships leading to plenty of internal conflict as well as having to fend off the deaduns.
I did think things got a bit bogged down in the second half, but overall I found Dead West - Book One: Those Poor, Poor Bastards to be a very quick and enjoyable read that left me wanting more. Fortunately, I shouldn't have long to wait, as Book Two is due next month and a third book in the series is already in the works.
Dead West - Book One: Those Poor, Poor Bastards is available now for the Kindle at Amazon.com and is published by Ragnarok Publications.
Nina Weaver and her Pa have come to Coburn Station to trade for supplies. They barely leave town with their lives. Dead West - Book One: Those Poor, Poor Bastards opens with a bit of a ruckus that quickly erupts into full-blown chaos.
I've read a lot of Zombie tales over the years, but none has ever begun as strangely as this one. There are some genre bending twists right at the start which I really enjoyed and then we were quickly on more familiar ground, albeit dusty ground, this is the old west in the 1800's, after all.
The language is as raw as the times and that's pretty rough. I can't even post the quote I want to here, or Amazon would be editing me when I post the review there. Let's just say it's rough enough to have ladies of the evening tossing liquid waste from second story windows. In addition to the language there is plenty of offensive stereotyping complete with the slang that, thanks to modern political correctness, has all but been elimited from polite conversation. However, in the post Civil War 1800's, it's still commonplace.
For the most part Dead West - Book One: Those Poor, Poor Bastards Is fast paced and entertaining as all get out. The writers certainly managed to come up with a diverse group of characters who played well off one another creating both friction and friendships leading to plenty of internal conflict as well as having to fend off the deaduns.
I did think things got a bit bogged down in the second half, but overall I found Dead West - Book One: Those Poor, Poor Bastards to be a very quick and enjoyable read that left me wanting more. Fortunately, I shouldn't have long to wait, as Book Two is due next month and a third book in the series is already in the works.
Dead West - Book One: Those Poor, Poor Bastards is available now for the Kindle at Amazon.com and is published by Ragnarok Publications.
April 19, 2014
Western. Check. Zombies. Check. Action. Check.
Hold onto your hats. This is a fast read with plenty of shambling, shooting, and edge-of-your-seat action. Characters are well developed and show a wide range of humanity. I highly recommend this book.
Hold onto your hats. This is a fast read with plenty of shambling, shooting, and edge-of-your-seat action. Characters are well developed and show a wide range of humanity. I highly recommend this book.
March 7, 2014
Originally published at Risingshadow.
Those Poor, Poor Bastards is the first part of the Dead West dark fantasy/horror series. It's an action-packed weird western novel that contains interesting dark fantasy and horror elements.
Before I write more about this novel I'll mention that I'm not a big fan of western novels, because in my opinion most of them are badly written trash that shouldn't be read by anybody, but I enjoy reading original and well written weird western novels. One of the reasons why I like weird western novels is that the speculative fiction elements spice up western stories in a nice way and make them readable and enjoyable. Those Poor, Poor Bastards is an excellent example of a good weird western novel (it's a nice addition to the weird western genre, because it's an enjoyable and fast-paced novel).
Those Poor, Poor Bastards was a nice and pleasant surprise for me, because it was good entertainment. When I began to read this novel I noticed that I found myself almost skipping pages to find out what happens next.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
Those Poor, Poor Bastards is a story about Nina Weaver who travels to Coburn Station with her father, Lincoln Weaver, to barter goods. When Nina and her father arrive to Coburn Station, the living dead - the deaduns - invade the town and they have to fight for their lives. They team up with other survivors and start to fight against the zombies...
Nina is an interesting protagonist. She's half-Indian and has to hide her looks from people in order to avoid attention. Nina is a survivor type kind of a young woman - she's brave and resourceful. Her life changes radically when the zombies invade the town and start attacking against people.
There isn't much character development in this novel, but the authors write well about how Nina feels about her father and other people. Nina's feelings are explored in an interesting way, because she has her own way of dealing with other people.
As experienced readers are aware of, tension between the survivors is an important element of zombie fiction and survival fiction. Tim Marquitz, J. M. Martin and Kenny Soward describe perfectly what happens among the survivors and how they have to try to survive together despite the lack of trust between them. The survivors can be divided into three groups: the good guys (Nina, her father etc), the bad guys (the Daggetts etc) and the others (Jasmine etc) who just happen to find themselves caught between the good and the bad guys.
It isn't often that you get to read an exciting story about zombies and wild west. This kind of a combination of zombie fiction and western story is rare, because most zombie stories take place in the modern world or in the near future. This is one of the reasons why this novel is interesting (the authors have taken a risk by combining zombie fiction with western fiction and they have succeeded in it).
I enjoyed reading about the origin of the zombies. I've noticed that there are quite a lot of authors who tend to write only about the survival of the human beings and totally ignore the origin of the zombies. Fortunately Tim Marquitz, J. M. Martin and Kenny Soward have realized that readers want to know what started the zombie attack, because it adds depth to the story. They write intriguingly about what caused the attack.
One of the best things about Those Poor, Poor Bastards is that the action starts almost immediately. The readers don't have to wait for something to happen, because the zombies invade the town at the end of the first chapter. The invasion begins in an intriguing way that immediately captures the reader's attention.
I found it intriguing that there was a touch of Lovecraftian weirdness in this story. Lovecraftian elements are seldom found in zombie stories, so I enjoyed reading about them (I'm a big fan of Lovecraftian stories and weird fiction, so the use of Lovecraftian elements usually impresses me quite a lot). The authors used these elements in a delightfully entertaining way.
I was amazed by how well the authors managed to write about the Wild West. There are plenty of authors who write about life in the Wild West in an unconvincing way, but these three authors write about it in a believable way. They have created a realistic vision of Wild West that serves as an interesting background for the weird happenings.
It's possible that Those Poor, Poor Bastards may not be to everybody's liking, because it contains quite a lot of action, zombies, gore and body parts, but everybody who likes good fast-paced zombie action will enjoy reading it. Those Poor, Poor Bastards is almost like a combination of Night of the Living Dead, The Walking Dead and The Burrowers. I think that readers who have read Edward M. Erdelac's Merkabah Rider series and The Walking Dead graphic novels will enjoy reading this novel.
Tim Marquitz, J. M. Martin and Kenny Soward have written an entertaining and fast-paced zombie novel that will be of interest to readers who enjoy reading zombie stories and want to read something a bit different. It's a delightfully gory and violent novel that's full of action and - of course - decaying bodies and rotting body parts. If you're a fan of weird western novels and zombie stories, you should take a look at this novel, because it's good entertainment.
My final words are:
This novel is good and well written zombie entertainment!
Those Poor, Poor Bastards is the first part of the Dead West dark fantasy/horror series. It's an action-packed weird western novel that contains interesting dark fantasy and horror elements.
Before I write more about this novel I'll mention that I'm not a big fan of western novels, because in my opinion most of them are badly written trash that shouldn't be read by anybody, but I enjoy reading original and well written weird western novels. One of the reasons why I like weird western novels is that the speculative fiction elements spice up western stories in a nice way and make them readable and enjoyable. Those Poor, Poor Bastards is an excellent example of a good weird western novel (it's a nice addition to the weird western genre, because it's an enjoyable and fast-paced novel).
Those Poor, Poor Bastards was a nice and pleasant surprise for me, because it was good entertainment. When I began to read this novel I noticed that I found myself almost skipping pages to find out what happens next.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
Those Poor, Poor Bastards is a story about Nina Weaver who travels to Coburn Station with her father, Lincoln Weaver, to barter goods. When Nina and her father arrive to Coburn Station, the living dead - the deaduns - invade the town and they have to fight for their lives. They team up with other survivors and start to fight against the zombies...
Nina is an interesting protagonist. She's half-Indian and has to hide her looks from people in order to avoid attention. Nina is a survivor type kind of a young woman - she's brave and resourceful. Her life changes radically when the zombies invade the town and start attacking against people.
There isn't much character development in this novel, but the authors write well about how Nina feels about her father and other people. Nina's feelings are explored in an interesting way, because she has her own way of dealing with other people.
As experienced readers are aware of, tension between the survivors is an important element of zombie fiction and survival fiction. Tim Marquitz, J. M. Martin and Kenny Soward describe perfectly what happens among the survivors and how they have to try to survive together despite the lack of trust between them. The survivors can be divided into three groups: the good guys (Nina, her father etc), the bad guys (the Daggetts etc) and the others (Jasmine etc) who just happen to find themselves caught between the good and the bad guys.
It isn't often that you get to read an exciting story about zombies and wild west. This kind of a combination of zombie fiction and western story is rare, because most zombie stories take place in the modern world or in the near future. This is one of the reasons why this novel is interesting (the authors have taken a risk by combining zombie fiction with western fiction and they have succeeded in it).
I enjoyed reading about the origin of the zombies. I've noticed that there are quite a lot of authors who tend to write only about the survival of the human beings and totally ignore the origin of the zombies. Fortunately Tim Marquitz, J. M. Martin and Kenny Soward have realized that readers want to know what started the zombie attack, because it adds depth to the story. They write intriguingly about what caused the attack.
One of the best things about Those Poor, Poor Bastards is that the action starts almost immediately. The readers don't have to wait for something to happen, because the zombies invade the town at the end of the first chapter. The invasion begins in an intriguing way that immediately captures the reader's attention.
I found it intriguing that there was a touch of Lovecraftian weirdness in this story. Lovecraftian elements are seldom found in zombie stories, so I enjoyed reading about them (I'm a big fan of Lovecraftian stories and weird fiction, so the use of Lovecraftian elements usually impresses me quite a lot). The authors used these elements in a delightfully entertaining way.
I was amazed by how well the authors managed to write about the Wild West. There are plenty of authors who write about life in the Wild West in an unconvincing way, but these three authors write about it in a believable way. They have created a realistic vision of Wild West that serves as an interesting background for the weird happenings.
It's possible that Those Poor, Poor Bastards may not be to everybody's liking, because it contains quite a lot of action, zombies, gore and body parts, but everybody who likes good fast-paced zombie action will enjoy reading it. Those Poor, Poor Bastards is almost like a combination of Night of the Living Dead, The Walking Dead and The Burrowers. I think that readers who have read Edward M. Erdelac's Merkabah Rider series and The Walking Dead graphic novels will enjoy reading this novel.
Tim Marquitz, J. M. Martin and Kenny Soward have written an entertaining and fast-paced zombie novel that will be of interest to readers who enjoy reading zombie stories and want to read something a bit different. It's a delightfully gory and violent novel that's full of action and - of course - decaying bodies and rotting body parts. If you're a fan of weird western novels and zombie stories, you should take a look at this novel, because it's good entertainment.
My final words are:
This novel is good and well written zombie entertainment!
July 15, 2014
I do not care much for zombies. Lack of conversation and deplorable personal grooming makes them a trial at the best of times, and all that moaning and shuffling makes me think it’s a permanent state of Monday morning.
However, occasionally one stumbles (ha!) across a satisfying frolic with our decomposing friends. A case in point is Those Poor, Poor Bastards (Dead West) by Tim Marquitz, J.M. Martin, and Kenny Soward. It is, as the titles suggest, set in the post civil war era of nineteenth century America. The characters are drawn from the archetypes of the mythic old West—cowboys, Indians, railway barons, preachers, farmers, and a Chinese sorcerer in search of a mysterious object (think Kung Fu with serious attitude). The zombies are the sorcerer’s calling card, which means that for once, we get a smelly, ravening hoard with purpose. Sort of.
The plot proceeds as these things do. Disparate individuals are forced to get along to survive. Some play nice, and others make the zombies look saintly by comparison. The mystery of who created the walking dead and why is sketched in, although plenty of detail will undoubtedly be filled in during future episodes. In short, what the authors give us (thankfully) is a problem to be solved rather than a relentless apocalypse—if only the characters can keep it together. By the end of Those Poor, Poor Bastards, a smattering of good guys survive but so do a few of their less savory counterparts. And so the reader is drawn onward to continuing adventures . . .
The main protagonist, half-Shonone heroine Nina Weaver is well worth rooting for. The dialogue is filled with slang and the characters can be crude, but this grit is appropriate and welcome color. I am no aficionado of the zombie-centric genre, but I enjoyed this taste of the Dead West.
However, occasionally one stumbles (ha!) across a satisfying frolic with our decomposing friends. A case in point is Those Poor, Poor Bastards (Dead West) by Tim Marquitz, J.M. Martin, and Kenny Soward. It is, as the titles suggest, set in the post civil war era of nineteenth century America. The characters are drawn from the archetypes of the mythic old West—cowboys, Indians, railway barons, preachers, farmers, and a Chinese sorcerer in search of a mysterious object (think Kung Fu with serious attitude). The zombies are the sorcerer’s calling card, which means that for once, we get a smelly, ravening hoard with purpose. Sort of.
The plot proceeds as these things do. Disparate individuals are forced to get along to survive. Some play nice, and others make the zombies look saintly by comparison. The mystery of who created the walking dead and why is sketched in, although plenty of detail will undoubtedly be filled in during future episodes. In short, what the authors give us (thankfully) is a problem to be solved rather than a relentless apocalypse—if only the characters can keep it together. By the end of Those Poor, Poor Bastards, a smattering of good guys survive but so do a few of their less savory counterparts. And so the reader is drawn onward to continuing adventures . . .
The main protagonist, half-Shonone heroine Nina Weaver is well worth rooting for. The dialogue is filled with slang and the characters can be crude, but this grit is appropriate and welcome color. I am no aficionado of the zombie-centric genre, but I enjoyed this taste of the Dead West.
July 17, 2014
Nina and her father go to a small frontier town for supplies and all hell breaks loose. The town becomes overrun with zombies and they make their escape with a small group of survivors. Rescuing a family in the woods, the group of survivors come upon the long-abandoned Ft. Bluff, hoping for a safe, if temporary refuge. Nina and the others meet Father Mathias, a man with strange powers that can kill the zombies.
Father Mathias tells our survivors about the mysterious Liao Xu, a man who sold his soul to the devil and now wants an artifact that the Jesuit priest took from him. Some of those holed up in the old fort survive an attack by Liao Xu and end up reluctant participants in stopping the mysterious man from destroying all of humanity.
The first in a series, Those Poor, Poor Bastards is a fantastic book in the Western horror sub-genre. Marquitz, Martin, and Soward combine their storytelling talents into a seamless narrative that takes a different look at the sometimes overused zombie trope. It is a fast-paced tale but the character development doesn’t suffer because of it. There is more than one villain here, making Those Poor, Poor Bastards quite entertaining. I especially enjoy our heroine, Nina, who is a well-rounded, complex character. If you like zombies, or Western horror in general, then I recommend picking this one up and I look forward to reading subsequent installments in the Dead West series.
Father Mathias tells our survivors about the mysterious Liao Xu, a man who sold his soul to the devil and now wants an artifact that the Jesuit priest took from him. Some of those holed up in the old fort survive an attack by Liao Xu and end up reluctant participants in stopping the mysterious man from destroying all of humanity.
The first in a series, Those Poor, Poor Bastards is a fantastic book in the Western horror sub-genre. Marquitz, Martin, and Soward combine their storytelling talents into a seamless narrative that takes a different look at the sometimes overused zombie trope. It is a fast-paced tale but the character development doesn’t suffer because of it. There is more than one villain here, making Those Poor, Poor Bastards quite entertaining. I especially enjoy our heroine, Nina, who is a well-rounded, complex character. If you like zombies, or Western horror in general, then I recommend picking this one up and I look forward to reading subsequent installments in the Dead West series.
March 2, 2014
Those Poor, Poor Bastards (Dead West Book#1) by Tim Marquitz, J.M. Martin and Kenny Soward is a small bundle of gory entertainment. Plenty of action, blood, skull fragments and undead will tickle your morbid palette.
The story itself starts off with the reader being handed plate after plate of Western vernacular, almost to the point of enough is too much (We know it’s a Western, the cliché language needed to be cut back a bit). But after that, it’s pretty much action, page after page.
Don’t get me wrong, there is great dialogue and some good character development in the pages. I even found myself smiling at certain parts, which to me, marks the sign of some good writing. Descriptive visions, comedic elements (“I swallowed my chaw.”), and real heart-felt conversations between Pa and Nina. A little heavy on the profanity at the beginning, which may take some readers aback, but the usage seems to taper off as the story develops.
I read Westerns periodically, and just about every other genre, and I cannot wait to delve into the rest of this series.
The story itself starts off with the reader being handed plate after plate of Western vernacular, almost to the point of enough is too much (We know it’s a Western, the cliché language needed to be cut back a bit). But after that, it’s pretty much action, page after page.
Don’t get me wrong, there is great dialogue and some good character development in the pages. I even found myself smiling at certain parts, which to me, marks the sign of some good writing. Descriptive visions, comedic elements (“I swallowed my chaw.”), and real heart-felt conversations between Pa and Nina. A little heavy on the profanity at the beginning, which may take some readers aback, but the usage seems to taper off as the story develops.
I read Westerns periodically, and just about every other genre, and I cannot wait to delve into the rest of this series.
July 17, 2013
I enjoyed this to a point. A very good idea, the undead in the wild west and more or less none stop from end to end.
My only faults were that it felt very much like what it was - a book written by 3 people. Certain sections were much better and more readable than others. Also, the language - I have no problem with swearing and offensive language in fiction at all - when it suits the circumstances! Unfortunately, and it was the case a few times here, using foul language just for the hell of it can spoil a good story.
Having said all this, I will be reading part 2 when it comes out and hoping things improve slightly.
My only faults were that it felt very much like what it was - a book written by 3 people. Certain sections were much better and more readable than others. Also, the language - I have no problem with swearing and offensive language in fiction at all - when it suits the circumstances! Unfortunately, and it was the case a few times here, using foul language just for the hell of it can spoil a good story.
Having said all this, I will be reading part 2 when it comes out and hoping things improve slightly.
July 12, 2013
This was one of those books I found hard to put down. I've only read a few weird westerns but this one was fast-paced and exciting with plenty of blood, gore, and guts. I had to find out what happened to Nina and the rest.
I did find the deluge of F-bombs a little tiring. Maybe that's how "gritty" is written these days, but for me, that's what made me give what would have otherwise been a 4 star story a 3 star rating.
I did find the deluge of F-bombs a little tiring. Maybe that's how "gritty" is written these days, but for me, that's what made me give what would have otherwise been a 4 star story a 3 star rating.
March 26, 2014
Zombies, buckets of blood, and hot flying lead. Honestly? do I REALLY need to take this much further. This is a terrific read, is it the best thing you will read this year? no, but I guarantee you it will probably rank among the most fun.
Trust me on this, you will have a ball with Mr. Marquitz's trip through the "weird" west, ripping action, fun characters, and a heart attack pace.
Stop reading my review and go read this, I got the second book to start.
Trust me on this, you will have a ball with Mr. Marquitz's trip through the "weird" west, ripping action, fun characters, and a heart attack pace.
Stop reading my review and go read this, I got the second book to start.
August 18, 2016
Those Poor, Poor Bastards is a fun, fast read. An original take on the zombie genre, adding a unique twist as to what the undead are and the evil that powers them. Full of gore and surprises.
I look forward to reading Book #2.
I look forward to reading Book #2.
July 30, 2017
Another DNF, I'm afraid.
The book isn't bad, but it isn't good either. It's average enough to make me not want to continue reading till the end.
It starts with this girl and her pa coming into a town. A couple of homies up to no good, start stirring trouble in the neighborhood. Then, a bunch of zombies attacks a peaceful Western town, and it becomes a typical Dawn of the Dead (2005, Romero) survival battle.
We have these dodgy types and good types banding together reluctantly. We have the archetypical female characters (sexy and of dubious reputage) as a comic relief slash background slash excuse for bad guys to do more trouble, cue in at 75% mark. We have the honorable villain, the wounded guy, and everyone is counting bullets.
Then, they go to this isolated fort, and the zombies follow them, making humming noises in the forest. Really. There are loads of descriptions of zombie deaths - how they are hacked, killed, shot, with brains and eyes running. Hint, Tim, eyes do not run like anything gooey or syrupy. They are not egg yolks. The death scenes become quickly boring. There are only so many ways you can use a revolver, a rifle, a spade, a knife, and a hammer to destroy a 'deadun' and each one has the classic Hollywood gore-n-gasp quality.
This can be entertaining, but there's no emotional depth, no real story, and the lead character(s) do not have what it takes to sweep you through terror. Apathy is the best word, and that's not the emotion you want to have when reading a novel. Hence, we stop the journey and try something else.
In my last negative review, I didn't limerick, but now we shall, sort of:
Near a cavern, across from a canyon,
In a little Western town,
All o' sudden, from a-hidin'
Deaduns came to hunt men down.
Oh my Darling, Oh my Darling,
Oh my Darling Clementine.
You are lost and gone forever,
Eaten alive, Oh Clementine.
Light she was and like a fairy,
And her shoes were number nine
Zombies pounced and picked her brains out
Deaduns came for Clementine.
Shotgun fire, flailing spade
Eyes running like sweet wine,
Hit her foot against a splinter
Zombies die when you sever the spine.
Bodies floating on the water,
Bloodred bubbles soft and fine,
But alas, I was no swimmer,
Deaduns came for Clementine.
Igor
The book isn't bad, but it isn't good either. It's average enough to make me not want to continue reading till the end.
It starts with this girl and her pa coming into a town. A couple of homies up to no good, start stirring trouble in the neighborhood. Then, a bunch of zombies attacks a peaceful Western town, and it becomes a typical Dawn of the Dead (2005, Romero) survival battle.
We have these dodgy types and good types banding together reluctantly. We have the archetypical female characters (sexy and of dubious reputage) as a comic relief slash background slash excuse for bad guys to do more trouble, cue in at 75% mark. We have the honorable villain, the wounded guy, and everyone is counting bullets.
Then, they go to this isolated fort, and the zombies follow them, making humming noises in the forest. Really. There are loads of descriptions of zombie deaths - how they are hacked, killed, shot, with brains and eyes running. Hint, Tim, eyes do not run like anything gooey or syrupy. They are not egg yolks. The death scenes become quickly boring. There are only so many ways you can use a revolver, a rifle, a spade, a knife, and a hammer to destroy a 'deadun' and each one has the classic Hollywood gore-n-gasp quality.
This can be entertaining, but there's no emotional depth, no real story, and the lead character(s) do not have what it takes to sweep you through terror. Apathy is the best word, and that's not the emotion you want to have when reading a novel. Hence, we stop the journey and try something else.
In my last negative review, I didn't limerick, but now we shall, sort of:
Near a cavern, across from a canyon,
In a little Western town,
All o' sudden, from a-hidin'
Deaduns came to hunt men down.
Oh my Darling, Oh my Darling,
Oh my Darling Clementine.
You are lost and gone forever,
Eaten alive, Oh Clementine.
Light she was and like a fairy,
And her shoes were number nine
Zombies pounced and picked her brains out
Deaduns came for Clementine.
Shotgun fire, flailing spade
Eyes running like sweet wine,
Hit her foot against a splinter
Zombies die when you sever the spine.
Bodies floating on the water,
Bloodred bubbles soft and fine,
But alas, I was no swimmer,
Deaduns came for Clementine.
Igor
September 26, 2014
This is an easily digested book, a bit like many of the unfortunate characters in it when the flesh eating zombies get at them. It is not too long and rattles along at a furious pace as, with little preamble, a western town is overrun by the risen dead - well overwalked is probably a better description than overran which is why the heroine can escape at a pace little faster than a well oiled wheelbarrow could roll.
It has three authors and I am not sure that I could tell and I would not like to try and claim any particular narrative element for any one of the authors.
For me, the exquisite pleasure of the book was in the powerfully rendered narrative voice. I can't say if it was accurate, but idioms of phrase and behaviour as well as the many many different ways of saying "gun" gave the book a sense of authenticity that was like the remake of "True Grit"
The story struggled a little because when you have established a group of ill matched and querulous survivors and a hoard of untiring zombies it can become a case of waiting to see who will die next and how. The writers have tried to develop the zombie menace into something a little more specific and personal and made good use of the writer's fall back, if in doubt inject some conflict. There was plenty of that as the heroine and her embattled pa found almost as many living enemies within their refuge as there were dead ones outside it. That certainly kept the pace up, though at times maybe I saw the influence of a change of authorial hand as villains from one scene were gifted an unlikely sympathetic treatment later on.
This is a jolly romp, but I am not at sure where it is going and I would hope the authors avoid the fate of a pair of roman consuls once given joint command of an army. They took command on alternate days and spent ages marching the army in opposite directions one day after the other until an enemy found and overwhelmed them. Perhaps the rigidity of a pair of train tracks will ensure a consistent and coherent direction as the story unfolds.
It has three authors and I am not sure that I could tell and I would not like to try and claim any particular narrative element for any one of the authors.
For me, the exquisite pleasure of the book was in the powerfully rendered narrative voice. I can't say if it was accurate, but idioms of phrase and behaviour as well as the many many different ways of saying "gun" gave the book a sense of authenticity that was like the remake of "True Grit"
The story struggled a little because when you have established a group of ill matched and querulous survivors and a hoard of untiring zombies it can become a case of waiting to see who will die next and how. The writers have tried to develop the zombie menace into something a little more specific and personal and made good use of the writer's fall back, if in doubt inject some conflict. There was plenty of that as the heroine and her embattled pa found almost as many living enemies within their refuge as there were dead ones outside it. That certainly kept the pace up, though at times maybe I saw the influence of a change of authorial hand as villains from one scene were gifted an unlikely sympathetic treatment later on.
This is a jolly romp, but I am not at sure where it is going and I would hope the authors avoid the fate of a pair of roman consuls once given joint command of an army. They took command on alternate days and spent ages marching the army in opposite directions one day after the other until an enemy found and overwhelmed them. Perhaps the rigidity of a pair of train tracks will ensure a consistent and coherent direction as the story unfolds.
May 7, 2014
Who figured this would be a thing I liked? I mean, I love Westerns, but I don't read them, and whereas I'm pretty sure this reads like some sort of cross between Hell on Wheels and The Walking Dead, I have never watched either. But this was a whole lotta fun, and action, from the start. Good characters, too, and (like any good zombie/horror flick) plenty of those sudden plot turns that keep you uncomfortable.
Only complaint would be the somewhat sudden ending but it sure is fun getting there.
Only complaint would be the somewhat sudden ending but it sure is fun getting there.
July 16, 2014
I was excited to read Those Poor, Poor Bastards, and now I'm even more excited to read the next installment of the Dead West series.
This book is amazing from start to finish with real-feeling dialogue. Each character is their own person, and Nina's character development is superb.
The action scenes are impeccably-paced with the right amount of tension in just the right places. I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone that likes zombies or westerns or both.
This book is amazing from start to finish with real-feeling dialogue. Each character is their own person, and Nina's character development is superb.
The action scenes are impeccably-paced with the right amount of tension in just the right places. I highly recommend this book, especially to anyone that likes zombies or westerns or both.
April 16, 2014
Quite a short and easy to read book, the pace is rather lopsided however. It starts of great and fast however it seems to bog down around the middle section of the story.
Characters are great and easy to imagine, the premise makes it somewhat unique in what I have read but it feels very incomplete at the end.
Characters are great and easy to imagine, the premise makes it somewhat unique in what I have read but it feels very incomplete at the end.
July 30, 2014
Those Poor, Poor Bastards (Dead West Book 1) (Kindle Edition) - My ONLY complaint is that is is not on Audible books yet. I loved the premise Indians, cowboys and zombies. Thank goodness for an armed populace. I really liked the female lead, half-Shonone heroine Nina Weaver. I am not really wordy, but I say keep an eye on these three authors for more fun to come.
June 30, 2014
It has only been in the last five years or so that I gained an interest in the American West, where before I was repelled. This book is an example of yet another reason why I am glad I am no longer prejudiced against an entire genre. The story strikes like lightning -- this is not a slow build. And it maintains a frightening tone and pace throughout. I loved it.
April 9, 2014
Fun as hell. Zombies and cowgirls and hookers oh my!
March 7, 2025
All Nina and her Pa are trying to do is get to town, buy supplies, and get back to their place. They've had the bad timing to show up as what modern readers will recognize as a zombie outbreak starts. They area forced to team up with, among others, a gunfighter, a pair of probable outlaws, an Indian warrior, a priest, and a few others picked up along the way. For much of the book, it's an open question as to whether the zombies or some of their "allies" are a bigger threat. They do their best to make a stand, and then find a plan of escape that some of them will live to see.
Zombies in the old west is an interesting idea, and it works well here. There's more than the usual kind of weirdness going on, as at least one character gets visions and another actually uses his faith to keep the zombies back and burns some of them. I found it to be a good mix of ideas and themes, and enjoyed the tale. I will try and find book two when the chance presents itself.
Zombies in the old west is an interesting idea, and it works well here. There's more than the usual kind of weirdness going on, as at least one character gets visions and another actually uses his faith to keep the zombies back and burns some of them. I found it to be a good mix of ideas and themes, and enjoyed the tale. I will try and find book two when the chance presents itself.
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