I had gotten this book because the cover and the premise was so interesting. It called to that part of me which loves the Weird West… and while it’s not “traditionally” a western, it’s close enough to indeed be called Weird West. The cover was beautiful, the idea behind it was simplistic genius, and, well, it combined two genres I love: Lovecraft and the weird west.
Quite simply, it’s one of the best books I’ve read/listened to in ages. The premise is simple, John Booth, head of a squad of rangers after the Great Old Ones have risen to bring the apocalypse down upon the Earth, and his squad investigate a “Black cathedral”. There’s a fight. At some point, John blacks out. When he wakes, he has no memory of what happened to the rest of his squad, he’s back in the Remnant, and he’s been executed. Not really, of course, but that’s where the story really begins. You follow along with him as he retraces his steps, learning about the new world in chunks here and there. It’s quite the ride.
I can’t say enough how I thrilled at every little detail the author put in. He’s definitely a fan of the Cthulhu mythos, and it shows! Everything was perfect. I honestly can’t imagine how it would be better. (Except to not have a certain character die… I honestly cried at that part in the DL. But even then, goes to show that I got *invested* in the book.) Well, maybe and a little more description when it came to the fight scenes, but that’s a personal preference rather than any lack in the book.
As for the narration? Perfect. There is no other voice for Booth. None. Jeffrey Kafer’s narration was easy to listen to but rough, at the same time, with a grittiness which went with the world, enhancing the total experience.
Read it. Listen to it. If you’re a fan of post-apocalyptic literature or Cthulhu or the Weird West, you won’t be disappointed.
This book was given to me free at my request. This review is voluntary, and it has in no way influenced the review. Matter of fact, I loved this book so much, I bought it for my kindle too, to page through and read at my leisure.