By Matthew J. Barbour
The Weird West is a subgenre of science fiction that combines traditional stories of the American West with elements of fantasy. It mixes familiar Western tropes like gunslingers and locomotives with vampires, magic, and mechanical devices. It’s extremely popular these days, thanks in large part to writers like Joe Lansdale. However, the genre’s roots date back to the early 20th century.
The events of Crazy Bear Valley, The author is Brian Keene, who tells Western fantasy stories. This book includes novellas from the book and the short story “Lost in the Cursed Canyon”. Both works have been published in large anthologies before.
Brian Keen is one of the most well-known and respected horror writers working today. There’s a reason he’s been compared to legends like Stephen King and Jack Ketchum. His writing is accessible and fast-paced, so it’s no surprise that both stories in this book are well worth a read.
The Crazy Bear Valley Incident A group of outlaws are on the run from the law. They move into a heavily forested valley, where they attack some unsuspecting loggers. A quick search of a nearby cabin shows that the loggers are far from innocent victims. One of the captured women tells stories of her captors and strange beasts that roam the forest at night. She calls them “mad bears.” However, they are more human than beast, a race of giants older than the natives who once inhabited the valley.
Now it’s not the woodsmen or the law that the outlaws need fear. A sickening stench hangs in the air, and the forest grows quiet. A predator they never imagined stalks the night.
In Lost in the Canyon of the Damned, a group of townsfolk have just escaped with their lives. Behind them are hordes of the walking dead. These monsters hunger for the flesh of the living. Before them are hills and forests where salvation may await. However, the townsfolk find themselves in a strange new world populated by fantastic beasts. Get ready for the ultimate showdown between gunslingers, zombies, and dinosaurs in the weird and wild west.
While neither of these novels are classics, they are both very interesting in terms of subject matter and delivery. Keane’s exaggerated style shines through. Each novel is a perfect blend of action, horror, and weirdness. The characters, monsters, and settings are all memorable. This is a must-read for fans of the weird western.
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score: 4/5
