Wake of Vultures: Or Weird West at its Best

Wake of Vultures - Lila Bowen

I'm a sucker for weird west tales, and this one delivered in spades - it had all the trappings of a western with elements of fantasy and horror stirred in for flavor. Creepy twists on old monsters, a setting so adeptly crafted it felt real, and a pitch perfect western tone. Two of the quotes on the cover of my copy described this book as unsentimental, not a term you usually see in a book blurb, but it's spot on. The world is harsh, bad things happen to good people, and you keep moving forward.

 

The characters were lovingly crafted, and memorable. Nettie's voice in particular was authentically western without ever straying too deeply into clunky dialect territory. I also enjoyed the side characters, especially the skin walkers you meet. To top it off the narrative had some great things to say about sexuality, gender, and gender identity, that I haven't seen represented in this genre before. All in all it was a joy to read, and I look forward to reading more.