kenchingfox's review against another edition
adventurous
fast-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Diverse cast of characters? No
3.0
This genre ain't for me either.
fayili's review against another edition
Borrowed for Seanan McGuire story, do not necessarily recommend.
itcamefromthepage's review
3.0
A decent collection of short stories with only 1 or 2 that don't really work and 3 to 4 really fantastic stories!
Definitely a recommend for readers of the Weird West.
Definitely a recommend for readers of the Weird West.
planetarypan's review against another edition
5.0
Only read for the Seanan McGuire short story, which was Excellent.
rclz's review against another edition
4.0
This is a book full of shorts. I only read the incrypted, Stingers and Strangers, and while it was good, not quite up to her usual standards.
katymvt's review against another edition
3.0
I had never heard of the weird west before. I didn't even know this was a genre. Some of the stories I really liked. Some not so much.
The ones I really liked were: The Old Slow Man and His Gold Gun from Space, Second Hand, Strong Medicine, Red Dreams, Sundown, La Madre del Oro, and Dead Man's Hand.
The rest were largely forgettable or I just didn't like them.
The ones I really liked were: The Old Slow Man and His Gold Gun from Space, Second Hand, Strong Medicine, Red Dreams, Sundown, La Madre del Oro, and Dead Man's Hand.
The rest were largely forgettable or I just didn't like them.
poisonenvy's review against another edition
3.0
Average rating: 3.4
The Read-Headed Dead I will say off the hop that I did not enjoy this writing style. There were sentences that had way too any "ands" and if he referred to the vampire one more time as "the thing" I might have screamed. But the Reverend and his take on God were super interesting, and I'm tempted to pick up "Dead in the West" because of it. (3*)
The Old Slow Man and His Gold Gun from Space Repetitive, sometimes to great effect, more often to its detriment. The twist at the end was well done though. (3*)
Hellfire on the High Frontier Nothing like reading a story written by a white dude in 2014 that refers to a woman exclusively by a sexist racial slur and talks all about evil scalpers and skin-walkers with absolutely zero plot relevance. The worst part was the story almost had promise outside of all that bullshit. (1*)
The Hell-Bound Stagecoach This was kind of fun. but it was fun. (2.5*)
Stingers and Strangers This was definitely the story that made me pick up this anthology. Over all, lots of action and character development. (5*)
Bookkeper, Narrator, Gunslinger This story started out laugh out loud funny, and ended almost poignantly. I definitely enjoyed it. (4.5*)
Holy JingleAhh, the power of a man's dick in expelling evil curses. I found the language a mite pretentious and overall, I didn't love it. His horse was cool though. (2.5*)
The Man With No Heart: This, I really liked. Fun twist at the end there. Smooth writing style, and a very satisfying ending. (4*)
Wrecking Party: This was a fairly enjoyable story, though there was a lot of unanswered questions. Short stories don't always have to answer all the questions, and this one, I guess, did a good explanation to why they weren't answered, but I would have liked more of a resolution (3.5*)
Hell from the East: I don't really know how I feel about this one.. (3*)
Second Hand: I liked this one so much that half way through, I stopped reading so that I could find the first story and read that, and once I was done I found the third story and read it as well. Great world-building, unique concept, and well written. (5*)
Alvin and the Apple Tree Really well written, but holy balls was it preachy. (3*)
Madame Damnable's Sewing Circle It took me a while to warm up to this one, but once I did, I was hooked. It's a story that definitely demands a second part though, and I really want to read it. (5*)
Strong Medicine I rather enjoyed this one, tough sometime's the timing felt off (4*)
Red Dreams (3*)
Bamboozled That was a fun read. Nice little twist at the end there. (4*)
Sundown: Aother really good story. It really was your typical 'zombies in the old west' story, but the characters were enjoyable. (3.5*)
La Madre Del Oro Not particularly well-written, and the ending was entirely unsatisfying. (2*)
What I Assume You Shall Assume "I shall not regret the things I did, but the those I did not do." This story was chalk full of metaphors, symbolism, and beautiful imagery, which was something I suspected from the very first sentence: "The ray of light came over the eastern horizon like a sunrise, like the door to a dank jail cell cracking open, like the sweeping, fiery swordd before an angel of judgement." That one sentence carries a world of meaning and foreshadowing. There was not a wasted word, which is fitting for a story all about hte power of words. Chinese labourers is also a topic that is woefully underrepresented in westerns, and it was refreshing to read about. This might have been my favourite story in the whole anthology. (5*)
The Devil's Jack I enjoyed this. Jack was a pretty good, nuanced character. (3.5*)
The Golden Age: I fully admit to having a soft spot for superhero stories, but this was positively delightful. Super fun characters, well-written and humourous, and a well crafted plot. I wasn't sold on it immediately, but once I was, I was completely hooked and loved every minute of it. (5*)
Neversleeps: Normally, I like a lot of world building, but there was far too much of it crammed into such a short story and it was way too busy. (2.5*)
Dead Man's Hand I think I must have been missing something How was this the story that made the title of the anthology?
Also, wow, does this anthology in general love the name McCall.
The Read-Headed Dead I will say off the hop that I did not enjoy this writing style. There were sentences that had way too any "ands" and if he referred to the vampire one more time as "the thing" I might have screamed. But the Reverend and his take on God were super interesting, and I'm tempted to pick up "Dead in the West" because of it. (3*)
The Old Slow Man and His Gold Gun from Space Repetitive, sometimes to great effect, more often to its detriment. The twist at the end was well done though. (3*)
Hellfire on the High Frontier Nothing like reading a story written by a white dude in 2014 that refers to a woman exclusively by a sexist racial slur and talks all about evil scalpers and skin-walkers with absolutely zero plot relevance. The worst part was the story almost had promise outside of all that bullshit. (1*)
The Hell-Bound Stagecoach This was kind of fun.
Spoiler
I expected it to go somewhere else, like maybe Abigail was a poisoner, and by the time it ended the whole story seemed pointless,Stingers and Strangers This was definitely the story that made me pick up this anthology.
Spoiler
It's fun to see the Aeslin mice put to use, even if this apparently didn't learn any information worth being mentioned in the narrative. Of course it took Johnny and Franny three eyars to finally confess their love. Loved the parallel of the Aprix wasps and the cuckoo, which is related somehow to wasps (as we learn in the main InCryptid series). Wasps and memories, huh?Bookkeper, Narrator, Gunslinger This story started out laugh out loud funny, and ended almost poignantly. I definitely enjoyed it. (4.5*)
Holy Jingle
The Man With No Heart: This, I really liked. Fun twist at the end there. Smooth writing style, and a very satisfying ending. (4*)
Wrecking Party: This was a fairly enjoyable story, though there was a lot of unanswered questions. Short stories don't always have to answer all the questions, and this one, I guess, did a good explanation to why they weren't answered, but I would have liked more of a resolution (3.5*)
Hell from the East: I don't really know how I feel about this one.
Spoiler
The entire scene where he was staring at the sun made me squirm, so good use of the English language thereSecond Hand: I liked this one so much that half way through, I stopped reading so that I could find the first story and read that, and once I was done I found the third story and read it as well. Great world-building, unique concept, and well written. (5*)
Alvin and the Apple Tree Really well written, but holy balls was it preachy. (3*)
Madame Damnable's Sewing Circle It took me a while to warm up to this one, but once I did, I was hooked. It's a story that definitely demands a second part though, and I really want to read it. (5*)
Strong Medicine
Spoiler
Dinosaurs in the midwest!Spoiler
(Like how Edwards parents were apparently courting during the last trip through time, when he can't have been much older than 20? I guess it could work though, if they had him really late in life)Red Dreams
Spoiler
I started off really enjoying this story as a morality tale about the aboriginal genocide, and I was even okay with it turning more into a morality tale about the general violence of man, but by the time it got to the 'violence of dinosaurs' or whatever, I felt like it had lost nearly all of his impact and wound up just being ... well, kind of pointless. I'm also confused about how he saw Bob's exit wounds if the horse had already galloped off.Bamboozled That was a fun read. Nice little twist at the end there. (4*)
Sundown: Aother really good story.
Spoiler
I have tow onder, though, how Willie knew the airship was filled with something flammable when hot air balloons - how it was described to him - are not.La Madre Del Oro Not particularly well-written, and the ending was entirely unsatisfying. (2*)
What I Assume You Shall Assume "I shall not regret the things I did, but the those I did not do." This story was chalk full of metaphors, symbolism, and beautiful imagery, which was something I suspected from the very first sentence: "The ray of light came over the eastern horizon like a sunrise, like the door to a dank jail cell cracking open, like the sweeping, fiery swordd before an angel of judgement." That one sentence carries a world of meaning and foreshadowing. There was not a wasted word, which is fitting for a story all about hte power of words. Chinese labourers is also a topic that is woefully underrepresented in westerns, and it was refreshing to read about. This might have been my favourite story in the whole anthology. (5*)
The Devil's Jack I enjoyed this. Jack was a pretty good, nuanced character. (3.5*)
The Golden Age: I fully admit to having a soft spot for superhero stories, but this was positively delightful. Super fun characters, well-written and humourous, and a well crafted plot. I wasn't sold on it immediately, but once I was, I was completely hooked and loved every minute of it. (5*)
Neversleeps:
Spoiler
So, I guess that was a romance, but it wasn't a very well-developed one?Dead Man's Hand I think I must have been missing something
Spoiler
since I'm pretty sure I just read different version of the same event over and over with nothing explaining anything? How did this same confrontation keep happening?Also, wow, does this anthology in general love the name McCall.
bookfessional's review against another edition
4.0
Reviewed by: Rabid Reads
Stingers and Strangers, InCryptid 0.04
4 stars
I tried to refrain from purchasing any anthologies I didn't already own when I decided to get current with InCryptid, but after half a dozen various references to Fran and Jonathan's trip to Colorado, I caved.
Was it worth it?
Eh. I'm finally rid of the WHAT-AM-I-MISSING?! angst, and the story itself is in the top two of the extras I've read so far, but then there's the shame of my weakness to contend with, so six of one, half dozen of another.
Fran and Johnny go to Colorado after receiving word that the apraxas wasps are behaving strangely . . . And that's all you get. Suffice it to say, there's a darn good reason the wasps are out of sorts, and anything that freaks out giant, intelligent, brain-eating insects is worthy of concern.
Stingers and Strangers, InCryptid 0.04
4 stars
I tried to refrain from purchasing any anthologies I didn't already own when I decided to get current with InCryptid, but after half a dozen various references to Fran and Jonathan's trip to Colorado, I caved.
Was it worth it?
Eh. I'm finally rid of the WHAT-AM-I-MISSING?! angst, and the story itself is in the top two of the extras I've read so far, but then there's the shame of my weakness to contend with, so six of one, half dozen of another.
Fran and Johnny go to Colorado after receiving word that the apraxas wasps are behaving strangely . . . And that's all you get. Suffice it to say, there's a darn good reason the wasps are out of sorts, and anything that freaks out giant, intelligent, brain-eating insects is worthy of concern.
garfunkleha345's review against another edition
adventurous
dark
funny
mysterious
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? N/A
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? N/A
- Diverse cast of characters? N/A
- Flaws of characters a main focus? N/A
3.5