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Vampires of the Plains #1
Burden Kansas
Vampires are not sexy or sensitive.
Hungry, bloody and stinking of the grave, they hunt the dry Kansas plains, taking what they want until they cross rancher Keith Harris. Keith is a damaged man who's always made the hard decisions others couldn't. As the two forces battle for survival, the lines between man and monster begin to blur. How much of a community's burden of sin can one man take on before becoming a monster himself?
With Burden Kansas, Alan Ryker provides a contemporary novella of vampire horror written in the minimal voice of the western. Burden Kansas is more entertaining, disturbing and thought-provoking than you thought a vampire western could be.
Hungry, bloody and stinking of the grave, they hunt the dry Kansas plains, taking what they want until they cross rancher Keith Harris. Keith is a damaged man who's always made the hard decisions others couldn't. As the two forces battle for survival, the lines between man and monster begin to blur. How much of a community's burden of sin can one man take on before becoming a monster himself?
With Burden Kansas, Alan Ryker provides a contemporary novella of vampire horror written in the minimal voice of the western. Burden Kansas is more entertaining, disturbing and thought-provoking than you thought a vampire western could be.
142 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 27, 2011
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 84 reviews
August 18, 2018
there comes a time in every young girl's life when she has to make that big life decision: vampire or werewolf? this book should make that decision pretty simple.
these vampires are not cuddly or sparkly or beautiful. they suck the cattle dry and then go after the humans. teenfangirls be warned. most vampires aren't the nurturing type.
in other pop culture news, cowboys and aliens is a good premise because it is a humorous juxtaposition, a ballsy "why not?" "imagine if" situation where technology pits itself against the "do what's gotta be done" attitude of the cowboy. it's like a game that stoners play, or like that show greg likes that i don't know the name of. but there is nothing funny about vampires and cowboys, and this combination seems to work really well, and does not just read like a cormac mccarthy/vampire mash-up. you have your plainspoken cowboy who is not looking to make any friends, who sees a predator and takes action.it is a sensible solution to an unexpected problem, but his reactions are so practical - there is no running around looking for explanations or backstory, no time-wasting hesitations. something killing the cattle? let's take care of that. a-yup.
the writing is good, pared-down cowboy writing, with its dispassionate outlook and its casual violence. the protagonist is not some sweetheart you are going to want to fall in love with and take home, but that's exactly as it should be.
this book is nasty, brutish, and short. it is a perfect vampire western.
and i thank elizabeth for snagging it for me. not that she has ever or will ever read it, but she knew i wanted it, and she obtained it for me, and it was everything i had hoped it would be. a-yup.
come to my blog!
these vampires are not cuddly or sparkly or beautiful. they suck the cattle dry and then go after the humans. teenfangirls be warned. most vampires aren't the nurturing type.
in other pop culture news, cowboys and aliens is a good premise because it is a humorous juxtaposition, a ballsy "why not?" "imagine if" situation where technology pits itself against the "do what's gotta be done" attitude of the cowboy. it's like a game that stoners play, or like that show greg likes that i don't know the name of. but there is nothing funny about vampires and cowboys, and this combination seems to work really well, and does not just read like a cormac mccarthy/vampire mash-up. you have your plainspoken cowboy who is not looking to make any friends, who sees a predator and takes action.it is a sensible solution to an unexpected problem, but his reactions are so practical - there is no running around looking for explanations or backstory, no time-wasting hesitations. something killing the cattle? let's take care of that. a-yup.
the writing is good, pared-down cowboy writing, with its dispassionate outlook and its casual violence. the protagonist is not some sweetheart you are going to want to fall in love with and take home, but that's exactly as it should be.
this book is nasty, brutish, and short. it is a perfect vampire western.
and i thank elizabeth for snagging it for me. not that she has ever or will ever read it, but she knew i wanted it, and she obtained it for me, and it was everything i had hoped it would be. a-yup.
come to my blog!
August 29, 2018
The climate in Kansas is not for the meek. The wind blows a gazillion miles an hour most of the time. The sun bleaches the color out of everything turning the landscape a light shade of gray or dusty brown. The high temperatures in the summer evaporates water leaving ponds a muddy muck. High pressure systems and low pressure systems collide dropping golf ball size hail, pelting us with wind driven rain, and spawning monstrous, howling, black twisters. In the winter time that same wind burns our cheeks worse than sun burns. Ice storms drop power lines and freeze our roads into chicken shit slick icy disasters. (Worse spill of my life was on frozen chicken shit.)
Vampire Central just keep on drivin'.
The people here reflect their environment. They are used to disappointment. They are used to having the weather intrude on their finances and their health. They are stubborn, quiet, tough of as nails, capable, and practical to a fault. Vampires? Well to these people that is just another predator that needs to be eradicated. Munch down on their cows and you'll find yourself hunted down and blasted into Vampire paste.
When I saw this book I was excited because I was hoping that finally somebody had written a book about vampire cows.
Well unfortunately I was wrong about that. Cows are fed on by vampires, but do not resurrect themselves into vampires. Dang it. Despite that disappointment I was taken in by Alan Ryker's sparse writing style. There might be purple sage, but no purple prose. His words reflect the people and add to the landscape of the book.
Keith Harris, our anti-hero hero is a hard drinking, rednecked, asshole who finds himself in the unlikely role of trying to save his cattle and his neighbors (secondary thought) from an invasion of pale skinned, night scavenging predators. The loss of his wife has left him unmoored, anti-social, and nursing a hair trigger temper. When something starts gnawing on his cattle he takes matters into his own hands, capturing a vampire, and using him as protection for his herd. Lets just say things spin out of control from there and the reader is put on a galloping horse pursued by shrieking, blood thirsty vampires. You will swallow this book in one gulp simply because you will have no choice, at a sparse 130 pages you will find yourself sucking the marrow from the bones of this tale and your coffee will be cold by the time you remember to drink it.
For people who like Joe R. Lansdale you will love this book.
Vampire Central just keep on drivin'.
The people here reflect their environment. They are used to disappointment. They are used to having the weather intrude on their finances and their health. They are stubborn, quiet, tough of as nails, capable, and practical to a fault. Vampires? Well to these people that is just another predator that needs to be eradicated. Munch down on their cows and you'll find yourself hunted down and blasted into Vampire paste.
When I saw this book I was excited because I was hoping that finally somebody had written a book about vampire cows.
Well unfortunately I was wrong about that. Cows are fed on by vampires, but do not resurrect themselves into vampires. Dang it. Despite that disappointment I was taken in by Alan Ryker's sparse writing style. There might be purple sage, but no purple prose. His words reflect the people and add to the landscape of the book.
Keith Harris, our anti-hero hero is a hard drinking, rednecked, asshole who finds himself in the unlikely role of trying to save his cattle and his neighbors (secondary thought) from an invasion of pale skinned, night scavenging predators. The loss of his wife has left him unmoored, anti-social, and nursing a hair trigger temper. When something starts gnawing on his cattle he takes matters into his own hands, capturing a vampire, and using him as protection for his herd. Lets just say things spin out of control from there and the reader is put on a galloping horse pursued by shrieking, blood thirsty vampires. You will swallow this book in one gulp simply because you will have no choice, at a sparse 130 pages you will find yourself sucking the marrow from the bones of this tale and your coffee will be cold by the time you remember to drink it.
For people who like Joe R. Lansdale you will love this book.
January 17, 2012
This is a very different kind of vampire book. These are by no means your father's vampires. The vamps are fast, insane and for the most part, stupid.
Keith is a relatively new widower who is still grieving. He is also a very angry guy; he is alienating everyone else in his life. Keith's brother and niece are trying to keep an eye on him, but his drinking and his temper are getting out of control.
Keith is trying to keep his cattle ranch going during all this, but now something is attacking the cattle.
It's hard to go much further without any spoilers so I will just say I thought it was excellent and I've immediately begun the second book/novella in the series.
Keith is a relatively new widower who is still grieving. He is also a very angry guy; he is alienating everyone else in his life. Keith's brother and niece are trying to keep an eye on him, but his drinking and his temper are getting out of control.
Keith is trying to keep his cattle ranch going during all this, but now something is attacking the cattle.
It's hard to go much further without any spoilers so I will just say I thought it was excellent and I've immediately begun the second book/novella in the series.
October 20, 2023
Keith, a widow, is an angry drunk of a man since losing his wife to cancer. He likes to keep himself to himself unless you've managed to wrong him in some way. That'll be your first and last mistake.
It appears that cattle have been getting killed all across the county and Keith isn't going to let someone or something to take his livelihood away. Imagine his surprise when he ends up capturing a vampire on his property.
Where there is one vampire then there is likely more and Keith sets out to banish these bloodsuckers once and for all.
Part vampire novel, part Western, and a whole lotta blood makes for a great time! 3.5 stars!
It appears that cattle have been getting killed all across the county and Keith isn't going to let someone or something to take his livelihood away. Imagine his surprise when he ends up capturing a vampire on his property.
Where there is one vampire then there is likely more and Keith sets out to banish these bloodsuckers once and for all.
Part vampire novel, part Western, and a whole lotta blood makes for a great time! 3.5 stars!
April 29, 2020
didn't love it but didn't hate it either. would even recommend it to fans of visceral modern horror and in particular people like me who often find romantically inclined gothic vampire dreamboats to be unbearably trite. this short novel is of like mind, and so its vampires are basically dumb speechless animals. with the one important and necessary exception - gotta have a suitable antagonist. who would have thought that snorting up tons of meth would allow you to retain your faculties and create a focus on living life to the fullest right now. I mean, I've come across meth-lovers who clearly felt the same way, but they were usually dancing shirtless in a club at 3 am. in this case, the fellow in question isn't spending time clubbing but is instead capturing his neighbors and putting them in a barn where they can be milked like cows, except it's not milk that's being milked. now that's some meth-inspired ingenuity!
the writing is admirably tight and focused; the protagonist is a violent redneck who is meaner than most vampires. like and like! what I didn't like: all of the emotional flashbacks that spend a bit too much time sentimentally humanizing him. for some reason, those scenes just irritated me. that, on top of my own preference for atmosphere over narrative, brought it down a star. but hey, if you like tough modern horror and don't have a lot of patience, then this swiftly paced little slaughter fest is for you.
the writing is admirably tight and focused; the protagonist is a violent redneck who is meaner than most vampires. like and like! what I didn't like: all of the emotional flashbacks that spend a bit too much time sentimentally humanizing him. for some reason, those scenes just irritated me. that, on top of my own preference for atmosphere over narrative, brought it down a star. but hey, if you like tough modern horror and don't have a lot of patience, then this swiftly paced little slaughter fest is for you.
May 7, 2021
This was great! I’m not a fan of westerns but throw in some vicious, nasty vampires and I’m all in!
This novella was fast paced, the story was well thought out and there was plenty of gore to satisfy this horror lover.
I know other readers didn’t care for the main protagonist, Keith, but I loved his character. He’s had a tough life, had to make some extremely hard choices and came out on the other side. I like when an author strays from the usual hero who’s perfect in every way. Keith felt REAL to me.
I definitely plan on reading the next book in the series and I’m not a big series reader. It was that good!!
This novella was fast paced, the story was well thought out and there was plenty of gore to satisfy this horror lover.
I know other readers didn’t care for the main protagonist, Keith, but I loved his character. He’s had a tough life, had to make some extremely hard choices and came out on the other side. I like when an author strays from the usual hero who’s perfect in every way. Keith felt REAL to me.
I definitely plan on reading the next book in the series and I’m not a big series reader. It was that good!!
March 7, 2021
Well...okay. Sorry here as I can only really say what we have here is a vampire book. It's not the traditional vamp (what is now days?) Thankfully neither is it the romantic, friendly or sparkly type of vamp. Without spoiler I can say we have lots of dripping fangs and gory violence.
Not great, not bad, horror brain candy. If that's what you're looking for this is it. Just a good serviceable gross-out sort of story.
Not great, not bad, horror brain candy. If that's what you're looking for this is it. Just a good serviceable gross-out sort of story.
September 13, 2015
Some kind of unknown and unseen animal is killing the area ranchers cattle. The sheriff is stumped. Experts from the university have never encountered anything like it. The ranchers are tired of finding their livelihood dead in the pastures the next morning and are losing patience waiting for someone to provide them answers. Keith is one of them. He's had his run-ins with the sheriff and the local band of punks. He was considered a loose cannon before he lost his wife. Now, without her calming influence, Keith has turned to alcohol to help him face his demons and get him through his day. On a night half drunk and slumbering on his porch, he's awakened by a high pitch squeal in his pasture. What he finds, attacking one of his cattle, is pure fury and stinks of the grave.
Burden Kansas is my first read from Ryker and I can't say enough about it. The characters are perfectly flawed and realistic. The small town rural setting reminds me of the lonliness and tone found in the movie Near Dark. The pacing is excellent. The relationships between the characters are realistic and add wonderful depth and layers to the story. Ryker's vampires are how they should be - fast, furious, and definitely do not sparkle. Great, great story that has caused me to download more of his work before I was even done with this one.
5 bloody fangs out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
Burden Kansas is my first read from Ryker and I can't say enough about it. The characters are perfectly flawed and realistic. The small town rural setting reminds me of the lonliness and tone found in the movie Near Dark. The pacing is excellent. The relationships between the characters are realistic and add wonderful depth and layers to the story. Ryker's vampires are how they should be - fast, furious, and definitely do not sparkle. Great, great story that has caused me to download more of his work before I was even done with this one.
5 bloody fangs out of 5
You can also follow my reviews at the following links:
https://kenmckinley.wordpress.com
https://www.goodreads.com/user/show/5...
http://www.amazon.com/gp/profile/A2J1...
October 20, 2025
An excellent vampire novella, perfect for the Halloween season.
June 18, 2011
Wow!
I had the amazing luck of Alan Ryker contacting me on Twitter. He offered to send me one of his stories and I was thrilled. I love horror and I haven't read much lately. Mr. Ryker graciously sent me a copy of his novella Burden Kansas. I'm not one for novellas because I like a long and detailed story but this book packs a punch. What Alan Ryker can do in 132 pages puts to shame most of the 400 plus horror books I have read. I am forever a fan.
Here is the book summary: Vampires are not sexy or sensitive.
Hungry, bloody and stinking of the grave, they hunt the dry Kansas plains, taking what they want until they cross rancher Keith Harris. Keith is a damaged man who's always made the hard decisions others couldn't. As the two forces battle for survival, the lines between man and monster begin to blur. How much of a community's burden of sin can one man take on before becoming a monster himself?
With Burden Kansas, Alan Ryker provides a contemporary novella of vampire horror written in the minimal voice of the western. Burden Kansas is more entertaining, disturbing and thought-provoking than you thought a vampire western could be.
The main character, Keith Harris, is complex. An anti-hero you really are not supposed to like. He is not some over-the-top tough guy bent on saving the world. Instead, he drinks to forget his wife, pisses the Sheriff off by being a complete jerk and antagonizes the locals. He bullies his younger brother but loves his niece Jessica. Jessica is the only one left, after his wife, keeping Keith from becoming an all-out sociopath. I still liked him. He was real. I like the characters in my book real. Does Keith redeem himself? Sure, but it ain't pretty. Shit, I loved this book.
The description of Vampire Western fits and as I read, I felt I was watching a movie. Alan Ryker doesn't waste a word or a scene. There was a point in the story where I questioned my interpretation of who the guy in the white hat was. There is still some grey area but I will say a definite hero walks into the sunset.
I truly hope Mr. Ryker considers making this into a series.
I had the amazing luck of Alan Ryker contacting me on Twitter. He offered to send me one of his stories and I was thrilled. I love horror and I haven't read much lately. Mr. Ryker graciously sent me a copy of his novella Burden Kansas. I'm not one for novellas because I like a long and detailed story but this book packs a punch. What Alan Ryker can do in 132 pages puts to shame most of the 400 plus horror books I have read. I am forever a fan.
Here is the book summary: Vampires are not sexy or sensitive.
Hungry, bloody and stinking of the grave, they hunt the dry Kansas plains, taking what they want until they cross rancher Keith Harris. Keith is a damaged man who's always made the hard decisions others couldn't. As the two forces battle for survival, the lines between man and monster begin to blur. How much of a community's burden of sin can one man take on before becoming a monster himself?
With Burden Kansas, Alan Ryker provides a contemporary novella of vampire horror written in the minimal voice of the western. Burden Kansas is more entertaining, disturbing and thought-provoking than you thought a vampire western could be.
The main character, Keith Harris, is complex. An anti-hero you really are not supposed to like. He is not some over-the-top tough guy bent on saving the world. Instead, he drinks to forget his wife, pisses the Sheriff off by being a complete jerk and antagonizes the locals. He bullies his younger brother but loves his niece Jessica. Jessica is the only one left, after his wife, keeping Keith from becoming an all-out sociopath. I still liked him. He was real. I like the characters in my book real. Does Keith redeem himself? Sure, but it ain't pretty. Shit, I loved this book.
The description of Vampire Western fits and as I read, I felt I was watching a movie. Alan Ryker doesn't waste a word or a scene. There was a point in the story where I questioned my interpretation of who the guy in the white hat was. There is still some grey area but I will say a definite hero walks into the sunset.
I truly hope Mr. Ryker considers making this into a series.
August 10, 2013
It is thanks to the ever amazing Karen that I attained access to this novella, and I can not thank her enough!!!
I am a big fan of fan-dys-sci and the current craze of YA novels. Their brooding and sensitive vampiristic characters have brought a lot of enjoyment for me. There comes a time, though, in every woman's life where they have to face up to reality. And the reality of the matter is that if the vampire element exists it is highly unlikely that they sparkle and/or brood.
Vampires are not sexy or sensitive.
Ryker's vampires are purely monstrous! They are not remorseful and they do not fall in love with twitly teenage girls! This is a vampire western! Vampires kill cows and their tenders, and better yet they feel no remorse about it. The cowboys are tough and beastly characters and so are the vampires. Monsters remain monsters and the good do not always win. This is life, this is vampire stories told western style.
Ryker broke a mold here, a mold that needed to be broken, and I thank him for that :).
I am a big fan of fan-dys-sci and the current craze of YA novels. Their brooding and sensitive vampiristic characters have brought a lot of enjoyment for me. There comes a time, though, in every woman's life where they have to face up to reality. And the reality of the matter is that if the vampire element exists it is highly unlikely that they sparkle and/or brood.
Vampires are not sexy or sensitive.
Ryker's vampires are purely monstrous! They are not remorseful and they do not fall in love with twitly teenage girls! This is a vampire western! Vampires kill cows and their tenders, and better yet they feel no remorse about it. The cowboys are tough and beastly characters and so are the vampires. Monsters remain monsters and the good do not always win. This is life, this is vampire stories told western style.
Ryker broke a mold here, a mold that needed to be broken, and I thank him for that :).
December 19, 2013
I've read a couple of vampire westerns in my day and this is sadly the weakest of the lot. There's some really clever writing in places - I'm a particular fan of "'But you strode in here jingle-jangling like you were going to settle some foolishness'" because that's pretty killer; also the exchange:
"'Sure, but you have to come up with a name. I've never been good at that.'
'How about "the vampire?"'
'Well, I guess I could've come up with that.'"
Unfortunately, by the end of the book, the many glaring editing errors had me clutching my head & none of the characters had become more to me than their names.
"'Sure, but you have to come up with a name. I've never been good at that.'
'How about "the vampire?"'
'Well, I guess I could've come up with that.'"
Unfortunately, by the end of the book, the many glaring editing errors had me clutching my head & none of the characters had become more to me than their names.
June 14, 2017
This was great!!! The end had me squirming with the descriptions of all the blood drinking (that's not a spoiler, it's a book about vampires, obviously there's blood drinking.) but it was actually the perfect ending.
Loved!!!!!
Loved!!!!!
February 7, 2021
Good short book.
Didn’t really like the main character, buy I don’t think you are supposed to.
Could have used s couple less flashbacks . But a fast gory read.
Didn’t really like the main character, buy I don’t think you are supposed to.
Could have used s couple less flashbacks . But a fast gory read.
January 13, 2016
So, what could be scarier than a vampire on the Kansas plain draining blood from surrounding livestock and an occasional crack addict? How bout a rancher who has had to help his suffering wife out of her misery, sitting on his porch with an empty whiskey bottle at his feet, a shotgun in his lap, a pistol, a hatchet and a knife strapped to his body and a hard-ass, don't give a shit attitude as the cherry on top.
Yep, he's the one you better steer clear of.
Short novel...gritty, down and dirty...take no prisoners kind of story.
August 8, 2014
Great novella and I think a "must read" for any vampire fan (real vampires, not the shy sensitive vampires)
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
No, no of course not.
Not that there's anything wrong with that.
No, no of course not.
October 15, 2018
This book definitively answers the question: what would happen to a vampire if you blew its head off with a shotgun?
Plenty of fun, and it doesn't outstay its welcome.
I should add, to readers in the UK of a certain vintage, the idea of the hero of the story being called Keith Harris is pretty hilarious...
Plenty of fun, and it doesn't outstay its welcome.
I should add, to readers in the UK of a certain vintage, the idea of the hero of the story being called Keith Harris is pretty hilarious...
August 30, 2014
Blood sucking creatures of the night
Nocturnal spectre hiding from the light
Cries screaming out every fright
Eagerly awaiting plight
Apparitions from the pits of Hell
Death plagues the streets in which they dwell
Demented lust, the secrets they must keep
Addicted to your blood
At dawn they sleep
-Slayer, Hell Awaits
Nocturnal spectre hiding from the light
Cries screaming out every fright
Eagerly awaiting plight
Apparitions from the pits of Hell
Death plagues the streets in which they dwell
Demented lust, the secrets they must keep
Addicted to your blood
At dawn they sleep
-Slayer, Hell Awaits
February 27, 2015
3.5 bites out of 5.
I love my vampires animalistic, vile, and non-shiny (or is it glittery). These are dirty, and mindless creatures; except for one. I don't like who turned into one, and felt the story could have taken a better turn; but I dig it.
This was an entertaining read, that got a little B-movieish at time, but I love a good B-movie.
I love my vampires animalistic, vile, and non-shiny (or is it glittery). These are dirty, and mindless creatures; except for one. I don't like who turned into one, and felt the story could have taken a better turn; but I dig it.
This was an entertaining read, that got a little B-movieish at time, but I love a good B-movie.
January 29, 2021
3.9 Stars!
“Keith went inside and into his pantry. He grabbed one of the four handle bottles of bourbon inside. He kept the stash for days like this, Sundays like this, when they wouldn't sell you alcohol. What did the state of Kansas expect people like him to do on Sundays? Kill themselves, he guessed.”
― Alan Ryker
Meth dealing vampires. Vicious, dull thinking Chupacabra creatures suck cattle blood and murder humans. Meth dealer gets bitten, but while dying he snorts up the rest of his supply, which helps him rise from dead with with his intelligence intact. Plans vengeance on every redneck and churchgoer he feels snubbed him. Unless Keith (hard drinking, shotgun slinging, cattle raising, redneck- tougher than beef jerky) can rid the farm of the blood sucking vermin.
“He wore a ball cap, but the sun beat down on his neck.”
― Alan Ryker
Recommended for folks who prefer monstrous vampires to romantic, sparkly posers.
“Keith went inside and into his pantry. He grabbed one of the four handle bottles of bourbon inside. He kept the stash for days like this, Sundays like this, when they wouldn't sell you alcohol. What did the state of Kansas expect people like him to do on Sundays? Kill themselves, he guessed.”
― Alan Ryker
Meth dealing vampires. Vicious, dull thinking Chupacabra creatures suck cattle blood and murder humans. Meth dealer gets bitten, but while dying he snorts up the rest of his supply, which helps him rise from dead with with his intelligence intact. Plans vengeance on every redneck and churchgoer he feels snubbed him. Unless Keith (hard drinking, shotgun slinging, cattle raising, redneck- tougher than beef jerky) can rid the farm of the blood sucking vermin.
“He wore a ball cap, but the sun beat down on his neck.”
― Alan Ryker
Recommended for folks who prefer monstrous vampires to romantic, sparkly posers.
February 10, 2024
Read about halfway.
April 4, 2020
The blurb states that 'vampires are not sexy or sensitive' the book found that to be a lie. At least the sensitive part. I told my wife about this book and she asked if it felt authentic. My response was 'they're my people'. I grew up in the southwest surrounded by dairies on all sides, raising hounds and riding horses. I've met people like Keith, hardened and able to cause a man to soil himself with a single look. But when you got that person in a room just two people shooting the shit, they changed. Yes they were still abrasive but they cared. People who refuse to get to know them will never know the truth. That's Keith, a complex teddy bear with teeth. For me this book was a breath of fresh air. I've loved vampires since I watched Underworld when I was knee high to a grasshopper, then that flaccid vampire tale Twilight came out and it almost killed the genre for me. (Secretly I like Eclipse though because the director of 30 Days of Night made it, don't tell anyone). Moving on, so you get a complex character study of a tougher than a coffin nail rancher while he fights vampires. I never thought I'd say that in a sentence but there it is. He lost his wife to an ambiguous reason which causes animosity from a local sheriff whose hate for Keith is about as inconspicuous as a railroad stake in your earhole. He hates him but Keith hates him back- balance. You have to piece together a background mystery in this one and the answer hurts. The ending left something to be desired between the sheriff and Keith but other than that I am content. Dennis is a dream of a villain because he's a bastard coated bastard with bastard filling. He likes to think he's the baddest dude in the room until Keith walks in and then he coils up in the corner. Until the meth kicks in then he gets a big head about him. There's a lot of gooey surprises in this one, no real romance but I recommend hopping on the train and trying it out.
There it is and there you have it.
There it is and there you have it.
August 21, 2022
A fun vampire story that hints at a much larger lore behind it. This novella is brutal and action-packed with several well-drawn characters and an intriguing take on vampires.
In Ryker's version of Kansas, vampires are mindless predators, no smarter than other dangerous animals of the plains. Much more dangerous is our protagonist, Keith Morgan, a rancher who is feared and hated by most of the community for his antisocial and violent tendencies. Keith is an asshole, but I would want him on my side if vampires came to my town.
Speaking of vampires, the big bad of this book is a vampire who has somehow retained his intelligence when all the other vampires turn into brain-dead bloodsuckers. This is never really explained, which I chose to find intriguing rather than frustrating. Ryker clearly has more in mind for his vampires that he will perhaps explore later in his Vampires of the Plains series.
The plot rockets right along and the action sequences are well done. Some of the dialogue is preposterous and I never quite bought the character of Jessica, Keith's beloved niece. However, this was an easy read and I look forward to jumping on the sequel at some point.
In Ryker's version of Kansas, vampires are mindless predators, no smarter than other dangerous animals of the plains. Much more dangerous is our protagonist, Keith Morgan, a rancher who is feared and hated by most of the community for his antisocial and violent tendencies. Keith is an asshole, but I would want him on my side if vampires came to my town.
Speaking of vampires, the big bad of this book is a vampire who has somehow retained his intelligence when all the other vampires turn into brain-dead bloodsuckers. This is never really explained, which I chose to find intriguing rather than frustrating. Ryker clearly has more in mind for his vampires that he will perhaps explore later in his Vampires of the Plains series.
The plot rockets right along and the action sequences are well done. Some of the dialogue is preposterous and I never quite bought the character of Jessica, Keith's beloved niece. However, this was an easy read and I look forward to jumping on the sequel at some point.
November 14, 2015
This was not the book I expected it to be.
I thought it was gonna be about a lonely farmer hunting vampires like a badass.
And well, while that does happen (a little), it's not at all what actually happens. The plot does go a little deeper. And I suppose that's a good thing (actually, I suppose nothing - it is). But for it to have really worked this book should have been a bit longer. You can't carry a plot like this in only 133 pages. Alan Ryker tries, though, and he does it very well.
Had it had a slightly more sympathetic main character I also believe I would have liked it more. I'm all for moral ambiguity, but sometimes Keith was a bit too cruel for me to actually give a damn whether he lived or died. Some might not care about such things, but I do. To me, not caring about the protagonist means I can’t truly care about the story, even though I want to.
It's a good book though, and a very refreshing take on the vampire genre. It also raises some very good questions, and never gets too unbelievable. There are moments where the writing is a bit subpar, but I am willing to overlook that, since it still managed to drag me in and keep me reading until I was done. The atmosphere is particularly well done (although it probably helped that I just find outlandish farm communities creepy from the beginning).
A quick, enjoyable read. If you're into vampires of the bloodsucking, predatory, straight-from-the-mouth-of-hell variety this is definitely a go.
I thought it was gonna be about a lonely farmer hunting vampires like a badass.
And well, while that does happen (a little), it's not at all what actually happens. The plot does go a little deeper. And I suppose that's a good thing (actually, I suppose nothing - it is). But for it to have really worked this book should have been a bit longer. You can't carry a plot like this in only 133 pages. Alan Ryker tries, though, and he does it very well.
Had it had a slightly more sympathetic main character I also believe I would have liked it more. I'm all for moral ambiguity, but sometimes Keith was a bit too cruel for me to actually give a damn whether he lived or died. Some might not care about such things, but I do. To me, not caring about the protagonist means I can’t truly care about the story, even though I want to.
It's a good book though, and a very refreshing take on the vampire genre. It also raises some very good questions, and never gets too unbelievable. There are moments where the writing is a bit subpar, but I am willing to overlook that, since it still managed to drag me in and keep me reading until I was done. The atmosphere is particularly well done (although it probably helped that I just find outlandish farm communities creepy from the beginning).
A quick, enjoyable read. If you're into vampires of the bloodsucking, predatory, straight-from-the-mouth-of-hell variety this is definitely a go.
November 12, 2012
Burden Kansas is a really peculiar Western/nihilistic look at Vampirism out in the plains of (would you believe) Kansas.
The book opens with a study of how a small cattle-ranching community would respond to new predators as they kill their livelihood off and quickly turns into a pretty great monster story. The main characters are a mean old Rancher and a sadistic young drug-dealer turned vampire, and we never get a proper handle on which one of them is more horrible than the other. Having just read Red Country, I have exactly the right quote to hand:
"Each land in the world produces its own men individually bad – and, in time, other bad men who kill them for the general good" - Emerson Hough
And boy oh boy is that true in here. There's something absolutely mesmerizing about a character who, when confronted with a slavering monstrosity -as opposed to recoiling full of horror- shoots it a few times, bashes its teeth out, cuts its hands off and uses it as a kind of ward to keep the others of it's kind away from his livestock.
There's a ham-fisted attempt at a redemption story thrown in for no reason at the end, and I honestly am not sure if the author is really misanthropic or just a redneck but it's tight, functional and thematically interesting. Plus it's less than 200 pages and £2 on Kindle. Give it a read.
The book opens with a study of how a small cattle-ranching community would respond to new predators as they kill their livelihood off and quickly turns into a pretty great monster story. The main characters are a mean old Rancher and a sadistic young drug-dealer turned vampire, and we never get a proper handle on which one of them is more horrible than the other. Having just read Red Country, I have exactly the right quote to hand:
"Each land in the world produces its own men individually bad – and, in time, other bad men who kill them for the general good" - Emerson Hough
And boy oh boy is that true in here. There's something absolutely mesmerizing about a character who, when confronted with a slavering monstrosity -as opposed to recoiling full of horror- shoots it a few times, bashes its teeth out, cuts its hands off and uses it as a kind of ward to keep the others of it's kind away from his livestock.
There's a ham-fisted attempt at a redemption story thrown in for no reason at the end, and I honestly am not sure if the author is really misanthropic or just a redneck but it's tight, functional and thematically interesting. Plus it's less than 200 pages and £2 on Kindle. Give it a read.
June 20, 2013
Ryker has an enjoyable conversational prose style. It often feels like you are being told a story on a Saturday night outside the store in the same small Kansas town where this book takes place. During a panel on Vampires, Werewolves, and Zombies that I attended Ryker said this was his reaction to the glittery, romantic vampires of Twilight. There is nothing Romantic here. The vampire is savage and dangerous, mostly an instinctual animalistic predator.
I'm not a big vampire fan, but when I do read vampire fiction, this is exactly how I like them. Diseased animals with little to drive them other than feeding. It is slightly more complicated in this story, but I won't go into it in order to avoid giving too much away.
Chances are that you know someone like Keith, the protagonist. He's an asshole, but he's your asshole. Not necessarily what you would call a great guy, but fiercely loyal at all times. Ryker does a great job with the various characters and dramas of small town life, and it is really the rural nature of the story that sets it apart.
I enjoyed this book, not quite as much as Among Prey, another Alan Ryker story which I read recently, but it was a great short read. Ryker writes great little horrific stories that are tightly-written and don't suffer from the bloat that seems to infest fiction these days.
I'm not a big vampire fan, but when I do read vampire fiction, this is exactly how I like them. Diseased animals with little to drive them other than feeding. It is slightly more complicated in this story, but I won't go into it in order to avoid giving too much away.
Chances are that you know someone like Keith, the protagonist. He's an asshole, but he's your asshole. Not necessarily what you would call a great guy, but fiercely loyal at all times. Ryker does a great job with the various characters and dramas of small town life, and it is really the rural nature of the story that sets it apart.
I enjoyed this book, not quite as much as Among Prey, another Alan Ryker story which I read recently, but it was a great short read. Ryker writes great little horrific stories that are tightly-written and don't suffer from the bloat that seems to infest fiction these days.
September 10, 2012
One of the best vampire stories that I have read in a while. Economical prose, yet detailed enough to provide good characterization. Upon reviewing Ryker's bio I discovered that he writes both literary fiction as well as dark fiction. No surprise once I had read this very well written short novel. Ryker clearly not only knows how to fashion a well-paced, exciting horror novel with good characters, settings, and imagery, but he has the chops to tackle other genres as well.
And the best part is that the vampires are old school nasty, unattractive predators. The story line follows these dangerous creatures, and some equally dangerous and aggressive humans, down a path that I think is original. Clearly the capacity for mindless cruelty goes both ways.
If you like well written horror stories and you hate the "sparkly" type of romantic vampire, then this is the book to read. After I finished, I bought the sequel.
And the best part is that the vampires are old school nasty, unattractive predators. The story line follows these dangerous creatures, and some equally dangerous and aggressive humans, down a path that I think is original. Clearly the capacity for mindless cruelty goes both ways.
If you like well written horror stories and you hate the "sparkly" type of romantic vampire, then this is the book to read. After I finished, I bought the sequel.
August 26, 2015
Burden Kansas breaks free from every convention of traditional vampire fiction and tells a tale that is exciting, touching, sometimes funny and always original. The dialogue is sparse and realistic, and the pacing is perfect: no unnecessary lulls in the action, but with enough character development to keep the reader emotionally invested in the story. I especially enjoyed the story's protagonist, who is such a hard-ass that I actually found myself sympathizing with the villain's plight. A very satisfying read.
August 5, 2014
Nice and fast pace vampire story. No love story or fluff. Just all red blooded meat. Thanks Karen I thoroughly enjoyed this one.
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