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Dust of the Damned
A novel about werewolves, ghouls, and cowboys, all fighting for their piece of the American frontier.
The Hell’s Angels are a gang of werewolves who have escaped from Hellsgarde Federal Penitentiary. They were the ones who tore the Confederates into submission at Gettysburg for Lincoln, thus ending the Civil War. Now they’ve headed West—to join the legions of other ghouls . . .
Armed with an arsenal of weapons, the deadliest being Marshal Angel Coffin, notorious ghoulhunter Uriah Zane must stop the hordes of shapeshifting creatures pushing west. Together, Zane and Coffin must stop the werebeasts from attaining final dominion over the earth—with humans as their servants...
The Hell’s Angels are a gang of werewolves who have escaped from Hellsgarde Federal Penitentiary. They were the ones who tore the Confederates into submission at Gettysburg for Lincoln, thus ending the Civil War. Now they’ve headed West—to join the legions of other ghouls . . .
Armed with an arsenal of weapons, the deadliest being Marshal Angel Coffin, notorious ghoulhunter Uriah Zane must stop the hordes of shapeshifting creatures pushing west. Together, Zane and Coffin must stop the werebeasts from attaining final dominion over the earth—with humans as their servants...
352 pages, Paperback
First published January 3, 2012
5 people are currently reading
86 people want to read
About the author
Peter Brandvold
189 books130 followersPeter Brandvold has written well over one hundred action westerns under his own name and his pseudonym, Frank Leslie. Born and raised in North Dakota, he has lived all over the West. He currently lives in western Minnesota with his dog. Follow him at Amazon and here peterbrandvold.blogspot.comand here: facebook.com/peter.brandvold.
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Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews
July 12, 2013
If you like your Weird West horror Cinemax After Dark-style, you will enjoy this book. Dust of the Damned reminds me of the Longarm westerns I used to read sex scenes out of when I was a kid. Just add some supernatural elements, and there you have it. Plenty of sex and violence, and more sex and violence. Shaken, not stirred.
I found this book too trashy for my tastes. I think there is a way to do sex and violence where it doesn't come off sleazy, but this book doesn't achieve that goal. I really dislike having to write negative reviews, but sometimes you just don't like books and have valid reasons for it.
I don't like to leave books unfinished, so I slugged away (plus the hero's name starts with a U and I need a U hero). And while I didn't enjoy this book that much, it wasn't all bad. The idea of Lincoln employing werewolves to win the War Between the States (and it backfiring) was an interesting twist. The werewolf mythology when not played for cheap thrills was interesting. It has some good western action, and it has some of the character types you expect in a book of this genre. But there was a heavy hand with the violence, and the sex seemed to be on the exploitative side.
The descriptions of the characters reminded me of a low-budget soft-core with violence movie. The author tended to write the female characters in a way that felt very objectifying, and simultaneously the male character descriptions (with the exception of our larger-than-life, oh so manly hero) were largely repellant. Uriah Zane is a fairly likable hero, although I felt that his attributes were described in a way that spoke of godlike awe (or so the reader is supposed to feel) from the unseen narrator. Angel, who is the local female marshal and Uriah's sometime lover was admirably tough and heroic, but I felt like she could have been played by Shannon Tweed, Joan Severance, or Bobbie Phillips (three good actresses who have starred in their share of sex-ploitation films) in the 90s movie version. There were more sex scenes in this book than the average romance novel (which are all labeled as trashy romance, most of which are actually not this trashy). They brought mind the Emanuelle movies from the 80s, at least to me.
I think the idea of a group of werewolf bandidos on a rampage of violence felt authentic to the feel of a weird western adventure (which is why I wanted to read it). There is even a suitably evil and bodaciously sexy witch villainness (if that floats your boat). However, I could have done without the detailed descriptions of these very evil low-lives' actions against their helpless victims, interspersed with 'steamy sex'. These violent scenes also felt exploitative, like the 70s gore galore grindhouse cinematic greats. Lots of gushing stumps from beheaded victims and spilling entrails. Ugh!
Anyhoo. Caveat emptor. There's pulpy and there is sleazy. I think this is more in the sleazy territory. If you're in the mood for this, then you might enjoy Dust of the Damned. If you turn the channel when Tarantino films come on or when Cinemax goes 'dark', then you may want to pass this by.
Overall rating: 2.5/5.0 stars.
I found this book too trashy for my tastes. I think there is a way to do sex and violence where it doesn't come off sleazy, but this book doesn't achieve that goal. I really dislike having to write negative reviews, but sometimes you just don't like books and have valid reasons for it.
I don't like to leave books unfinished, so I slugged away (plus the hero's name starts with a U and I need a U hero). And while I didn't enjoy this book that much, it wasn't all bad. The idea of Lincoln employing werewolves to win the War Between the States (and it backfiring) was an interesting twist. The werewolf mythology when not played for cheap thrills was interesting. It has some good western action, and it has some of the character types you expect in a book of this genre. But there was a heavy hand with the violence, and the sex seemed to be on the exploitative side.
The descriptions of the characters reminded me of a low-budget soft-core with violence movie. The author tended to write the female characters in a way that felt very objectifying, and simultaneously the male character descriptions (with the exception of our larger-than-life, oh so manly hero) were largely repellant. Uriah Zane is a fairly likable hero, although I felt that his attributes were described in a way that spoke of godlike awe (or so the reader is supposed to feel) from the unseen narrator. Angel, who is the local female marshal and Uriah's sometime lover was admirably tough and heroic, but I felt like she could have been played by Shannon Tweed, Joan Severance, or Bobbie Phillips (three good actresses who have starred in their share of sex-ploitation films) in the 90s movie version. There were more sex scenes in this book than the average romance novel (which are all labeled as trashy romance, most of which are actually not this trashy). They brought mind the Emanuelle movies from the 80s, at least to me.
I think the idea of a group of werewolf bandidos on a rampage of violence felt authentic to the feel of a weird western adventure (which is why I wanted to read it). There is even a suitably evil and bodaciously sexy witch villainness (if that floats your boat). However, I could have done without the detailed descriptions of these very evil low-lives' actions against their helpless victims, interspersed with 'steamy sex'. These violent scenes also felt exploitative, like the 70s gore galore grindhouse cinematic greats. Lots of gushing stumps from beheaded victims and spilling entrails. Ugh!
Anyhoo. Caveat emptor. There's pulpy and there is sleazy. I think this is more in the sleazy territory. If you're in the mood for this, then you might enjoy Dust of the Damned. If you turn the channel when Tarantino films come on or when Cinemax goes 'dark', then you may want to pass this by.
Overall rating: 2.5/5.0 stars.
December 31, 2014
I can't believe that is book was published by a reputable company. Working on the assumption that there was an editor involved somewhere in the process, they really need to be able to tell the difference between "gorilla" and 'guerrilla" as well as "sole" and "soul". My other problem with this book is that even though the main character seems to have fought for the Confederacy he doesn't seem to have any issues working with a black man. While there's nothing new in terms of plot or character, it's not the worst thing I've read.
March 31, 2012
After reading the premise to this one I knew it was going to be a maybe book for me. It might be the best thing since sliced bread or I wouldn't be able to get into it, sadly it was the later. I made it about 40 pages before giving up. I had a hard time getting into the book, especially as it seemed like there were 2 people with the same name. In the end this one just wasn't for me.
March 5, 2012
A weird mass-up of genres...western, fantasy, plus sex scenes right out of a steamy romance. Never really comes together.
May 18, 2012
Was very corny, i don't recommend.
December 19, 2011
Dust of the Damned is a novel by Peter Brandvold and a Berkley Western.
Book Blurb:
Mankind has fought the war against ghouls of all kinds since the beginning of time. The last stronghold of evil in the known world is the American frontier, but for how long?
Bounty hunter Uriah Zane and Deputy US Marshal Angel Coffin are humanity’s last hope to rid the world, once and for all, of this demon scourge...
The Hell’s Angels are a gang of werewolves who have escaped from Hellsgarde Penitentiary. Originally they were recruited out of eastern Europe by Abraham Lincoln to mercilessly tear the Confederates into submission at Gettysburg, thus ending the Civil War. But the Hell’s Angels never returned home.
They headed west - to join the legions of other ghouls...
My thoughts:
Uriah Zane is a bounty hunter - he hunts ghouls: vampires, were’s, hobgobbies - anything that will bring him a good bounty. And he is very good at what he does - some might say he has the uncanny ability to sense what the ghouls are going to do - before they do it.
Deputy Marshal Angel Coffin has the law in her blood. Her father, Marshal James Coffin, taught her everything she knows about law enforcement - and he was very proud that she chose to follow in his footsteps.
With the ghouls overrunning the West, every able bodied man and woman is needed to make a stand against the invasion.
If the ghouls can’t be stopped - it will be a literal hell on Earth.
I have avid readers in my family - on both sides - and this book brought back fond memories of my maternal grandfather. He loved westerns, Zane Grey was one of his all time favorites and later in his life, when he couldn’t read anymore - he would tell me about the books he’d read.
I’m not sure how he would feel about Dust of the Damned, he used to laugh at me for reading books with vamps and were’s. But I enjoyed it very much - both for the story itself and for the memories.
I give Dust of the Damned 4 out of 5 stars.
Product Details
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade; (January 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425245179
ISBN-13: 978-0425245170
Book Blurb:
Mankind has fought the war against ghouls of all kinds since the beginning of time. The last stronghold of evil in the known world is the American frontier, but for how long?
Bounty hunter Uriah Zane and Deputy US Marshal Angel Coffin are humanity’s last hope to rid the world, once and for all, of this demon scourge...
The Hell’s Angels are a gang of werewolves who have escaped from Hellsgarde Penitentiary. Originally they were recruited out of eastern Europe by Abraham Lincoln to mercilessly tear the Confederates into submission at Gettysburg, thus ending the Civil War. But the Hell’s Angels never returned home.
They headed west - to join the legions of other ghouls...
My thoughts:
Uriah Zane is a bounty hunter - he hunts ghouls: vampires, were’s, hobgobbies - anything that will bring him a good bounty. And he is very good at what he does - some might say he has the uncanny ability to sense what the ghouls are going to do - before they do it.
Deputy Marshal Angel Coffin has the law in her blood. Her father, Marshal James Coffin, taught her everything she knows about law enforcement - and he was very proud that she chose to follow in his footsteps.
With the ghouls overrunning the West, every able bodied man and woman is needed to make a stand against the invasion.
If the ghouls can’t be stopped - it will be a literal hell on Earth.
I have avid readers in my family - on both sides - and this book brought back fond memories of my maternal grandfather. He loved westerns, Zane Grey was one of his all time favorites and later in his life, when he couldn’t read anymore - he would tell me about the books he’d read.
I’m not sure how he would feel about Dust of the Damned, he used to laugh at me for reading books with vamps and were’s. But I enjoyed it very much - both for the story itself and for the memories.
I give Dust of the Damned 4 out of 5 stars.
Product Details
Paperback: 352 pages
Publisher: Berkley Trade; (January 3, 2012)
Language: English
ISBN-10: 0425245179
ISBN-13: 978-0425245170
February 10, 2014
I picked up Peter Brandvold's Dust of the Damned expecting a wicked weird western with werewolves. It's that and more. Turns out it's not just another entry in the weird western genre, but also an alternate history. Brandvold sets up a world where the Union won the Civil War by unleashing a horde of werewolves against the Confederates at Gettysburg. Lincoln is dead by his own hand. Sherman is President. Grant is wallowing in a gutter somewhere. And the werewolves have staked their claim out west along with vampires, hobgoblins, witches and even dragons!
The hero of the tale, former Confederate Uriah Zane, makes his living killing the supernatural creatures and collecting the government bounty on their heads. When the Hell's Angels werewolf gang break their leader Charlie Hondo out of prison, Zane joins his sometimes companion and bunk-buddy Angel Coffin (a female U.S. Marshal no less!) to stop the Hondo from unleashing an ancient evil on the earth. Dust of the Damned turns out to be more Van Helsing out west (in more ways than one) than the gritty horror western I was expecting.
And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Brandvold, who appears to write mostly mainstream westerns, tackles this tale with vigor. We open with Zane taking on a cavern full of vampires with a gatling gun he carries around in a coffin (shades of the original Django!) and the pace never lets up. Each chapter introduces a new twist in classic pulp novel fashion at a rapid clip. It's fun stuff as far as it goes, which by the end may be a bit too far. Brandvold stuffs so much into Dust of the Damned that the novel stretches out without fully exploring the elements Brandvold piles on.
In the end, Dust of the Damned suffers from piling on too much. The story could have been better served with a "less is more" approach, focusing on the werewolves at the heart of the story rather than piling on all the baggage of extra ghosties, ghoulies and long-legged beasties who just take up story time without really adding much.
Dust of the Damned is a fun read, but it had potential to be so much better.
The hero of the tale, former Confederate Uriah Zane, makes his living killing the supernatural creatures and collecting the government bounty on their heads. When the Hell's Angels werewolf gang break their leader Charlie Hondo out of prison, Zane joins his sometimes companion and bunk-buddy Angel Coffin (a female U.S. Marshal no less!) to stop the Hondo from unleashing an ancient evil on the earth. Dust of the Damned turns out to be more Van Helsing out west (in more ways than one) than the gritty horror western I was expecting.
And that's not necessarily a bad thing. Brandvold, who appears to write mostly mainstream westerns, tackles this tale with vigor. We open with Zane taking on a cavern full of vampires with a gatling gun he carries around in a coffin (shades of the original Django!) and the pace never lets up. Each chapter introduces a new twist in classic pulp novel fashion at a rapid clip. It's fun stuff as far as it goes, which by the end may be a bit too far. Brandvold stuffs so much into Dust of the Damned that the novel stretches out without fully exploring the elements Brandvold piles on.
In the end, Dust of the Damned suffers from piling on too much. The story could have been better served with a "less is more" approach, focusing on the werewolves at the heart of the story rather than piling on all the baggage of extra ghosties, ghoulies and long-legged beasties who just take up story time without really adding much.
Dust of the Damned is a fun read, but it had potential to be so much better.
January 8, 2014
The Outlaw Josey Wales meets Supernatural! This book was a fun read. It combines classic Western elements with pulp horror to create an entertaining weird western. Uriah Zane goes after the last remaining band of the Hell's Angels, werewolves Lincoln recruited to smash the Confederacy at Gettysburg. Along the way he acquires an odd set of companions: a untameable female Marshall, a Calvary Scout, and the legendary outlaw Jesse James. All leading to a final showdown in a city of gold. This book is a good fun read and can be enjoyed by fans of westerns, weird or not.
January 19, 2014
Supernatural Western is not a genre I've read much of ... outside of comics anyway. This is a decent little book. In this alternate history, the Civil War was won by werewolves recruited from Europe, which gives the defeated South even more of a reason to dislike northerners. Uriah Zane is a bounty hunter specializing in hunting down werewolves, vampires and other supernatural types. Upon learning the last of Lincoln's werewolf brigade has broken out of prison, he sets out after them. This is a quick read and quite fun to boot.
January 17, 2013
"Dust Of The Damned," was an unusual, unexpected and fun read. I would classify it as a blend of alternate history, western, horror and thriller. The story takes place just after Abraham Lincoln's time in the Old West. The plot involves werewolves, vampires, 'ghoul hunters', witches, lost tribes and more. It is full of action, gore, western terminology, appropriate traditional tools for combating vampires and werewolves and a new one - a Gatling Gun.
August 6, 2016
Might have been a good book . . . but when the protagonist's name is burned out by appearing over and over and over on each page, I consider that very poor writing.
Best thing about this book was the cover.
Best thing about this book was the cover.
Want to read
January 11, 2012Hell's Angels as werewolves? COUNT ME IN!
July 2, 2012
DNF. Words can't express how bad I think this is - couldn't make it past page 2. Painful.
September 4, 2012
Not good at all. After about 150 pages the plot became so unreal. Very disappointing as I like Peter Brandvold novel before.
November 23, 2016
It's just some fun genre fiction!
Displaying 1 - 16 of 16 reviews