King

Red Dust #4

by Ben Dixon, Sam Campbell

1862, America is divided by Civil War. With the threat of the Rising Plague and the fear of fighting on two fronts, the battle escalates mercilessly between the North and the South as leaders on both sides make a desperate attempt to win the war.

The infamous outlaw Ethan King stands defiant. Having thrived in a world of the undead, he has created a safe haven, carved from the ruins of the old world where he wishes only to cement his own legend in the pages of history.

When word of King’s sanctuary spreads, the outlaw finds himself pitted against both the Union and the Confederacy. As King makes a stand against both the living and the dead, he must face the prospect that his own legacy could bring about the destruction of himself and everything he has come to protect.

Genres: Horror, Zombies, Westerns

ebook

First published February 12, 2014

About the author

I studied History at Sheffield Hallam University. I'm an Indie author and write with my friend Sam Campbell. Together we've created a series of zombie westerns.

I have lots of ideas to develop and hope to bring some new interesting books to the world.

Reviews

[Greg at 2 Book Lovers Reviews · Rating 3 out of 5]

King is the fourth installment in the Red Dust series, the first three installments can be found together in The Fall. The zombie apocalypse has hit the wild west and the North and South are deep into the civil war.

It amazes me that with hoards of Zombies pouring across the Great Plains that people would still be killing one another and not uniting against the "greater" enemy, but I guess that is just human nature.

Ben Dixon and Sam Campbell have picked up where they left off. Each of their stories are interconnected; King (Ethan King) has set up a "safe" community, independent of everyone and desired by both sides. Griffin is back also, he is a dark character, someone who survives. I'll leave his role for you to discover.

What I enjoy the most about a short story is how quickly I can get into the story. A good short story, like King, starts strong and doesn't let you down. What I hate about a good short story is that it ends too soon, they cannot write them as fast as I can read them. I am eagerly awaiting Red Dust #5.

3.5 Stars ( put it into a larger volume then 4 stars)

[Mkittysamom · Rating 4 out of 5]

The King is the Sequel to Red Dust:The Fall

This book has one story, and it starts off with General Bulmer of the Union Army and Griffin talking. They are in the midst of The Civil War with the added danger of Zombies!
General Bulmer wants Griffin to hunt down Ethan King who is the Leader of Kingstown,(which we visited in "The Last Rider" in Red Dust). Bulmer wants King dead since he's an Outlaw and he's been allowed to Reign too long and Bulmer's own men are deserting him... OUCH. He also needs the space for a tactical advantage, the key to the western flank of the Civil War, for his troops. He wants Griff to tell King to surrender and his people will be under immunity, although King would still get knocked off anyways.
The Confederate Army is Flanking the Grant line west of Kentucky and they need fortification that will allow them to hold the Risers(Zombies) at bay and to keep those Yanks from pushing the line. Bulmer tried to bribe Griff, but Griff is more concerned about the Riser's because that's his real specialty, he doesn't want to get involved in the War at all.

The Battle at Kingstown angers King and he vows to get revenge... also King has this new thought:

For the first time since the World had fallen to the Rising Plague, Ethan King was gripped by a strange, new sense of responsibility that he had not known before. He knew now, he would not only kill for these people, he would die for them.

He realizes that once his built his own city, he started caring for his people and wants to protect them from harm. So remember Dr. Tremain and Dan?? King tells him to lead the people to safety in the North East, where they will reunite after all the fun festivities!

I loved this story, I changed my about Mr. King. Griffin is a mysterious man but he's entwined in all of the stories so far because I love looking for details and figuring out puzzles. The Characters are amazing, and in each story we find out a little more about them. I love also the theme of the Ol' West and Zombies, and also in the midst of the Civil War... although my prediction is the Zombies will win that war and people will scramble to safety.. Griff mentions "Where are all the Zombies?? They have been manageable so far.. but with the cannon fire it should attract more by the noise.....

Can't wait for the NEXT Installment!!!

[Kevis Hendrickson · Rating 2 out of 5]

'King' by Ben Dixon and Sam Campbell is the fourth book in the Red Dust Series. Actually, because of the brevity and presentation of these books, I’m more inclined to call them serials. I’ve read and enjoyed the previous installments and had high expectations for this book, especially after seeing the enticing book cover. I think what impressed me most about the first set of books was the creativity and compelling storyline. The events of the previous books were haunting and convincingly told, making you feel for the characters and their plight.

This book, despite some formatting and editorial flaws, is well written and moves briskly. The faster pace is sure to be a plus for some readers. But I felt it came at a price. I wasn’t able to enjoy this book as much as the others because it’s primarily action and not much plot. There isn’t any character development and the story seems to be moving from one action scene to the next, which again, I think is great for some readers, especially those who are looking for things to pick up when compared to the original books. But for me, I longed for more of the clever storytelling that immersed me into this world. I didn’t feel the mounting dread from the other books, which was part of the fun.

Overall, this story is mostly a showcase of well-written action. But I hope we'll see a return to the high-stakes drama of the earlier books that really was both creepy and gripping.

2.5 stars.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book for review.

[Elke · Rating 5 out of 5]

With the 4th installment in the Red Dust series, the authors have established their own unique voice and arrived in their creation of an undead world for good.

I felt the writing was at its best, and despite some minor negligible flaws reading was smooth and satisfying. This story centers around Ethan King, former bandit, now leader and defender against the undead of his own little town. When war moves nearer, it also draws an army of the undead, and King has to defend his people against both dangers. When things get critical, the mysterious Griffin, whom we already met in previous stories, comes to rescue.

More than its predecessors, this story is very fast paced and full of action, and focuses even more on human battles, while the zombies remain more of a background noise. However, we can witness another cunning abuse of the undead as a weapon by humans against humans.

While I missed a main character I could sympathize with more, like young Isaac in The Last Rider, I relished the way the authors made a thug look like a saint fighting for his people while the soldiers seemed to have lost their humanity. And I just loved the mysterious aura surrounding Griffin, who keeps you guessing at his private motivations and the history that formed him.

Can't wait to read more of the Red Dust series.

(I received a copy of this book from the author in exchange for an honest review)

[Netanella · Rating 4 out of 5]

3 1/2 stars rounded up to 4, because that's how rounding works.

"King" is the fourth part of a series of weird west stories by authors Dixon and Campbell. Unlike the first three stories, which can be read independently as stand alones, we've gotten to a point where the intersection of the various stories come together, and I would recommend anyone starting out with this series, to start at the beginning. There's more enjoyment that way.

So, Mr. Bad-Assedness Himself, Griffin, is back! And this time, he's sent to get Ethan King, the former outlaw turned founder and mayor of Kingstown, a refuge for former outlaws, deserters of the Civil War that's raging in the east, and people who have fled the Risers in the west. Griffin and King, Alpha males both, form a tenuous partnership at the beginning, as they understand that the real threat lies with the zombies, not with the contrivances of the Union or Confederate armies.

There are lots of great action scenes as well as fun characters. I particularly enjoyed the split personality of the good Doctor. I would recommend this story, and series, to anyone that enjoys a good yarn. If you like zombies and western, then bonus points for a good read.

[Rick · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have to give this one just three stars despite the story. This was a fun read, advanced the plot and left an interesting cliffhanger. Unfortunately it still had some spelling & grammar errors but the biggest ding is that it's only 33 pages and cannot be read on its own. Do not read this until you have read the first three installments collected as Red Dust: The Fall. This book is basically one chapter released on its own so it's not really fair to judge it in a vacuum but I feel that's the only way to do it. If you read the first three installments followed by this book you will be entertained.

I feel like an old curmdgeon when I ding a book for spelling and grammar errors but since I read this one right after the previous volume it was already front of mind. As I said in my review of the previous book hopefully these issues will be addressed before the entire work is reprinted in a single volume. I am still looking forward to #5, it is in my TBR pile so I just need to make time for it.

[Tammy K. · Rating 4 out of 5]

In this, the fourth episode of the Red Dust series, the Confederate and Union armies have both set their eyes on the conquest of Kingstown, just west of Grant’s Line, the boarder of zombie-infested lands.
Town founder and current mayor Ethan King must defend his people from both armies, and the forces of the undead, can he do it?
This episode moves quickly and transitions smoothly, but you need to have read the previous three episodes to understand it. There is plenty of back-stabbing, shoot-outs, and razor-thin escapes to keep you turning pages.
I am truly enjoying this series, and recommend it to anyone who enjoys zombie apocalypse, alternate history, and/or wild west fiction.

Notice: I received a free copy of this e-book by the author through Goodreads on a read-for-review basis.

[Serena · Rating 3 out of 5]

King, the fourth in the Red Dust series felt quite rushed to me -and the meeting between King and Griffin seems to skip directly to the action of taking the train. (And the logic of putting themselves and all the people of Kingstown and not searching every inch of the train for Risers/Plaguers beforehand is quite lost to me...)

Lots of action did make it a entertaining read though. I would like to know more about the backstory of Dr. Tremain/ Dan and Griffin though. This seems to be building up to a meeting between all of Red Dust's men - which I am looking forward to!