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Palo Duro: A Sci-Fi Story
May 1969. Robert Wolgast is a family man working a steady job as the Operations Floor Manager for the Briarcheck Refrigerator Company. When strange lights appear in the sky over his small canyon town of Palo Duro, and his wife, Charlotte, begins communicating with them through her spinal cord, their marriage begins to slowly unravel. Originally completed in 2020, Palo Duro is a sci-fi drama focused on marriage, regret, and time. It is the third novel by H.T. Boyd.
Content This novel contains a scene of violence against an animal that some readers might find disturbing.
Content This novel contains a scene of violence against an animal that some readers might find disturbing.
395 pages, Kindle Edition
Published July 3, 2024
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
August 4, 2024
This book gave me a lot of anxiety.
Boyd is excellent when it comes to creating an atmosphere. You can feel the oppressive heat, hear the annoying ass chihuaha barking incessently, and visualize the mess left for you in your living room. Every scene was stifling, forcing you to choke down your sensory discomfort as many of us do in our daily lives.
Our main character is Robert; Robert is not a good person. Robert is unfortuately, a very relatable character. With the incredibly oppressive atmosphere Boyd creates, it really does make sense that Robert would be angry all. the. time. You get why he's frustrated to come home to no dinner, a filthy house, and seems to get no respect from anyone in his life when he works so damn hard (from his perspective at least). He's had a rough life too, and it seems like everybody in his life forgets that (again, from his perspective). But when we get to his outbursts, we're suddenly in the heads of those he affects, and he's not just a guy who can't catch a break; he's just an abuser.
With all of this building and building up, I was practically begging for the aliens to come down and disrupt the horror that is this mid-century, middle-America, middle-class shitshow of a family. But that isn't what we got. We get to see alien phenomena from the perspective of an insufferable, skeptical, abuser, which was a really unique point of view!
All in all, this was an extraordinary discussion of family dynamics, toxic masculinity, and mental health. I highly highly recommend if you're looking to live in someone's head for a while. Can't recommend if you're here for the aliens.
Boyd is excellent when it comes to creating an atmosphere. You can feel the oppressive heat, hear the annoying ass chihuaha barking incessently, and visualize the mess left for you in your living room. Every scene was stifling, forcing you to choke down your sensory discomfort as many of us do in our daily lives.
Our main character is Robert; Robert is not a good person. Robert is unfortuately, a very relatable character. With the incredibly oppressive atmosphere Boyd creates, it really does make sense that Robert would be angry all. the. time. You get why he's frustrated to come home to no dinner, a filthy house, and seems to get no respect from anyone in his life when he works so damn hard (from his perspective at least). He's had a rough life too, and it seems like everybody in his life forgets that (again, from his perspective). But when we get to his outbursts, we're suddenly in the heads of those he affects, and he's not just a guy who can't catch a break; he's just an abuser.
With all of this building and building up, I was practically begging for the aliens to come down and disrupt the horror that is this mid-century, middle-America, middle-class shitshow of a family. But that isn't what we got. We get to see alien phenomena from the perspective of an insufferable, skeptical, abuser, which was a really unique point of view!
All in all, this was an extraordinary discussion of family dynamics, toxic masculinity, and mental health. I highly highly recommend if you're looking to live in someone's head for a while. Can't recommend if you're here for the aliens.
February 15, 2026
"It should be legal to kill him, Robert thinks. It should be in the law books that a sensible American should be allowed to shoot a man who comes into his town looking like this. So indecent and freaky. Robert should be cloaked in the authority of the state to pull out a revolver and "BLAM!" spray this freak's no-good brains onto the grass, make some actual use of his mind as fertilizer. This Goddamn college. This Goddamn town. This Goddamn country. These Goddamn kids."
Disclaimer: I was offered a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way impacted my rating, and the below thoughts are mine alone.
4.5
It's been such a long time that a book has made me as viscerally uncomfortable as Palo Duro did, and, that makes this a really difficult book to review, because, where do I even begin? Palo Duro is... Holy fuck, it's everything. It's like witnessing, first-hand, the death of the American Dream. It's horrific and sickening and yet it's gorgeous, too. This has to be the most intimate and authentic exploration of American culture ever written. Reading Palo Duro made me so fucking anxious, it felt like my organs were being squeezed into a pulp, it felt like my soul was being ripped from my body. Angry doesn't even begin to describe this novel, this is a novel that seethes, it rages. This is Boyd's most personal (and best) novel to date. It's not often that books make me cry, but this one got me, man.
Palo Duro is more affecting than a solid 95% of other books on the market. Boyd does a fantastic job of trapping us within his protagonists mind, and it's a nasty place to be, Robert is an angry, violent, bitter, god-awful man, and yet the longer you spend with him, the more you have to wrestle with being disgusted by his existence and feeling so profoundly sad for him. This novel forces you to feel everything, the oppressive Texas heat, the mess in the house, the screaming kids and incessantly barking dog, the mounting stress that keeps rising and rising and rising, it's an agonizing experience. It's so obvious upon reading Palo Duro that the author has poured his heart, his soul and his entire being into this work. This goes beyond simply being a novel, this thing is art.
It's rare that as a reviewer, I'm left not knowing what to say - Palo Duro broke me. It's extraordinary. Books like this are the reason I read, yes, it's upsetting and heart-breaking and it's distressing, but it's the job of the best pieces of literature to give us these grotesquely unbearable experiences. I could not put Palo Duro down, and I know that's something that so many reviewers have said about so many books before, but with this book, I actively wanted to put it down, I wanted it to stop, I wanted to stop dreading another of Robert's outbursts, but I couldn't, instead, I stormed through it, leaving Palo Duro alone left me feeling more and more on edge with anticipation of what was to come, and, it's in that level of discomfort that I realized what a gift upon the world of literature this book is.
I want to extend my thanks to the author for letting me view the rapture through his eyes. Thank you, H.T. Boyd for letting me see your soul.
"A stomp for all those hours with a mad gypsy wife, a wife who's up and left him with these rotten kids in this brutal, miserable desert and its oven-hot-and-dry-as-a-bone summers. And not just that, but all the rest. The billboards and radio ads and the gender benders on the street and the electric bills and the clowns in Washington. And the gas pains. And the bald head. And the bum knee. And the death. And the misery. And the perversion. And the fucking black rot of it all. This horrible world. This horrible, empty life."
Disclaimer: I was offered a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This has in no way impacted my rating, and the below thoughts are mine alone.
4.5
It's been such a long time that a book has made me as viscerally uncomfortable as Palo Duro did, and, that makes this a really difficult book to review, because, where do I even begin? Palo Duro is... Holy fuck, it's everything. It's like witnessing, first-hand, the death of the American Dream. It's horrific and sickening and yet it's gorgeous, too. This has to be the most intimate and authentic exploration of American culture ever written. Reading Palo Duro made me so fucking anxious, it felt like my organs were being squeezed into a pulp, it felt like my soul was being ripped from my body. Angry doesn't even begin to describe this novel, this is a novel that seethes, it rages. This is Boyd's most personal (and best) novel to date. It's not often that books make me cry, but this one got me, man.
Palo Duro is more affecting than a solid 95% of other books on the market. Boyd does a fantastic job of trapping us within his protagonists mind, and it's a nasty place to be, Robert is an angry, violent, bitter, god-awful man, and yet the longer you spend with him, the more you have to wrestle with being disgusted by his existence and feeling so profoundly sad for him. This novel forces you to feel everything, the oppressive Texas heat, the mess in the house, the screaming kids and incessantly barking dog, the mounting stress that keeps rising and rising and rising, it's an agonizing experience. It's so obvious upon reading Palo Duro that the author has poured his heart, his soul and his entire being into this work. This goes beyond simply being a novel, this thing is art.
"He weeps into her warmth and her love. A man and his dog. Thirty seconds. Eyes closed. Her heartbeat ticking on his wrist. One bad thing undone. He weeps for all the hurt he'd given. For all the things he'd set on fire. The things he'd left in his wake, the things wastelands are made of when the fire is done with them. Dust. "I'm sorry-" Robert says to a dog's ghost, his voice breaking to a girlish whimper. "I'm so sorry. Good girl, Bobo. Good, girl." Go back to sleep, Bobo."
It's rare that as a reviewer, I'm left not knowing what to say - Palo Duro broke me. It's extraordinary. Books like this are the reason I read, yes, it's upsetting and heart-breaking and it's distressing, but it's the job of the best pieces of literature to give us these grotesquely unbearable experiences. I could not put Palo Duro down, and I know that's something that so many reviewers have said about so many books before, but with this book, I actively wanted to put it down, I wanted it to stop, I wanted to stop dreading another of Robert's outbursts, but I couldn't, instead, I stormed through it, leaving Palo Duro alone left me feeling more and more on edge with anticipation of what was to come, and, it's in that level of discomfort that I realized what a gift upon the world of literature this book is.
I want to extend my thanks to the author for letting me view the rapture through his eyes. Thank you, H.T. Boyd for letting me see your soul.
"A stomp for all those hours with a mad gypsy wife, a wife who's up and left him with these rotten kids in this brutal, miserable desert and its oven-hot-and-dry-as-a-bone summers. And not just that, but all the rest. The billboards and radio ads and the gender benders on the street and the electric bills and the clowns in Washington. And the gas pains. And the bald head. And the bum knee. And the death. And the misery. And the perversion. And the fucking black rot of it all. This horrible world. This horrible, empty life."
February 16, 2026
“Palo Duro” - “Christ on His Throne."
★★★★★
When I finished this novel I realised I was holding my breath and it dawned on me that this story had just literally taken my breath away.
I have fallen in love with H.T. Boyd’s writing since “Leutogi” and I can’t explain the way his words captivate me, transport my mind, creating a world where I’m basically held hostage with no regrets.
Where do I begin? The time is 21:12 and no more seconds as it just turned 21:13.
I went in blind, well not completely blind since there was the promise of UFO’s and my X-Files loving heart is no stranger to the subject.
What did I get? A story that captivated me in a way not many stories do.
The pace of this novel is exactly as it should be, in other words “slow burn” feels not quite correct, it takes it’s time, it builds and flows and it takes you away, transports you, forgetting about time. I found myself both wishing it would never end (or that I could wipe my memory and read it for the first time) and desperate to find out what would happen next. This story is one that will have a special place in my heart and will be impossible to erase from my brain. Honestly “Palo Duro” is brilliant in it’s own unique way, there is nothing quite like this and maybe there always was.
★★★★★
When I finished this novel I realised I was holding my breath and it dawned on me that this story had just literally taken my breath away.
I have fallen in love with H.T. Boyd’s writing since “Leutogi” and I can’t explain the way his words captivate me, transport my mind, creating a world where I’m basically held hostage with no regrets.
Where do I begin? The time is 21:12 and no more seconds as it just turned 21:13.
I went in blind, well not completely blind since there was the promise of UFO’s and my X-Files loving heart is no stranger to the subject.
What did I get? A story that captivated me in a way not many stories do.
The pace of this novel is exactly as it should be, in other words “slow burn” feels not quite correct, it takes it’s time, it builds and flows and it takes you away, transports you, forgetting about time. I found myself both wishing it would never end (or that I could wipe my memory and read it for the first time) and desperate to find out what would happen next. This story is one that will have a special place in my heart and will be impossible to erase from my brain. Honestly “Palo Duro” is brilliant in it’s own unique way, there is nothing quite like this and maybe there always was.
March 6, 2026
Christ on his throne, indeed. 😩
RTC
RTC
March 24, 2025
*4.5
Where to even begin? In Palo Duro, we follow the Wolgast family—Robert, Charlotte, and their children, Selma and Roy-Roy—during the "Summer of Lights" in 1969. Robert spends most of his time working at the refrigerator factory and expects to come home to the perfect family every night for dinner. As you might expect, this is not the case, and we often see Robert lashing out at his family.
Everything changes when UFOs appear in Palo Duro, and Charlotte insists they are communicating with her through her spine. Due to her previous stays at the psychiatric hospital, Robert believes she is simply having another "episode" and makes sure she takes her medication. But as these strange occurrences continue to escalate, the Wolgast family begins to unravel.
I was expecting more sci-fi/aliens but was instead pleasantly surprised to witness the Wolgast's family dynamics during this troubled time in their lives. H.T. Boyd has a way with characters, so much so that I felt like a part of the family. I could've sworn I was sitting at the dinner table being yelled at by Robert, lying on the floor playing with Roy-Roy, sitting in Selma's room listening to her play the bass, and even on the bench with Charlotte while she drew her hills.
This book is a distressing, gut-wrenching, and thought-provoking read, and I highly, highly recommend it—especially if you don't mind things getting a little weird.
Where to even begin? In Palo Duro, we follow the Wolgast family—Robert, Charlotte, and their children, Selma and Roy-Roy—during the "Summer of Lights" in 1969. Robert spends most of his time working at the refrigerator factory and expects to come home to the perfect family every night for dinner. As you might expect, this is not the case, and we often see Robert lashing out at his family.
Everything changes when UFOs appear in Palo Duro, and Charlotte insists they are communicating with her through her spine. Due to her previous stays at the psychiatric hospital, Robert believes she is simply having another "episode" and makes sure she takes her medication. But as these strange occurrences continue to escalate, the Wolgast family begins to unravel.
I was expecting more sci-fi/aliens but was instead pleasantly surprised to witness the Wolgast's family dynamics during this troubled time in their lives. H.T. Boyd has a way with characters, so much so that I felt like a part of the family. I could've sworn I was sitting at the dinner table being yelled at by Robert, lying on the floor playing with Roy-Roy, sitting in Selma's room listening to her play the bass, and even on the bench with Charlotte while she drew her hills.
This book is a distressing, gut-wrenching, and thought-provoking read, and I highly, highly recommend it—especially if you don't mind things getting a little weird.
March 19, 2026
Really good, multi-faceted characters that are both sympathetic and infuriating
July 14, 2024
“Sometimes I wish I was born a beautiful woman. Blonde hair. Pretty nails. Just living the easy life with my big pair of tits. Maybe in Florida or someplace. No job. No factory. Just a big-titted, beautiful girl who doesn’t sweat or worry or have to take big shits.”
A poignant depiction of generational trauma. Charlotte and Robert’s marriage shows how awful domineering misogyny can be for everyone involved in a family system, especially the women and children.
An interesting commentary on the fabric of space and time, consciousness, and dreams. Sharp-witted and well-informed.
My favorite quote takes place as dialogue between emotionally abusive Robert and his daughter:
“‘All’s I hope is that one day you look back and, despite it all, you see the kind of dad I was for you kids.’
She narrows her gaze and massages her toes into the dirt.
‘You know what, dad?’ She sneers, ‘I hope the exact same thing for you’”.
Brilliant. Insightful. Gut-wrenching. Disturbing.
Another home-run from H.T. Boyd. I’m looking forward to reading more of his work.
A poignant depiction of generational trauma. Charlotte and Robert’s marriage shows how awful domineering misogyny can be for everyone involved in a family system, especially the women and children.
An interesting commentary on the fabric of space and time, consciousness, and dreams. Sharp-witted and well-informed.
My favorite quote takes place as dialogue between emotionally abusive Robert and his daughter:
“‘All’s I hope is that one day you look back and, despite it all, you see the kind of dad I was for you kids.’
She narrows her gaze and massages her toes into the dirt.
‘You know what, dad?’ She sneers, ‘I hope the exact same thing for you’”.
Brilliant. Insightful. Gut-wrenching. Disturbing.
Another home-run from H.T. Boyd. I’m looking forward to reading more of his work.
April 19, 2025
Title: Palo Duro: A Sci fi Story
Author: H.T. Boyd
Pub Year: 2024
Platform: Purchased paperback
Genre: Sci-fi Drama, Contemporary Fiction
Stars: 5
“It is 5:56p now, no seconds. Now, there’s one second. Now there’s two of them, and now there’s three. The time beats in his chest. He has a ticking clock where a heart is supposed to be.”
This book is about everything and nothing.
It’s about all the seconds and minutes and hours we give of ourselves to everyone else.
It’s also about everything we can’t comprehend or refuse to.
It’s about anger, about trauma, about passing on the bad you’ve learned whether you want to or not.
It’s about the (futile) struggle to bend the world and the people in it to the way you want them to be.
It’s about parenting and children; the joys, the disappointment, the rage; the wishes and dreams and what ifs.
It’s also about the lies we tell about ourselves, the lies we believe about others, and the truths mixed up in all that.
It’s about a man and his dog and a boy and his dog.
It’s also about a few days in one man’s life, a crazy summer in Palo Duro in 1969 where everything goes wrong. Or right.
And it’s about some weird lights in the sky during that crazy summer. Aliens? UFOs? Yes. And no.
It’s something I should’ve found boring from page one.
It’s something I read in bursts because there were unputdownable moments I then had to take time to digest.
It’s something that took so long to get through and yet no time at all.
It’s a masterpiece about the pieces of ourselves we try (and fail) to master.
It’s Palo Duro.
Author: H.T. Boyd
Pub Year: 2024
Platform: Purchased paperback
Genre: Sci-fi Drama, Contemporary Fiction
Stars: 5
“It is 5:56p now, no seconds. Now, there’s one second. Now there’s two of them, and now there’s three. The time beats in his chest. He has a ticking clock where a heart is supposed to be.”
This book is about everything and nothing.
It’s about all the seconds and minutes and hours we give of ourselves to everyone else.
It’s also about everything we can’t comprehend or refuse to.
It’s about anger, about trauma, about passing on the bad you’ve learned whether you want to or not.
It’s about the (futile) struggle to bend the world and the people in it to the way you want them to be.
It’s about parenting and children; the joys, the disappointment, the rage; the wishes and dreams and what ifs.
It’s also about the lies we tell about ourselves, the lies we believe about others, and the truths mixed up in all that.
It’s about a man and his dog and a boy and his dog.
It’s also about a few days in one man’s life, a crazy summer in Palo Duro in 1969 where everything goes wrong. Or right.
And it’s about some weird lights in the sky during that crazy summer. Aliens? UFOs? Yes. And no.
It’s something I should’ve found boring from page one.
It’s something I read in bursts because there were unputdownable moments I then had to take time to digest.
It’s something that took so long to get through and yet no time at all.
It’s a masterpiece about the pieces of ourselves we try (and fail) to master.
It’s Palo Duro.
October 8, 2026
Palo Duro is a sci-fi story, as it says on the cover, but it’s also a character driven story about a man named Robert Wolgast who has anger issues and a deteriorating home life. He works hard at his job at the refrigerator factory, then comes home to his wife, Charlotte, who has mental illness, his teenage daughter, who hates him, and his 7 year old son, who he’s ashamed of. Everything escalades when mysterious lights appear in the sky and Charlotte begins communicating with the visitors through her spinal cord.
The character work in here is phenomenal. Every single character feels real, even the minor ones. Robert is abrasive and toxic, but he’s written so well that you still find yourself rooting for him and hoping he’ll get it together. The family dynamics are spot-on, especially the friction between Robert and his daughter, Selma. This is set in 1969 and it reflects the political climate of the time. It has a lot to do with Robert’s inner rage and why he and Selma clash.
Also, the atmosphere! The house is always a mess, there’s a chihuahua constantly barking, never any clean clothes, and Robert is always sweating and eating chips and snack cakes for lunch… and you feel it to your core. The author creates such an uncomfortable, irritating atmosphere but it’s somehow still enjoyable to read?
I also have to mention the writing style itself. The way the author describes things are sometimes absurd and grotesque but they are always 100% accurate.
When it says, “The day has cooked him. He feels like one big, wet, ruined Thanksgiving turkey. Shriveled and crispy on the outside. Raw and cold at the core. Decapitated. Guts wrapped in a plastic sack.” .. you know exactly how he feels! For a book with so much emotional depth, I laughed out loud a lot.
I give this 5✨ and I can’t recommend it enough.
The character work in here is phenomenal. Every single character feels real, even the minor ones. Robert is abrasive and toxic, but he’s written so well that you still find yourself rooting for him and hoping he’ll get it together. The family dynamics are spot-on, especially the friction between Robert and his daughter, Selma. This is set in 1969 and it reflects the political climate of the time. It has a lot to do with Robert’s inner rage and why he and Selma clash.
Also, the atmosphere! The house is always a mess, there’s a chihuahua constantly barking, never any clean clothes, and Robert is always sweating and eating chips and snack cakes for lunch… and you feel it to your core. The author creates such an uncomfortable, irritating atmosphere but it’s somehow still enjoyable to read?
I also have to mention the writing style itself. The way the author describes things are sometimes absurd and grotesque but they are always 100% accurate.
When it says, “The day has cooked him. He feels like one big, wet, ruined Thanksgiving turkey. Shriveled and crispy on the outside. Raw and cold at the core. Decapitated. Guts wrapped in a plastic sack.” .. you know exactly how he feels! For a book with so much emotional depth, I laughed out loud a lot.
I give this 5✨ and I can’t recommend it enough.
September 16, 2025
Another great read by H.T. Boyd! If you’ve seen my other reviews of his books, you’ll know I’m a huge fan. I believe Palo Duro is his debut novel, and truly, what a great place to begin a writing journey.
If there’s one thing Boyd knows how to do, it’s create a perfectly complex character. It is the summer of 1969, the Summer of Lights, where supposed UFOs are making contact with Earth, and our main character, Robert Wolgast, is having none of it. This may be a bold claim, but I think I hate Robert more than any other book character I have ever met. After reading Boyd’s other novels, I know this was his intention.
Although I hated Robert with my whole soul, o could not help but feel heartache for him at the end. Two words I always use to describe Boyd’s work are raw and real, and this novel is no exception.
My only minor critique, is it felt a bit slow in some sections. Boyd’s writing was as fantastic as ever, but I can definitely see how his newer novels have improved, even though this was still a fantastic read.
If you love reading about all things aliens, alternate dimensions, toxic masculinity, failed marriages, Texas, and instant coffee, you will love Palo Duro! 👽
If there’s one thing Boyd knows how to do, it’s create a perfectly complex character. It is the summer of 1969, the Summer of Lights, where supposed UFOs are making contact with Earth, and our main character, Robert Wolgast, is having none of it. This may be a bold claim, but I think I hate Robert more than any other book character I have ever met. After reading Boyd’s other novels, I know this was his intention.
Although I hated Robert with my whole soul, o could not help but feel heartache for him at the end. Two words I always use to describe Boyd’s work are raw and real, and this novel is no exception.
My only minor critique, is it felt a bit slow in some sections. Boyd’s writing was as fantastic as ever, but I can definitely see how his newer novels have improved, even though this was still a fantastic read.
If you love reading about all things aliens, alternate dimensions, toxic masculinity, failed marriages, Texas, and instant coffee, you will love Palo Duro! 👽
November 8, 2024
You'll feel it in your spine
Every moment of it.
Beautifully written and expertly articulated, Palo Duro is a shining example of what it means to write good characters for a phenomenal sci-fi that will cling to your spinal cord long after you've put it down. Equal parts engaging, enraging, and vehemently tragic, this novel will have you sunk into the pages from beginning to end regardless of its status as a slow-simmer narrative. H.T. Boyd truly is a master at crafting real, authentic characters and narratives and is truly an indie author to watch.
Every moment of it.
Beautifully written and expertly articulated, Palo Duro is a shining example of what it means to write good characters for a phenomenal sci-fi that will cling to your spinal cord long after you've put it down. Equal parts engaging, enraging, and vehemently tragic, this novel will have you sunk into the pages from beginning to end regardless of its status as a slow-simmer narrative. H.T. Boyd truly is a master at crafting real, authentic characters and narratives and is truly an indie author to watch.
January 18, 2025
Came for the sci-fi, stayed for the human stories and character development. Boyd is grappling with American (specifically Southern) toxic masculinity in a powerful way that's sometimes difficult to read. This is a complex novel, with rich prose and unforgettable moments. Can't wait to see what's next from this author.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews