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Gold Rush
In 1851, Paul Cassian joins a mining crew on a journey to newly discovered gold mines in Oregon Territory.
Instead of discovering riches, they find themselves fallen prey to supernatural forces bent on trapping them to toil forever in the mines deep in the mountains.
Instead of discovering riches, they find themselves fallen prey to supernatural forces bent on trapping them to toil forever in the mines deep in the mountains.
- GenresHorror
240 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 27, 2024
55 people want to read
About the author
Chris Williams
4 books27 followersChris Williams is an emerging author of horror fiction. He grew up in Oregon and moved to Dallas, Texas and lives with his husband and their pack of rescue dogs.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 23, 2023
Disclaimer: I know the author and gave feedback on an earlier iteration of this story last year. Which actually kind of puts me in a unique perspective that I've never had for a book before where I could see all the changes and improvements that went into the final product. I'd recommend trying that if you ever get the chance.
I read a lot of horror. I read a lot of historical fiction. I (try to) read a lot of gay fiction. This book's got all three in one, so I was always going to be the target audience for it. As the title obviously implies, we follow a diverse caravan of strangers traveling West in 1850's America, either in search of gold waiting to be mined or just getting away from problems back East. It's a decent-sized cast that avoids being overwhelming, and it's helped by the fact that the narration only really follows three of the main characters.
There are supernatural elements if that's not your thing, but they only really show up towards the end. Really at heart, this story is about unchecked greed, and how it changes people into the worst versions of themselves. Putting this kind of tale in a pioneering/gold rush setting feels like a no-brainer and I'm kinda surprised it hasn't been done before. (At least I can't readily think of any other examples.) And I also enjoyed that it managed to do so without veering into gritty survivalist torture porn for it's own sake (I'm thinking of The Revenant or Days Without End, which both had similar settings and some pretty gruesome, off-putting descriptions).
If you want an old-timey spooky story, wanna support a self-published author, and aren't afraid of occasional dude-on-dude action, give this one a shot.
I read a lot of horror. I read a lot of historical fiction. I (try to) read a lot of gay fiction. This book's got all three in one, so I was always going to be the target audience for it. As the title obviously implies, we follow a diverse caravan of strangers traveling West in 1850's America, either in search of gold waiting to be mined or just getting away from problems back East. It's a decent-sized cast that avoids being overwhelming, and it's helped by the fact that the narration only really follows three of the main characters.
There are supernatural elements if that's not your thing, but they only really show up towards the end. Really at heart, this story is about unchecked greed, and how it changes people into the worst versions of themselves. Putting this kind of tale in a pioneering/gold rush setting feels like a no-brainer and I'm kinda surprised it hasn't been done before. (At least I can't readily think of any other examples.) And I also enjoyed that it managed to do so without veering into gritty survivalist torture porn for it's own sake (I'm thinking of The Revenant or Days Without End, which both had similar settings and some pretty gruesome, off-putting descriptions).
If you want an old-timey spooky story, wanna support a self-published author, and aren't afraid of occasional dude-on-dude action, give this one a shot.
May 24, 2023
3.5 stars, rounded up.
Williams avoids a sophomore slump with this fun genre mashup. Is it a western? Yes. Is it a thriller? Quite a bit. Horror? Definitely some elements. Queer? More than a little.
We follow the hard-drinking Paul Cassian as he’s fleeing 1850s Chicago to start a new life on the West Coast among the 49ers and other gold prospectors. But the poor guy can’t catch a break as he’s waylaid in Southeastern Oregon by a common scam — the rate for the second leg of the trip just doubled. He doesn’t have the cash, but what’s this? A kindly gentlemen offering to take folks up to some place called Whisky Gulch to do some local mining? Looks like Paul’s luck is changing…
Along the way we’re introduced to a diverse cast, including Daniel (who Paul develops a crush on, after punching him, that is), King (Daniel’s freed Black friend from childhood), two Pinkerton detectives (searching for their missing brother), a young man with a secret, a young couple who really enjoy the company of others, a sassy broad, a Mexican-American war vet, and more.
Before they can make it to Whiskey Gulch they’re hit by a freak mudslide that stops them dead in their tracks. But wouldn’t you know it, there’s an opportunity to work right there for a nice old man named Bailey. Just pan for gold in the runoff from Midnight Kill. Oh, did I say Kill, I meant Mill, how silly of me. But seriously, don’t go up there. And don’t mind the strange men who regularly come down to talk to Bailey, covered in gold piercings. It’s fine, really. Oh, and the Blair Witch-style stick figures showing up everywhere? It’s probably just that couple’s little girl doing some arts and crafts. Right?
Gold Rush is an engaging, tight thriller with a few fun twists. The big one is telegraphed, but I’ll admit that I didn’t realize what was going on until a few pages before the reveal. A fast-paced and quick read that should appeal to mystery and thriller fans, especially if you’re interested in the time period.
It’s also so refreshing to see an author write historical U.S. fiction and both acknowledge the oppressive systems of the time and, despite that, also have a legitimately diverse cast — diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, and sexuality. These identities aren’t brand new, despite what some people might say, they just existed in different ways in the past.
Williams avoids a sophomore slump with this fun genre mashup. Is it a western? Yes. Is it a thriller? Quite a bit. Horror? Definitely some elements. Queer? More than a little.
We follow the hard-drinking Paul Cassian as he’s fleeing 1850s Chicago to start a new life on the West Coast among the 49ers and other gold prospectors. But the poor guy can’t catch a break as he’s waylaid in Southeastern Oregon by a common scam — the rate for the second leg of the trip just doubled. He doesn’t have the cash, but what’s this? A kindly gentlemen offering to take folks up to some place called Whisky Gulch to do some local mining? Looks like Paul’s luck is changing…
Along the way we’re introduced to a diverse cast, including Daniel (who Paul develops a crush on, after punching him, that is), King (Daniel’s freed Black friend from childhood), two Pinkerton detectives (searching for their missing brother), a young man with a secret, a young couple who really enjoy the company of others, a sassy broad, a Mexican-American war vet, and more.
Before they can make it to Whiskey Gulch they’re hit by a freak mudslide that stops them dead in their tracks. But wouldn’t you know it, there’s an opportunity to work right there for a nice old man named Bailey. Just pan for gold in the runoff from Midnight Kill. Oh, did I say Kill, I meant Mill, how silly of me. But seriously, don’t go up there. And don’t mind the strange men who regularly come down to talk to Bailey, covered in gold piercings. It’s fine, really. Oh, and the Blair Witch-style stick figures showing up everywhere? It’s probably just that couple’s little girl doing some arts and crafts. Right?
Gold Rush is an engaging, tight thriller with a few fun twists. The big one is telegraphed, but I’ll admit that I didn’t realize what was going on until a few pages before the reveal. A fast-paced and quick read that should appeal to mystery and thriller fans, especially if you’re interested in the time period.
It’s also so refreshing to see an author write historical U.S. fiction and both acknowledge the oppressive systems of the time and, despite that, also have a legitimately diverse cast — diverse in race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, and sexuality. These identities aren’t brand new, despite what some people might say, they just existed in different ways in the past.
January 13, 2024
First time reading a book by Chris Williams, and it's not going to be the last. The story was entertaining and creative, I especially enjoyed the horror elements throughout the book and how interesting and gray the characters were, and the author succeeds in making you care for them to the point that you want to keep reading to find out what happens next. It's a creative way to touch the subject of greed and how it can be the downfall of many people, and the ending felt bittersweet but fitting to the story. I really recommend this book.
May 30, 2023
This was a fun ride! I had no idea what to expect going in, but 1850’s Oregon Trail, gay characters, trans character, supernatural, gold mining horror? Yes, please!
I did find the book moved a bit slow, but with Williams’ writing style and a cool subject matter I knew little about, it was hard to put down all the same! He created such a great group of characters, vivid scenery, and a mythology that was so cool! Paul, Daniel, and the rest of the cast will stay with me for some time! The suspense will keep you guessing for sure!
I did find the book moved a bit slow, but with Williams’ writing style and a cool subject matter I knew little about, it was hard to put down all the same! He created such a great group of characters, vivid scenery, and a mythology that was so cool! Paul, Daniel, and the rest of the cast will stay with me for some time! The suspense will keep you guessing for sure!
August 13, 2024
This was a fun and interesting indie horror novel for me. I really enjoyed the aspect of gold mining and early American history. I've never read anything in that vein and that was so compelling to me
The book was edited very well and I did not find any errors or typos. I did not experience any plot holes in the storyline and I just overall had a really good time reading this. The pros was done very well. It was interesting. It made sense and it was not over written.
I found the entire aspect of the story very interesting. I did not want to give anything away, but I will say that it kept my entertainment throughout the entire story. The characters were very well developed and flushed out, and I felt they were all really relatable.
Definitely a decent read, and I will be reading more by this author.
The book was edited very well and I did not find any errors or typos. I did not experience any plot holes in the storyline and I just overall had a really good time reading this. The pros was done very well. It was interesting. It made sense and it was not over written.
I found the entire aspect of the story very interesting. I did not want to give anything away, but I will say that it kept my entertainment throughout the entire story. The characters were very well developed and flushed out, and I felt they were all really relatable.
Definitely a decent read, and I will be reading more by this author.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews