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Riders of the Weird West #1
Riders Where There Are No Roads
The Riders of the Weird West series began in earnest when readers asked author David Bain for more stories about Gentleman Jim "The Demon Duelist" Brodie and Dr. Darius Darke from his story "The Cowboys of Cthulhu." The result was this novel.There's roping, riding, an interdimensional badass, shootouts, demon cowboys, a dragon, a pickup that's really a horse (or is it the other way around?) and a mystical biker/cosmic Marshal who might just be orchestrating it all!This story continues in Book 3, RIDERS THROUGH THE MISTS OF TIME. David Bain has an MFA from Columbia College Chicago and is the author of DEATH SIGHT and other books in the Will Castleton psychic detective series, GRAY A NOVEL OF CRIME AND SUPERNATURAL HORROR, the WARLOCK WHEEL WAR series, the massive story collection UNTIL YOU CAN SCREAM NO MORE! and much more.
261 pages, Kindle Edition
First published May 30, 2014
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45 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews
June 9, 2020
Some interesting ideas but unspectacularly executed. Feels like the author is combining a Zelazny-type multiverse (Amber/Roadmarks) with a purgatory-ish redemption/punishment thing wrapped in a wild west theme. A fair chunk of the book was backstories. Sloppy editing (spelling and some doubled words). Meh.
February 14, 2017
Demons raid many worlds, May 30, 2016
This review is from: Riders Where There Are No Roads (Riders of the Weird West Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
I was introduced to this novel by reading the author's short story, The Cowboys of Culthu. In that story H. P. Lovecraft's old ones attempt to return to our world in the American west of the 1800's. RIDERS WHERE THERE ARE NO ROADS features some of the western characters from that story but is not set in the old west nor does it continue with the Lovecraft mythology. Instead, it is a story of demons, of many worlds and realities, of riders who patrol the roads among the worlds and of seven men and women on a mission, apparently from God to send a demon back where it belongs. It is a well told and written story with an interesting plot and good character development.
One amusing little twist by the author is that our heroes' guns never have to be reloaded. Wayne even references the similarity to western movies.
This review is from: Riders Where There Are No Roads (Riders of the Weird West Book 1) (Kindle Edition)
I was introduced to this novel by reading the author's short story, The Cowboys of Culthu. In that story H. P. Lovecraft's old ones attempt to return to our world in the American west of the 1800's. RIDERS WHERE THERE ARE NO ROADS features some of the western characters from that story but is not set in the old west nor does it continue with the Lovecraft mythology. Instead, it is a story of demons, of many worlds and realities, of riders who patrol the roads among the worlds and of seven men and women on a mission, apparently from God to send a demon back where it belongs. It is a well told and written story with an interesting plot and good character development.
One amusing little twist by the author is that our heroes' guns never have to be reloaded. Wayne even references the similarity to western movies.
May 27, 2020
“Riders where there are no roads” is the first book in the “Riders of the Weird West” series. The new series spawned from a prequel book entitled “The Cowboys of Cthulhu”. The book is written by David Bain and the audiobook edition is skillfully narrated by Daniel Penz; available on Audible. Let me say up front that both horror and paranormal genres are not my favorites, but that aside, I can provide some details on what I liked and what I would have suggested changed had I been a lover of Lovecraft. If you are searching for a western supernatural thriller with some procedural and noir aspects, you may find this audiobook one that fills that niche.
As with many westerns, the story opens with a man who is completely broken and recently hit rock bottom due to his many loses. He has lost his wife, he has battled alcohol, and he comes from a broken family. Because that was not enough punishment, he is a broken badge and has lost his compass in life. A character who simply rides the waves of life, and often does not go against the current. I liked that there was a fair amount of background details provided early in the audiobook as I had not listened to the prequel prior to this review. Having this information helped me to not play catch-up with the story. I enjoyed the subtle blending of fantasy-type creatures within the western theme and the added paranormal portion was a bit of a twist for me. The author did a decent job of bringing in some more modern technologies not often found in a western tale giving a slight steampunk feeling.
I quite liked many of the scenes and how they were verbally painted by the author as well as enhanced by the narrator. Overall there were a few memorable characters in the audiobook. However, I wanted to have more complex characters having both dimension and purpose. This story seemed to lack some of that for me. We had the overarching main goal, but I wanted to know more about the characters and why they acted in the way they did; what drove them. I also found the use of some unique weapons and tools used by the main character in reaching his goal welcomed. When I was done, I felt there needed to be more. More action, more purpose, more drive, more pain, etc. Maybe this will be coming in future books in the series or it is more in the style of Lovecraft style, but I wanted them here in this story as well.
I can say that the story was a bit slow getting started, but once it was moving, things progressed at a good pace. In places I found the story to be confusing and it was rather easy to get lost if you were not giving the material your full attention; which can be difficult with Audiobooks at times. As I had no real background information, apart from what was provided in this audiobook, some of the events felt like I was watching a Hana Barbara dream induced television program which often feel normal in a strange way. The series title fits it well when it is called “Riders of the weird west”. The story had plenty of demons, shadow-beasts (horse like creatures) along with some rather odd death events and experiences. For me, it needed more connection and cohesiveness along with sometimes of intense action and quiet times often found in storytelling. I like to listen to audiobooks and feel like I’m riding a rollercoaster with my emotions. Here in this tale it seems lacking.
The audiobook’s narration was professionally produced and recorded by Daniel Penz who wonderfully narrates the “Easytown Novels” series which I highly recommend. He has a gritty voice that helps add depth and life to the various characters in the story. There are some add audio effects in a few places, but I can say that they were not overly used. The narration was clean of any noticeable audio artifacts (swallows, page turns, etc.) and the voicing was crisp and clear. Even his ability to properly voice not only characters with accents but female characters as well always surprises me. Each character’s personality comes forward and feels alive. Even if you might not be a fan of this audiobook, I recommend you give his other narrations a try.
Parents and younger listeners, this audiobook contains many mature themes and subject matter that may not be something younger audiences would want to listen too. It contains vulgar language, drug use, broken families, crude humor and other components which may not be appropriate for less mature audiences.
In summary, I was hoping the story included more complex and deeper character development. At times the characters felt flat. However, I enjoyed many of the scenes and location which were rather descriptive and colorful keeping me interested along the way. The audiobook’s narration was solid, clear, and contained some grit that gave the main character purpose. If you are a fan of Lovecraft and like blending this in a western story, this may be an audiobook you would want to give a listen too.
As with many westerns, the story opens with a man who is completely broken and recently hit rock bottom due to his many loses. He has lost his wife, he has battled alcohol, and he comes from a broken family. Because that was not enough punishment, he is a broken badge and has lost his compass in life. A character who simply rides the waves of life, and often does not go against the current. I liked that there was a fair amount of background details provided early in the audiobook as I had not listened to the prequel prior to this review. Having this information helped me to not play catch-up with the story. I enjoyed the subtle blending of fantasy-type creatures within the western theme and the added paranormal portion was a bit of a twist for me. The author did a decent job of bringing in some more modern technologies not often found in a western tale giving a slight steampunk feeling.
I quite liked many of the scenes and how they were verbally painted by the author as well as enhanced by the narrator. Overall there were a few memorable characters in the audiobook. However, I wanted to have more complex characters having both dimension and purpose. This story seemed to lack some of that for me. We had the overarching main goal, but I wanted to know more about the characters and why they acted in the way they did; what drove them. I also found the use of some unique weapons and tools used by the main character in reaching his goal welcomed. When I was done, I felt there needed to be more. More action, more purpose, more drive, more pain, etc. Maybe this will be coming in future books in the series or it is more in the style of Lovecraft style, but I wanted them here in this story as well.
I can say that the story was a bit slow getting started, but once it was moving, things progressed at a good pace. In places I found the story to be confusing and it was rather easy to get lost if you were not giving the material your full attention; which can be difficult with Audiobooks at times. As I had no real background information, apart from what was provided in this audiobook, some of the events felt like I was watching a Hana Barbara dream induced television program which often feel normal in a strange way. The series title fits it well when it is called “Riders of the weird west”. The story had plenty of demons, shadow-beasts (horse like creatures) along with some rather odd death events and experiences. For me, it needed more connection and cohesiveness along with sometimes of intense action and quiet times often found in storytelling. I like to listen to audiobooks and feel like I’m riding a rollercoaster with my emotions. Here in this tale it seems lacking.
The audiobook’s narration was professionally produced and recorded by Daniel Penz who wonderfully narrates the “Easytown Novels” series which I highly recommend. He has a gritty voice that helps add depth and life to the various characters in the story. There are some add audio effects in a few places, but I can say that they were not overly used. The narration was clean of any noticeable audio artifacts (swallows, page turns, etc.) and the voicing was crisp and clear. Even his ability to properly voice not only characters with accents but female characters as well always surprises me. Each character’s personality comes forward and feels alive. Even if you might not be a fan of this audiobook, I recommend you give his other narrations a try.
Parents and younger listeners, this audiobook contains many mature themes and subject matter that may not be something younger audiences would want to listen too. It contains vulgar language, drug use, broken families, crude humor and other components which may not be appropriate for less mature audiences.
In summary, I was hoping the story included more complex and deeper character development. At times the characters felt flat. However, I enjoyed many of the scenes and location which were rather descriptive and colorful keeping me interested along the way. The audiobook’s narration was solid, clear, and contained some grit that gave the main character purpose. If you are a fan of Lovecraft and like blending this in a western story, this may be an audiobook you would want to give a listen too.
August 30, 2020
This is a fascinating story about a group of gunfighters, outlaws, and a buffalo soldier who find themselves in an afterlife no one could have expected riding a weird version of a desolate old west trying to stop a demonic figure from harvesting more souls. It’s intriguing from start to finish. Our main hero, Wayne, has an encounter early in the book with a sort of lawman of this weird west and is unwillingly recruited into service. He stuffs his badge into the glove compartment of his old truck and promptly forgets about it until years later his young son discovers it and accidentally opens a portal to another world. The story is about the men and woman who try and help Wayne rescue the child and put an end to this particular evil. It’s a compelling story that fits well both in the western genres and the Cthulhu subgenre—quite creepy in places and yet, ultimately about grit and morals in a lawless land. I liked it a lot.
I received this book from Free Audio Book Codes.com in exchange for an honest review.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
I received this book from Free Audio Book Codes.com in exchange for an honest review.
If you liked this review, you can find more at www.gilbertstack.com/reviews.
July 27, 2020
I read this because of the title of the prequel, thinking it was going to be more Lovecraftian. It wasn't very Lovecrafty, but it wasn't a bad read. I'm not really interested in westerns or fantasy, but this was entertaining enough. If you're into those genres, you'd probably like this. I would certainly read another book by this author.
November 6, 2021
Thank you!
September 20, 2023
I really liked the story, but the volume and voice changes of narration took some getting used to
January 22, 2016
I listened to the Audible audio version of this book.
"Riders of the Weird West is one of my favorites"
I absolutely loved RIDERS WHERE THERE ARE NO ROADS. This was such an awesome story. I would say it was even somewhat of a noir-ish weird western. David Bain is an exceptional author whose work really resonates with me. RIDERS grabbed me from the start and I didn't want it to end. I felt as if I was right there. It held my attention entirely. I definitely want to hear more.
I love the setting of this story and the characters were Amazing. All of them. I especially liked Rosarita Bandita. She was something else. I was glued to this audiobook and I'd highly recommend this one not only for the awesome writing but the killer narration.
Daniel Penz. All I can say is WOW. His performance was incredibly good. Every character had a distinct voice and persona and they were ALL excellent. If I had to choose one, I'd go back to Rosarita. I was blown away by how he nailed her accent and her character. He is a very talented voice actor. This was a fab author/reader win. Loved it.
"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."
September 3, 2014
I'm back again with another book from the talented author David Bain. "Riders where There Are No Roads" is the first book of the "Riders of the West" series featuring characters from the authors previous story "The Cowboys of Cthulhu". Having never read the story that this one is based, I didn't know much about the story. What I did know was that it combined western and supernatural elements. I'm not a huge western fan but the author managed to make it an entertaining ride that I couldn't put down.
If you have read my reviews of the author's other works, you know by now that he is masterful at creating realistic intriguing characters and bring them to life among the pages."Riders Where There are No Roads" is no different. Here you will find great characters, setting, and action that makes for one hell of a ride.
If you have read my reviews of the author's other works, you know by now that he is masterful at creating realistic intriguing characters and bring them to life among the pages."Riders Where There are No Roads" is no different. Here you will find great characters, setting, and action that makes for one hell of a ride.
January 16, 2016
Interesting...
I thought the story was interesting. Cool untraditional elements of ghost/demons in other realms...and for some reason I still found it hard to stick to. Had to make myself adhere to its pace. I did speed up the audible version to 1.5x to help the pace a bit. I am sure that the difficulty I had with slowing myself to the stories pace is all me and not the story teller. I think I just expected it to be even more than it was. Overall I give it four stars for originality...kinda.
I thought the story was interesting. Cool untraditional elements of ghost/demons in other realms...and for some reason I still found it hard to stick to. Had to make myself adhere to its pace. I did speed up the audible version to 1.5x to help the pace a bit. I am sure that the difficulty I had with slowing myself to the stories pace is all me and not the story teller. I think I just expected it to be even more than it was. Overall I give it four stars for originality...kinda.
February 4, 2015
Amusing premise and decent execution, but nothing spectacular. I did appreciate that a woman has a starring role, though!
July 28, 2014
This is a promising start to the series which definitely left me looking forward to more.
Displaying 1 - 12 of 12 reviews