Ten Sleep

by Nicholas Belardes, Kim Ramirez (Narrator)

Jordan Peele's Nope meets True Grit in Nicholas Belardes’s Ten Sleep , a supernatural modern-day western about a trio of young people on a 10-day cattle drive that leads them through a canyon haunted by ancient mysteries and savage beasts who existed long before humankind.

A young Mexican American woman detects uncanny creatures stalking her on a cattle drive toward a canyon soaked in blood in an unforgettable novel, brilliantly infusing the modern Western with spine-chilling horror …

When Greta Molina’s old friend Tiller offered her the job, a ten-day cattle drive across the Wyoming prairie from the ranching town of Ten Sleep, it sounded like a well-paid break. Three hundred and twenty cows and calves, two guys her age she’s known since college, and a few long days on an ATV will give her time to sort out the mess in her head. The canyon along the trail has a history, sure, but nature has a tendency toward violence. Greta can accept that, even if it makes her insides squirm.

What Greta doesn’t know is the legacy of murder and rot that runs deep into the rocks of this land. As each night passes on the prairie, the trio faces mounting supernatural a ghost train of the damned, wild animals walking alongside dead ones—and evidence of a gigantic creature in the skies, one that’s supposedly been extinct for eons. And Tiller may be hiding even darker secrets the further they go. Safety is only ten sleeps away, but Greta soon realizes that may be too long for all of them to survive.

Nicholas Belardes’s Ten Sleep is a fresh portrayal of the American West for fans of Catriona Ward, Victor LaValle and Jordan Peele’s Nope, by a rising star in horror.

Genres: Horror, Audiobook, Fiction, Westerns, Adventure, Horror Thriller, Book Club

Audible Audio

First published June 24, 2025

About the author

Publishers Weekly says shiningly about TEN SLEEP: “Belardes adroitly keeps readers guessing about whether his protagonists will survive their harrowing journey, while demonstrating a mastery of daylight terror." And that's not all. Library Journal cheers Belardes's latest eco-horror as a “coming-of-age, visceral Weird Western marked by palpable terror and populated by uncanny creatures."

TEN SLEEP is now available for preorder.

A writer of the American West, Nicholas Belardes’s books often combine elements of horror, fantasy, eco-horror, and science fiction.

And don't forget THE DEADING. The New York Times calls this debut a “dystopian eco-horror that perfectly balances social critique, lyricism and ghastliness. It’s a claustrophobic mosaic of a novel, and an outstanding debut.”

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Reviews

[Chewable Orb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Ten Sleep by Nicholas Belardes, Narrated by Kim Ramirez
RB Media (Audiobook Version)

2⭐⭐

The setting sun cast a warm array of hues upon the landscape. The cattle drive proceeded with Tiller fully in charge. Greta, a young woman with a burdening sorrow, and their friend Scott have accepted an offer to assist Tiller in wrangling the cattle. Within a canyon, beasts stir in abundance. Strange creatures awaken to greet the group, all part of an elaborate plan to fulfill agreements made to the “Mother Canyon.” The dust spirals and conjures a vortex of unexplainable chain of events that haunts Greta. Is she seeing things?

As I walked through the forest path, I examined the audiobook at hand. At one point, I likened my experience to rushing to the kitchen and examining a bag of groceries. My mouth watered as I examined the contents on top. “Nothing here,” I thought. Surely my treat was in here. My fingers extended, like a pearl diver harvesting their bounty from the ocean floor. Again, I cast my hand down, looking to reel in my prize, but to no avail. Disappointment!

Is this a Western? A romance novel? A taxidermist’s dream and subsequent nightmare? A horror story? Quite frankly, a bit of all the above, leaving me perplexed. We invest time in learning about a recent ghosting by Greta’s girlfriend, which causes her to be an emotional wreck. However, the storyline quickly detours into firsthand experiences from animals within the canyon. The novel meanders off the path quite a bit, which had me holding out my compass to try and gather my bearings on more than one occasion. I would liken it to a drive through the fjords, winding around and through all the mountains, which, while certainly scenic, lacks the linearity I want to get to my destination quickly. A nagging thought that embodies my feelings about this novel. Yes, the book does tie the loose ends together upon its conclusion, but by that point, I was just happy to be done with it.

The narrator, Kim Ramirez, does a fabulous job. Her soothing voice kept me going in a world where I was stumbling to find a connection. Her work brought life into a rather dark and cold existence.

The tumbleweeds rolled by, as did the hours I had sunk into this story. Nicholas Belardes, our author, has created an extremely primal escapade. The tribes of yesteryear paid respect to Mother Earth. Cue the Aretha Franklin, R_E_S_P_E_C_T, and that is our lesson learned here, folks. Seeing nature and the animals that exist within its framework, coexisting in harmony. What happens when human appreciation wanes? The balance becomes unstable, presenting problems within the unwritten rules of peaceful cohabitation. Power and greed are the driving forces of such divisions.

Ten Sleep….. Oh, Ten Sleep, how I wish I loved you more. I saw a blueprint of a solid book, but unfortunately, my patience was tested one too many times.

Many thanks to RB Media for the audiobook through NetGalley. This review is voluntary and contains my honest opinion.

[Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

This book isn’t just horror, it’s a full blown nightmare. The supernatural elements weave through the story, becoming increasingly unsettling as the story progresses. The writing is breathless and urgent, with long winding sentences that can be confusing. It’s hard to tell where to pause or stop, and I found myself adding periods where they didn’t belong, which messed with the flow. But I also felt it portrayed Greta’s disjointed flow of thoughts and confusion she was experiencing. The chapters alternate between Greta’s POV and the perspective of various animals, which I enjoyed. It made the horror feel more expansive, although some of the animal POVs were just flat out sad. Some scenes are seriously grotesque however, especially with the taxidermy angle. The death scenes? Graphic and disturbing, so maybe skip the snacks while reading.

Still, I did appreciate the historical, animal, and paleontology facts scattered throughout. It was nice to learn something new while being traumatized.

The book had me until about 80%, when it started to drag and unravel. The ending felt incredibly rushed, with everything wrapping up abruptly. Some plot points that had been there from the start were either rushed through or just disappeared, which didn’t make sense to me. I loved the concept of a horror story set story set during a cattle run in Wyoming. Especially with the region’s rich prehistoric and cultural history. It had a lot of potential, but I felt the execution was confusing and incomplete by the end. Several parts of the plot wandered, and I finished the book with more questions than answers.

Thank you to NetGallley and Kensington Publishing for the ARC!

[Tabitha · Rating 2 out of 5]

Thanks to NetGalley and Kensington Publishing and Erewhon Books for the advanced copy.

I honestly thought I'd love this based on the description - a weird western horror novel with monsters and body horror that's like Jordan Peel's Nope meets True Grit?? It honestly sounded up my alley, especially after recently finishing the excellent The Buffalo Hunter Hunter by Stephen Graham Jones... unfortunately Ten Sleep did not live up to my hopes for it.

Lengthy with lots of prose and very long sections and dialogues it also felt like it took forever to get through. My ARC also had a number of formatting issues that made reading difficult as well, but I was determined to get through this, with the constant hope that it would, just HAD to, get better. Nope (lol).

I have to say that I didn't hate this though, as the story is actually pretty interesting, but the execution was not my style at all. Like, at all. I generally disliked a lot of what Belardes does in telling his story. The alternating chapters with the dead animals being the biggest one. Again, I get what Belardes was trying to do, but those chapters were so upsetting. It also disrupted the flow of Greta's part of the story, in an unpleasant way. It just all felt so clunky.

I wish I'd liked this more but not every story is for every person. I don't recommend this if animal harm deeply upsets you, as there is a LOT of it in this book. There's additional commentary around colonialism, whiteness vs being mixed or indigenous, animal and nature rights, and respecting history but again, I think Belardes execution isn't very clean, and, as gory as this book is, it's not as brutal in its messaging as, for example, The Buffalo Hunter Hunter.

I can definitely see this being a beloved read for some people but - yeah, in the end this was not for me.

[Becky Spratford]

Review in the April 2025 issue of Library Journal

Three Words That Describe This Book: slow burn, ancient evil, strong sense of place
(also taxidermy)

Draft Review: Greta Molina, a recent college drop out, is buying time as she tries to figure out her life. She accepts a job from a college friend, to help him navigate a 10 day cattle drive in Wyoming. However, this is no ordinary route. A prologue alerts readers to an ancient evil who rules the canyon, and offers everlasting life every 100 years, at a very steep price. On the first day, Greta’s ATV breaks down and she watches an impossibly huge bird swoop down to snatch the 100 pound dead calf she was dragging back to town, but that is only the start of the strange and threatening creatures Greta will encounter, some of whom she will even befriend. A slow burn, Belardes builds tension with Greta recounting each day’s events, followed by chapters from the point of view of the creatures who populate the landscape. Terror and tension methodically and distressingly escalate, day-by-day, until day ten, when the story bursts open the truth behind “mother canyon” is revealed. Despite the mortal danger Greta finds herself in, this trip might be exactly what she needed– a chance to find her purpose.

Verdict: A coming of age, visceral, Weird Western marked by palpable terror and populated by uncanny creatures. In the vein of backlist gems The Gunslinger by King and Little Heaven by Cutter as well as Sundown in San Ojuela by newcomer, Olivas.

Also-- a lesser known book if you like the taxidermy parts of this book-- The Taxidermist's Love by Polly Hall -- I reviewed.


I say slow burn, but needs explanation. We know the story will take 10 nights, meaning we know we have to wait. It starts off dangerous and tense and uneasy on day one and only builds from there.

The chapters are set up as one for each day with alternating chapters from the point of view of animals or creatures who live in or are attached to mother canyon. This dual narration helps to keep the tension up very high but also start to reveal the true horror to the reader before Greta is able to see it all.

In classic Stephen King style-- Greta must battle the evil in front of her but before she can rise to the challenge and find the strength and inner power to win, she must first shed her own personal ghosts and beat her inner demons-- of which she has many.

Greta is a compelling and sympathetic MC. She is a typical late 20s narrator. Mexican American, college drop out but really smart, just broke up with Hannah-- the love of her life. She is looking for direction and meaning. She knows she will not get it on the cattle drive-- on her "quad" (ATV) not horseback, traveling with old friends, making some money to go on to the next thing. Except, she does find everything she needs in those 10 sleeps, even though it may cost her everything.

Ancient evil and a modern day cattle drive (think ATVs instead of horses) collide in "mother canyon"-- out side Ten Sleep, Wyoming.

A Weird Western in the vein of backlist gems The Gunslinger by King and Little Heaven by Cutter as well as Sundown in San Ojuela by newcomer, Olivas.

A story about trauma and grief as much as a terrifying ancient evil in the middle of no where story.

Begins with a POV to give the historical background and set the uneasy atmosphere from the start of Greta's story. This is both Greta's story and the story of the Canyon-- mother canyon

It is weird and uncanny and just go with it because it will come together and make sense in the world Blares builds. If I tried to explain the importance of taxidermy, a giant bird monster, a ghost train, and that's just in the first half.... if I tried you would think this book was bonkers.

But it is not a book you can describe by sharing the plot, you need to share the feelings and storytelling choices and let the reader decide for themselves if they should give it a try.

[Ai Jiang]

A big thank you to the editor and publisher for an ARC of the book for a blurb!

TEN SLEEP is a story suited to be told and read in the belly of a valley by the low light of a fire or on a porch in the evening when the sun is bleeding out. This western and naturalistic multi-perspective novel tackles themes of ecology through memories held within the broken and dead bodies that remain, and is perfect for fans of slow burn, haunting histories that unravel like hidden taxidermy stitches.

[Nicholas Belardes · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have to say I loved writing this book even more than writing The Deading. Something about Greta and her relationship to nature, to animals, to even the dead, that makes the idea of 'love' something special. She dictated this novel, not me. I just got out of her way and let her tell her story. Five-star writing experience. Hope you're entertained with the dread of the tale too. I also tried to make this novel more gruesome than The Deading.

[MikeLikesBooks · Rating 4 out of 5]

First I loved the setting in Wyoming near Ten Sleep. I lived not far from there for 12 years of my life so the names and places were putting a smile on my face.

Now for my thoughts on the book. It was weird and creepy. The bear in the story confused me at first but then things started to click as I got further into the book. Nobody is safe and there are a lot of weird creatures in the area. I like bizarro horror so this was not too different from that.

I enjoyed listening to the audiobook provided to me from NetGalley. The book was just released last week. Thank you NetGalley and RB Media. This review was voluntary.

[Milt Theo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicholas Belardes' writing is not for everyone; it's messier than usual, rather choppy, and it certainly doesn't follow the standard ideas about pacing (for example, tension is many times interrupted by beautiful, yet extensive, descriptions of what's happening, or dialogue comes across as often unnecessarily or redundantly informative). What drives the story forward is neither the plot (occasionally the most impotant scenes aren't even shown on the page), nor the characters (again, some crucial scenes are conveyed through the eyes of someone we'll never see again in the book - occasionally even an animal!). I'd say that what propels the narrative is, weirdly enough, the atmosphere itself; unless you appreciate the effect of the bizarre writing style on the advancement of the plot, you won't enjoy this book. It'll feel like a slow-burn, with lots of rambling. The voice-changes will also feel jarring: sometimes the book sounds as if Stephen Graham Jones had penned it, other times Neil Gaiman or Cormac McCarthy.

I personally enjoyed "Ten Sleep" a lot. It's a very clever and original example of Western Horror, blending folk horror, cosmic horror, eco-horror, paleontological horror and creature feature, with a strong, though flawed, female lead, and an uncanny supernatural setting. The story is cruel, gory, bloody and gritty, with many historical tidbits throughout. Admittedly, it's a bit short on action for a Western Horror novel, and it often borders on fantasy (the wildlife has its say in the book). It reminded me of the Odyssey, for some reason: a ten-day cattle drive turns into an unsettling journey into the unknown. The background lore is amazing: it's about an entity possessing a canyon, that needs bloodletting every hundred years or so, its predatory actions deeply tied to the land's history (its prehistorical past even!). The cattle drive goes through the canyon, every day brings a new horror, the challenges mounting till the (rather abrupt) ending.

The plot has the shape of a question mark, so be prepared for some irritating ambiguities among several nerve-wracking moments of graphic violence and gory deaths. If you've ever wondered what VanDerMeer's Southern Reach Trilogy might read like as a dense Western Horror tale or Weird Western story, this is the book for you!

[Lizardley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Unfortunately, this really just didn't do it for me. Thank you to NetGalley for the ARC.

Particularly in the early chapters, the prose leaves a lot to be desired. The sentences tends towards long, bordering on run-on. I am a hypocrite for not liking this (source: some of my other reviews on this platform and every academic paper I have ever written), but it really made getting into the story rough. Not ideal. I either got used to it or it got better, because I wasn't noticing it as much later in the book, but it makes what is already a slower start to a horror novel feel painful.

Aside from a short period towards the middle of the book, I really did not care about Greta's storyline basically at all. I don't particularly care for books that have the dream-like feel that this one does, where characters just do things for vague reasons. I know, I know, canyon vibes and all that, but I don't like it. I prefer characters having a bit more agency. The pacing for a lot of the early part of the book felt so painfully slow as well. That wretched bit with dragging the calf that felt like it went on forever... very much not for me. It didn't build tension; it just made me want to stop reading the book.

HOWEVER, I loved the alternating chapters! The non-Greta chapters, where people were consciously doing things? Really good! I also love a little defamiliarization, so those chapters were great for me. The lore was neat too, and Belardes does a good job of letting the reader put things together, while still offering enough of an explanation. I felt like I was putting together a puzzle that was actually possible. The ending was pretty fun too, once Greta began actually doing things. I like when she gets mean. The way the book tackles themes of cycles and movement through time was engaging as well. I don't think it had anything particularly revolutionary (ha) to say, but I could feel the Themes And Motifs, and as an English major, I do love a Theme And Motif. The gore was pretty gnarly, and I enjoyed and felt vaguely nauseated.

I read in the acknowledgements that this was originally a novella, and I'll be honest, I think this idea could work better in a smaller space. I would have loved a book with different POVs from every character, maybe beginning and ending with Greta. Alas, it is what it is. Perhaps some of my desert-dwelling friends will enjoy.

[Kim Kaso · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a very interesting & strange story, horror & supernatural tropes wrapped in a modern cattle drive in Wyoming. The author brings a lot to the table, one of my most memorable reads of 2025.
Characters
diverse representation
memorable
original

[Trisha · Rating 3 out of 5]

A cattle drive and mysterious animals that seem to be tracking them. I liked the ominous of the birds and whistles in the night. I loved how confused our narrator seemed and how much she seemed to be just as unreliable as the landscape. The nights felt long, the days and weather felt variable - and it all added to the atmosphere of the story and kept it eerie.

But I struggled with the other chapters. The ones from skin, jackrabbits, birds and others. I felt like they slowed the story down and didn't add to the feeling of dread the narrator had already provided.

I did feel like this was an unique story, one that stands because of how much it relied on shocking animal bodies and thoughts - and how at mercy this group was to them.

A huge thank you to the author and publisher for providing an e-ARC via Netgalley. This does not affect my opinion regarding the book.

[Karen Bullock · Rating 4 out of 5]

An intensely deep ecological horror surrounded by cursed land, ancient evil, the supernatural and the pain of suffering unknown terror.

The story features lone woman, Greta as she agrees to work a 320 count cattle drive
In a ten days span for a former friend, through one of Wyoming’s most notorious haunted canyons. What could possibly go wrong?!, is the question not to voice, out loud!

Unruly ghosts of slaughtered people and animals trek alongside with the “aid” of a most evil henchman and a group of overzealous and greedy cattle barons. An ancient evil that seeped through years of growth within the sediment of the canyon walls.

Greta, needing cash and something to do to keep her mind off her horrible past, the disappearance of her girlfriend, Hannah; dealing with the pain of not knowing where she went; dealing with her own choices of a life she’s found most unsatisfactory(at her own doing), and putting her trust in the hands of someone with their own secret agenda.

It seems the author has chosen not to skimp on gory details when describing scenes-while it does lengthen the story, it swirls the ambience, creating that stomach churning dread-perfect for traipsing through a haunted canyon.

A great second story from this new author of ecological horror.

[Matilda (booksinwildplaces) · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you to RBmedia, NetGalley & Nicholas Belardes for the audioARC in exchange for an honest review.
Rating: 3 stars.
Genre(s): horror.

Overall impression: I really wanted to love Ten Sleep because the blurb was so intriguing. But unfortunately, the pacing and repetitive inner monologue were really off-putting for me. We heard a lot about Greta's missing ex who may or may not have ghosted her. It didn't add much value to the rest of the story, so made parts of the book drag. The story was definitely saved by the world-building and complex lore surrounding mother canyon including the taxidermy/animal POVs, giant flying bird monster and ghost train. It had an open-ended conclusion which left me feeling a bit unsure on how to feel about it all. We went through a lot with Greta and it was a bit dissatisfying to not know what happened after all of the sacrifice.

Tropes:
➵ Cattle drive
➵ College friends
➵ Forced proximity
➵ Location with bloody history
➵ Taxidermy comes to life
➵ Stalked or protected by animals?
➵ Ghost train
➵ Giant killer bird
➵ Betrayal
➵ Animal & human sacrifice
➵ Open ending

⤷ Plot:
The main bulk of the story followed the trio along a 10 day cattle drive. It started off normal but slowly descended into madness with an increase in supernatural events, dying cattle and a progressively agitated drive leader Tiller. There were a few plot twists and betrayals along the way that I didn't anticipated and kept things exciting. But otherwise, it went along pretty steadily.

⤷ Characters:
I had a difficult time connecting with any of the characters. They were all flawed and spent a lot of time reflecting on the past but didn't go through much character development. Tiller remained standoffish and weird the entire book, and Greta thought about her ex that had ghosted her until the last page. By the end, I had stopped caring what was going to happen to any of them - so didn't feel much suspense or urgency, even when the horror was unfolding en mass.

⤷ World-building:
I thoroughly enjoyed the world-building. We got to explore a part of the world I've never been to before. The arid landscape with canyons, dried river beds and open plains was really interesting. Towards the end, I had a bit of difficulty picturing the cave system with interconnected paths and rooms, but otherwise it was pretty well explained.

The mother canyon lore was fascinating and spanned many generations. I wasn't 100% sure if the giant monster bird was 'good' or 'evil' by the end of the story. But I vaguely understood that the egg was related to the continuation of the canyon's spirit. The rest of the animals were fascinating and I loved the way the author changed the writing style to suit the different species. So much time was spent creating the complex world of taxidermy animals and it paid off.

⤷ Writing:
The pacing was slow and the story felt like it dragged on a lot. If the time had been used to progress the plot or for world-building then I wouldn't have minded as much. But the real sticking point was Greta's inner monologue which was really repetitive and seemed irrelevant to the rest of the story. She kept thinking about her ex-partner and wondering if she had been ghosted or if something had happened to her - but we didn't have an answer by the end of the book. It was brought up way too often and served no purpose, so it just felt like filler text.

I did like the multiple POV we got between Greta and the animals. It was interesting to put ourselves in the animal's place and see the world through their eyes. I also thought it was a great way to explain the taxidermy and mother canyon lore without info-dumping at the end.

⤷ Everything else:
I listened to the RBmedia audiobook version of Ten Sleep. I really liked the narrator and thought she fit the voice of Greta really well. Her speech conveyed emotion and you could feel the fear and urgency when the scenes became more gruesome. I probably wouldn't have finished the book if I were reading the print version because the pacing was so slow - but it seemed to work better on the audiobook at a mildly accelerated speed.

Statistics:
➵ Date read: 13/06/2025-24/06/2025 (12 days).
➵ Page count: 10 hrs 8 mins, 429.
➵ Type: audiobook.
➵ Volume: standalone.
➵ Special: NetGalley ARC.

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[Rhiannon Boyle · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5/5⭐, rounded up

This is a uniquely different kind of horror novel set in the modern day wilds of Wyoming. Our MC, Greta, agrees to a job offered by a friend for a 10 day (10 sleeps) cattle drive that turns into a haunted and harrowing journey where she and her companions (and the herd) are stalked by ghosts and monstrous creatures that may or may not be cursed man-made creations, or the eons-old return of long extinct species...

I enjoyed the breaks in the (sometimes overly long) present-day storyline with the POV chapters from local wildlife, and later on, the flashback history of the ancient landscape. Belardes has grounded his story in recent-ish history -- from the colonization of America's west, and even further back to the First Peoples' arrival to this continent. He ties into these fascinating and little known bits quite nicely and they up the mystery and building dread.

The tension builds at a good pace, and while there is some truly gruesome horror, it's not extreme or distracting. And though the human crew are in a nervous hurry to be at the end of the journey, that sense of urgency isn't mirrored in the book itself. I'd say my only criticism is that it's a bit overly long in some parts and that detracts a bit from the pacing. But I still found myself glued to the story right to the end. I look forward to reading more from this author.

Many thanks to NetGalley for the advance review copy. I am leaving this review voluntarily.

[Christine Harrold · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprising and unconventional eco-horror novel. Belardes has created a young woman’s journey of self-discovery, when Greta, down on her luck and lost after her recent breakup, accepts a job offer of a three person, ten-day cattle drive. The drive is stalked by shady men and blood-thirsty beasts, and Greta learns to forgive and to trust, to question her instincts and to stand up for herself.

The author ambitiously tackles ancient history to modern history, from dinosaurs and meteors to sheep herding settlers of the American West.

Belardes changes the POV to birds, rodents, bears, a human skin, and taxidermied animals re-animated with indigenous magic that the cattle drive interacts with. All the while, an ancient beast is slowly picking off the cattle. There is a lot going on, and though I was engaged and anxious and loving Greta’s journey, the last 20% of the book felt a little bulky, and I felt like pushing things aside to get back to the story.

Despite this, I enjoyed the book. I enjoyed Belardes’ ambition and intimacy, his grand vision and his character study. Kim Ramirez does a wonderful job narrating Greta’s aching terror and each animal’s journey.

[Shrike · Rating 4 out of 5]

TEN SLEEP is slow-going horror: less preoccupied with shocking and more intent on drawing you into Greta's mind. Like The Deading, this book clearly sprouted from the author's naturalist roots.

My favorite parts are the interspersed animal perspectives. My hair stood on end with the little sparrow hiding from a big unknown, my heart broke with the coyote cast aside by her pack. A moving portrait of a bear mirrors cycles of abuse and generational trauma. Animals tell stories of a world unmoored by the genocide and exploitation inflicted upon indigenous people. Vignette after vignette of lives forever changed. (Bonus points for mentioning shrikes.)

Best read alongside your native neighbors. I recommend curling up on the porch alongside the little funnel spider who lives on your chair and the sleepy moth sheltered under your blanket.

Thanks so much to Nicholas Belardes for sending an ARC my way! I'm writing this review of my own accord.

[Ann Schwader · Rating 3 out of 5]

[My thanks to NetGalley for providing me with an ARC in exchange for an honest review.]

As a Wyoming native (though no longer resident), I was intrigued by the premise of this modern weird Western. A 20-something woman, adrift after dropping out of the U. of Wyoming (yes, I'm an alumna) and getting left by her girlfriend, takes up a friend's offer to work on a 10-day cattle drive outside the small town of Ten Sleep. Unfortunately, the drive leads into a canyon haunted by centuries of bloodletting, and hungry for more.

The Wyoming setting and characters of this novel rang true for me. Greta Molina, the main protagonist, is both flawed and deeply sympathetic. Her complex family history, though not always relevant to the plot, gives her something to hang onto when things start getting strange -- as they do very quickly. Unfortunately, it also blinds her to the considerably darker family circumstances of the friend who hired her. Generational curse, anyone?

The narrative proceeds through each night/sleep of the drive at a deliberate, often nerve-wracking pace. Sections of straight narrative are interspersed with scenes focused on animals, birds, or other entities -- scenes which don't always seem to follow from the section before. Most do eventually tie into the main plot, but a few never did for me. Greta is also riding with a headful of memories and anxieties, which may explain why she went on this drive in the first place, but do not necessarily move the story forward. When the dénouement comes, however, it's fast-paced and relentlessly bloody. In the wilderness, Belardes seems to be saying, we die like any other animal.

Ten Sleep is ambitious, imaginative horror with perhaps too many things going on at once. In addition to the family curse aspect, it incorporates historical horror, cosmic horror, eco-horror, supernatural horror, and more than I ever wanted to know about taxidermy. This makes for a creepy but scattered reading experience, as there are simply too many pieces to fit into this nasty little puzzle. It held my attention throughout, though -- and I can truly say I've never read anything quite like it.

Recommended for slow burn horror fans with a fascination for the weird West, and a certain amount of stamina.

[Matthew Galloway · Rating 4 out of 5]

A modern horror-Western with ghosts, extinct creatures returned, and wandering dead things? YES. Even better -- there's an inclusive cast, POV chapters from animals, and an obvious love for the sciences.

I was all-in on this cursed cattle drive and while, personally, I'd have fled early on (well... if my curiosity didn't get the better of me... which it usually does...), but Greta and Scott are in a hard place and don't feel they have the option, really. Further, there is something wrong with Greta. She's had a lot happen in too short a time and it seems like a part of her is numb to the horrors of the world. It feels very real to me, though I hope you have never been pushed to that end. So Greta is running on instinct and sometimes that doesn't let in enough fear or drive for self preservation and that is what lets this horrendous journey continue.

Aside from that, though there's no indication of more to come, I would love to see what's happening in the canyon a hundred years later!

[The Bookish Narwhal · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nicholas Belardes delivers a truly unique and unsettling experience with Ten Sleep. I’m going to try not to give anything away because that would do readers a huge disservice!

It’s a supernatural modern-day western about a trio of young people on a 10-day cattle drive. The journey leads them through a canyon haunted by ancient mysteries and savage beasts who existed long before humankind. Trust me when I say I wasn’t ready!

This book is a masterclass in atmospheric dread, blending elements of the uncanny with a grounded sense of place that makes the bizarre feel terrifyingly real.

The narrative is richly layered, drawing you into a world where ancient forces stir just beneath the surface, challenging your perception of reality. It’s a gripping, thought-provoking read that will linger in your mind long after you’ve turned the final page.

Thank you to Kensington Publishing for a gifted ARC!

[Elizabeth · Rating 5 out of 5]

I received this audiobook from NetGalley in exchange for an honest review. Ten Sleep is a supernatural, eco-horror novel set in a modern-day Western landscape. Greta Molina, a Mexican American young woman, signs on to help with a ten-day cattle drive from the ranching town of Ten Sleep, Wyoming, hoping for a change of pace and some time to clear her head.

However, this isn’t a routine journey. As they travel, the group ventures into a hauntingly charged canyon rumored to harbor ancient, violent legacies. The nights bring escalating horrors: a phantom ghost train, uncanny creatures—both alive and dead—stalk the land, and a massive aerial beast that's supposedly extinct begins to appear.

Belardes structures the novel with interspersed chapters from the perspectives of prairie wildlife—buffalo, jackrabbit, coyote—adding eerie context and building suspense through nature’s voice. These were among my favorite chapters. The narrative is a slow burn: tension and dread steadily intensify, winding toward a violent and unsettling revelation.

I really liked this book a lot. The mix of Western setting and supernatural horror felt fresh and different from anything I’ve read recently. The atmosphere was eerie, and the way the author wove in folklore, nature, and the land itself gave the story a unique edge.

[Hone · Rating 2 out of 5]

(Advance Listening Copy (ALC) courtesy of NetGalley and RBmedia/Recorded Books.)

Rating: An exhausted 2⭐

I want to preface this review by saying that this is one of those stories where my two star could easily be your five star. This is always true with any book, but I think it's especially true of this one. The things that I didn't like will definitely be elements of appeal for others. So don't let my review run you off.

That said, why 2⭐?

The narrative felt so over-labored and gory that it exhausted me. I found myself wishing that I could read the same plot points but in a novella format and often found my attention drifting. By the final stretch, I bumped the audio to 1.5x speed just to get through it.

That said, I didn't want to DNF, because even at its most tedious, there was one specific mystery I was intensely invested in. It's what kept me going throughout this whole 12+ hour experience.

Except. Turns out… there's no resolution. And frankly? I'm torqued-off about it.

In addition, this book is gory… Very, very, very gory. And gory in an animal death/dismemberment kind of way that I find incredibly upsetting. I’m not a gore-lover at the best of times, but I can respect it when it’s done more sparingly—that kind of punchy gore that blindsides you and sticks with you. Since the gruesome imagery of this book started practically from page one and never let up, I was almost numb to it by the end. Almost.

As for the horror overall? It was weird and interesting. I never thought I would be freaked out by a taxidermied buffalo, but that definitely happened. The taxidermy element as a whole is genuinely cool—an unusual and effective take on the living-dead concept.

And the animal POV chapters—especially early on—were a highlight: brutal, unique, and structurally inventive.

🎧 AUDIO-SPECIFIC:
The narrator has a wonderful voice, and I really enjoyed her performance. There were a few hiccups, including a handful of mispronounced words. I wouldn’t normally nitpick because we all stumble, but one of the words was "plumage," and unfortunately, the author used this word often. There were also a couple of small audio-mixing issues, like sections that had clearly been re-recorded and not integrated back in very well, but nothing too distracting.

TL;DR: A gory, overly long horror novel with a compelling core. I never lost my curiosity, but I did lose my patience.

[Trevor Williamson · Rating 5 out of 5]

Disclosure Statement: I received an advanced reading copy of this novel from the publisher. My thoughts and opinions of the book have not been influenced in any way by either the publisher or the author.

Ten Sleep is a long-haul weird western, full of beautifully crafted, lyrical prose and a whole lot of weird creature feature creepiness that makes the book a delight to read. It's very much a slow-burn kind of horror, but with several excellent thematic payoffs and some stylish narrative shifts fleshing out some of its big-picture lore.

What I love about westerns in general is how these books often think about literal space, the importance of the scenery in building meaningful connection between the human characters and the environment that shapes them. Not every weird western gets setting right; it's all too common for the weird western to lean heavily into pulp, where setting is just costume as opposed to thematic function. Ten Sleep gets the environment right, with accomplished prose that puts genre staples like L'Amour and Grey to absolute shame. Belardes writes the hell out of this book.

Another thing that I really love about this book in particular is the way Belardes weaves in and out of narrative time, pulling focus on his characters to and from their present moments in a way that feels authentic to the languid pace of something like a long-haul cattle drive. He manages to pack in a lot of information in every scene but does so in a way that ebbs and flows with the narrative pacing. No doubt, the story is a journey, but that's also part and parcel of the assignment for a book like this. Even without the horror elements, Belardes weaves what feels like an authentic epic in the way the book presents story, weaves theme, and builds on a thesis about the way modern society has abused the land it sits on and the people who sat on it first.

This isn't a book for those looking for big scares and huge action setpieces, but it is every bit the horror novel it should be--full of big ideas, complex philosophy, and deeply weird shit.

[Sarah B · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of those rare books that when it comes to writing a review I am unsure how to start. Every so often I run into that problem - I think because the book itself is so unique and expansive in the plot. You think "how do I describe this?" And that is how I feel about this western -horror - ghost novel.

And I most definitely enjoyed this!

But the plot just covers such a wide range of stuff! So many ideas! It's a creature story. It's a ghost story. It's a nature story. And it's most definitely a story about a woman named Greta who becomes trapped in this nightmarish dream right out of the Twilight Zone. She was hired to help move 300 cattle across this empty land in Wyoming and through this canyon. The trip is supposed to take ten days. Unfortunately for her there is some serious next level supernatural stuff going on and it's very deadly too. And the others who are with her (Tiller who hired her and then there is Scott) really don't want to acknowledge the weird stuff is real...

And there are birds. Look at the cover. Yes, it's a giant bird! But it's way more than just some freak bird. Way more complicated. There is some truly demented ancient stuff going on in here. True evil. And the worst thing for Greta is that you are in the middle of nowhere, there are no phone signals (and the phone might be dead anyway as there is no place to charge it) and any help is so very far away. Plus you are responsible for those cows!

One reason why I really enjoyed this was the big focus on nature in here. I mean, wow! It's all so lyrical and well described it's like you are almost there. Plus many of the chapters are from the viewpoints of various animals. This was definitely a bonus in my opinion! This book is certainly violent and bloody (as it's horror) but at the same time it has that environmental thing going on like in "where the crawdads sing". Big ecology theme in here.

The author clearly worked hard on creating this. There is a huge backstory going way, way back. And during the plot the past and the current time blend together. It creates some truly interesting scenarios.

The book did seem a little long and while I was reading I had absolutely no idea how this would end. Because the plot was so unique. But it builds slowly to a climax at the end. And as the story unfold some horrible truths are revealed. The one near the end was shocking.

I also quickly got attached to certain characters. That doesn't happen very often. And then later I felt sad... Like the two mice and Think Tank. Yeah, weird I know. But Greta was attached to them. And so I was too. Greta has a kind heart. But she is also tough and she learned how to stand up for herself. She had to in order to stand up against the bizarre junk going on.

This is a western but there are no horses. Instead they use those ATVs.

But this book has blood, gore, deaths, action and even plot twists. Mainly it builds up slowly. Never was bored at all with this one... I even learned something new about grass from reading this (and yes, that was a bonus for me).

[Dawn Schock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is one of those books that I will be thinking about for a while. My initial reaction after finishing it was 3 stars. But the more I separate myself from it, and ponder it, the more highly I think about it, so I would place it closer to 4 stars.

I listened to the audiobook, so my review will also include a review of the narration towards the end.


This is quite the read. The story is told in a non-linear style in 3rd person omniscient. While mostly told from Greta's perspective, we do see parts of the story through the eyes of others . . . things. This is equal parts folk horror, generational bargain, and cursed land.


In some ways, the writing reminds me loosely of Stephen Graham Jones, with its indigenous feel and the way it calls for a sense of respect and love for the land; everything has a purpose, except greed, and if you lose sight of what is sacred, there are consequences to be paid. The main story and, as a result, the tension are often broken up by smaller vignettes told from the perspectives of others. This helps, in a lot of ways, to build an eerie sense of dread. Also, there is a lot of taxidermy, which adds a bizarre and visceral creepiness to the tale. Moments in the narrative almost feel like an opium-induced fever dream, so you don't know what might be real or a mirage.

The main story follows Greta, Tiller, and Scott as they move a herd of cattle through the Wyoming wilderness. Throughout this expedition, weird and bizarre things begin to occur, the most prominent being that Greta sees undead creatures following her and a giant "airplane bird" flying around.

The story has an air of creepiness that runs throughout and gives you a general sense of unease. But it is also very much a slow burn and doesn’t come to a head until the last 15% of the story. And that is when things get interesting.

I found the story very enthralling but will say that the storytelling style may not be for everyone. At times, you feel like you've lost your footing in the narrative, and you are struggling to get it back, which leaves you with a sense of foreboding . . . and, admittedly, sometimes annoyance.

It is eerie, thought-provoking, and creepy.

The audiobook, specifically:

Kim Ramirez does an exceptional job with this story. She has a very dry delivery with her human characters, which contrasts nicely with the softer delivery she gives her other characters. I feel like this is tremendously important because it adds a layer to the narrative experience you don't fully grasp until closer to the end. And while she doesn't try to give each character their distinct voice (meaning not trying to imitate a male voice for male characters), she does give them their distinct style of delivery so that you know each character from one another.

[Get Your Tinsel in a Tangle · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ten Sleep is what happens when you mash up Nope and True Grit, give it a gallon of black coffee, and drop it into the weirdest corner of Wyoming. This is not your dad’s cattle drive. This is haunted-canyon, prehistoric-monsters, taxidermy-horror energy from page one.

Greta Molina, our late-20s, emotionally discombobulated narrator, signs up for what’s supposed to be a simple ten-day cattle drive. Ride some ATVs, make some quick cash, try not to think about her recent breakup or her entire quarter-life crisis. Instead, she finds herself in a canyon full of ancient horrors, ghost trains, extinct creatures that apparently did not get the extinction memo, and an unsettling sense that this place wants to eat her soul. And maybe her cows too.

The structure is simple: ten nights, one for each day on the drive. The tension starts high and only escalates, with short chapters slipping into the perspectives of the creatures and spirits stalking the canyon. These animal POVs range from haunting to oddly sad to occasionally overwhelming. At some point, it started to feel like the canyon itself was trying to narrate the book, and I wasn’t always sure we needed that many extra voices competing with Greta’s.

The first half of this book had me locked in. Giant birds swooping out of nowhere, unsettling hints of long-buried violence, and a creepy slow-build atmosphere that works its way under your skin. This is very much a horror story where the land itself feels cursed, where personal trauma and ancient evil blur together until you can’t tell which is more dangerous. And when the horror hits, it hits hard. Seriously, do not snack during certain scenes unless you want taxidermy-induced nausea.

Kim Ramirez absolutely crushes the audiobook narration. Her delivery keeps that steady hum of dread running through every chapter. She plays Greta’s anxiety and spiraling thoughts so well that I caught myself pausing just to breathe. I would absolutely listen to her narrate more weird Westerns in a heartbeat.

Now here’s where my love turns into light roasting. This book desperately needed to be tighter. The middle third loses focus and starts to meander like a confused cow. Some plot threads just vanish, and right when it should be barreling toward that terrifying final showdown, the pacing sort of wanders. If someone had chopped about 150 pages out of this, it could have gone from “interesting weird horror” to “instant classic weird horror.”

That said, I still finished it both mildly traumatized and weirdly impressed. The setting is incredible, the atmosphere is unsettling in all the right ways, and Greta’s emotional arc lands even if the plot occasionally fumbles. This isn’t a book that’s easy to describe. It’s a vibe. You’re either here for haunted canyons, ancient creatures, grief, and taxidermy horror... or you’re not.

For me, this landed at a solid 3.5 stars. It’s a weird Western fever dream, and while it’s not flawless, it’s absolutely memorable. If you’re in the mood for something deeply strange, a little sad, and fully unsettling, Ten Sleep is worth the risk.

Huge thanks to RBmedia and NetGalley for the advanced audiobook and for letting me climb aboard this cursed cattle drive early. And extra love to Kim Ramirez for slaying the narration and making this fever dream even creepier.

[omar ☆ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Thank you, Net Galley and the publisher, for providing me with a digital copy of the audiobook in exchange for an honest review.

I was initially drawn to this book by it’s haunting cover, which I’m thrilled to report it matches the vibe of the book so well.

“Ten Sleep” is an atmospheric horror book that combines the terrors of the night with matching mundane scares, those that only us, humans are capable of. You’ll have to decide which are scarier.

CHARACTERS: 6/10
Our main cast of characters is diverse and well-rounded. Don’t expect to love them all. In fact, some of them are pretty wicked, but that only makes their part of the story more interesting, in my opinion.
Greta is my favorite. But you get backstories and motivations for most of the crew, which only helps to give them all depth. There is good development

ATMOSPHERE: 7/10
This is what made me keep reading. It is so haunting and immersive. You get sucked right into the story from the get-go. You feel like you are part of this cast, facing the horrors with them. The narrator did a terrific job! There are some whispers here and there that sent chills down my spine! This is what I’m here for!

WRITING: 5/10
I enjoyed it. It blends seamlessly through the chapters, even if we are not reading from the same POV. That being said, you can clearly tell who is narrating.

PLOT: 6/10
It starts pretty simple. You get what the characters need to do and it’s kind of a straight line. But as you read, it branches out and shows you an even scarier path.

INTRIGUE: 5/10
Good. It felt like it dragged a bit at the end, once we knew the answer to all questions it felt like a bit of filler. You are at the edge of your seat for the most part, though.

LOGIC & ENJOYMENT: 6/10 & 6/10
It was a scary book that scratches that itch when you just want to up with a horror book while it storms outside. I wasn’t expecting to binge it but I just couldn’t stop reading. It’s not the biggest book oy there but I don’t usually read them this fast.

The vibes were a bit similar to The Only Good Indians, so fans might like this book.

And lastly, this is not a new favorite of mine, but I’m glad I read it.
(CAWPILE) = 6+7+5+6+5+6+6 = 5.8 = 3 stars

[Lulu [at] Reckless Reading · Rating 3 out of 5]

This one is a struggle. It has been a struggle to get lost in, and is a struggle to review. I picked up Ten Sleep by Nicholas Belardes, really looking forward to a good horror to sink my teeth into, especially one I could relate to now that I live in rural Colorado. Unfortunately, the pacing made this really hard to get into.

The tension was constantly interrupted so that any kind of fear and unease that had built up in one chapter was gone the next. We get one chapter following Greta and then another chapter following wildlife. Then, we get lessons and lectures about the American west in Greta’s POV, as well as her fixation on her missing girlfriend Hannah. When we started with the prologue, I was expecting something massive, blood, the feeling of being stalked and hunted. Instead, this is like a slowburn that simply drags on and on.

One of the major issues is the endless questions that get thrown at us without getting any answers. It really didn’t give me anything to latch onto to want to continue. It wasn’t here’s a small answer that led to five more questions. Instead, it’s simply question, after question, after question. It isn’t until close to 50% that we start to really see connections build, but by that point, I was already uninterested.

All of that said, this reads more like an ode to the American west than a horror novel. There are these big descriptive paragraphs that paint such a pretty picture, and a lot of background and historical information. The animal chapters are also amazing. The Coyote chapter and the Bear chapter, both broke my heart. It was written with so much emotion. The animal chapters were honestly my favorites.

I think if you’re a BIG fan of westerns or the American west, then you’ll appreciate Ten Sleep by Nicholas Belardes. If you’re looking for something that is more horror that is western flavored, this might be a bit much. I still don’t know how I feel about it completely.

// I voluntarily reviewed a complimentary copy of this book. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review. //

first reviewed at

[Abbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

*4.5 stars*

Ten Sleep is gritty Western horror with an eco-twist, and I loved it. If you are a fan of Western horror, this book needs to be on your radar!

Greta is doing a ten-day long cattle drive in Wyoming for some money before she shuffles off to her next odd job. When strange things begin happening on the first day, she shrugs it off, not realizing the bizarre events are only the beginning. Soon every day brings a new level of horror that turns the drive into a fight for not only their lives, but their sanity.

This book has a fantastic sense of place. As I was reading it, I felt isolated in the beautiful, empty wilds of Wyoming along with the characters, making the unsettling events of the story that much more disturbing. This is a disturbing book; it reads like a fever dream, with some truly creepy imagery and rambling sections that add another level of unease. It is also unlike any Western horror I’ve read before; there are more elements of the Weird mixed in, which I thought worked very well. The Weird Western genre always tends to lean scary anyway, so combining horror and weird makes sense to me, and as a fan of weird fiction, I really enjoyed it. If you haven’t read weird fiction before, but you’re a fan of horror, I think this book is a good entry into the almost-weird genre; it keeps you on your toes without pulling you into the deep end of weirdness. This book also has one of the more unique antagonists in any story I’ve read, which made the story very exciting; I genuinely wasn’t sure what was going to happen next at any point. Overall, I really enjoyed this book, and I can’t wait to see what the author writes next!

I would recommend Ten Sleep to readers who love Western Horror or the Weird Western genre, as well as fans of isolated settings, strange eco-horror (not an exact comparison, but it most reminded me of the Southern Reach trilogy), and main characters fighting demons within and without.

Thank you to NetGalley & Kensington Publishing for the arc! All thoughts & opinions in the review are my own.

[Tasha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Have you ever loved a book so much, it left you speechless?

I’m going to be honest with you all, I’m struggling to put into words how much I love this book.
After Nicholas Belardes’ debut The Deading I had high expectations for Ten Sleep, which Belardes met magnificently. Just like in The Deading, Belardes crafts an evocative narrative that had me on the edge of my seat.

This is a story about a cattle drive that Greta agrees to assist with. When I put it that way, it doesn’t sound appealing, but wait… there's so much more than that. It’s supernatural, horrific, sad, cruel, revengeful, and most importantly, life-changing; not just for the characters, but for the reader as well.

Throughout the cattle drive, Greta begins to see things, which leads to fears of what is in the dark and the shadows. This fear inside her, leads her to evaluate it and the pain from her past emerges. With her daydreaming about the past and present, she begins to grow into a stronger young lady. The escalation of the fear grows to a crescendo that proves how strong a young woman with an awful past can overcome her worst enemy, herself.

After long days of herding the cattle, her friends collect around the fire each night and stories are told. Mainly about Mother Canyon and Ten Sleep, the eerie land they must herd the cattle through. This land has a bloody, brutal past. It is covered in the blood of its victims. The anguish and death is felt in the air, you can smell the deception and murder.

Belardes weaves Native American history, ornithology, the mystical mother nature, and parapsychology.

Warning to readers, there is animal death. But not what you are thinking. Death can be a beautiful thing, it should not be feared. Belardes turns this into a beautiful passing of some of the animals in this story. There is no death of animals for the shock value, it is done tastefully and passionately.

[Susan · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't write a review that is as "literate" as those I've read because I don't have the eco-horror-thriller-Western genre terminology. Friends have introduced me to authors and books I would have previously never picked up (Alix Harrow's Starling House for example) and I've enjoyed them thoroughly. I read Nick Belardes' The Deading and loved it, so I dove right into Ten Sleep.

And I mean dove in - couldn't put it down. It's five-plus stars all the way.

The story centers around a cattle drive in Ten Sleep, Wyoming, with Greta Molina the main (human) character. We hear so much of her inner dialogue that my first instinct at least was get over it, Greta - I won't go into what - until I berated myself somewhat when I understood she's working out who she is, coming to terms with her past, her family, a potential break-up, trusting herself, the things we all do or did that take time. We don't do it, of course, surrounded by half-alive taxidermied creatures and we can give her some grace. Yes, she seems that real. Taxidermy and special magical "mud" from Mother Canyon along with who we have finally figured out is the (human) antagonist drive the story to it's climax on the 10th day (the 10th sleep), but along the way tension builds day by day until the creepiness and otherworldliness is almost too much to bear. BUT - the tension is broken by chapters interspersed about the animals. Whereas Belardes does an incredible job creating a sense of place for the Wyoming prairie - we really feel it, he seems to inhabit the world and language of animals and birds. We're introduced first to the prairie dogs and Yellowbrown which gives us an idea of the central role creatures will play as protectors. Chapter by chapter, from creepy characters to ghost trains to a certain amount of gore but not so much as to gross me out anyway, the tension builds but the complex climax is unexpected and satisfying.