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Golgotha #2
The Shotgun Arcana
R. S. Belcher's debut novel, The Six-Gun Tarot, was enthusiastically greeted by critics and readers, who praised its wildly inventive mixture of dark fantasy, steampunk, and the Wild West. Now Belcher returns to Golgotha, Nevada, a bustling frontier town that hides more than its fair share of unnatural secrets.
1870. A haven for the blessed and the damned, including a fallen angel, a mad scientist, a pirate queen, and a deputy who is kin to coyotes, Golgotha has come through many nightmarish trials, but now an army of thirty-two outlaws, lunatics, serial killers, and cannibals are converging on the town, drawn by a grisly relic that dates back to the Donner Party…and the dawn of humanity.
Sheriff Jon Highfather and his deputies already have their hands full dealing with train robbers, a mysterious series of brutal murders, and the usual outbreaks of weirdness. But with thirty-two of the most vicious killers on Earth riding into Golgotha in just a few day's time, the town and its people will be tested as never before—and some of them will never be the same.
399 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 7, 2014
94 people are currently reading
2038 people want to read
About the author
R.S. Belcher
34 books742 followersR.S. (Rod) Belcher is an award-winning newspaper and magazine editor and reporter.
Rod has been a private investigator, a DJ, a comic book store owner and has degrees in criminal law, psychology and justice and risk administration, from Virginia Commonwealth University. He's done Masters work in Forensic Science at The George Washington University, and worked with the Occult Crime Taskforce for the Virginia General Assembly.
He lives in Roanoke Virginia with his children: Jonathan and Emily .
Rod has been a private investigator, a DJ, a comic book store owner and has degrees in criminal law, psychology and justice and risk administration, from Virginia Commonwealth University. He's done Masters work in Forensic Science at The George Washington University, and worked with the Occult Crime Taskforce for the Virginia General Assembly.
He lives in Roanoke Virginia with his children: Jonathan and Emily .
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 188 reviews
April 1, 2020
⚠️ A message from Sarah-From-the-Future: I just finished writing this crappy non-review and it’s much much much longer than I intended. You’re welcome and stuff.
Actual rating: 4.764586 stars. Or maybe 3.25413 stars. Or maybe 4.435697 stars. Or maybe 3.9586489897 stars (and a half). Or maybe 4.9999999 stars. ). Or maybe 3.11111111 stars. Slightly very confused I am right now.
Yeah, more or less.
To understand this most uncharacteristic discombobulation backtrack we must. So. While I was reading this book, I was somewhat quite lusciously excited about it. It was MUCH faster paced and WAY MORE action-packed than The Six-Gun Tarot, the first book in this series. There weren’t as very bloody too many alternate POVs, so the plot didn’t feel as diluted as it did in book 1 (and thank fish for that). Also, there was a shrimpload of wonderfully dark stuff, splendidly charming (if a little cannibalistic) shenanigans, and delicious sense of impending doom. So YUM I say.
Not to mention that the world Belcher created is Super Extra Rich and one of the most original I’ve come across in a bloody shrimping long time. Then there’s the most refreshingly diverse cast of characters. Which happens to feature one of the most shrimpaliciously stunning array of kick-ass female characters in the history of shrimpaliciously stunning arrays of kick-ass female characters *waves at Craig Schaefer* And which also happens to feature two of the less allergy-inducing teenagers in the history of the less allergy-inducing teenagers *waves at Ilona Andrews* I kid you not.
So. All of the above obviously made me feel a little like this:
BUT. One of the things that bug the fish out of me when it comes to this book is that Belcher suffers from Indestructible Hero-itis (yes, that is a word). While he is quite happy to kill the bad guys deadly dead and have them suffer somewhat horribly in the process (and thank thee very much for that), he seems incapable of disposing of ANY of the good guys in the same, wonderfully despicable way. It’s as if his characters were all Wonder Women and Supermen *starts convulsing*. They’re always the fastest, the strongest, the bestest and the cleverest. They get their lovely derrieres kicked once in a while, but you just know that they’ll survive no matter what, even when in the direst of situations. (Like when Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler—not the character’s real name—spoilered spoilered spoilered after their fight with Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler—not the character’s real name either–and spoilered spoilered spoilered for a bit after that.) And that’s boring as fish, if you ask me. Not to mention unrealistic as shrimp. I’m not asking Belcher to kill everyone dead, but his cast is so extensive that he could afford skewering a few of them to death (and maybe even chopping them into tiny little pieces) *waves at Auggie*. That would make the whole thing much more exciting, methinks. So. Down the rating goes.
BUT. I gave this ↑↑ some thought (yes, it hurt), and realized that some of my favorite series suffer from the same revolting No One Dies Affliction(albeit on a MUCH SMALLER scale). So I thought I should cut Belcher some slack (because I can be disgustingly understanding like that). So. Up the rating goes. Yay and stuff.
BUT. Then I realized that one of the other things that bugs the fish out of me here is that there doesn’t seem to be an overarching arc for this series. Or any sense of direction whatsoever. So you have no bloody shrimping idea where Belcher is taking his series. If anywhere at all. Yes, every instalment has itspretty basic, good vs. evil own plot, but that’s it. And while I love reading about Golgotha and its most titillatingly colourful population, the apparent lack of series arc makes it all feel kinda sorta pointless and stuff. So. Down the rating goes.
BUT. Then I gave this ↑↑ some thought *excruciating pain intensifies*, and realized that some of my favorite series suffer from the same revolting No Apparent Arc at First Affliction(only that said series did evolve in some way or other, unlike Golgotha, where things seem to be as irremediably stuck as a clueless barnacle on its ridiculously hard substrate). So I thought I should cut Belcher some slack (because I can be disgustingly understanding like that). So. Up the rating goes. Yay and stuff again. Sorry, what? This paragraph feels like it was shamelessly copied from up there ↑↑ and copied down →here←, you say? I have no idea what you’re talking about. Go home, you’re obviously quite drunk, my Tiny Decapods.
BUT. Then I realized that one of the other, other things that bugs the fish out of me here is that this is a 399 page book that feels like a bloody shrimping door stopper. I have no bloody idea why, especially since it’s action-packed and pretty fast-paced and stuff. Because the writing is kinda sorta dense, mayhap? Who the fish knows? This is and forever shall be one of the greatest mysteries of our times, methinks. Anyhoo and stuff. Down the rating goes.
BUT. Then I had to stop thinking about this book for a while because I was starting to feel a teensy little bit like this:
And that’s when I had a To Bloody Shrimping Hell of the Stinking Fish Moment (TBSHotSFM™). And realized I really did enjoy reading the squid out of this book a whole big lot, despite its many weaknesses. So why the krill should I lower my rating? Sometimes you like a book against yourwrong better judgement, and maybe perhaps it's better to just go with the nefarious flow and savor the scrumpalicious vibes, instead of giving your two ever-decaying grey cells the headache of the century while trying to find reasons to lessen your initial, most joyously frolicsome enjoyment of the story. Also: Western + Fantasy = YUM. And that, my Jocund Arthropods, is a scientifically proven fact.
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): before reading this book, I thought that angels were assholes. Hahahahahahahaha. How delightfully naïve of me. It’s much much much MUCH worse than that! And I 💕 lurves 💕 it. Obviously.
Note to self: buy an iron skillet post haste. They are much more efficient than cleavers when it comes chopping little heads off and stuff.
👋 To be continued and stuff.
· Book 1: The Six-Gun Tarot ★★★
· Book 3: The Queen of Swords ★★
Pre-review nonsense
Well color me bloody shrimping surprised. This was Slightly Fishing Very Good (SFVG™) and stuff. Deliciously dark, exquisitely gory. With a most scrumptious cast of characters, complete with wonderfully sadistic villainous villains, yummiliciously kidnapable sheriffs (Poof! Gone! Harem!) and one of the mostest gloriousest magnificentest bunch of kick ass female characters ever (Poof! Gone! Harem! Again!). And what do we do now? We dance, obviously.
And then we dance again, for good measure and stuff.
Full review to come and stuff.
Actual rating: 4.764586 stars. Or maybe 3.25413 stars. Or maybe 4.435697 stars. Or maybe 3.9586489897 stars (and a half). Or maybe 4.9999999 stars. ). Or maybe 3.11111111 stars. Slightly very confused I am right now.
Yeah, more or less.
To understand this most uncharacteristic discombobulation backtrack we must. So. While I was reading this book, I was somewhat quite lusciously excited about it. It was MUCH faster paced and WAY MORE action-packed than The Six-Gun Tarot, the first book in this series. There weren’t as very bloody too many alternate POVs, so the plot didn’t feel as diluted as it did in book 1 (and thank fish for that). Also, there was a shrimpload of wonderfully dark stuff, splendidly charming (if a little cannibalistic) shenanigans, and delicious sense of impending doom. So YUM I say.
Not to mention that the world Belcher created is Super Extra Rich and one of the most original I’ve come across in a bloody shrimping long time. Then there’s the most refreshingly diverse cast of characters. Which happens to feature one of the most shrimpaliciously stunning array of kick-ass female characters in the history of shrimpaliciously stunning arrays of kick-ass female characters *waves at Craig Schaefer* And which also happens to feature two of the less allergy-inducing teenagers in the history of the less allergy-inducing teenagers *waves at Ilona Andrews* I kid you not.
So. All of the above obviously made me feel a little like this:
BUT. One of the things that bug the fish out of me when it comes to this book is that Belcher suffers from Indestructible Hero-itis (yes, that is a word). While he is quite happy to kill the bad guys deadly dead and have them suffer somewhat horribly in the process (and thank thee very much for that), he seems incapable of disposing of ANY of the good guys in the same, wonderfully despicable way. It’s as if his characters were all Wonder Women and Supermen *starts convulsing*. They’re always the fastest, the strongest, the bestest and the cleverest. They get their lovely derrieres kicked once in a while, but you just know that they’ll survive no matter what, even when in the direst of situations. (Like when Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler—not the character’s real name—spoilered spoilered spoilered after their fight with Spoiler Spoiler Spoiler—not the character’s real name either–and spoilered spoilered spoilered for a bit after that.) And that’s boring as fish, if you ask me. Not to mention unrealistic as shrimp. I’m not asking Belcher to kill everyone dead, but his cast is so extensive that he could afford skewering a few of them to death (and maybe even chopping them into tiny little pieces) *waves at Auggie*. That would make the whole thing much more exciting, methinks. So. Down the rating goes.
BUT. I gave this ↑↑ some thought (yes, it hurt), and realized that some of my favorite series suffer from the same revolting No One Dies Affliction
BUT. Then I realized that one of the other things that bugs the fish out of me here is that there doesn’t seem to be an overarching arc for this series. Or any sense of direction whatsoever. So you have no bloody shrimping idea where Belcher is taking his series. If anywhere at all. Yes, every instalment has its
BUT. Then I gave this ↑↑ some thought *excruciating pain intensifies*, and realized that some of my favorite series suffer from the same revolting No Apparent Arc at First Affliction
BUT. Then I realized that one of the other, other things that bugs the fish out of me here is that this is a 399 page book that feels like a bloody shrimping door stopper. I have no bloody idea why, especially since it’s action-packed and pretty fast-paced and stuff. Because the writing is kinda sorta dense, mayhap? Who the fish knows? This is and forever shall be one of the greatest mysteries of our times, methinks. Anyhoo and stuff. Down the rating goes.
BUT. Then I had to stop thinking about this book for a while because I was starting to feel a teensy little bit like this:
And that’s when I had a To Bloody Shrimping Hell of the Stinking Fish Moment (TBSHotSFM™). And realized I really did enjoy reading the squid out of this book a whole big lot, despite its many weaknesses. So why the krill should I lower my rating? Sometimes you like a book against your
➽ Nefarious Last Words (NLW™): before reading this book, I thought that angels were assholes. Hahahahahahahaha. How delightfully naïve of me. It’s much much much MUCH worse than that! And I 💕 lurves 💕 it. Obviously.
Note to self: buy an iron skillet post haste. They are much more efficient than cleavers when it comes chopping little heads off and stuff.
👋 To be continued and stuff.
· Book 1: The Six-Gun Tarot ★★★
· Book 3: The Queen of Swords ★★
Pre-review nonsense
Well color me bloody shrimping surprised. This was Slightly Fishing Very Good (SFVG™) and stuff. Deliciously dark, exquisitely gory. With a most scrumptious cast of characters, complete with wonderfully sadistic villainous villains, yummiliciously kidnapable sheriffs (Poof! Gone! Harem!) and one of the mostest gloriousest magnificentest bunch of kick ass female characters ever (Poof! Gone! Harem! Again!). And what do we do now? We dance, obviously.
And then we dance again, for good measure and stuff.
Full review to come and stuff.
November 5, 2021
Why did I wait so long to read this?
The Shotgun Arcana (Golgatha)
By R.S. Belcher
Top notch western horror, and book 2 in the series. Read them in order. A very alternative history with various creatures, spirits, angels, gods, myths, and human monsters centered around the town of Golgotha. We have the same great characters from book one but added a few more to our great crew.
I really love the variety and their various backgrounds.
This is action packed, A bit gory at times, it is a horror novel and has horrible experiences in it, but it also has wit and a touch of humor sprinkled here and there.
Ending was great and can't wait to follow the series!
The Shotgun Arcana (Golgatha)
By R.S. Belcher
Top notch western horror, and book 2 in the series. Read them in order. A very alternative history with various creatures, spirits, angels, gods, myths, and human monsters centered around the town of Golgotha. We have the same great characters from book one but added a few more to our great crew.
I really love the variety and their various backgrounds.
This is action packed, A bit gory at times, it is a horror novel and has horrible experiences in it, but it also has wit and a touch of humor sprinkled here and there.
Ending was great and can't wait to follow the series!
December 28, 2015
Once again a fantastic mix of the Wild West setting with a multitude of different mythologies and religions. Great characters with secrets that are revealed over the course of time.
I really hope that this is going to be a long lived series as I can't wait to return to Golgatha again.
I really hope that this is going to be a long lived series as I can't wait to return to Golgatha again.
November 24, 2014
Fantasy Review Barn
Sometimes taking a story all the way over the top just flat out works. It is not enough to )have angels on earth, zombie outbreaks, Frankenstein-ish scientists and various shape shifters in a Wild West town. It would be much, much better to add in some ninjas, ancient orders of mysticism, and a large number of the nastiest killers in the world to the mix. When in Rome and all that jazz (mixing clichés is even more fun that mixing metaphors, you should try it). Here is the weirdest thing about all of this though; every single strange element I just listed is present in The Shotgun Arcana yet somehow the story avoids feeling like pure pulp.
Really it shouldn’t surprise me that this works so well as the ‘everything goes into the pot’ approach is used in the urban fantasy sub-genre to great affect all the time. And when picking a classification the UF label works as well as any other for this series despite taking place a good hundred plus before most urban fantasy tales.
Anyway… The Shotgun Arcana is the follow up to The Six-Gun Tarot which set the stage for this weird west town named Golgotha and the strange happenings with in. The first book was overly ambitious and while I enjoyed it immensely it was all almost too much; it wanted to do everything and I felt there were a few things that fell through the cracks by the end. Shotgun Arcana benefits from having the mythos of this world pre-established and was able to move right in the story. As such it felt like a tighter and more focused book all around. From beginning to end the pressure is never let off; right up to the end as loose ends are neatly tied while new threads are purposely unraveled.
A basic plot summery boils down to rival angels competing for the direction earth will take; final showdown taking place in Golgotha. Serial killers from around the world appear to be converging on a town that is doing its best to forget the crazy transpirings from a couple years before. Those standing to stop them from destroy the town (and eventually the world) include an immortal (allegedly) sheriff, his part coyote deputy, a decedent of Lilith with near super powers, and a few other over the top and completely awesome personalities. Expect lots of action, lots of blood, and a few things that can’t even be explained by the supernatural.
Dark but occasionally funny this a tale that balances characters one can’t help but love and a setting /mythos that will leave a person dying for more. I admit I was hooked, flipping pages at a pace I don’t get to do much of anymore and threatening to bite anyone who asked me to put the book down. I wanted to know who all these serial killers I was meeting in random interludes were; and gave a self congratulatory pat on the back to myself when I figured out just what it was they were all carrying. I was rooting for the various love interests despite some of them being incredibly creepy. And when it was all over I was a bit sad that the next book in the series isn’t out right now.
A small note about Golgotha itself. It is a city with life and realism. Mining camps outside of town, various churches, people everyone knows and people completely marginalized- all are present. Belcher gives he women professions other than prostitute (and though that profession is present the ‘happy whore’ trope is thankfully not in affect). He remembered enough about U.S. history to include a strong Chinese contingent in a town affected by the building of the railroad. Though some of his characters are suspiciously modern when it comes to their views the town still fights with racism and other strong ‘views.’ And the characters fight real fights against these views; some winning small victories and some sadly losing the fight.
4 Stars
Copy for review provided by publisher.
Sometimes taking a story all the way over the top just flat out works. It is not enough to )have angels on earth, zombie outbreaks, Frankenstein-ish scientists and various shape shifters in a Wild West town. It would be much, much better to add in some ninjas, ancient orders of mysticism, and a large number of the nastiest killers in the world to the mix. When in Rome and all that jazz (mixing clichés is even more fun that mixing metaphors, you should try it). Here is the weirdest thing about all of this though; every single strange element I just listed is present in The Shotgun Arcana yet somehow the story avoids feeling like pure pulp.
Really it shouldn’t surprise me that this works so well as the ‘everything goes into the pot’ approach is used in the urban fantasy sub-genre to great affect all the time. And when picking a classification the UF label works as well as any other for this series despite taking place a good hundred plus before most urban fantasy tales.
Anyway… The Shotgun Arcana is the follow up to The Six-Gun Tarot which set the stage for this weird west town named Golgotha and the strange happenings with in. The first book was overly ambitious and while I enjoyed it immensely it was all almost too much; it wanted to do everything and I felt there were a few things that fell through the cracks by the end. Shotgun Arcana benefits from having the mythos of this world pre-established and was able to move right in the story. As such it felt like a tighter and more focused book all around. From beginning to end the pressure is never let off; right up to the end as loose ends are neatly tied while new threads are purposely unraveled.
A basic plot summery boils down to rival angels competing for the direction earth will take; final showdown taking place in Golgotha. Serial killers from around the world appear to be converging on a town that is doing its best to forget the crazy transpirings from a couple years before. Those standing to stop them from destroy the town (and eventually the world) include an immortal (allegedly) sheriff, his part coyote deputy, a decedent of Lilith with near super powers, and a few other over the top and completely awesome personalities. Expect lots of action, lots of blood, and a few things that can’t even be explained by the supernatural.
Dark but occasionally funny this a tale that balances characters one can’t help but love and a setting /mythos that will leave a person dying for more. I admit I was hooked, flipping pages at a pace I don’t get to do much of anymore and threatening to bite anyone who asked me to put the book down. I wanted to know who all these serial killers I was meeting in random interludes were; and gave a self congratulatory pat on the back to myself when I figured out just what it was they were all carrying. I was rooting for the various love interests despite some of them being incredibly creepy. And when it was all over I was a bit sad that the next book in the series isn’t out right now.
A small note about Golgotha itself. It is a city with life and realism. Mining camps outside of town, various churches, people everyone knows and people completely marginalized- all are present. Belcher gives he women professions other than prostitute (and though that profession is present the ‘happy whore’ trope is thankfully not in affect). He remembered enough about U.S. history to include a strong Chinese contingent in a town affected by the building of the railroad. Though some of his characters are suspiciously modern when it comes to their views the town still fights with racism and other strong ‘views.’ And the characters fight real fights against these views; some winning small victories and some sadly losing the fight.
4 Stars
Copy for review provided by publisher.
June 26, 2014
Book Info: Genre: Weird Western
Reading Level: Adult
Diversity: GLBTQ characters, various religions, interracial relationships
Tense, Person, POV: Past tense, third person, limited POV
Recommended for: Fans of Weird Westerns, Lovecraftian books, steampunk
Book Available: October 7, 2014 in Hardcover and Kindle formats
Trigger Warnings: murder, mutilation, torture, mention of necrophilia, cannibalism
Animals: at least one horse killed
My Thoughts: These are listed as steampunk, but thus far there is limited steampunkery. To me, this is mostly a Weird Western with strong Lovecraftian influences. There are also very many stretches of interesting philosophical discussion between the various characters that I quite enjoyed. For instance:
Also, it is mentioned off-hand that Baba Yaga came to Golgotha, albeit briefly. She is not mentioned by name, but a house on chicken legs is a dead giveaway. I do hope that this story will be told in full; maybe the author has a number of these little anecdotes that he could use to put together an anthology of short stories set in Golgotha?
Toward the end, Clay and a Professor Zenith have a “science showdown” that is wonderfully fun as they shout at one another, using very civilized language and high-toned insults. It struck my funny bone and hopefully I won't be the only one amused by it. At the end, Clay says, “I swear... anyone with a little copper tubing and a dynamo thinks they're a scientist these days.”
This is an excellent follow-up and I'm grateful to the author for sending me this ARC so I didn't have to wait until October to read it! I haven't commented on editing because this is an uncorrected proof, so any errors I spotted will likely be cleaned up by the final draft. Definitely check this out if it sounds like the sort of book you'd like!
Series Information: The Golgotha series
Book 1: The Six-Gun Arcana, review linked here where formatting allowed
Book 2: The Shotgun Arcana
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: 1870. A haven for the blessed and the damned, including a fallen angel, a mad scientist, a pirate queen, and a deputy who is kin to coyotes, Golgotha has come through many nightmarish trials, but now an army of thirty-two outlaws, lunatics, serial killers, and cannibals are converging on the town, drawn by a grisly relic that dates back to the Donner Party… and the dawn of humanity.
Sheriff Jon Highfather and his deputies already have their hands full dealing with train robbers, a mysterious series of brutal murders, and the usual outbreaks of weirdness. But with thirty-two of the most vicious killers on Earth riding into Golgotha in just a few day’s time, the town and its people will be tested as never before—and some of them will never be the same.
Reading Level: Adult
Diversity: GLBTQ characters, various religions, interracial relationships
Tense, Person, POV: Past tense, third person, limited POV
Recommended for: Fans of Weird Westerns, Lovecraftian books, steampunk
Book Available: October 7, 2014 in Hardcover and Kindle formats
Trigger Warnings: murder, mutilation, torture, mention of necrophilia, cannibalism
Animals: at least one horse killed
My Thoughts: These are listed as steampunk, but thus far there is limited steampunkery. To me, this is mostly a Weird Western with strong Lovecraftian influences. There are also very many stretches of interesting philosophical discussion between the various characters that I quite enjoyed. For instance:
“God simply is,” Bick said. “Humanity embraced It. They gave It color and gender, shape and form. They put words in Its mouth. They always have, and they still do, perhaps they always will. I always experience God as a 'He,' but God is too vast to be held prisoner by language or biology.”I'm enjoying the character development in these books. Mutt, for example, has really loosened up, and he's quite funny in this book. Jon is off a lot, leaving Mutt and Jim to take care of business in the town. Doc Tumblety is such a creeper, and of course incompetent to boot. As Jon Highfather states: “And that's our first-rate medical care here in sunny Golgotha. He may seem pretty horrible at first, but after awhile you come to realize that deep down inside, he's much worse than that.” He's very misogynistic, saying at one point to Kate, “Hush now... Men are talking.” As for Kate, she makes a great addition to the cast and to the town; I hope we'll see her again! I enjoyed the bits and pieces of Chinese history and legends that Ch'eng Huang provides to Jim as he is instructing him on how to use the jade eye. I was more than a bit troubled by the inclusion of the Thuggee, as their worship of Kali Ma is a perversion. It is true Kali Ma is the Mother-Destroyer, the one who must destroy the world so it can be remade anew, but that doesn't mean that people should be going around randomly murdering in her name.
“...What things do you think the Almighty was whispering in my ear all those countless eons? Words of endearment? Of joy and peace and love? No. He dipped his tongue in the blackest blood and he whispered to me of slaughter, of death of torture and atrocity. That is your creator, Biqa. He built this entire lovely, lovely playground so that he could tear it apart, abuse and neglect his toys and listen to the terrified screams of the monkeys as they tried to understand.”
“Where did payback end exactly? Charlie Upton had murdered Jim's Pa. Jim killed Charlie. One day Jim might get shot or hanged for what he did to Charlie and sometone like Mutt or Jon Highfather might seek revenge in his name. How far back did the blood flow? When was it enough? Could anything ever get square?”
Also, it is mentioned off-hand that Baba Yaga came to Golgotha, albeit briefly. She is not mentioned by name, but a house on chicken legs is a dead giveaway. I do hope that this story will be told in full; maybe the author has a number of these little anecdotes that he could use to put together an anthology of short stories set in Golgotha?
Toward the end, Clay and a Professor Zenith have a “science showdown” that is wonderfully fun as they shout at one another, using very civilized language and high-toned insults. It struck my funny bone and hopefully I won't be the only one amused by it. At the end, Clay says, “I swear... anyone with a little copper tubing and a dynamo thinks they're a scientist these days.”
This is an excellent follow-up and I'm grateful to the author for sending me this ARC so I didn't have to wait until October to read it! I haven't commented on editing because this is an uncorrected proof, so any errors I spotted will likely be cleaned up by the final draft. Definitely check this out if it sounds like the sort of book you'd like!
Series Information: The Golgotha series
Book 1: The Six-Gun Arcana, review linked here where formatting allowed
Book 2: The Shotgun Arcana
Disclosure: I received an ARC from the author in exchange for an honest review. All opinions are my own.
Synopsis: 1870. A haven for the blessed and the damned, including a fallen angel, a mad scientist, a pirate queen, and a deputy who is kin to coyotes, Golgotha has come through many nightmarish trials, but now an army of thirty-two outlaws, lunatics, serial killers, and cannibals are converging on the town, drawn by a grisly relic that dates back to the Donner Party… and the dawn of humanity.
Sheriff Jon Highfather and his deputies already have their hands full dealing with train robbers, a mysterious series of brutal murders, and the usual outbreaks of weirdness. But with thirty-two of the most vicious killers on Earth riding into Golgotha in just a few day’s time, the town and its people will be tested as never before—and some of them will never be the same.
May 18, 2015
Full review over at Fantasy Book Critic
OVERVIEW/ANALYSIS: The Shotgun Arcana is the sequel to last year’s The Six-Gun Tarot. It was a book that Cindy and me both enjoyed and had big expectations from the author going forward. The Shotgun Arcana is the sequel to that fantastic debut and contrary to my worries; Rod Belcher has outdone himself with this solid sophomore effort. Also there'll be mild spoilers for The Six-Gun Tarot as I talk about the plot so be forewarned those who haven't read the previous volume.
The story begins set nearly a year after the troubled events that were shown in The Six-gun Tarot. The town residents have come back to a semblance of normalcy & managed to convince themselves that perhaps it was all a horrible nightmare. For certain residents like Jim who’s now a deputy sheriff along with Mutt and helping Jon Highfeather keeps everything under control. Maude had to sacrifice a lot (especially a big part of her legacy) to keep her daughter alive and save the world at the same time. Malachi Bick is back in Golgotha after his reappearance at the fag end of the events shown in The Six-gun tarot and is quite unpopular with the town folk due to his business tactics.
Harry Pratt the town mayor has settled down with his dual role as mayor and gay Mormon and also has a special weapon to keep him busy. Augustus Schultz is remarried but seeks to help his friend Clay Turlough (the resident mad scuientist). His second wife Gillian Proctor further does her best to help him avail his second chance at happiness. Then are quite a few new characters who are introduced and share familial and friendly ties to several POV characters. The big draw with with this story is the presence of a person familiar to Biqa/Malachi who has been given a similar task as him. This person though hasn't held up their share of the bargain and this has led to the spread of 32 teeth of Cain. These teeth seek out the very worst of human depravity and so there’s a whole host of killers coming towards Golgotha for something sinister.
There’s also a serial killer in the town who’s taken a clue from an infamous Whitechapel passerby who’s left a bloody stain on their past. This killer is striking havoc among the working girls of the town and seems to work in an invisible manner. Jon, Mutt and Jim will have to pool their brains as well take the help of all their friends to solve these murders and at the same time try to solve all their individual problems. There’s a bunch more stuff that’s combined with the main threads of this story that make this sequel such a fantastic read for me.
Beginning with the characterization, in review for The Six-gun Tarot, I had noted: “his prose and characterization upends this tale from simply a fantastic idea onto a fantastic story. The characters even though numerous hold their own and each of them alternatively convince the reader of their importance.” But with this sequel, Rod Belcher basically outdoes himself in the characters department. There are so many good ones: Augustus, Maude, Jon, Malachi, Jim, Clay, & a couple of the new ones introduced in this volume. Frankly at this point, I’ll be ecstatic if the author keeps writing further tales of Golgotha as there are several pointers in this story for future & past exploits.
There’s also quite a few historical references personas such as Abraham Lincoln, Edgar Allen Poe, etc and events/organizations like the Donner Party and the Pinkerton agency. The author judiciously mixes historical nuggets within his story to make it seem oh so plausible and entirely delectable. This sequel is basically the book that convinced me that Rod S. Belcher is an author to watch out for. His imagination, writing style and characters simply have elevated him into that select group of authors whose books I will heartily keep recommending to all and sundry.
The Shotgun Arcana is a fabulous sequel that builds on the terrific premise that was laid out in the Six Gun Tarot. It is a book that right now is in my top three books for 2014 and this series as a whole deserves to be adapted for TV. Think of it as Wild west meets League of Extraordinary Gentlemen crossed with a little bit of Lovecraft and mixed in with superb characterization. If you haven’t read The Shotgun Arcana & its predecessor yet, you ARE missing out on a classic series in the making.
September 23, 2024
We were introduced to Golgotha in The Six-Gun Tarot. Now, we return to the town of abiding weirdness with The Shotgun Arcana. The overarching plot revolves around a powerful item from the pre-history of man, long hidden and guarded. Now, a force for evil wants it, and will stop at nothing to get it. The item is hidden somewhere around Golgotha, so the town where almost nothing normal happens ends up under siege from a collection of some of the most evil and powerful people around.
Among the many odd defenders and residents of the town: Sheriff Jon Highfather, the man who can not die. No matter what kind of scrape he ends up in, somehow he comes out on the other side. His deputies include Mutt, a half-breed but not in the way people usually think of that term in the Old West, and Jim Negrey, the both with the tragic past he's running from and a mystic inheritance of his own. They are joined by a woman who is the last of a special bloodline, a champion of a religious faith, an amazingly skilled US Marshal, an exiled angel, a mad scientist, and several others. It almost sounds like there's too much going on, but it actually works very well and spins a highly enjoyable tale.
One of the things I've loved about both books is that, while they deal with the big crisis that forms the main story, there are casual references to weird things that have happened in the past of the town, hints at things that could easily be stories on their own. The casualness that most of the people approach the mystic and magical tells you just how strange the place is.
Add in to this several subplots involving characters finding love, a man challenging death itself, a family reunion of sorts, a crisis of faith for a supernatural being, and a simple act of goodness being the catalyst for saving the town, and you get a rich world and complex town. I really enjoyed this story a lot.
Recommended for fans of the supernatural, westerns, weird westerns, or any good story with a lot of moving parts and great characters who are human no matter what their background or special abilities.
Among the many odd defenders and residents of the town: Sheriff Jon Highfather, the man who can not die. No matter what kind of scrape he ends up in, somehow he comes out on the other side. His deputies include Mutt, a half-breed but not in the way people usually think of that term in the Old West, and Jim Negrey, the both with the tragic past he's running from and a mystic inheritance of his own. They are joined by a woman who is the last of a special bloodline, a champion of a religious faith, an amazingly skilled US Marshal, an exiled angel, a mad scientist, and several others. It almost sounds like there's too much going on, but it actually works very well and spins a highly enjoyable tale.
One of the things I've loved about both books is that, while they deal with the big crisis that forms the main story, there are casual references to weird things that have happened in the past of the town, hints at things that could easily be stories on their own. The casualness that most of the people approach the mystic and magical tells you just how strange the place is.
Add in to this several subplots involving characters finding love, a man challenging death itself, a family reunion of sorts, a crisis of faith for a supernatural being, and a simple act of goodness being the catalyst for saving the town, and you get a rich world and complex town. I really enjoyed this story a lot.
Recommended for fans of the supernatural, westerns, weird westerns, or any good story with a lot of moving parts and great characters who are human no matter what their background or special abilities.
November 9, 2018
3.5! This one is fun!!!!
World: The world building is very good, it’s slow and meticulous and there are are a lot of characters and pieces but overall the time spent on building this world pays off. It’s Weird West so there are the staples of the genre and the fantasy genre found here. It’s put together well and I like this little world that Belcher has created.
Story: The story does start of slow, much like the first book. It can also be long winded in it’s character work and the multiple paths this book takes. But it’s worth it cause when they all do come together it’s wonderful. Belcher spends time with characters and let’s them interact and build and grow and it’s a good thing. You get to feel the everyday things of living in this town and the interactions and gives the book a lived in feel to it. I also like how this book is a natural progression of the first book and it feels like seeing familiar friends again. I loved this villain this time around, the small vignettes of the villains made all the difference when the confrontations happened.
Characters: A great cast of characters that fit a lot of the archetypes of the genre but that’s fine. There is great dialog and interactions giving the characters more depth and making readers care about them. There is not one main character in the book and everyone gets time in the spotlight (it’s an ensemble). I did find that the romance a bit stunted but that’s a minor gripe.
I like this series and I feel bad there is only one more left in the series.
Onward to the next book!
World: The world building is very good, it’s slow and meticulous and there are are a lot of characters and pieces but overall the time spent on building this world pays off. It’s Weird West so there are the staples of the genre and the fantasy genre found here. It’s put together well and I like this little world that Belcher has created.
Story: The story does start of slow, much like the first book. It can also be long winded in it’s character work and the multiple paths this book takes. But it’s worth it cause when they all do come together it’s wonderful. Belcher spends time with characters and let’s them interact and build and grow and it’s a good thing. You get to feel the everyday things of living in this town and the interactions and gives the book a lived in feel to it. I also like how this book is a natural progression of the first book and it feels like seeing familiar friends again. I loved this villain this time around, the small vignettes of the villains made all the difference when the confrontations happened.
Characters: A great cast of characters that fit a lot of the archetypes of the genre but that’s fine. There is great dialog and interactions giving the characters more depth and making readers care about them. There is not one main character in the book and everyone gets time in the spotlight (it’s an ensemble). I did find that the romance a bit stunted but that’s a minor gripe.
I like this series and I feel bad there is only one more left in the series.
Onward to the next book!
February 23, 2021
A darkly entertaining supernatural fantasy set in the frontiers of the wild west, garnished with violence, gore, and tense dramatic moments. It was a complete page-turner plot wise, and the characters have retained their complexity and intriguing personalities. This was better than the first book, in terms of action and suspense, and also in the smooth flow of the story. The writing was quite good too compared to the first one.
There must be a sort of trigger warning for some grim elements of the book. That includes cannibalism, and mutilation/murder of women, which is present in the narrative. This is a story about psycopathic serial killers/fanatics following their murderous god in search of a dangerous artifact. So, Belcher doesn't shy away from giving a blood-splattered story. I liked the concept of "murder" and how the story of Cain is being interpreted, which made it more sinister and mythical.
I love the characters of the book. Each of them have a peculiar speciality of their own. I enjoyed how the friendship cum romantic tension has developed Mutt and Maude. It was such a joy to watch them grow into their best selves. Jim, Constance, Jon Highfather, are all in their best dynamics here. Even the eccentric scientist aka real doctor gets to do some real badassery here. I can't wait to see how his "resurrection project" goes in the long run. And, it was also absolutely fun to see Malachi Bick in full warrior angel mode, and kicking some real ass, apart from performing the role of an powerful asshole. I loved his change towards the end, and hope to see him get better as a character.
The last half of the book was a goddamn blast. It was cinematic, and I could almost visualise the brutal action in front of me like a RPG. The town Golgotha itself felt like one massive character with its own dangerous secrets and mysteries. It was that good. I'll definitely be reading the third book soon, and devour anything else Belcher has written.
There must be a sort of trigger warning for some grim elements of the book. That includes cannibalism, and mutilation/murder of women, which is present in the narrative. This is a story about psycopathic serial killers/fanatics following their murderous god in search of a dangerous artifact. So, Belcher doesn't shy away from giving a blood-splattered story. I liked the concept of "murder" and how the story of Cain is being interpreted, which made it more sinister and mythical.
I love the characters of the book. Each of them have a peculiar speciality of their own. I enjoyed how the friendship cum romantic tension has developed Mutt and Maude. It was such a joy to watch them grow into their best selves. Jim, Constance, Jon Highfather, are all in their best dynamics here. Even the eccentric scientist aka real doctor gets to do some real badassery here. I can't wait to see how his "resurrection project" goes in the long run. And, it was also absolutely fun to see Malachi Bick in full warrior angel mode, and kicking some real ass, apart from performing the role of an powerful asshole. I loved his change towards the end, and hope to see him get better as a character.
The last half of the book was a goddamn blast. It was cinematic, and I could almost visualise the brutal action in front of me like a RPG. The town Golgotha itself felt like one massive character with its own dangerous secrets and mysteries. It was that good. I'll definitely be reading the third book soon, and devour anything else Belcher has written.
March 22, 2020
3.5 Stars
Review:
These books are slow and meandering. They take a long time to get to the point of the plot. They spend a lot of time just exploring random things going on in the town or out and about in the world.
But gosh, these characters are so great! I feel so attached to them. They're imperfect and good-hearted and lovable. Their relationships and friendships are so sweet and genuine. I may not be all that interested in some of them, but even those characters are still lovable and I don't want bad things to happen.
I really enjoyed the parts about 16-year-old Jim trying to catch a serial killer and also having his first romance, Jim and Mutt's friendship, Mutt and Maude wooing each other and fighting for their relationship despite the hate against them, Harry trying to balance duty and love, Harry and Mutt's mutual dislike but respect for each other, Jon just trying to get by and survive and keep the town safe but also maybe finally finding some happiness for himself, Malachi also trying to keep the town safe in his own way while having a crisis of faith and getting to know his daughter. I didn't care that much for Augustus and Gillian's relationship, Clay's science experiments, or Maude's supernatural hunting trip, but, again, they're still good characters.
The third person omniscient/head-hopping was still there, but it didn't so much bother me this time because I knew to expect it, and I think it just wasn't as confusing and chaotic.
The main story was also good, once it got going. And the battle at the end of the book was wild. Townsfolk, psychopaths, assassins, pirates, scientists, supernatural shapeshifters, angels. It was great.
Of course I loved the Old West setting too. These books are quintessential weird west books, what with all the weird sci-fi/fantasy stuff that goes on.
Overall, I loved seeing more of these lovably imperfect characters and their relationships, and I'm glad I continued this series.
Recommended For:
Fans of Book 1 in R.S. Belcher's Golgotha series. Anyone who likes sci-fi/fantasy, the Old West, good-hearted characters, and sweet friendships.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
These books are slow and meandering. They take a long time to get to the point of the plot. They spend a lot of time just exploring random things going on in the town or out and about in the world.
But gosh, these characters are so great! I feel so attached to them. They're imperfect and good-hearted and lovable. Their relationships and friendships are so sweet and genuine. I may not be all that interested in some of them, but even those characters are still lovable and I don't want bad things to happen.
I really enjoyed the parts about 16-year-old Jim trying to catch a serial killer and also having his first romance, Jim and Mutt's friendship, Mutt and Maude wooing each other and fighting for their relationship despite the hate against them, Harry trying to balance duty and love, Harry and Mutt's mutual dislike but respect for each other, Jon just trying to get by and survive and keep the town safe but also maybe finally finding some happiness for himself, Malachi also trying to keep the town safe in his own way while having a crisis of faith and getting to know his daughter. I didn't care that much for Augustus and Gillian's relationship, Clay's science experiments, or Maude's supernatural hunting trip, but, again, they're still good characters.
The third person omniscient/head-hopping was still there, but it didn't so much bother me this time because I knew to expect it, and I think it just wasn't as confusing and chaotic.
The main story was also good, once it got going. And the battle at the end of the book was wild. Townsfolk, psychopaths, assassins, pirates, scientists, supernatural shapeshifters, angels. It was great.
Of course I loved the Old West setting too. These books are quintessential weird west books, what with all the weird sci-fi/fantasy stuff that goes on.
Overall, I loved seeing more of these lovably imperfect characters and their relationships, and I'm glad I continued this series.
Recommended For:
Fans of Book 1 in R.S. Belcher's Golgotha series. Anyone who likes sci-fi/fantasy, the Old West, good-hearted characters, and sweet friendships.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
February 11, 2017
7.5/10
In ‘The Shotgun Arcana’ Belcher manages to bring a much better story, as he makes it even more interesting from the previous book, with stronger ideas, lots of action and also some nice humour.
After the adventures that the people of Golgotha passed, the town seems now to return once again to its normal pace, with Jim and Mutt trying to make their life. But when an ancient, mystical, skull is discovered again, that was buried to the depths of the past, a new evil will begin to disturb Golgotha and its people, bringing chaos and destructions.
Jim and Mutt will take this mission and will try to solve this mystery, only that this time they will need the help of their friends and of the angel Biqa, to restore the order of the town.
However, this mission will prove something more difficult from what they expected when they discover that someone more evil awaits them this time, and who has has spent centuries hunting down Biqa to destroy him, and his only desire is to have the control of Golgotha and its people in his hands, even if he must destroy it all first.
The story, I have to say, was something more to my taste in this book as I liked it more than ‘The Six-Gun Tarot’, with Belcher seeming to be more comfortable here, and with his writing flowing much better and having now found his rhythm; as also having a more balance character development, between the main and secondary ones, even though of the many points of view.
Of course, there are some flaws in this book too but, although its fantasy elements are not really that strong, Belcher manages to bring a very entertaining story, with the characters going, again, in another wild adventure; as also managing to hold it interesting until the end.
Overall, I found this book more satisfying than ‘The Six-Gun Tarot’, with Belcher bringing a more entertaining continuation to the town of Golgotha, and also leaving some nice hints for the next one.
In ‘The Shotgun Arcana’ Belcher manages to bring a much better story, as he makes it even more interesting from the previous book, with stronger ideas, lots of action and also some nice humour.
After the adventures that the people of Golgotha passed, the town seems now to return once again to its normal pace, with Jim and Mutt trying to make their life. But when an ancient, mystical, skull is discovered again, that was buried to the depths of the past, a new evil will begin to disturb Golgotha and its people, bringing chaos and destructions.
Jim and Mutt will take this mission and will try to solve this mystery, only that this time they will need the help of their friends and of the angel Biqa, to restore the order of the town.
However, this mission will prove something more difficult from what they expected when they discover that someone more evil awaits them this time, and who has has spent centuries hunting down Biqa to destroy him, and his only desire is to have the control of Golgotha and its people in his hands, even if he must destroy it all first.
The story, I have to say, was something more to my taste in this book as I liked it more than ‘The Six-Gun Tarot’, with Belcher seeming to be more comfortable here, and with his writing flowing much better and having now found his rhythm; as also having a more balance character development, between the main and secondary ones, even though of the many points of view.
Of course, there are some flaws in this book too but, although its fantasy elements are not really that strong, Belcher manages to bring a very entertaining story, with the characters going, again, in another wild adventure; as also managing to hold it interesting until the end.
Overall, I found this book more satisfying than ‘The Six-Gun Tarot’, with Belcher bringing a more entertaining continuation to the town of Golgotha, and also leaving some nice hints for the next one.
September 16, 2014
4.5 Stars TOP PICK
Belcher proves he’s no one-trick pony with the second installment of his wildly adventurous and humorously horrifiying Golgotha series. Putting his imagination to good use, Belcher paints a complex and engaging story of love, loss,
redemption and sacrifice in a town where dreams can come true, but often at an unimaginable price. Charismatic characters and a stunning blend of history, legend, religion and modern sensibility intertwine to create a world that embraces the strange and fantastical.
Read the rest of my review in OCT issue of RT Book Review Magazine.
Belcher proves he’s no one-trick pony with the second installment of his wildly adventurous and humorously horrifiying Golgotha series. Putting his imagination to good use, Belcher paints a complex and engaging story of love, loss,
redemption and sacrifice in a town where dreams can come true, but often at an unimaginable price. Charismatic characters and a stunning blend of history, legend, religion and modern sensibility intertwine to create a world that embraces the strange and fantastical.
Read the rest of my review in OCT issue of RT Book Review Magazine.
June 24, 2021
The SHOTGUN ARCANA by R.S. Belcher is the sequel to THE SIX-GUN TAROT that I very much enjoyed. It once more returns us to the town of Golgotha, Nevada where the town undertaker is a mad scientist and the Sheriff cannot die. I very much was interested in this book and picked up immediately after finishing the first. I was not disappointed but I do have some minor complaints about the book.
The premise is that the events of the first book have passed but things have not entirely gotten back to normal. The town has not so much changed as it's participants have been hardened by the events of fighting the Great Wurm. Unfortunately, life going on has not been kind to some. Poor Auggie the shopkeeper has found himself in debt to the fallen angel Biq, Mutt is threatened with lynching for dating a white woman, and the Mayor finds himself even more immersed in the politics he's desperate to escape.
Unfortunately, things are about to get even worse as a mysterious man named Ray Zeal is coming to Golgotha to retrieve the First Murderer's Skull. He has a army of serial killers, rapists, and psychopaths that he is leading down on the town in order to acquire it. The fact he's a fallen angel like Biq makes it especially difficult to stop him.
I liked the story and all of the various twists and turns it employs but I also note that it's somewhat similar to the original book. There's a bunch of excessively evil monsters out to destroy the entire world. The story also plays out mostly the same sort of way. This isn't necessarily a crippling flaw but it was a noticeable one. I initially liked the relationship between Constance and Jim developing, though I didn't when I remembered he was sixteen and she was fourteen. That made it all sorts of squick.
Much of the book's midpart is devoted to the fact that the position of women in the Old West was, shockingly, not great and no one initially cares when one of the doves gets killed by a client. Even our otherwise progressive lawmen. I liked how Maud and new character, Rowan, set about to do their best to establish protections for the local working women. I found this plot more interesting than the actual apocalypse story.
In conclusion, this was a very fun book and had a lot of development but I didn't like it as much as the Six-Gun Tarot. I think the stories are at their best when dealing with smaller scale adventures and character development rather than trying to stop the end of everything. The villains are all very one-dimensional and I think that hurts the conflicts. Still, I'm definitely picking up the rest of the series.
The premise is that the events of the first book have passed but things have not entirely gotten back to normal. The town has not so much changed as it's participants have been hardened by the events of fighting the Great Wurm. Unfortunately, life going on has not been kind to some. Poor Auggie the shopkeeper has found himself in debt to the fallen angel Biq, Mutt is threatened with lynching for dating a white woman, and the Mayor finds himself even more immersed in the politics he's desperate to escape.
Unfortunately, things are about to get even worse as a mysterious man named Ray Zeal is coming to Golgotha to retrieve the First Murderer's Skull. He has a army of serial killers, rapists, and psychopaths that he is leading down on the town in order to acquire it. The fact he's a fallen angel like Biq makes it especially difficult to stop him.
I liked the story and all of the various twists and turns it employs but I also note that it's somewhat similar to the original book. There's a bunch of excessively evil monsters out to destroy the entire world. The story also plays out mostly the same sort of way. This isn't necessarily a crippling flaw but it was a noticeable one. I initially liked the relationship between Constance and Jim developing, though I didn't when I remembered he was sixteen and she was fourteen. That made it all sorts of squick.
Much of the book's midpart is devoted to the fact that the position of women in the Old West was, shockingly, not great and no one initially cares when one of the doves gets killed by a client. Even our otherwise progressive lawmen. I liked how Maud and new character, Rowan, set about to do their best to establish protections for the local working women. I found this plot more interesting than the actual apocalypse story.
In conclusion, this was a very fun book and had a lot of development but I didn't like it as much as the Six-Gun Tarot. I think the stories are at their best when dealing with smaller scale adventures and character development rather than trying to stop the end of everything. The villains are all very one-dimensional and I think that hurts the conflicts. Still, I'm definitely picking up the rest of the series.
January 5, 2015
4 1/2 stars!
The nitty-gritty: An exciting and worthy sequel, a cast of colorful characters, a brutally violent western, balanced by humor and emotion.
I gleefully devoured The Six-Gun Tarot nearly two years ago, and I was chomping at the bit (hey, this is a western, so that metaphor is apt) to read Belcher’s follow-up. I was not disappointed. The Shotgun Arcana is a wild ride, with a large cast of quirky characters and a fair amount of blood flowing through the dusty streets of Golgotha, the remote desert town where the story takes place. Belcher builds his story carefully and methodically, and even though it started out a bit on the slow side for me, it picked up momentum with each turn of the page.
Although this is technically billed as a sequel, and many of the same characters from The Six-Gun Tarot are part of the story, The Shotgun Arcana can easily be read as a stand-alone, good news for those of you who haven’t read the first book yet. Some story elements are carried over, like the magical jade eye that Jim carries with him, but Belcher smoothly incorporates these into his narrative without confusing the reader.
Just like the Hellmouth in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Golgotha acts as an evil hub, drawing in a hoard of nasty serial killers who want to take over the town. (The reason for this relates back to the first book.) But before they arrive, there is another serial killer at large. Someone is murdering girls from the Dove’s Roost and leaving their gruesomely mutilated bodies in the back alleys of town. Sheriff Jon Highfather and his deputies Jim and Mutt have their hands full trying to catch the killer before he claims another victim. They are joined by a trio of brave and feisty women: Kate, a detective who works for the famed Pinkerton; Rowan, a pirate queen; and Maude, a returning character from The Six-Gun Tarot who is about as fearless as they come.
But this killer can’t hold a candle to what’s coming—and it’s going to take every good guy in town to hold back the evil that’s on its way.
This is one crazy story, and I mean that in a good way. A LOT is going on, and Belcher gives us a huge cast of characters to deal with. I’ll admit it was sometimes overwhelming, and in the beginning the multiple points of view seem as if they’ll never come together—but don’t let that deter you from reading this book. By the end, everything fell into place beautifully, and I am already looking forward to the next book in the series.
Some of my favorite parts of The Shotgun Arcana were the humorous exchanges between characters. Belcher has a great talent for capturing the Western sensibility, and the book is dripping with sarcasm, snark and western slang, which gets my hearty seal of approval. There’s nothing quite like a story that can make you laugh one minute, and cringe in horror the next:
"A word to the wise, Jonathan," [Tumblety] said as he went about his task. "A man in your position must show great care in trucking with adventuresses. Their horrid female sex is replete with disease that can lay a man low faster than any bullet. Beware, I caution you as a physician, beware!"
"I've seen better sawbones in a Chinese brothel," Kate said. Tumblety's face grew ruddy with rage and he strode toward Kate with hatred glazing his eyes. "Shut your mouth, you haughty bitch! I'm going to beat the sass out of your whore gob!"
Highfather moved to stop Tumblety, but by the time he rested a restraining hand on the blustering doctor's shoulder, Tumblety was staring into the short barrels of two .36 Colt revolvers Kate had cross-drawn from under her short jacket. Tumblety stopped abruptly and gasped.
"Are you just?" she said coolly, cocking both guns. "Tell me, you pompous gasbag, who's going to reattach your ugly face when I blow it all over the walls?"
Belcher’s true strength lies in his characters. This story is chock-full of awesome women, who really steal the show and turn out to be stronger and smarter than most of the men. One of my favorite characters from The Six-Gun Tarot, Maude, is back with a vengeance. Maude has serious Ninja skills, which she learned from her grandmother as a child. She can practically sense where a bullet will end up, and she’s fast enough to get out of the way before it hits her. Maude is joined by Kate and Rowan, two other badass women who join in the fight against the evil that is threatening to destroy Golgotha. Kate is a whip-smart detective who’s come to see the supernatural evil for herself, and Rowan is a pirate who shows up to help as well. You may be wondering, what the heck is a pirate doing in a story that takes place out in the desert? In this book, it’s best not to ask too many questions, and just go with it.
And yes, there are bad guys aplenty. One of the most interesting and conflicted is Biqa, a fallen angel (remember, I said not to ask too many questions?) who has created his own empire in Golgotha. It’s hard to tell exactly what side he’s on, which is one of the things I loved about him. And then there’s Clay Turlough, the local taxidermist, whose skills in preserving dead animals evolve into, well, let’s just say Clay is the Dr. Frankenstein of Golgotha and leave it at that. (I’ll leave you, the reader, to discover that gem for yourself!)
The story takes place in 1870, and Belcher fills his tale with references to many historical figures, including Abraham Lincoln, Allen Pinkerton, Edgar Allen Poe and even the infamous Donner Party. I loved the way he weaves these people into the story, and never once does it feel forced. He doesn’t mince words, either, so those of you who may be offended by politically incorrect terms, beware. In this story, “ladies of the night” are “whores” and that’s just the way it is in the old west.
The final battle is bloody and violent, much like the real old west, I imagine—but with Belcher’s unique supernatural elements added in, The Shotgun Arcana is unlike any western you’ve ever read. It ends with a couple of dangling story lines, which leads me to believe (and hope!) that a third book is in the works. (Again, Goodreads ain’t telling me anything about that.) So fellow readers, strap on your pistols and get ready for the bullets to fly. You're in for a hell of a ride!
Big thanks to Tor for supplying a review copy. Above quote is taken from an uncorrected proof and may differ in the final version of the book (but I hope it doesn't!)
This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.
The nitty-gritty: An exciting and worthy sequel, a cast of colorful characters, a brutally violent western, balanced by humor and emotion.
I gleefully devoured The Six-Gun Tarot nearly two years ago, and I was chomping at the bit (hey, this is a western, so that metaphor is apt) to read Belcher’s follow-up. I was not disappointed. The Shotgun Arcana is a wild ride, with a large cast of quirky characters and a fair amount of blood flowing through the dusty streets of Golgotha, the remote desert town where the story takes place. Belcher builds his story carefully and methodically, and even though it started out a bit on the slow side for me, it picked up momentum with each turn of the page.
Although this is technically billed as a sequel, and many of the same characters from The Six-Gun Tarot are part of the story, The Shotgun Arcana can easily be read as a stand-alone, good news for those of you who haven’t read the first book yet. Some story elements are carried over, like the magical jade eye that Jim carries with him, but Belcher smoothly incorporates these into his narrative without confusing the reader.
Just like the Hellmouth in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Golgotha acts as an evil hub, drawing in a hoard of nasty serial killers who want to take over the town. (The reason for this relates back to the first book.) But before they arrive, there is another serial killer at large. Someone is murdering girls from the Dove’s Roost and leaving their gruesomely mutilated bodies in the back alleys of town. Sheriff Jon Highfather and his deputies Jim and Mutt have their hands full trying to catch the killer before he claims another victim. They are joined by a trio of brave and feisty women: Kate, a detective who works for the famed Pinkerton; Rowan, a pirate queen; and Maude, a returning character from The Six-Gun Tarot who is about as fearless as they come.
But this killer can’t hold a candle to what’s coming—and it’s going to take every good guy in town to hold back the evil that’s on its way.
This is one crazy story, and I mean that in a good way. A LOT is going on, and Belcher gives us a huge cast of characters to deal with. I’ll admit it was sometimes overwhelming, and in the beginning the multiple points of view seem as if they’ll never come together—but don’t let that deter you from reading this book. By the end, everything fell into place beautifully, and I am already looking forward to the next book in the series.
Some of my favorite parts of The Shotgun Arcana were the humorous exchanges between characters. Belcher has a great talent for capturing the Western sensibility, and the book is dripping with sarcasm, snark and western slang, which gets my hearty seal of approval. There’s nothing quite like a story that can make you laugh one minute, and cringe in horror the next:
"A word to the wise, Jonathan," [Tumblety] said as he went about his task. "A man in your position must show great care in trucking with adventuresses. Their horrid female sex is replete with disease that can lay a man low faster than any bullet. Beware, I caution you as a physician, beware!"
"I've seen better sawbones in a Chinese brothel," Kate said. Tumblety's face grew ruddy with rage and he strode toward Kate with hatred glazing his eyes. "Shut your mouth, you haughty bitch! I'm going to beat the sass out of your whore gob!"
Highfather moved to stop Tumblety, but by the time he rested a restraining hand on the blustering doctor's shoulder, Tumblety was staring into the short barrels of two .36 Colt revolvers Kate had cross-drawn from under her short jacket. Tumblety stopped abruptly and gasped.
"Are you just?" she said coolly, cocking both guns. "Tell me, you pompous gasbag, who's going to reattach your ugly face when I blow it all over the walls?"
Belcher’s true strength lies in his characters. This story is chock-full of awesome women, who really steal the show and turn out to be stronger and smarter than most of the men. One of my favorite characters from The Six-Gun Tarot, Maude, is back with a vengeance. Maude has serious Ninja skills, which she learned from her grandmother as a child. She can practically sense where a bullet will end up, and she’s fast enough to get out of the way before it hits her. Maude is joined by Kate and Rowan, two other badass women who join in the fight against the evil that is threatening to destroy Golgotha. Kate is a whip-smart detective who’s come to see the supernatural evil for herself, and Rowan is a pirate who shows up to help as well. You may be wondering, what the heck is a pirate doing in a story that takes place out in the desert? In this book, it’s best not to ask too many questions, and just go with it.
And yes, there are bad guys aplenty. One of the most interesting and conflicted is Biqa, a fallen angel (remember, I said not to ask too many questions?) who has created his own empire in Golgotha. It’s hard to tell exactly what side he’s on, which is one of the things I loved about him. And then there’s Clay Turlough, the local taxidermist, whose skills in preserving dead animals evolve into, well, let’s just say Clay is the Dr. Frankenstein of Golgotha and leave it at that. (I’ll leave you, the reader, to discover that gem for yourself!)
The story takes place in 1870, and Belcher fills his tale with references to many historical figures, including Abraham Lincoln, Allen Pinkerton, Edgar Allen Poe and even the infamous Donner Party. I loved the way he weaves these people into the story, and never once does it feel forced. He doesn’t mince words, either, so those of you who may be offended by politically incorrect terms, beware. In this story, “ladies of the night” are “whores” and that’s just the way it is in the old west.
The final battle is bloody and violent, much like the real old west, I imagine—but with Belcher’s unique supernatural elements added in, The Shotgun Arcana is unlike any western you’ve ever read. It ends with a couple of dangling story lines, which leads me to believe (and hope!) that a third book is in the works. (Again, Goodreads ain’t telling me anything about that.) So fellow readers, strap on your pistols and get ready for the bullets to fly. You're in for a hell of a ride!
Big thanks to Tor for supplying a review copy. Above quote is taken from an uncorrected proof and may differ in the final version of the book (but I hope it doesn't!)
This review originally appeared on Books, Bones & Buffy.
November 27, 2019
Love this series. Review to come.
August 24, 2015
Even better than the previous one. Established characters get fleshed out more, and new and exciting characters get introduced. Can't wait to revisit the cast in the next installment, which has some nice potential setups laid out.
I caught a few minor flaws and inconsistencies here and there, but nothing that took away my overall enjoyment of a really solid book. A fine mix of over-the-top adventure, grounded grit, suspense, mystery, supernatural, and laugh-out-loud humor. And probably more! This a real tapestry of genres without being cluttered--and more importantly, always staying fun and interesting. Also appreciate an inclusion of female characters in a pre-20th century-setting fantasy novel who are far from helpless, and indeed admirable. Easily 4.5 stars.
As a matter of personal taste, I rather appreciate that the truly graphic horror--which is at times reminiscent of Stephen King--is neither ubiquitous or even gratuitous. It happens here and there, I personally am not enjoying it even though it is well done, and it moves on at an even pace. The book does a good job establishing both the lurking and open evil, the true danger and stakes at hand, but does not focus on it as some sort of gimmick or "torture-porn". Most of the book is genuine adventure, suspense, mystery, camaraderie, and in depth and subtle characterization.
I caught a few minor flaws and inconsistencies here and there, but nothing that took away my overall enjoyment of a really solid book. A fine mix of over-the-top adventure, grounded grit, suspense, mystery, supernatural, and laugh-out-loud humor. And probably more! This a real tapestry of genres without being cluttered--and more importantly, always staying fun and interesting. Also appreciate an inclusion of female characters in a pre-20th century-setting fantasy novel who are far from helpless, and indeed admirable. Easily 4.5 stars.
As a matter of personal taste, I rather appreciate that the truly graphic horror--which is at times reminiscent of Stephen King--is neither ubiquitous or even gratuitous. It happens here and there, I personally am not enjoying it even though it is well done, and it moves on at an even pace. The book does a good job establishing both the lurking and open evil, the true danger and stakes at hand, but does not focus on it as some sort of gimmick or "torture-porn". Most of the book is genuine adventure, suspense, mystery, camaraderie, and in depth and subtle characterization.
February 7, 2017
I called The Six-Gun Tarot a seven layer cake.
This is unabashed second helpings.
Set one year after the events of The Six-Gun Tarot, Jim is a deputy partnered with Mutt. Mutt and Maude are approaching item status much to the chagrin of many town racists. Malachi Bick owns practically everyone and everything in town and someone has begun brutally murdering prostitutes.
An ancient artifact buried beneath the town is luring serial killers from far and wide to Golgotha. (Serial killers who are clever blends of real serial killers.) Trouble once again braves the 40-mile desert to bring suffering, pain and loss to the townspeople and the only ones that can stop them are our motley crew of heroes; Jon Highfather, Mutt, Jim Negrey, Maude Stapleton, Harry Pratt and Clay Turlough. (Introductions to some new bad ass heroes as well.)
This second installment was not a disappointment. When you think to yourself that the author could not possibly add one more element to this, then they do and they do it successfully, it makes you want to weep with joy.
R.S. Belcher, you have one more stalker for life.
This is unabashed second helpings.
Set one year after the events of The Six-Gun Tarot, Jim is a deputy partnered with Mutt. Mutt and Maude are approaching item status much to the chagrin of many town racists. Malachi Bick owns practically everyone and everything in town and someone has begun brutally murdering prostitutes.
An ancient artifact buried beneath the town is luring serial killers from far and wide to Golgotha. (Serial killers who are clever blends of real serial killers.) Trouble once again braves the 40-mile desert to bring suffering, pain and loss to the townspeople and the only ones that can stop them are our motley crew of heroes; Jon Highfather, Mutt, Jim Negrey, Maude Stapleton, Harry Pratt and Clay Turlough. (Introductions to some new bad ass heroes as well.)
This second installment was not a disappointment. When you think to yourself that the author could not possibly add one more element to this, then they do and they do it successfully, it makes you want to weep with joy.
R.S. Belcher, you have one more stalker for life.
October 21, 2022
A good sequel. Filled with horror, mysticism, theology, ancient fighting, uneasy alliances between powerful beings. This one is more Mutt, Maude and Malachi but we get bits of the others plus a few new characters. Does Golgotha live another day?
August 28, 2018
I really love this series, both books were graphic audio books and they were just awesome. The voices were awesome too. My family one Bic's voice, the angels voice.
August 25, 2019
Better than the SGT. Looking forward to reading the last in the series.
Excellent book. Better than his first in the series "The Six Gun Tarot", and with a bigger cast. I give it this rating because of the author's incredible world and character building.
Excellent book. Better than his first in the series "The Six Gun Tarot", and with a bigger cast. I give it this rating because of the author's incredible world and character building.
September 29, 2024
Love, reanimation, cannibalism, pirates, Lucifer makes an appearance.. Golgotha is a the Wild West reimagined like you’ve never seen it before.
“Pain is the admission price you pay for life.”
“Pain is the admission price you pay for life.”
March 24, 2021
https://undertheradarsffbooks.com/202...
Welcome back to Golgotha Nevada, as we rejoin our beloved characters in the year 1870. Golgotha has been a safe haven for the blessed and the damned for centuries and R.S. Belcher certainly knows how to put the “weird” in a weird western novel. He doesn’t pull any punches and is not shy in the least at throwing the kitchen sink at you throughout the course of this story. All different groups, sects, creatures, and unnatural beings are present in the Shotgun Arcana and it will have you strapped in for a rollercoaster type experience. This will be a spoiler free review, but I will be toughing upon events that take place in book 1.
Golgotha has been saved from the demonic events below the mines and out characters have to regroup and move on with their lives. Sheriff Jon Hightower, also known as the hanged man, along with his deputies have all the trouble they can handle with trying to detain train robbers, investigating several mysterious murders, and more unusual events than they are use to in Golgotha. Deputy Mutt is still in contact with his tribe of coyotes and learns of a horde of 32 of the most viscous killers on earth are on their way to Golgotha. Mutt must warn the sheriff and prepare the town for the invasion. Jim, now a deputy hopes to discover more about his ancient eye from the Chinese community of Johnny town, but what he discovers may be too big for him to control. Finally we have Maude, descendent of Lilith and raising her daughter to be strong while also running a laundromat as a day time job. She will start to have a relationship with one of the towns people after the death of her husband. Maude will be needed in the fight that is to come. We get to see several other characters including: a fallen angel, a mad scientist, and a pirate queen. As I said earlier, the kitchen sink will be thrown at you but it just works.
The Six Gun Tarot was a great debut novel for R.S. Belcher, but the Shotgun Arcana is better across the board. We get more information pertaining to our characters and the events, in some cases tragic, that brought them all together. I mentioned this in my review of The Six Gun Tarot that every character holds a secret. Some of the secrets were revealed while other were hinted at and these revelations were fascinating to learn and wonder what the bigger ramifications are to the rest of the story. It should also be noted the amount of research R.S. Belcher did regarding events from the past, the layout and sections of Golgotha included town segregation, religions, and also the people who would have populated a western town in the 1800’s. This is by no means an easy task and one that should be praised. The stakes are definitely raised in this sequel and the ending will have you reaching to find book 3.
Fans of the first novel or weird western novels such as the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, will love the Shotgun Arcana. I learned so much about the wild west that I didn’t know and at some points it was like reading a national geographic as it was written so well. R.S. Belcher is a name in the SFF community to watch out for as I only see him getting better and better for the years to come.
Cheers!
Welcome back to Golgotha Nevada, as we rejoin our beloved characters in the year 1870. Golgotha has been a safe haven for the blessed and the damned for centuries and R.S. Belcher certainly knows how to put the “weird” in a weird western novel. He doesn’t pull any punches and is not shy in the least at throwing the kitchen sink at you throughout the course of this story. All different groups, sects, creatures, and unnatural beings are present in the Shotgun Arcana and it will have you strapped in for a rollercoaster type experience. This will be a spoiler free review, but I will be toughing upon events that take place in book 1.
Golgotha has been saved from the demonic events below the mines and out characters have to regroup and move on with their lives. Sheriff Jon Hightower, also known as the hanged man, along with his deputies have all the trouble they can handle with trying to detain train robbers, investigating several mysterious murders, and more unusual events than they are use to in Golgotha. Deputy Mutt is still in contact with his tribe of coyotes and learns of a horde of 32 of the most viscous killers on earth are on their way to Golgotha. Mutt must warn the sheriff and prepare the town for the invasion. Jim, now a deputy hopes to discover more about his ancient eye from the Chinese community of Johnny town, but what he discovers may be too big for him to control. Finally we have Maude, descendent of Lilith and raising her daughter to be strong while also running a laundromat as a day time job. She will start to have a relationship with one of the towns people after the death of her husband. Maude will be needed in the fight that is to come. We get to see several other characters including: a fallen angel, a mad scientist, and a pirate queen. As I said earlier, the kitchen sink will be thrown at you but it just works.
The Six Gun Tarot was a great debut novel for R.S. Belcher, but the Shotgun Arcana is better across the board. We get more information pertaining to our characters and the events, in some cases tragic, that brought them all together. I mentioned this in my review of The Six Gun Tarot that every character holds a secret. Some of the secrets were revealed while other were hinted at and these revelations were fascinating to learn and wonder what the bigger ramifications are to the rest of the story. It should also be noted the amount of research R.S. Belcher did regarding events from the past, the layout and sections of Golgotha included town segregation, religions, and also the people who would have populated a western town in the 1800’s. This is by no means an easy task and one that should be praised. The stakes are definitely raised in this sequel and the ending will have you reaching to find book 3.
Fans of the first novel or weird western novels such as the Dark Tower series by Stephen King, will love the Shotgun Arcana. I learned so much about the wild west that I didn’t know and at some points it was like reading a national geographic as it was written so well. R.S. Belcher is a name in the SFF community to watch out for as I only see him getting better and better for the years to come.
Cheers!
December 29, 2014
How do you follow up an excellent book (The Six-Gun Tarot) that brought together a variety of disparate protagonists who saved the world from an ancient evil? Where do you go when the stakes were that high to begin with? If you're R.S. Belcher, you create an equally devastating evil with a more human twist, bring back your world-saving heroes and heroines, add a few new players to the mix, and hint at more strangeness to come.
1870. The Civil War is over, and the West is a hodgepodge of pioneers, settlers, miners, and hangers-on, as well as outlaws, desperadoes, and other ne'er-do-wells. Cultures - Indian, American, European, and Chinese - collide and intermingle and clash all across the vast western half of the country. As if that weren't enough, the town of Golgotha, Nevada (a microcosm of the entire Wild West) sits at the confluence of multiple worlds and mythologies, so the local lawmen have to contend with frequent supernatural difficulties as well as the usual bar fights, drunken miners, and petty crimes. Now, about a year after the events of The Six-Gun Tarot, a new threat is converging on Golgotha, in the form of horrific killers, each in possession of a tooth from an ancient skull.
I am a fan of the Weird West, and these books truly epitomize the (sub)genre, combining colorful, mythic characters - reputedly unkillable lawmen, half-breed Indians with preternatural senses, women trained in mystic arts by a secret society, exiled angels, Chinese martial artists, prophesied Mormon heroes, pirates in airships - with enough secrets, both supernatural and (weird) scientific, to make the reader eager for more. Belcher pulls back the curtain a little more on the intriguing characters and sows the seeds of multiple future stories. Golgotha, Nevada is no place you'd want to live, but it is a fascinating place to visit, and I can't wait for the next installment.
1870. The Civil War is over, and the West is a hodgepodge of pioneers, settlers, miners, and hangers-on, as well as outlaws, desperadoes, and other ne'er-do-wells. Cultures - Indian, American, European, and Chinese - collide and intermingle and clash all across the vast western half of the country. As if that weren't enough, the town of Golgotha, Nevada (a microcosm of the entire Wild West) sits at the confluence of multiple worlds and mythologies, so the local lawmen have to contend with frequent supernatural difficulties as well as the usual bar fights, drunken miners, and petty crimes. Now, about a year after the events of The Six-Gun Tarot, a new threat is converging on Golgotha, in the form of horrific killers, each in possession of a tooth from an ancient skull.
I am a fan of the Weird West, and these books truly epitomize the (sub)genre, combining colorful, mythic characters - reputedly unkillable lawmen, half-breed Indians with preternatural senses, women trained in mystic arts by a secret society, exiled angels, Chinese martial artists, prophesied Mormon heroes, pirates in airships - with enough secrets, both supernatural and (weird) scientific, to make the reader eager for more. Belcher pulls back the curtain a little more on the intriguing characters and sows the seeds of multiple future stories. Golgotha, Nevada is no place you'd want to live, but it is a fascinating place to visit, and I can't wait for the next installment.
April 6, 2016
Wow. I can honestly say that this is one of the best sequels I've ever read. I do want to start writing really through reviews, but I can't really think of much to say about this one because it really was so good.
I know in my review of The Six-Gun Tarot I talked about how the pacing was off and theorized that that may have been due to me reading other books at the same time. However, I think it simply was the book's pacing being off, as I did the same thing with this book, but it didn't have any problems with pacing at all. Which, to me, tells me the author's writing improved with this book, which I hope continues on through his other books.
Also, I know I made a comment about a certain character reveal (I won't mention who since I'm not marking this review for spoilers) in my review for the first book being a negative about the book to me. Well, I'm going to eat my words, because it makes the plot points in this book even more interesting. I wish we could really go into that character's entire history though, but I understand why we don't get that opportunity. Only so many pages in one book.
Maude is still my favorite character, and I can't wait to see her story play out in the next book (speaking of which, why isn't there a page for it on here yet? I'd do it myself, but I'm not a GR Librarian...). I'd honestly love a whole book centered just around her, but I doubt a publisher would pick it up. Why must I always suffer??
All in all, I think this is one of my favorite books not only of this year, but of all time. R.S. Belcher is one of my new favorite authors (and I'm not saying that because he accepted my friend request on here lol). I can't wait to get to Golgotha 3, Nightwise (which I own), and Brotherhood of the Wheel (I believe that's the correct title).
I know in my review of The Six-Gun Tarot I talked about how the pacing was off and theorized that that may have been due to me reading other books at the same time. However, I think it simply was the book's pacing being off, as I did the same thing with this book, but it didn't have any problems with pacing at all. Which, to me, tells me the author's writing improved with this book, which I hope continues on through his other books.
Also, I know I made a comment about a certain character reveal (I won't mention who since I'm not marking this review for spoilers) in my review for the first book being a negative about the book to me. Well, I'm going to eat my words, because it makes the plot points in this book even more interesting. I wish we could really go into that character's entire history though, but I understand why we don't get that opportunity. Only so many pages in one book.
Maude is still my favorite character, and I can't wait to see her story play out in the next book (speaking of which, why isn't there a page for it on here yet? I'd do it myself, but I'm not a GR Librarian...). I'd honestly love a whole book centered just around her, but I doubt a publisher would pick it up. Why must I always suffer??
All in all, I think this is one of my favorite books not only of this year, but of all time. R.S. Belcher is one of my new favorite authors (and I'm not saying that because he accepted my friend request on here lol). I can't wait to get to Golgotha 3, Nightwise (which I own), and Brotherhood of the Wheel (I believe that's the correct title).
October 2, 2016
First half of the book: 4 stars. Second half: 2 stars, so overall a solid(ish) 3.
In the first half of the book there's lots of romping and running about and leaping on chupacabras and sentient evil (evil!) cacti and mysterious desert winds that kick up whenever star-crossed lovers set about loving. There's the dead father's eyeball and caverns beneath the earth and more running and jumping and mildly gooey murderapating.
But then the second half of the book is nature of life/destiny/religion, long wanks into relationship tensions and unmitigated, heartless violence against the characters (followed by yet more meandering through life/destiny/religion and WOE). And honestly, it was a bit much. Maybe I was looking for too much escapism from a book that really wants to be taken seriously as a game of supernatural Risk in the desert. Maybe I just didn't care about two whole sets of characters (Augie/Clay/Gertie/Gillian and Bick and any and all of his siblings and children).
Maybe I'm just getting to the point of being old where I reach my breaking point for senseless violence maximized for shock value way sooner than I used to, but the second part of the book was such. A. Slog. I kept sighing and putting it aside after certain chapters because dear authors, there is only so many ways you can describe disemboweling people and before it feels like too much. And by "only so many ways" I mean basically two, max.
Also you really need to have read the first book in the series (which was better, imo) to understand what the heck is going on here.
In the first half of the book there's lots of romping and running about and leaping on chupacabras and sentient evil (evil!) cacti and mysterious desert winds that kick up whenever star-crossed lovers set about loving. There's the dead father's eyeball and caverns beneath the earth and more running and jumping and mildly gooey murderapating.
But then the second half of the book is nature of life/destiny/religion, long wanks into relationship tensions and unmitigated, heartless violence against the characters (followed by yet more meandering through life/destiny/religion and WOE). And honestly, it was a bit much. Maybe I was looking for too much escapism from a book that really wants to be taken seriously as a game of supernatural Risk in the desert. Maybe I just didn't care about two whole sets of characters (Augie/Clay/Gertie/Gillian and Bick and any and all of his siblings and children).
Maybe I'm just getting to the point of being old where I reach my breaking point for senseless violence maximized for shock value way sooner than I used to, but the second part of the book was such. A. Slog. I kept sighing and putting it aside after certain chapters because dear authors, there is only so many ways you can describe disemboweling people and before it feels like too much. And by "only so many ways" I mean basically two, max.
Also you really need to have read the first book in the series (which was better, imo) to understand what the heck is going on here.
December 29, 2014
To get a sense of R.S. Belcher's world of The Shotgun Arcana, his follow-up to The Six-Gun Tarot, one need only eavesdrop on the conversation of the seen-it-all residents of Golgotha, Nevada as they watch a wagon wheel away with some mysterious contents:
"Hey, Mutt, what is it this time . . . Another one of them boogeymen? Those black-eyed children? Like the ones that up and took the Summerton family and only left their shadows behind? . . . "
The crowd began to mutter among themselves.
"Them bat-people again, I bet ya . . . "
"Hope the buildings ain't coming alive like last June again . . . "
"Long as it ain't those worm things. I still can't swallow pert near nothing without wanting to upchuck."
That's life in a nutshell (a very tip-of-the-iceberg nut... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
"Hey, Mutt, what is it this time . . . Another one of them boogeymen? Those black-eyed children? Like the ones that up and took the Summerton family and only left their shadows behind? . . . "
The crowd began to mutter among themselves.
"Them bat-people again, I bet ya . . . "
"Hope the buildings ain't coming alive like last June again . . . "
"Long as it ain't those worm things. I still can't swallow pert near nothing without wanting to upchuck."
That's life in a nutshell (a very tip-of-the-iceberg nut... Read More: http://www.fantasyliterature.com/revi...
October 15, 2015
It took a little longer to finish Belcher's second book in his Golgotha series because I actually had to keep track of certain plot points by taking NOTES!! If you like an intricately weaved story with some good old fashioned Wild West action plus some horror and supernatural elements, then The Shotgun Arcana is a must read. The same characters from The Six-Gun Tarot find their world once again under siege.
The chapters in this book seem a little more disjointed than the first book; however, once you get the hang of the back and forth, the rhythm makes sense. The few additional characters add to the story line without overwhelming the reader. There's slightly more romance in this novel but nothing too Harlequinesque - if anything, the awkward romance between two of the adult characters adds a breath of fresh air to the story and keeps it realistic.
Patiently awaiting book 3.
The chapters in this book seem a little more disjointed than the first book; however, once you get the hang of the back and forth, the rhythm makes sense. The few additional characters add to the story line without overwhelming the reader. There's slightly more romance in this novel but nothing too Harlequinesque - if anything, the awkward romance between two of the adult characters adds a breath of fresh air to the story and keeps it realistic.
Patiently awaiting book 3.
August 28, 2015
Wow, this book was a lot of fun. A much darker, more mature entry in the Golgotha series. Belcher literally throws everything under the sun into this book, and some stuff from behind and above it, but it never feels cramped or rushed or improbable (other than it being a work of fiction with fantastical elements). So many cool characters, so many interactions and plot threads that seem totally independent of one another come together in an ending I was praying would not take the deus ex machina route. Well, I was more than satisfied. In fact I'm kinda pissed that there is not a book three, YET! Hint hint R.S. Read it, know it, love it. I did.
March 12, 2015
A very good great. I have high hopes for this author and series and can see it growing over the years beyond a mere three book trilogy so be a series that could rival The Dresden Files in scope and complex, interesting characters.
April 19, 2015
One of the best second books ever. Some really bad-ass evil adversaries. Head butting between fallen angels. All wrapped up in a very good western. I hope he continues this series for a long time.
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