What do you think?
Rate this book
Weird Trails
Joe Pemberton is a tough, no-nonsense broncobuster living in Depression-era Texas. Tragedy and hard luck have been his companions his whole life, and all Joe knows is rough work. However, the fates that control the dusty trails of the Southwest have something else in store for old Joe. He becomes a Paladin - a wondering knight conquering evil in all its many manifestations.
Weird Trails by accomplished author C.P. Webster combines the classic Western tale with horror and action to create a thoroughly weird collection. Stories such as "The Shadows of Ku" and "The Tower in the Woods" are feasts for the imagination and are sure to be a hit for anyone who enjoys the work of Robert E. Howard.
Weird Trails by accomplished author C.P. Webster combines the classic Western tale with horror and action to create a thoroughly weird collection. Stories such as "The Shadows of Ku" and "The Tower in the Woods" are feasts for the imagination and are sure to be a hit for anyone who enjoys the work of Robert E. Howard.
404 pages, Kindle Edition
Published August 19, 2025
About the author
C.P. Webster
19 books7 followersI was born in the 1960s and grew up in the north of England. When I was a teenager my family emigrated to South Africa. I completed my schooling there and after leaving school I began studying computer programming, dropped out and then worked as a stocks control clerk in a factory.
During these politically tumultuous years in South Africa, I wondered what to do with my life. I enjoyed writing and some of the fantasy and sci-fi stories I wrote were ultimately published in genre magazines. I also wrote a great deal of poetry (some of which was also published).
At the end of the 80s I became an art student and began to learn about the processes, history, creative practices and possibilities of photography. In 1990 I graduated with a distinction. In the same year I got a job as a photographer's assistant in Johannesburg and moved into a flat in the city with my wife. We lived in Jo'burg for just over a year before I was invited to teach photography as a part-timer at my alma mater. In 1991 my wife and I had our first child.
I worked as a teacher in London for two years in the mid 90s, then, in 1996 I was appointed Lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Returning to fiction was inspired by my return to ‘Albion’ and a reacquaintance with what was for me the deep mythic earth of my homeland. When I moved to west Wales my career took precedence for some time and I became more involved in establishing myself as a visual artist and exhibiting internationally.
As a result of my academic work, some years passed before I decided to revisit fiction.
As a reader, I have long been interested in a broad range of writing from fiction to fantasy/science fiction, apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. Writers of particular interest have been J. M. Coetzee (in particular his novel 'Life and Times of Michael K'), Alan Paton, Alan Garner, John Wyndham, Michael Moorcock, John Christopher, Ursula Le Guin, Robert Westall, H. P. Lovecraft, and Susan Cooper amongst many, many others.
During these politically tumultuous years in South Africa, I wondered what to do with my life. I enjoyed writing and some of the fantasy and sci-fi stories I wrote were ultimately published in genre magazines. I also wrote a great deal of poetry (some of which was also published).
At the end of the 80s I became an art student and began to learn about the processes, history, creative practices and possibilities of photography. In 1990 I graduated with a distinction. In the same year I got a job as a photographer's assistant in Johannesburg and moved into a flat in the city with my wife. We lived in Jo'burg for just over a year before I was invited to teach photography as a part-timer at my alma mater. In 1991 my wife and I had our first child.
I worked as a teacher in London for two years in the mid 90s, then, in 1996 I was appointed Lecturer in Fine Art at the University of Wales, Aberystwyth. Returning to fiction was inspired by my return to ‘Albion’ and a reacquaintance with what was for me the deep mythic earth of my homeland. When I moved to west Wales my career took precedence for some time and I became more involved in establishing myself as a visual artist and exhibiting internationally.
As a result of my academic work, some years passed before I decided to revisit fiction.
As a reader, I have long been interested in a broad range of writing from fiction to fantasy/science fiction, apocalyptic and dystopian fiction. Writers of particular interest have been J. M. Coetzee (in particular his novel 'Life and Times of Michael K'), Alan Paton, Alan Garner, John Wyndham, Michael Moorcock, John Christopher, Ursula Le Guin, Robert Westall, H. P. Lovecraft, and Susan Cooper amongst many, many others.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
January 12, 2026
I picked up Weird Trails in Kindle format on January 2nd and finished it on January 11th, drawn in by its promise of a Depression-era Western infused with horror and the author’s stated inspiration from Robert E. Howard.
First, a technical issue: the Kindle edition lists the book as 404 pages, but this is misleading. At around the 200-page mark the content simply starts over and duplicates itself. The 404-page count appears to be copied from the paperback listing rather than reflecting the actual length of the eBook. It’s likely just sloppy editing before upload, but it does come across as careless at best.
The cover will probably put some readers off. It is very obviously AI-generated, and not particularly refined. I’m not against AI artwork—I use it myself—but this is exactly the sort of result you get when you don’t guide the process or put in any post-work. A little more effort here would have gone a long way.
Structurally, Weird Trails is a collection of loosely connected short stories rather than a novel. While there is a general timeline, the stories don’t rely heavily on one another, and they can easily be read out of order without losing much. Joe Pemberton, the central character, is a broncobuster who becomes a kind of wandering paladin, confronting evil in various forms across the American Southwest.
One of my main issues lies with Joe himself. He begins the series very young, yet is already portrayed as astonishingly experienced—apparently having survived hundreds of bar brawls by his early twenties. He marries young, has a daughter and later a son, but his family barely features in the stories. Even when they do appear, it’s briefly. Given how often Joe disappears for months at a time, his wife must be exceptionally tolerant. I found myself wanting more depth here—more character development, more emotional grounding, more reason to care.
The first story is set in 1935, and the final ones appear to take place from 1945 to 1947.
Webster openly acknowledges Robert E. Howard as an inspiration, even quoting him in the opening story. That influence is certainly present. There are elements reminiscent of Howard’s Westerns, his occult themes, and at times I even caught faint Steve Harrison vibes, though only briefly. When World War II enters the picture, the tone occasionally veers into something that feels closer to Indiana Jones than to pulp weird fiction. I thought of Stranger Things for a minute in that last story as well. Hive minds.
The prose is straightforward and easy to read. There are no complex twists or surprises, and the stories move along at a decent pace. That said, since the author invites comparison to Howard, it’s impossible not to measure the work against that standard—and it doesn’t reach it. Few writers ever do, and I didn’t expect it to. Still, while the book was generally enjoyable, I found myself distracted. During the same period, I read and finished two Young James Bond novels, which says something about how much Weird Trails held my attention.
At times, the writing feels oddly distant, almost mechanical. I don’t fully connect with Joe, and the supporting cast—especially his family—never really comes alive. This occasionally gives the impression that the stories could just as easily have been AI-generated, not because of style alone, but because of the lack of emotional weight and lived-in character detail.
That said, Weird Trails is not a bad book. It’s a light, entertaining read, and fans of Weird Westerns or Howard-influenced fiction will likely find something to enjoy here. I have no trouble recommending it—but with reservations.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
First, a technical issue: the Kindle edition lists the book as 404 pages, but this is misleading. At around the 200-page mark the content simply starts over and duplicates itself. The 404-page count appears to be copied from the paperback listing rather than reflecting the actual length of the eBook. It’s likely just sloppy editing before upload, but it does come across as careless at best.
The cover will probably put some readers off. It is very obviously AI-generated, and not particularly refined. I’m not against AI artwork—I use it myself—but this is exactly the sort of result you get when you don’t guide the process or put in any post-work. A little more effort here would have gone a long way.
Structurally, Weird Trails is a collection of loosely connected short stories rather than a novel. While there is a general timeline, the stories don’t rely heavily on one another, and they can easily be read out of order without losing much. Joe Pemberton, the central character, is a broncobuster who becomes a kind of wandering paladin, confronting evil in various forms across the American Southwest.
One of my main issues lies with Joe himself. He begins the series very young, yet is already portrayed as astonishingly experienced—apparently having survived hundreds of bar brawls by his early twenties. He marries young, has a daughter and later a son, but his family barely features in the stories. Even when they do appear, it’s briefly. Given how often Joe disappears for months at a time, his wife must be exceptionally tolerant. I found myself wanting more depth here—more character development, more emotional grounding, more reason to care.
The first story is set in 1935, and the final ones appear to take place from 1945 to 1947.
Webster openly acknowledges Robert E. Howard as an inspiration, even quoting him in the opening story. That influence is certainly present. There are elements reminiscent of Howard’s Westerns, his occult themes, and at times I even caught faint Steve Harrison vibes, though only briefly. When World War II enters the picture, the tone occasionally veers into something that feels closer to Indiana Jones than to pulp weird fiction. I thought of Stranger Things for a minute in that last story as well. Hive minds.
The prose is straightforward and easy to read. There are no complex twists or surprises, and the stories move along at a decent pace. That said, since the author invites comparison to Howard, it’s impossible not to measure the work against that standard—and it doesn’t reach it. Few writers ever do, and I didn’t expect it to. Still, while the book was generally enjoyable, I found myself distracted. During the same period, I read and finished two Young James Bond novels, which says something about how much Weird Trails held my attention.
At times, the writing feels oddly distant, almost mechanical. I don’t fully connect with Joe, and the supporting cast—especially his family—never really comes alive. This occasionally gives the impression that the stories could just as easily have been AI-generated, not because of style alone, but because of the lack of emotional weight and lived-in character detail.
That said, Weird Trails is not a bad book. It’s a light, entertaining read, and fans of Weird Westerns or Howard-influenced fiction will likely find something to enjoy here. I have no trouble recommending it—but with reservations.
Rating: 3 out of 5 stars.
November 19, 2025
We follow a Texan rancher who inherits not only an English estate, but he also starts to encounter the supernatural and the eldritch. These tales are linear, but it doesn't follow a traditional novel format, but is set up as an anthology. I liked all of them with my favorite being the Chinese one. Another good work by C.P. Webster.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews