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Red as Blood, Black as Tar
A foiled bank robbery. A sinkhole full of tar. Too many secrets to count.
Emmaline has a bad feeling about the bank robbery she and her outlaw gang have planned. Something about it isn't adding up, and Mattie, the leader od the gang, isn't acting right. When a figure from Mattie's past literally crawls out of the ground, Emmaline knows that her suspicions have merit. River is uncanny, alluring, and apparently back from the dead.
As tensions rise, Emmaline finds herself caught between River and Mattie, trying to piece the past together and figure out her place in the gang going forward.
Red as Blood, Black as Tar is a 15,000 word weird west novelette intended for an 18+ audience. Please check CWs before purchasing.
Emmaline has a bad feeling about the bank robbery she and her outlaw gang have planned. Something about it isn't adding up, and Mattie, the leader od the gang, isn't acting right. When a figure from Mattie's past literally crawls out of the ground, Emmaline knows that her suspicions have merit. River is uncanny, alluring, and apparently back from the dead.
As tensions rise, Emmaline finds herself caught between River and Mattie, trying to piece the past together and figure out her place in the gang going forward.
Red as Blood, Black as Tar is a 15,000 word weird west novelette intended for an 18+ audience. Please check CWs before purchasing.
About the author
Mars Adler
21 books217 followersmars adler is a queer and trans author in their mid-twenties. they currently reside on the side of a mountain in Colorado with their dog, and unfortunately hold a corporeal form. they write speculative fiction with a focus on things that terrify them (absolutely everything), and morally grey queer characters. when not writing, they can be found painting, making tea, and trying to become part of the forest on hikes.
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Displaying 1 of 1 review
May 29, 2026
Wow. Just. Wow.
Do you ever read a book that reading it feels like you’ve been knocked on the head and deeply shaken to your chore and all you want to do is stare at a wall for hours, questioning your life choices over and over, cause this one definitely did that for me.
I keep praising Mars Adler for how well they describe a book’s ambiance and settings, but I have to do it again because the vibes in this book were wonderfully described. I got so lost in this story I felt like I was living there with the chararacters. This author the best at setting an atmosphere that makes you question everything you know and that builds up tension in a very subtle way through the book and this was at its peak here.
This was just such a fun time and I adored every seconds of it.
Do you ever read a book that reading it feels like you’ve been knocked on the head and deeply shaken to your chore and all you want to do is stare at a wall for hours, questioning your life choices over and over, cause this one definitely did that for me.
I keep praising Mars Adler for how well they describe a book’s ambiance and settings, but I have to do it again because the vibes in this book were wonderfully described. I got so lost in this story I felt like I was living there with the chararacters. This author the best at setting an atmosphere that makes you question everything you know and that builds up tension in a very subtle way through the book and this was at its peak here.
This was just such a fun time and I adored every seconds of it.
Displaying 1 of 1 review