Reconcile

by Bruce Campbell

86 pages, Kindle Edition

Published June 26, 2026

About the author

Bruce Lorne Campbell is an American actor, producer, writer and director. He is best known for his starring role as Ash in the Evil Dead trilogy of horror/slapstick movies, and has since become a B-movie icon.

His acting style is an "over-the-top" machismo that lends itself well to roles such as that of Ash Williams, whom Campbell himself has dubbed "an idiot and a jerk like the rest of us". This style is parodied in the film The Majestic where Campbell appears as Roland the Intrepid Explorer in the B movie Sand Pirates of the Sahara, written by Jim Carrey's screenwriter character. Campbell also excels at "reverse acting", a frequent filming technique of Sam Raimi's where action sequences are filmed in reverse of how they will appear in the film. Campbell offers advice about getting into the film industry on his website.

Campbell is well-known for his trademark sense of humor, which he often couples with deadpan (and somewhat sarcastic) comic delivery.

Reviews

[Todd B. · Rating 2 out of 5]

As an Oregonian who loves Bruce Campbell’s acting and his nonfiction books, I was super excited to read a fiction book by him set in the historical Oregon frontier, but this was an extremely frustrating read. It feels more like a film pitch than a novella, and is just absolutely packed with weird errors and non-sequiturs that a decent editor could have fixed in an afternoon.
For example, one of the main characters is Paiute and speaks in the typical stilted english that you see Native Americans speak in cheesy westerns… but he explicitly says pretty early in the story that he grew up in a city back east and has been around english speakers since birth. It makes no sense for him speak like that. Also, when the other main character is introduced he’s on the Oregon Trail with his family, heading from Detroit to Portland to help rebuild the city after the Great Portland Fire of 1866… but the Great Portland Fire of 1866 burned down Portland MAINE, not Portland Oregon.
Bruce, if you’re going to keep writing nonfiction I will literally edit them for free if for no other reason than to prevent another book from being released in this condition.

[Martyn Perry · Rating 3 out of 5]

An interesting side project for Bruce as a western genre novella.

To begin with it took a while to get into and get going. Too many characters and a little light on description. But about a third in either I started to adapt or the writing started to improve, but the story gained some pace and a got a bit more interesting.

Recommended?: not essential reading by any means and certainly not a reflection on Bruce and his previous writing efforts. This is more a side-quest passion project bearing no relation to his horror and comedy roots. A simple quick Western story for the curious.

[Melaina Lara · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a fun western romp, and the novella length made it a fast paced adventure.
It has all the needed elements, native landscapes, and a cast of characters that have unique traits that make them each a necessary part of the story.
Definitely worth the read, especially for fans of the genre (or fans of Bruce Campbell).

[Scott]

Interesting little novella that moves at a brisk little pace, and I can totally see Bruce Campbell playing the Grandfather. Perhaps a bit too light-hearted, given the bleak beginning, but if that's what you're looking for in a Western, there's always S. Craig Zahler.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great short story the good guys won