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Whispers Out Of The Dust: A Haunted Journey Through The Lost American West
“Some things lost on the borders of dusk were never meant to be found.” Whispers Out Of The Dust: A Haunted Journey Through The Lost American West is a supernatural treasure hunt. Documents spanning centuries relate the story of a forgotten valley brimming with magic, ghosts and evil. Published here for the first time these newly discovered papers grant a rare glimpse of the awful truth about this very real American Nightmare. From the era of wayward conquistadors and pioneers of indomitable spirit on to the weird wild west of gunfighters, gamblers, and medicine men these authentic accounts stalk through the forbidden desert leading you to an oasis of eerie horror and occult terror. Don’t say we didn’t warn you.
- GenresHorror
200 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 3, 2015
36 people are currently reading
61 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
October 21, 2015
There were elements of this book I liked very much--times when it touched on Mormon history and folklore (and there is a tradition of some weird, weird folklore among my people), and when it brought the feel of the American southwest and its people to life. Several stories I particularly liked included "Right Hand Man," "The Thing in the Cellar," and "Black Jack's Last Ride." But while I liked the overarching frame of the collection, presented as a group of found documents that had been left with the original language intact, I found that 'original language' to be profoundly frustrating to read over the course of a book-length work. Except where the story was really absorbing, it became difficult to shut off my internal editor. I do admire what David West attempted here, but I also think it shows why most historians will modernize spelling and grammar for the sake of the reader's sanity. Still, if you like stories of the Old West, particularly those with a strong vein of weird running through them, you might want to give this one a try.
November 3, 2015
Take the Mormon settlement of the West, mix in some M. R. James and H. Russell Wakefield, throw in a healthy serving of H. P. Lovecraft and a dash of Robert E. Howard, stir in Native American lore, bake in the desert heat and wash down with a lake formed by a damn, and what you’re likely to come up with something that resembles Whispers Out of the Dust.
David J. West has begun to build a body of work in the subgenre known as the weird western, and his most recent book is a solid addition to the field. It’s also one of his most ambitious projects to date. (And I absolutely love that cover.)
St. Thomas, Nevada was settled by Mormon pioneers, but the area had been home to the Anasazi and other tribes long before. The Mormons, many of them anyway, moved away when they discovered they were in Nevada rather than Utah and Nevada wanted to collect several years of back taxes. Still, the town survived until the Hoover Dam was built, and the waters of Lake Mead covered it up.
That much is historical fact. What David does is add a dose of fantasy which he blends so smoothly that you find yourself believing things you know can’t really be so. (At least you don’t think so.) The footnotes (endnotes, really) certainly add to the feeling of verisimilitude. David includes a number of photos he’s taken, which give you an idea of what the area looks like.
Whispers Out of the Dusttraces the story of the area from the first Europeans to wander into the area until the waters cover the town. Along the way there are a number of ghosts, some cosmic horrors, and an appearance of West’s bounty hunter Porter Rockwell (“Right Hand Man”).
The voices and styles here are quite varied. Sometimes a single author collection gets pretty repretitive, and before you’re done all the stories read the same because the author only has one voice. That isn’t the case here.
You have tales told by educated men, by illiterates, by women, by cowboy poets, by Conquistadors. Some are short, and some are not so short, and “Right Hand Man” is downright long. Some ghosts are friendlier than others. Some aren’t friendly at all. There are characters who show up in more than one story, and we see them age and die.
What Whispers Out of the Dust is is supernatural slice of life in a forgotten corner of the United States. Small town and rural communities move at a pace all their own, and while that pace has increased in recent decades due to improved transportation and communication, that slow cadence that arises in an area where everyone knows everyone and people look out for their neighbors is still there. Whispers Out of the Dust catches that pace perfectly and adds a counter-tempo that can only come from a ghost or two hanging about. Or maybe it’s the drums in the hills…
If you like ghost stories, weird westerns, or both, you should defnitely check out Whispers Out of the Dust. David J. West is a writer who is not afraid to stretch himself and grow and take literary risks. As I said earlier, this is one of the most ambitious projects by him that I’ve read. His risk-taking is our gain.
David J. West has begun to build a body of work in the subgenre known as the weird western, and his most recent book is a solid addition to the field. It’s also one of his most ambitious projects to date. (And I absolutely love that cover.)
St. Thomas, Nevada was settled by Mormon pioneers, but the area had been home to the Anasazi and other tribes long before. The Mormons, many of them anyway, moved away when they discovered they were in Nevada rather than Utah and Nevada wanted to collect several years of back taxes. Still, the town survived until the Hoover Dam was built, and the waters of Lake Mead covered it up.
That much is historical fact. What David does is add a dose of fantasy which he blends so smoothly that you find yourself believing things you know can’t really be so. (At least you don’t think so.) The footnotes (endnotes, really) certainly add to the feeling of verisimilitude. David includes a number of photos he’s taken, which give you an idea of what the area looks like.
Whispers Out of the Dusttraces the story of the area from the first Europeans to wander into the area until the waters cover the town. Along the way there are a number of ghosts, some cosmic horrors, and an appearance of West’s bounty hunter Porter Rockwell (“Right Hand Man”).
The voices and styles here are quite varied. Sometimes a single author collection gets pretty repretitive, and before you’re done all the stories read the same because the author only has one voice. That isn’t the case here.
You have tales told by educated men, by illiterates, by women, by cowboy poets, by Conquistadors. Some are short, and some are not so short, and “Right Hand Man” is downright long. Some ghosts are friendlier than others. Some aren’t friendly at all. There are characters who show up in more than one story, and we see them age and die.
What Whispers Out of the Dust is is supernatural slice of life in a forgotten corner of the United States. Small town and rural communities move at a pace all their own, and while that pace has increased in recent decades due to improved transportation and communication, that slow cadence that arises in an area where everyone knows everyone and people look out for their neighbors is still there. Whispers Out of the Dust catches that pace perfectly and adds a counter-tempo that can only come from a ghost or two hanging about. Or maybe it’s the drums in the hills…
If you like ghost stories, weird westerns, or both, you should defnitely check out Whispers Out of the Dust. David J. West is a writer who is not afraid to stretch himself and grow and take literary risks. As I said earlier, this is one of the most ambitious projects by him that I’ve read. His risk-taking is our gain.
November 19, 2017
I found this book by searching for writers like Robert E. Howard and Karl Edward Wagner (even though there can never be any other writer like Robert E. Howard). David West has read both authors, and many others besides - in a postscript to this book he also mentions Clark Ashton Smith, H.P. Lovecraft, and other fine writers.
I liked this one very much. I loved the sense of history - the short stories are chronological, and follow the weird history of the same town over the course of a century. Earlier stories are referred to as ancient old tales in later stories. The stories are in different voices: some humorous, some dark and foreboding, some in storytelling style, some poetic.
I liked this one very much. I loved the sense of history - the short stories are chronological, and follow the weird history of the same town over the course of a century. Earlier stories are referred to as ancient old tales in later stories. The stories are in different voices: some humorous, some dark and foreboding, some in storytelling style, some poetic.
May 14, 2018
Interesting
He put a lot of research into this book. But it bordered on being extremely creepy. Sort of paranormal stuff
He put a lot of research into this book. But it bordered on being extremely creepy. Sort of paranormal stuff
February 1, 2022
Given the strangeness of my own life, I found this book to be extremely fascinating.
June 7, 2016
A Haunting Collection of (almost) Historically Accurate Stories
You can count on thorough research when you read a David J. West book. He loves the bone-dry landscape of the old West and spends a lot of time there as a writer. As part of his research, West visited many of the locations depicted in his book. This gives his prose a vital, realistic feel, almost as if you can hear the wind and feel waves of dust sandblast your skin as you read.
Whispers out of the Dust is a collection of ghost stories that most often bring a chill up your spine as you read and sometimes bring a smile to your face. David draws on historical characters in his fiction to add extra realism to his work. Whispers feels like a non-fiction book, which makes it all the more haunting. Don't miss this one, especially if you are a resident of Utah, which is the fitting backdrop for David's stories in his book, Whispers Out Of the Dust.
You can count on thorough research when you read a David J. West book. He loves the bone-dry landscape of the old West and spends a lot of time there as a writer. As part of his research, West visited many of the locations depicted in his book. This gives his prose a vital, realistic feel, almost as if you can hear the wind and feel waves of dust sandblast your skin as you read.
Whispers out of the Dust is a collection of ghost stories that most often bring a chill up your spine as you read and sometimes bring a smile to your face. David draws on historical characters in his fiction to add extra realism to his work. Whispers feels like a non-fiction book, which makes it all the more haunting. Don't miss this one, especially if you are a resident of Utah, which is the fitting backdrop for David's stories in his book, Whispers Out Of the Dust.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews