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Seven Buried Hill
Everyone told her that her father wasn’t missing, but Catherine Dalton knew better. That old man could handle his horse like nobody’s business, and not only was he able to survive in the wild—he thrived there.
So after many days passed since he headed for the mountains of western Carolina and still hadn’t reached his destination, Catherine knew with certainty something was wrong. Ill fortune had undoubtedly befallen her father. Former outlaw Henry Hardin and his gang weren’t known as the helpful type, but with time and terror mounting, Catherine had run out of options.
As the mercenary crew treks into the remote mountains in search of their payday, one-by-one they learn of the black heart that beats there, of the evil palpitating through each step they take forward. Brutal savagery glides through the gloom silently alongside them, biding its time, nurturing appetites only sated by slaughter.
Little do the outlaws know that their quest to save a life might end with a battle for their own, as two breeds of evil collide, the hunters become the hunted, and desolate mountains ring with the screams of men and savages fighting to survive.
"Kristopher Rufty reimagines iconic horror themes for a new generation. Breathing new life into familiar monsters, and making them fresh, relevant, unique, and utterly terrifying."—Wrath James White, author of The Resurrectionist.
So after many days passed since he headed for the mountains of western Carolina and still hadn’t reached his destination, Catherine knew with certainty something was wrong. Ill fortune had undoubtedly befallen her father. Former outlaw Henry Hardin and his gang weren’t known as the helpful type, but with time and terror mounting, Catherine had run out of options.
As the mercenary crew treks into the remote mountains in search of their payday, one-by-one they learn of the black heart that beats there, of the evil palpitating through each step they take forward. Brutal savagery glides through the gloom silently alongside them, biding its time, nurturing appetites only sated by slaughter.
Little do the outlaws know that their quest to save a life might end with a battle for their own, as two breeds of evil collide, the hunters become the hunted, and desolate mountains ring with the screams of men and savages fighting to survive.
"Kristopher Rufty reimagines iconic horror themes for a new generation. Breathing new life into familiar monsters, and making them fresh, relevant, unique, and utterly terrifying."—Wrath James White, author of The Resurrectionist.
355 pages, Kindle Edition
Published June 21, 2016
11 people are currently reading
60 people want to read
About the author
Kristopher Rufty
69 books240 followersKristopher Rufty lives in North Carolina with his three children and pets. He’s written over twenty novels, including ALL WILL DIE, THE DEVOURED AND THE DEAD, DESOLATION, THE LURKERS and PILLOWFACE. When he’s not spending time with his family or writing, he’s obsessing over gardening and growing food.
His short story DARLA'S PROBLEM was included in the Splatterpunk Publications anthology FIGHTING BACK, which won the Splatterpunk award for best anthology. THE DEVOURED AND THE DEAD was nominated for a Splatterpunk award.
He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more about Kristopher Rufty, please visit: www.kristopherrufty.com
His short story DARLA'S PROBLEM was included in the Splatterpunk Publications anthology FIGHTING BACK, which won the Splatterpunk award for best anthology. THE DEVOURED AND THE DEAD was nominated for a Splatterpunk award.
He can be found on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter. For more about Kristopher Rufty, please visit: www.kristopherrufty.com
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Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews
September 16, 2016
I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. This is in no way reflected in my opinion of this story.
Have you ever read a book that you get so lost in it's as if it's a movie playing in your mind? Seven Buried Hill is one of those books! This novel is perfect for fans of no holds barred horror. It has gun slingers, cannibal mutants, animal attacks, violence, sex and gore soaked pages, everything I love in a weird western/horror novel. I quite literally couldn't put it down. The characters are fun to follow on their search for Catherine's father. I loved Henry, an ex-outlaw with a heart of gold, and most of his gang. Drippy reminded me of Hoss from Bonanza. Catherine is great as a strong willed heroine. Emmett is a bully with an Oedipus complex. Charlie and the Horns are straight out of a nightmare. This book has parts that made my butt clench with horror and is definitely not safe for the squeamish. I highly recommend this terrifying 5 star thrill ride.
Have you ever read a book that you get so lost in it's as if it's a movie playing in your mind? Seven Buried Hill is one of those books! This novel is perfect for fans of no holds barred horror. It has gun slingers, cannibal mutants, animal attacks, violence, sex and gore soaked pages, everything I love in a weird western/horror novel. I quite literally couldn't put it down. The characters are fun to follow on their search for Catherine's father. I loved Henry, an ex-outlaw with a heart of gold, and most of his gang. Drippy reminded me of Hoss from Bonanza. Catherine is great as a strong willed heroine. Emmett is a bully with an Oedipus complex. Charlie and the Horns are straight out of a nightmare. This book has parts that made my butt clench with horror and is definitely not safe for the squeamish. I highly recommend this terrifying 5 star thrill ride.
January 25, 2017
Rufty had lost me during the first half of this one. I think he was trying to write in a classic western style for the first half of the story and it just didn't seem like Kris Rufty........but then things got very interesting. All hell broke loose and the last half turned into the kind of book that you expect and love from Rufty. I didn't like the ending, but Rufty has a knack for creating exceptionally unique monsters and Hershell took the freaking cake. If you are looking for a read with an original psychopath then you can usuall turn to Rufty. Seven Buried Hill has maybe his best psycho yet. 3 fun stars
February 10, 2017
This is a very solid horror western. The usual tropes are there, though Rufty plays with them enough to keep things interesting. He perhaps gets a bit gratuitous in some of the sex scenes, but they are short enough that it's easy to gloss over them. (Note: I have nothing against gratuitous sex scenes so long as they fit the story, I just don't think they fit very well here.)
March 31, 2024
Fantastic!
Excellent weird western story full of violent action and enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the very end.
Excellent weird western story full of violent action and enough twists and turns to keep the reader guessing until the very end.
July 2, 2016
Kristopher Rufty has managed to find a distinctive voice when he writes. In the same way I can listen to a song and recognize Eric Clapton or Slash or Keith Richards as the guitarist, I can read an excerpt of writing and just know it’s Rufty. That distinct voice means whatever he puts out will most likely be good, which is why I tend to snatch it up within the first week of its release.
His latest, Seven Buried Hill, is no exception. I will admit to being curious and slightly worried once I realized that it would be a western-themed horror novel, and wondered if the setting would prohibit the signature Rufty style from shining through. Once I finished it, I was pleased to discover my worries were completely unfounded.
Henry Hardin was an outlaw, once upon a time. The longer he did it, the more he realized how much he was risking his life, so he’s out of the business, trying to take honest jobs for a change to reform his ways. Catherine Dalton is heiress to one of the largest tobacco plantations in North Carolina. When her father goes missing and the law won’t help her, she turns to Hardin for help. With his “boys”, Red, Pete, Drippy, and Charlie, Catherine herself, and Catherine’s effeminate fiancé Everett, the posse heads out looking for Papa Dalton. Unfortunately, they find something else, something worse, something that not all of them will survive.
The story owes as much to The Hills Have Eyes as it does to The Unforgiven, or even established horror westerns like Bone Tomahawk. The tone actually feels like the old west, even though it was set in the east. Thankfully, Rufty avoids the stereotype of making Indians the bad guys, and even shows a bit of acceptance through some of the characters for the Native Americans and their way of life. And the moments of tension—of which there are many—are suitably gripping and kept me turning the pages.
Henry and his boys are well crafted, with distinct personalities that shine through on the page. Catherine seems at first like the cookie-cutter “girl trying to prove herself in a man’s world”, then you get to go a little deeper into her thoughts and realize that she’s considerably more faceted than you first assume. Hardin himself, who could easily fall into another tried and true stereotype, manages to show real depth of character as he tries to maintain his hardened exterior while falling under Catherine’s charms.
In fact, if there’s one character here who seemed a bit under-developed, it was Charlie. He tended to wear his motivations on his sleeve, meaning the reader could see what was coming with him long before it actually happened. His fate was exceptionally satisfying, so this one was easily overlooked.
Where the story shines, though, is in the villains of the tale. They’re sick and twisted, make no mistake about that, but one can actually see the reasoning and logic behind why they act the way they do, even if there’s no question they went much too far with it. The sympathy they manage to evoke even made me wonder by the end whether I was wrong to feel nothing but sympathy for how things ended for them.
Overall, this is a shining example of Rufty at his best, weaving a story that sucks you in and makes you feel like you’re actually living it. It’s no accident that he’s one of my favorite modern horror authors, and a major influence on my own writing as well. If you haven’t picked it up yet, don’t hold back. Just prepare yourself for a thrill ride of a horror western as it plays across the screen of your imagination.
His latest, Seven Buried Hill, is no exception. I will admit to being curious and slightly worried once I realized that it would be a western-themed horror novel, and wondered if the setting would prohibit the signature Rufty style from shining through. Once I finished it, I was pleased to discover my worries were completely unfounded.
Henry Hardin was an outlaw, once upon a time. The longer he did it, the more he realized how much he was risking his life, so he’s out of the business, trying to take honest jobs for a change to reform his ways. Catherine Dalton is heiress to one of the largest tobacco plantations in North Carolina. When her father goes missing and the law won’t help her, she turns to Hardin for help. With his “boys”, Red, Pete, Drippy, and Charlie, Catherine herself, and Catherine’s effeminate fiancé Everett, the posse heads out looking for Papa Dalton. Unfortunately, they find something else, something worse, something that not all of them will survive.
The story owes as much to The Hills Have Eyes as it does to The Unforgiven, or even established horror westerns like Bone Tomahawk. The tone actually feels like the old west, even though it was set in the east. Thankfully, Rufty avoids the stereotype of making Indians the bad guys, and even shows a bit of acceptance through some of the characters for the Native Americans and their way of life. And the moments of tension—of which there are many—are suitably gripping and kept me turning the pages.
Henry and his boys are well crafted, with distinct personalities that shine through on the page. Catherine seems at first like the cookie-cutter “girl trying to prove herself in a man’s world”, then you get to go a little deeper into her thoughts and realize that she’s considerably more faceted than you first assume. Hardin himself, who could easily fall into another tried and true stereotype, manages to show real depth of character as he tries to maintain his hardened exterior while falling under Catherine’s charms.
In fact, if there’s one character here who seemed a bit under-developed, it was Charlie. He tended to wear his motivations on his sleeve, meaning the reader could see what was coming with him long before it actually happened. His fate was exceptionally satisfying, so this one was easily overlooked.
Where the story shines, though, is in the villains of the tale. They’re sick and twisted, make no mistake about that, but one can actually see the reasoning and logic behind why they act the way they do, even if there’s no question they went much too far with it. The sympathy they manage to evoke even made me wonder by the end whether I was wrong to feel nothing but sympathy for how things ended for them.
Overall, this is a shining example of Rufty at his best, weaving a story that sucks you in and makes you feel like you’re actually living it. It’s no accident that he’s one of my favorite modern horror authors, and a major influence on my own writing as well. If you haven’t picked it up yet, don’t hold back. Just prepare yourself for a thrill ride of a horror western as it plays across the screen of your imagination.
May 10, 2024
I haven't read many horror westerns, but this one I would recommend to anyone wanting to experience this sub-genre for the first time. As usual, Rufty weaves a wicked story. Gritty, violent, a smidgen of romance it'll keep you entertained start to finish. In my opinion it's like The Hills Have Eyes wild West style. And I love a book that ends with me developing a sort of soft spot for the bad guy.
Want to read
November 12, 2016This book is number 14 of 52 signed and numbered copies signed by Kristopher Rufty.
This book is number 4 in the Douglas Western Series published by Thunderstorm Books,.
This book is number 4 in the Douglas Western Series published by Thunderstorm Books,.
December 2, 2025
Loved this! Found it really well written, with decent characters. The first third of the book is setting the scene, getting to know characters, and some vague story teasers. The second third is the journey of the characters, this is more character development as well as good scene building and creepy encounters. The last third is the explosive ending where all hell breaks loose. I felt Rufty did a great job in all parts of this book.
If the Horror Western sub genre is of your fancy, then I'd definitely recommend this.
If the Horror Western sub genre is of your fancy, then I'd definitely recommend this.
March 14, 2025
Twisted western
Kris top her fifty delivers as always. It takes a while to gey.to the action.but once it starts its nonstop. Characters are fully developed and the ending is perfect.
Kris top her fifty delivers as always. It takes a while to gey.to the action.but once it starts its nonstop. Characters are fully developed and the ending is perfect.
February 9, 2017
Quite fun - some imaginative horror scenes!
July 2, 2016
Fantastic read
Rufty wrote a great Western. I wasn't sure how much I'd like a straight forward Western with a slight touch of Horror but I absolutely loved it! Bring on the next Rufty!!
Rufty wrote a great Western. I wasn't sure how much I'd like a straight forward Western with a slight touch of Horror but I absolutely loved it! Bring on the next Rufty!!
Displaying 1 - 11 of 11 reviews