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Yea Though I Walk

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"Never leave a devil without puttin’ it in the dirt." ~ First Law of the Godpistols.

Gunning down the heathen monsters of the untamed West is the calling of the Godpistols, and may be Linthicum Odell’s only path to redemption. A Union Army deserter, Odell figures he has plenty of sin to atone for. As he has yet to earn the Godpistols’ trust, they send Odell on a thankless errand to Gold Vein, a mining town with two a corrupt local justice named Lars Richterman, and a horde of cannibal wendigo in the surrounding hills.

Half-dead from a wendigo attack, Odell is nursed back to life by Denton Folger, a righteous press man from the East Coast. Intent on settling debts, Odell takes up Folger’s cause against Richterman and his schemes on the land surrounding Gold Vein. Odell soon realizes that Richterman and the wendigo in the hills are not the only monsters threatening the town. His greatest ally comes in the form of Folger’s ferociously capable wife, Katherina, who holds the secrets to the intrigues of this valley. To save Gold Vein, Odell must pry loose these secrets, though her dark allure may prove too much for Odell’s loyalties… both to his Godpistol dogma and to Folger.

When Odell discovers the truth of what brought him to this valley, and why Katherina keeps this truth buried, will his virtue fail? Or will a bag of silver bullets be enough to survive this war between devils, virtue be damned?

386 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 7, 2016

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325 people want to read

About the author

J.P. Sloan

15 books85 followers
J.P. Sloan is a speculative fiction author … primarily of urban fantasy, horror and several shades between. His writing explores the strangeness in that which is familiar, at times stretching the limits of the human experience, or only hinting at the monsters lurking under your bed.

A Louisiana native, Sloan relocated to the vineyards and cow pastures of Central Maryland after Hurricane Katrina, where he lives with his wife and son. During the day he commutes to the city of Baltimore, a setting which inspires much of his writing.

In his spare time, Sloan enjoys wine-making and homebrewing, and is a certified beer judge.

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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
Profile Image for Tracey.
1,115 reviews292 followers
March 14, 2023
Yea Though I Walk is what I've discovered is called a "weird Western", a Western with a fantasy or steampunk spin. Which is, in my opinion, something there ought to be more of. The spin in Yea is that the hero and first-person narrator of the story is Linthicum Odell (a fine name), who is working to become a Godpistol, a righteous hunter of unnatural and evil creatures like the hungry undead or blood-sucking Strigoi (called striggers, which is kind of brilliant). But he deserted during the Civil War, and while it's taking a very long time for him to be accepted as a Godpistol, he feels that's only right. He needs to prove himself. He needs to redeem himself for past sins.

To that end, he has taken a mission to bring silver coins to a smith – a former Godpistol – to be turned into silver bullets. And … well, I never thought of that before. Mr. Lone Ranger, sir, how are you acquiring all those bullets you're so famous for? In pursuit of that duty, he is attacked by some horrible creatures new to him, and discovered by a townsman called Denton Folger (such good names), who has an extraordinary relationship with a Strigoi.

At one point fairly early on in the book, a character made a suggestion that caused my eyebrows to go up. I won't even hint at what the suggestion was, because that suggestion was realized in a remarkable manner, and it would be too easy to do to this book what someone did to The Sixth Sense for me; there's a twist in the tale, and it's just a bit mind-bending. What was funny, and fun, was that I noted a couple of things I thought were plot holes … and, as it turns out, they weren't.

I did groan a bit at "the faun hanging in the corner"; I don't believe goat-footed mythological beings were among the creatures roaming this earth, and if they were that they were on the menu. But on the whole the writing was as well edited as it was enjoyable.

I loved the characters, and the complexities of their relationships. The evils that they faced were truly, honestly frightening – strong and unpredictable and horrifyingly numerous. And with all of this in a Wild West setting that rang true – well. I have a new go-to subgenre in Weird Westerns.

I received this book from the publisher for review.
Profile Image for Tracy.
Author 5 books514 followers
September 23, 2016
Yea Though I Walk is genre blending fiction: it is a mix of the western, horror, and paranormal fantasy genres. From the opening sentences, “It’s the smell that hit me first. That sickly-sweet smell of greasy meat and burning hair puts a hook in my gut and drags me awake.” - I had a feeling I was onto a winner with this story.

The plot follows the path of Linthicum Odell, an Army deserter and would-be member of The God Pistols - a band of gun toting vigilantes who clear the west of demons, vampires and other hell spawn. Linthicum has been sent to a town known as Gold Vein to procure silver bullets from the smithy there. On his way he is waylaid and captured by a group of wendigo. His path is now inextricably woven with the complex problems of the ever diminishing citizens of Gold Vein. He finds himself faced with not only an army of cannibals in the hills, but also vampires (strigoi or striggers). It’s all fun from there onward.

Sloan sets the scene wonderfully in first paragraph - I could visualise what was going on extremely well and this opening scene turns out to be an action packed one. In fact there are only a few places where the pacing lags a little in this novel, otherwise it rockets along and I really did have trouble putting it down. Those slower sections are the travelling to and from the homestead to the town; these become a little repetitive, but in hindsight I think there are some clues in there - however I missed them at the time.

The characters are diverse. Some of them typical of what you would expect within a western style novel, but they’re not one-dimensional. Their voices throughout are convincingly different - you'll understand what I mean by this when you read it. Sloan writes that stereotypical western drawl/slang that we expect to see from some of the characters and yet the dialogue for Folger who is from the east coast and Katerina who is from Eastern Europe also seemed to me to be well done.

Part of the way through the novel I thought the plot was going to twist in a particular direction, but discounted it because it simply didn’t seem feasible. There is also cute, but brief, section of dialogue dealing with existentialism and vampires. So when the plot twist, that I thought impossible happened, I was momentarily angry, thinking that the author had pulled an elephant out of his existential hat and was expecting us to ignore it. I was delighted when the plot took yet another twist, wholly unexpected, that left me smiling and saying to myself, “Thank you.” (Then, of course, I went back to the book trying to find the clues I had missed.)

I really did enjoy the blending of some of the classic vampire mythos into a new world / western environment. I thought this was not only different, but interesting. Yea Though I Walk rollicks along for the most part and is a highly enjoyable read.

4 Stars.
Profile Image for Sophia.
Author 5 books402 followers
August 7, 2016
While doing a bit of browsing, I got curious about this one that had an intriguing Biblical sounding title, was listed as a fantasy, but the blurb had me thinking it might be a tough, gritty, paranormal Western. Well, um, it was a bit of all that when all was said and done.
And might I add that it had the hallmarks of a decent 'horror' story going for it. I would be hard-pressed to nail this one down since it seemed a bit of everything. And, really, I find it a tough road putting my thoughts on this book into words, but I'll give it a go.

First of all, setting and backdrop are decidedly western. Tough, gritty people and situation. The post-Civil War when men headed west for a new start on the American frontier. Opportunities in mining, ranching, and farming, but opportunities that came with a cost. Some folks just wanted to live in peace and prosperity while others followed the outlaw trail and preyed on those other folks.

But beyond that it is also a story loaded with paranormal and horror elements. The monsters that go bump in the night (and in the day) are real. The good people of Gold Vein live in terror of what lurks in the hills and also a bit closer to town.

Into this situation, rides the lone hero, Odell Linthicum, who escapes a particular grisly death from a camp of flesh-eating Wendigo in the woods when the camp is attack by a group of 'Striggers' (vampires). A snake bite is what lays Odell low and makes him believe death is near, but he wakes up rescued by local newspaper man, Denton Folger, and his beautiful and very after-dead wife, Katherina. Odell is forced assess all that he has been taught. Katherina knows what is really going on in and around Gold Vein and wants Odell's help, but she needs him to figure out the truth for himself.

Odell finds himself with more trouble than any one man should be asked to handle- human eating Wendigos, untame Striggers, a grasping and greedy Richterman who controls the town and keeps grabbing for more land, and then there is Odell's attraction to Folger's wife. It's going to take a tough, determined man to rally the townsfolks and see it all through.

The world the author created was right up my alley as I like a blending of old Western with paranormal elements. I liked the gritty situation and the hero, Odell, who wants to prove himself and doesn't even realize he already is strong, brave, and a leader. He's foul-mouthed, but savvy and determined. It was funny seeing him partnered with Folger. Folger wants to fight Richterman and his rabble, but he is polished and one of those genuinely good men who feels the pen is mightier than the gun.

Now, there was a lot going on in this one and oh so much more than I can even share without spoiling this story. Let's just say the true wonder of this story only dawns on the reader near the end and then forces the reader to re-think every conception that has been established up to that point. I love it when a story can turn things on it's head and make me think on it long after I was done reading.

Beyond this, there is the slow-build tension filled trouble coming from all sides it seems like any good Western can bring with the huge money-shot climax scene.

The balance was good between Western, paranormal, and even a dab of romance to the elements. I need my Western formula which naturally has things culminating in a huge gun battle against all odds and I got that and more. The ending left me gutted, but it made sense.

So, all in all, this was a reading experience that left me amazed at the author's creativity and whirling with how things played out. This will be for those who enjoy blended genres involving gritty Western, ghoulish paranormal and even shades of horror.

My thanks to Curiosity Quills for the opportunity to read this book in exchange for an honest review.
Profile Image for Marjolein (UrlPhantomhive).
2,497 reviews57 followers
July 26, 2017
Read all my reviews on http://urlphantomhive.booklikes.com

I had previously read some books from JP Sloan (The Curse Merchant) but they were quite different from Yea Though I Walk, which I can only describe as a gritty Paranormal Western Horror. Talk about blending some genres together.

I'm normally not really someone for the Western genre, but the grittiness of it really added to the story. Add to that the Wendigo and vampires and it made a surprisingly entertaining read. I think the main character, Odell, could have been fleshed out a bit more (no pun intended) but otherwise a really nice read.

Thanks to the publisher for providing me with a free copy of this book in exchange for an honest review!
Profile Image for Matthew Cox.
Author 192 books265 followers
September 23, 2016
I have read JP’s prior novel, The Curse Merchant, so I was already a fan of his work. When YEA came out, I gave a quick glance at the preview chapter and decided to buy it to keep going.

Yea Though I walk is an expertly crafted story set in the old west (1800s) where a man is forced to deal with supernatural creatures plaguing a quiet town under the thumb of a land-hungry justice of the peace. Gravely wounded, Lincthum Odell winds up under the care of a woman who nurses him back to health. In doing so, he gets tangled in the local creature problem. The woman has secrets, and despite being another man’s wife, he falls for her.

So as not to spoil anything, this bit is going to be deliberately vague: The story contains a twist, and the ‘expertly crafted’ part comes into play how all the events leading up to the reveal weave together into that truth. While I can’t say I’ve ever read “western horror” before, I quite liked what I read here, and would recommend it to anyone who’s a fan of cowboy westerns, vampire novels, and horror.

The story is full of well developed characters, none of whom can really be called completely good or completely bad. It’s a thought-provoking commentary on the nature of human (and sometimes inhuman) morality.

Profile Image for Matthew Cox.
Author 192 books265 followers
September 12, 2016
I have read JP's prior novel, The Curse Merchant, so I was already a fan of his work. When YEA came out, I gave a quick glance at the preview chapter and decided to buy it to keep going.

Yea Though I walk is an expertly crafted story set in the old west (1800s) where a man is forced to deal with supernatural creatures plaguing a quiet town under the thumb of a land-hungry justice of the peace. Gravely wounded, Lincthum Odell winds up under the care of a woman who nurses him back to health. In doing so, he gets tangled in the local creature problem. The woman has secrets, and despite being another man's wife, he falls for her.

So as not to spoil anything, this bit is going to be deliberately vague: The story contains a twist, and the 'expertly crafted' part comes into play how all the events leading up to the reveal weave together into that truth. While I can't say I've ever read "western horror" before, I quite liked what I read here, and would recommend it to anyone who's a fan of cowboy westerns, vampire novels, and horror.
Profile Image for Keith.
225 reviews8 followers
August 6, 2016
Meet Linthicum Odell, Union Army Infantryman, Army deserter, coward and Godpistol wannabe.
Godpistols are hunters of Demons and Strigoi (vampires).
This just runs away into a crazy old west story packed full of manic violence between these Cannibal demons and the Strigoi.
Caught in the centre is Odell and Denton Folger.
It's really hard not to spoil the story if you decide to try and explain things more in depth.
I'm really not willing to do that because this book is brilliant and I'm glad I went into reading it without knowing anything of it.
I think that'll be the most satisfying way to read it, all the twists, turns and the big reveals should really be enjoyed without being forewarned.
I'd absolutely recommend this book to you people out there who enjoy a change of scenery and like their books with an edgy supernatural twist.
Profile Image for M.F. Hopkins.
Author 4 books29 followers
May 7, 2018
WOW!
This book was an awesome read! The characters, monsters, and the totally bizarre and unexpected plot twists, kept me hooked the whole time.
At the moment, I can't say anything more without spoilers, so I may have to come back at a later time to re-work this review. I will say that during the whole time I was reading, I was envisioning this as a film, destined to become a cult classic.
Loved it!
Profile Image for Rosie Amber.
Author 1 book83 followers
June 1, 2016
Yea Though I walk is a paranormal western set in Wyoming in 1876. It opens with a scene where a man's foot is roasting on an open fire and later eaten by human cannibals known as Wendigos

Linthicum Odell is a member of the Godpistols a group using religion as a rule of thumb to rid the country of evil. Escaping from the super human cannibals during an attack by blood drinking stiggers, Odell is rescued by Denton Folger, a local newspaperman.

Denton lives near Gold Vein with Katherina, a strange women who sleeps during the day. In return for his rescue Odell agrees to help Denton rid the town of Lars Richterman the local town thug and leader who is forcing people off their land for his own grand scheme.

The last third of the book becomes extremely complex as the triangle around Denton, Odell and Lars closes in and their fight with the Wendigo draws to a climax. Here the writer shows his aptitude to stretch the limits of the reader. I often found it quite hard to know who was talking, but I cannot reveal more without dropping in huge plot spoilers. An interesting story concept, I enjoyed the setting and the buildup but got lost on the way to the end.
Profile Image for Becky Stephens.
270 reviews11 followers
June 12, 2018
Yea Though I Walk is a well-crafted book with a strong plot, three-dimensional characters, jaw-dropping twists, and amazing world-building, placing the reader directly in the dusty landscape of the Wild West.

I have read a handful of horror westerns, mostly with zombies thrown into the Wild West scenario, and have found that I enjoy the mashup of genres. When I got the chance to read this fantasy western, which happens to have a horde of cannibal Wendigoes, as well as Strigoi, creatures of the night, I knew I would enjoy this book.

Without rehashing the blurb—you can read that for yourself—there isn’t much else to say without giving away the most intriguing and mind-blowing plot I’ve seen in quite some time. Yea Though I Walk is well-written and well-edited, and I highly recommend it to anyone who is a fan of both westerns and horror.
Profile Image for Rhonda Taylor.
559 reviews1 follower
August 22, 2019
Interesting

The picture of horror painted itself into my mind so vividly that at times I had to stop reading. I couldn't leave it for long though. Well written and intense.
Profile Image for Pat Eroh.
2,618 reviews32 followers
August 8, 2019
I love westerns and this one was totally different from anything I have ever read. This book was interesting from page 1 and though a bit off from what I believe (Jesus) I can go with this author's wild, wild, west imagination. Great read.

I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Profile Image for Drucilla.
2,674 reviews51 followers
August 20, 2019
I thought this was fine. I’m there for any supernatural western. But Odell was so clichéd and it made me like him less. Then the author pulls the twist that , which I would have been onboard with had it been foreshadowed at all. Bit of a mixed dish.
Profile Image for Janet.
1,991 reviews3 followers
August 11, 2019
Very different. It sort of reminds me of a combo of Hex and Priest. I can't say if I liked it or not. It was scary. So I guess it did it's job in that respect. I received a complimentary review copy of the book and I am voluntarily leaving a honest review.
Profile Image for Laura.
460 reviews53 followers
September 7, 2018
Yea Though I Walk by J.P. Sloan is what I think of as a weird western. It's a western, but there are paranormal beings and events in the story. Another good example of this sort of story is The Six-Gun Tarot by R.S. Belcher.

Lars Richterman, Linthicum Odell, and Denton Folger are three of the most important characters in the book along with Katherina. The story is mostly told from Linthicum's perspective. Not sure one would really call him a hero, even though he has heroic moments. He has plenty of humbling moments as well.

It's a good story with some really interesting twists. In addition to the Wendigo, there are vampires of a sort called Strigoi. There is plenty of suspense. And it kept me turning the pages wanting to know what would happen next. The closer it gets to the end, the faster the pages seem to turn.

If I could tell you anything about this book, it's that as a fan of weird westerns, I enjoyed it and if you are intrigued by the genre, you will most likely enjoy it as well. I give it 4 out of 5 stars. This reads as a standalone. I'd read it again or another like it by the same author.

Disclaimer: I received a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. All opinions herein are my own and freely given.
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