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American Alchemy #1
Silver and Bone
Welcome to Souls Well. Where magic runs free and the dead never sleep.
After an avalanche decimates the population, it's up to sheriff Tiberius Tibbetts to keep his beloved town from falling apart. But it won't be easy. An infamous outlaw is terrorizing the streets. An unwelcome snake oil salesman is charming his way into the townsfolk’s pockets. And where are the twelve corpses missing from their graves?
When murder comes to town and a mystical power awakens beneath the rumbling mountains, Tiberius will have to race against time to save Souls Well from a terrible cataclysm. His only chance lay in the ancient art of alchemy: an arcane power that can lead him to his victory... Or to his doom.
Oliver Altair's Silver and Bone is the first installment in American Alchemy, a new twist on the American epic. From a graveyard under the moonlight, through the forests of the San Juan mountains, to the tunnels of an abandoned mine, Silver and Bone will take you on a ride you'll never forget!
If you're a fan of dark, historical fantasy and enjoy books like Stephen King's The Dark Tower or Tim Powers’ The Anubis Gates, you'll love Silver and Bone!
- GenresFantasyParanormalHorror
174 pages, ebook
First published September 21, 2017
38 people are currently reading
49 people want to read
About the author
Oliver Altair
4 books21 followersOliver Altair is a storyteller that dives into the beauty of the bizarre. Highly influenced by classic science fiction and fantasy, and the stories in the golden era of Pulp magazines, Oliver loves exploring all sorts of uncanny possibilities. Oliver lives between the United States and Europe and loves to travel.
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
March 3, 2018
This was another indie author that I stumbled upon and I was not disappointed. This is old west meets paranormal. I was immediately drawn into the main character Sheriff Tiberius. Though you don't know a lot about him at this point you know that he truly cares for the town and those who live in it and would do anything to protect them. The author was great at translating the care, pain, and tragedy this small town has gone through. This was a quick read with plenty of twist and turns and I was pleasantly surprised how much I was drawn in. I have read many books twice as long and did not get the same feel. I am excited he just release the second installment of this series. Look for a review on that one soon.
March 21, 2020
If a slow-burn paranormal thriller in the Old West sounds like your thing, you couldn't do much better than this little indie number. It's short, but it ain't sweet. While masculine mysteries aren't my cup of tea, I can't fault the writing, nor the weirdness of this delve into the Weird West subgenre.
In the town of Souls Well, all isn't well. Sheriff Tiberius Tebbit may have just caught an bandit known for his cruelty, but it'll take more than a hanging to bring the shattered population together. With a large number of dead following a mine collapse, moral is at an all time low. Then along comes a shifty salesman selling fabulous tonics. Tiberius wants the charlatan gone, but the folk want the bottled hope he sells. If only he'd only brought the usual snake oil, and not a heavy dose of ill fortune with him.
Not gonna lie; this is a very slow to get going story. It starts off normal enough, but gradually unveils that sickening sense of something being off. The paranormal element is quirky in a dark sort of way that's borderline horror, and I was really intrigued by the idea of how alchemy works. My only nitpick is character-related in that they don't really do emotions but that doesn't distract from the meat of the plot unless you're looking for something deeper.
It's only a short tale, and it does what it needs to in order to drag you in to the world Tiberius inhabits. The writing is fluid and solid throughout, leaving you with one mystery solved and a teaser for more to come.
I'm not the biggest fan of suspense/thrillers, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to those who are, especially if you like your Old West to have an unsettling taint of weird.
-I received a free copy of this e-book from the author. This does not influence my review-
In the town of Souls Well, all isn't well. Sheriff Tiberius Tebbit may have just caught an bandit known for his cruelty, but it'll take more than a hanging to bring the shattered population together. With a large number of dead following a mine collapse, moral is at an all time low. Then along comes a shifty salesman selling fabulous tonics. Tiberius wants the charlatan gone, but the folk want the bottled hope he sells. If only he'd only brought the usual snake oil, and not a heavy dose of ill fortune with him.
Not gonna lie; this is a very slow to get going story. It starts off normal enough, but gradually unveils that sickening sense of something being off. The paranormal element is quirky in a dark sort of way that's borderline horror, and I was really intrigued by the idea of how alchemy works. My only nitpick is character-related in that they don't really do emotions but that doesn't distract from the meat of the plot unless you're looking for something deeper.
It's only a short tale, and it does what it needs to in order to drag you in to the world Tiberius inhabits. The writing is fluid and solid throughout, leaving you with one mystery solved and a teaser for more to come.
I'm not the biggest fan of suspense/thrillers, but I wouldn't hesitate to recommend it to those who are, especially if you like your Old West to have an unsettling taint of weird.
-I received a free copy of this e-book from the author. This does not influence my review-
November 1, 2019
Just like nature
A blend of beauty, despair, life and death, the tale of Soul's Well twists and turns on the trail s of men in the old west.
There are a few moments that jerk the reader about... folks died in an avalanche yet now we are in the first snow.. it took a bit to heal the dichotomy and reveal the passage of seasons to get to the next winter. Trust the author to resolve the toe scrubbing bits.
Trust the sheriff, be his deputy...
A blend of beauty, despair, life and death, the tale of Soul's Well twists and turns on the trail s of men in the old west.
There are a few moments that jerk the reader about... folks died in an avalanche yet now we are in the first snow.. it took a bit to heal the dichotomy and reveal the passage of seasons to get to the next winter. Trust the author to resolve the toe scrubbing bits.
Trust the sheriff, be his deputy...
November 6, 2017
Interesting Story!
A great mix of the occult and the old west. The book was well written. The author did a great job with the character development. Several of them stand out and I can't wait to see what happens next! This book was a great buy!
A great mix of the occult and the old west. The book was well written. The author did a great job with the character development. Several of them stand out and I can't wait to see what happens next! This book was a great buy!
December 1, 2017
THE SILVER MINES OF SOULS WELL
Sci-fi for the old west. Lots of action and guessing what is peeping in people's window. What is in the little colored vials Maxwell sold to the town's people of Souls Well?
Read and enjoy this adventure everyone.
Sci-fi for the old west. Lots of action and guessing what is peeping in people's window. What is in the little colored vials Maxwell sold to the town's people of Souls Well?
Read and enjoy this adventure everyone.
January 10, 2018
A well written story with an easy to follow plot. Graphic details to keep you riveted to the page. The characters all were deeply entrenched in this tale and became very real to me. Like I was one in the story.
March 11, 2018
Fantastic
What an awesome book. This one kept me turning page after page. There are few people that I feel can truly write a good paranormal fantasy and Oliver Altair just joined that list.
What an awesome book. This one kept me turning page after page. There are few people that I feel can truly write a good paranormal fantasy and Oliver Altair just joined that list.
February 26, 2020
I just couldn’t get into this book. The story was dreary with no hope for the town after the silver mine collapsed. I finally quit after reading 40% of the book.
May 26, 2020
You couldn’t ask for a more fleshed out western feel. The plot was a bit slow and it had a gruesome scene near the end but it was so picturesque that I felt like I was there.
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews