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Damnation #2
Dead Indian Wars
A Paranormal Western
THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN,
AND HE’S ARMED TO THE FANGS.
After fending off an attack by the werewolf pack, the saloon is in shambles and half of the dead outlaws have been sent to Hell. Nigel, the lone vampire, takes up the job of sheriff in order to protect the only living boy in Damnation.
A second vampire, with whom Nigel has some history and still bears a grudge, comes to town. To make matters worse, an army of angry Indian warriors arrive, and they’re not too keen on sharing their spirit world with the soldiers who killed them.
A sudden scarcity of food and booze spurs the election of a hawkish mayor, who controls the vampires with an unlikely source of warm blood. Buddy and some ragtag gunslingers are left to defend their territory against an entire nation of dead Indians led by an invincible brave.
THERE’S A NEW SHERIFF IN TOWN,
AND HE’S ARMED TO THE FANGS.
After fending off an attack by the werewolf pack, the saloon is in shambles and half of the dead outlaws have been sent to Hell. Nigel, the lone vampire, takes up the job of sheriff in order to protect the only living boy in Damnation.
A second vampire, with whom Nigel has some history and still bears a grudge, comes to town. To make matters worse, an army of angry Indian warriors arrive, and they’re not too keen on sharing their spirit world with the soldiers who killed them.
A sudden scarcity of food and booze spurs the election of a hawkish mayor, who controls the vampires with an unlikely source of warm blood. Buddy and some ragtag gunslingers are left to defend their territory against an entire nation of dead Indians led by an invincible brave.
210 pages, Kindle Edition
Published May 29, 2018
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9 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
May 21, 2018
4 Stars
Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
Much like the first book in the series, this was an entertaining romp in the Old West, full of inappropriate fun!
As I mentioned last time, one strange thing about this series is that it doesn't seem to have a protagonist. It has a narrator/POV character who's a member of the town and who sometimes seems to have a touch of omniscience for the sake of the story, but the story is kind of about the whole group and the goings-on in their town of Damnation. It's a format that works for this particular story though. I didn't feel close to any one character, but I was amused and engaged while reading nonetheless.
But that doesn't mean there weren't some great characters. In fact, I've become fond of them in general due to their ridiculous antics. It was the women who really stole the show this time though. Mabel didn't let herself be pushed around; she made things happen, held her own in a town full of men who didn't respect women in general, and even took one girl who showed up under her wing. Both Mollie and Annabelle turned out to be feisty when necessary, and I loved them for it. *SPOILER* *END SPOILER* Even Gut-Shot Granny had her moments. The only one who wasn't around much was Ms. Parker. But overall, the ladies brought their A game.
Oh, and of course I liked the setting since I do love books set in the Old West, and this Afterlife version of it adds a layer of strangeness to the whole thing.
Since this book was set in the Old West, I do want to give a warning that there were some instances of racism, ableism, sexism, toxic masculinity, etc. from some of the characters. But these were fitting in the context, and a lot of it was acknowledged or subverted by the story and individual characters. There was a lot of acknowledgement of the terrible treatment of Native Americans and the stealing of their lands. As I said above, the female characters were awesome. The disabled characters weren't helpless or inferior. There was even mention of two guys holding hands, so there might have been LGBT+ characters. One male character openly wept at one point. So I do feel like it was just many of the characters that were realistically problematic, not the book. (But keep in mind I am not an expert on every marginalized group, and there's always the possibility of problems in books that I don't realize.)
I want to give one more warning, what with all the shootings happening in real life. There was lots of shooting in this book because of the Old West setting, but there was one scene in particular when someone basically just opened fire on everyone in the saloon that I imagine could potentially be triggering.
I had a couple small issues with suspension of disbelief. The plot was also a bit meandering again. Those were very minor things though and didn't hurt my enjoyment.
Overall, this was another fun book in the series with ridiculous characters, inappropriate humor, and a strange, lawless Old West Afterlife. So pull up a stool, keep your head down, and don't piss off any vampires, and you just might survive in Damnation long enough to make it to Heaven. ;-)
Recommended For:
Fans of Book 1 in Clark Casey's Damnation series. Anyone who likes inappropriate humor, paranormal, and the Old West.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
Review:
*I received an ecopy of this book via NetGalley. This has not influenced my review.*
Much like the first book in the series, this was an entertaining romp in the Old West, full of inappropriate fun!
As I mentioned last time, one strange thing about this series is that it doesn't seem to have a protagonist. It has a narrator/POV character who's a member of the town and who sometimes seems to have a touch of omniscience for the sake of the story, but the story is kind of about the whole group and the goings-on in their town of Damnation. It's a format that works for this particular story though. I didn't feel close to any one character, but I was amused and engaged while reading nonetheless.
But that doesn't mean there weren't some great characters. In fact, I've become fond of them in general due to their ridiculous antics. It was the women who really stole the show this time though. Mabel didn't let herself be pushed around; she made things happen, held her own in a town full of men who didn't respect women in general, and even took one girl who showed up under her wing. Both Mollie and Annabelle turned out to be feisty when necessary, and I loved them for it. *SPOILER* *END SPOILER* Even Gut-Shot Granny had her moments. The only one who wasn't around much was Ms. Parker. But overall, the ladies brought their A game.
Oh, and of course I liked the setting since I do love books set in the Old West, and this Afterlife version of it adds a layer of strangeness to the whole thing.
Since this book was set in the Old West, I do want to give a warning that there were some instances of racism, ableism, sexism, toxic masculinity, etc. from some of the characters. But these were fitting in the context, and a lot of it was acknowledged or subverted by the story and individual characters. There was a lot of acknowledgement of the terrible treatment of Native Americans and the stealing of their lands. As I said above, the female characters were awesome. The disabled characters weren't helpless or inferior. There was even mention of two guys holding hands, so there might have been LGBT+ characters. One male character openly wept at one point. So I do feel like it was just many of the characters that were realistically problematic, not the book. (But keep in mind I am not an expert on every marginalized group, and there's always the possibility of problems in books that I don't realize.)
I want to give one more warning, what with all the shootings happening in real life. There was lots of shooting in this book because of the Old West setting, but there was one scene in particular when someone basically just opened fire on everyone in the saloon that I imagine could potentially be triggering.
I had a couple small issues with suspension of disbelief. The plot was also a bit meandering again. Those were very minor things though and didn't hurt my enjoyment.
Overall, this was another fun book in the series with ridiculous characters, inappropriate humor, and a strange, lawless Old West Afterlife. So pull up a stool, keep your head down, and don't piss off any vampires, and you just might survive in Damnation long enough to make it to Heaven. ;-)
Recommended For:
Fans of Book 1 in Clark Casey's Damnation series. Anyone who likes inappropriate humor, paranormal, and the Old West.
Original Review @ Metaphors and Moonlight
August 28, 2020
First, I want to thank Clark Casey for sending me his second book, 'Dead Indian Wars' in this fun and unique series. Before reading Dawn in Damnation, the first book in this series a few years ago, I had never read a Western before and was terrified to read it. Is a Western going to be like a John Wayne movie? I don't like old Western movies. Are there going to be any cliche quotes like from Clint Eastwood "Do you feel lucky...well....do you?" I know that may not be from a Western movie, but I was worried when I first picked up the series. I shouldn't have worried, because these book were so much fun to read.
If you haven't read the first book, let me recap before I review the second. Dawn in Damnation is set in a kind of limbo. A purgatory between Heaven and Hell. This is a place were all people go that had sinned, mostly the killing kind. This is a place where they can maybe try again. According Sal, the bartender, if you can refrain from killing anyone for a year while in Damnation you can go to Heaven. If you kill someone or someone kills you, you go straight to hell. The one bar town run by Sal is the only place the humans (white folks) have to hospitality and so when you find yourself in this limbo it's the first place you turn up. You get a whisky on the house and a few bucks to play cards. That's basically what there is to do. Our main character Tom is the journalist of the bunch. He writes 'The Crapper', a newspaper that talks about the comings and goings of the people from Damnation. There are a bunch of other characters that are fun to read about like Nigel the vampire.
In the second book, 'Dead Indian Wars', we get more history of the place. How long things have really been running around those parts. What the Indians are wanting and the warewolves. Yes, their are supernaturals in these books. Our friends run low on food and have to come up with a plan on how to eat. Dead don't have to eat, but it passes the time and they were used to eating while alive, so the dead what to do the same. We learn about what is beyond Damnation, if the Heaven, one year rule, is actually true. We also get a second bar, run by women. There aren't many in the series.
Overall I found the duology to be fantastic. I'm not sure if Casey is going to write a third book. I think there might be room for that, but who knows. If you've never picked up a Paranormal Western and you've been wondering if it's something you'd like to read, I'd recommend picking up this duology. It's a lot of fun. It's super easy to read, never boring and has short chapters so you feel like the book flies by.
Thank you again Clark Casey for allowing me the opportunity to read these two book.
If you haven't read the first book, let me recap before I review the second. Dawn in Damnation is set in a kind of limbo. A purgatory between Heaven and Hell. This is a place were all people go that had sinned, mostly the killing kind. This is a place where they can maybe try again. According Sal, the bartender, if you can refrain from killing anyone for a year while in Damnation you can go to Heaven. If you kill someone or someone kills you, you go straight to hell. The one bar town run by Sal is the only place the humans (white folks) have to hospitality and so when you find yourself in this limbo it's the first place you turn up. You get a whisky on the house and a few bucks to play cards. That's basically what there is to do. Our main character Tom is the journalist of the bunch. He writes 'The Crapper', a newspaper that talks about the comings and goings of the people from Damnation. There are a bunch of other characters that are fun to read about like Nigel the vampire.
In the second book, 'Dead Indian Wars', we get more history of the place. How long things have really been running around those parts. What the Indians are wanting and the warewolves. Yes, their are supernaturals in these books. Our friends run low on food and have to come up with a plan on how to eat. Dead don't have to eat, but it passes the time and they were used to eating while alive, so the dead what to do the same. We learn about what is beyond Damnation, if the Heaven, one year rule, is actually true. We also get a second bar, run by women. There aren't many in the series.
Overall I found the duology to be fantastic. I'm not sure if Casey is going to write a third book. I think there might be room for that, but who knows. If you've never picked up a Paranormal Western and you've been wondering if it's something you'd like to read, I'd recommend picking up this duology. It's a lot of fun. It's super easy to read, never boring and has short chapters so you feel like the book flies by.
Thank you again Clark Casey for allowing me the opportunity to read these two book.
May 22, 2018
The sudden cliffhanger that ended the first book of the Damnation series all but forced me to read this sequel as well. I just had to know if and how the residents of Damnation would survive the threatening attack by the Indians (not to mention the nearby pack of werewolves).
Like with the first book, the beginning was very slow and I almost lost interest in reading any further. While new characters entered Damnation, others left for good, and all of them were memorized with short articles in the Crapper, Damnation's one and only newspaper. There it was again, the familiar repetitiveness I already knew from the first book.
But once the action started I, again, was glad I kept on reading and didn't give up too early. This time, Damnation is attacked by numerous hordes of Indians living just outside the city limits, and it doesn't look too good for our dead cowboys...
Also, we learn more about Luther, the second vampire in town, and more light is shed on baby Martin, the only living thing here.
A solid sequel, though I was disappointed there was no preview of a third book yet - I hope there will be one soon.
(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)
Like with the first book, the beginning was very slow and I almost lost interest in reading any further. While new characters entered Damnation, others left for good, and all of them were memorized with short articles in the Crapper, Damnation's one and only newspaper. There it was again, the familiar repetitiveness I already knew from the first book.
But once the action started I, again, was glad I kept on reading and didn't give up too early. This time, Damnation is attacked by numerous hordes of Indians living just outside the city limits, and it doesn't look too good for our dead cowboys...
Also, we learn more about Luther, the second vampire in town, and more light is shed on baby Martin, the only living thing here.
A solid sequel, though I was disappointed there was no preview of a third book yet - I hope there will be one soon.
(Thanks to Netgalley, the author, and the publisher for a copy of the book, all opinions are my own)
June 1, 2018
Disclaimer: I received a free ebook from the author via Netgalley.
This fast-paced sequel to Dawn in Damnation picks up mere moments after the first book ends. Like the first installment, it's an easy read that flows well; every chapter brings a new character, a new incident, or a new puzzle.
The narrator Tom continues to be one of my favorite characters of the town, but for much of the tale, the very omniscient storytelling jumps around between points of view, giving us only tantalizing glimpses of Tom's character arc at times. I was pleased, however, so see that one of my complaints about the first book had been addressed, with the significant increase in named, talking characters who are neither white nor male.
The story portrays an interesting commentary regarding American treatment of it's indigenous peoples, but it did rather make me want to root for the "Indians" over the humans (and vampires) of Damnation. The new mayor of the town is a particularly Trumpian jerk. However, an intriguing mystery surrounds him that I quite enjoyed.
The language used regarding the Indians, and other aspects of the world, continues to be era appropriate, if occasionally offensive to modern tastes. Even considering that the perspective of the Indians comes from a bigoted source, at times the people and camp outside of Damnation feel like living cliches, leaving me wondering whether the author did sufficient research in that regard.
Once again, the story ends with another gleefully gory, violent battle. This one includes slightly less of a cliffhanger, but it's obvious that more to the story is forthcoming. I'm still interested in continuing this tale to learn more about the town. Especially considering an intriguing world-building quirk: time is passing in the living world (a laugh-out-loud moment includes the explanation of trains to a Revolutionary War-era character). However, doesn't this mean less supplies trickling into the town as animal transport falls out of use? I'm definitely curious to see how Casey handles this conflict in future installments.
This fast-paced sequel to Dawn in Damnation picks up mere moments after the first book ends. Like the first installment, it's an easy read that flows well; every chapter brings a new character, a new incident, or a new puzzle.
The narrator Tom continues to be one of my favorite characters of the town, but for much of the tale, the very omniscient storytelling jumps around between points of view, giving us only tantalizing glimpses of Tom's character arc at times. I was pleased, however, so see that one of my complaints about the first book had been addressed, with the significant increase in named, talking characters who are neither white nor male.
The story portrays an interesting commentary regarding American treatment of it's indigenous peoples, but it did rather make me want to root for the "Indians" over the humans (and vampires) of Damnation. The new mayor of the town is a particularly Trumpian jerk. However, an intriguing mystery surrounds him that I quite enjoyed.
The language used regarding the Indians, and other aspects of the world, continues to be era appropriate, if occasionally offensive to modern tastes. Even considering that the perspective of the Indians comes from a bigoted source, at times the people and camp outside of Damnation feel like living cliches, leaving me wondering whether the author did sufficient research in that regard.
Once again, the story ends with another gleefully gory, violent battle. This one includes slightly less of a cliffhanger, but it's obvious that more to the story is forthcoming. I'm still interested in continuing this tale to learn more about the town. Especially considering an intriguing world-building quirk: time is passing in the living world (a laugh-out-loud moment includes the explanation of trains to a Revolutionary War-era character). However, doesn't this mean less supplies trickling into the town as animal transport falls out of use? I'm definitely curious to see how Casey handles this conflict in future installments.
February 6, 2019
Wildly imaginative and thought provoking. Told in familiar laconic western prose, Casey explores the afterlife, morality, gunslingers and vampires, retribution and redemption, with philosophical insight and a sneaky sense of humor. I loved the 'Comings and Goings' summaries of colorful historical characters at the end of each chapter, as written for his self-deprecatingly named newsletter, The Crapper. It sucks you in!
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews