Six outlaws, barely a day ahead of their pursuers, find shelter in a freshly deserted New Mexico town. With no water, and one of them gravely wounded, they realize too late they're trapped inside the lifeless town.
As they soon discover the grisly truth behind the disappearance of the townsfolk, the outlaws find themselves hunted by something far worse than anything they've faced yet - an unspeakable evil that seemingly cannot be killed. When the malevolent creature targets them in turn, the previously tight-knit group begin unraveling past the breaking point. Thinking it to be a Strigoi Morti , a monstrosity that can only be harmed while feeding on the living, the surviving few are faced with an agonizing choice. Who will they sacrifice so the others may live?
Spine-chilling, poignant, and action-packed, Iron Dogs is an instant classic for Horror, Thriller, and Western fans everywhere.
Neil Chase is an award-winning novelist, screenwriter, actor, and story coach with extensive experience in a variety of genres, including action, sci-fi, drama, horror, and comedy. Neil has won over 90 international writing awards, including from American Fiction Awards, Script Summit, Las Vegas Film Festival, FilmQuest, A Night of Horror Film Festival, Screamfest, West Field Screenwriting Awards, and Cinequest, among many others. He is most proud of winning the FilmMakers International Screenwriting Awards Grand Prize, the Neoverse Writing Competition Grand Prize, two Global eBook Awards Gold Medals, and the Arthur Rosenfeld Award for Excellence in Dramatic Writing. Neil is also featured in the book, "The Top 100 Indie Writers in the World".
Neil's screenplays have been produced for film and TV, including "Christmas Cupcakes", "Tsunami Falls", "Awake", "The Devil's Due", as well as a number of episodes for Wild TV. With an award-winning debut horror novel, “Iron Dogs”, and two new novels on the way, Neil has also starred in numerous films and TV movies, such as "The Academy", "John, 316", "Christmas with a Crown", “Divide”, “The Damned: Three Days Dead”, and the upcoming “Broken” and “Bagman Rising”.
When not working, he's drawing inspiration from his amazing family and thinking up new worlds and adventures.
Again, I was looking for something different to listen to. This book was so far from my usual books that I wasn’t sure how it would go, what my feelings and personal thoughts would end up being once I finished it. I LOVED IT! This book was beautifully written and was such a whirlwind of suspense, sadness, action, and OMG moments that it was hard to put down (or pause on my phone).
I’ve never been a fan of music and sound effects in audiobooks but with this one? WOW! I ended up messaging the author (who sent me the code) to let him know he did an awesome job with this production. The fact he narrated it himself, again, WOW! He’s definitely a natural speaker and added so much to the story, the accents, the emotion. It all came together in this—insert positive adjective here—package and I’d love to read more stories that he’s written/narrated again.
Here’s a quote from what I sent the author: “I usually have no problem imagining what’s going on in each scene, creating a movie in my mind. But with yours? I’ve never had a “movie” like this before. It’s been such a wild ride! I tend to not be a fan of music and sound effects but the ones in this book were so beautifully incorporated without distracting and/or taking me out of the story.”
Anyway, I loved the quotes at the beginning of each chapter; some were really cool/interesting. While there were times when I got a smidge confused because the author chose to keep the story in the past tense even when a character reminisced about a past event, instead of using past perfect, it so did not deter me from wanting to leave a 5-star review.
Seeing that there are only nine reviews on Goodreads for this book, one that came out over two years ago, has me really wishing I had friends to suggest this book to, unfortunately, I’m a hermit. I will get my husband to give it a listen; he’s the one with friends. :D The idea that such an awesome book is out there without being read/listened to is so sad. I’ve encountered only a select few of these kinds of books.
In the end, if you couldn’t tell with all I’ve said, this was a great listen and I’d highly recommend it to others.
I received a free audiobook code in exchange for an honest review.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
Iron Dogs by Neil Chase is a chilling horror tale with elements of a Western story. Iron Dogs introduces readers to six outlaws on the run. They arrive in a deserted town in New Mexico, a place with no water and no life. But they soon discover that there is an evil in this place that has caused the people who once lived here to desert the town. It is something deadlier than the pursuers they are running away from, an evil that can only be killed in one way — it can only be harmed while it feeds on the living. Must the group sacrifice one of their own if they want the others to live? But who will be ready to make such a sacrifice?
Neil Chase has the gift of plot and character, and while placing readers in an arid setting, the author creates characters that are rich — emotionally and psychologically. The horror grips the reader’s heart powerfully and they can relate to the characters experiencing the worst danger in their lives. The conflict is strong and the danger facing the group weakens the bonds of friendship and unravels the true nature of the characters. The author makes readers see what happens when man has to make the choice between life and death. The emotional intensity of the story is strong and the pervading sense of danger, of evil, the thought that something lurks in the dark and that something bad could happen at any moment permeates the narrative. Neil Chase’s Iron Dogs is filled with grittiness; it is spellbinding and utterly satisfying. Readers' Favorite Team
Six men, Confederates outlawed for attempting to rob a train, bait their own trap for their pursuers before they set out across the desert towards San Francisco where a friend owes them a favour. Attacked by vagabonds in New Mexico, they take refuge in the small town of Testament, only to find it deserted but for a priest who has hanged himself in his own church. There is no water and no doctor to tend a wounded man. Is this the revenge of the Mescalero Apaches or the Devil himself? “Greater love hath no man than this, that a man lay down his life for his friends”, but will this sacrifice be enough?
Iron Dogs by Neil Chase is a horror story set in the Wild West around the time that Major General Sherman captured Atlanta for the Union Army and burned the city. “Around the time of the fall of Atlanta”, means Neil Chase opens with Cole Masters’ boyhood. All six of his major characters are firmly grounded in reality; they all have reasons to be the men they are – aggrieved, poor but covetous of riches, and cold-blooded killers. Knowing them, empathising with them, makes this paranormal horror story seem incredibly real. Only hours ahead of Pinkerton Bounty Hunters, with one of the group wounded by mysterious mountain dwellers out to kill them, they seek refuge in Testament, only to discover the townsfolk have fled, leaving a card game half-played in the saloon. Action-packed, fast-paced, and vividly descriptive, Iron Dogs is a book sure to give readers a thrill – or nightmares!
A fast paced horror/thriller that leaves you on the edge of your seat. The characters are a ton of fun and you’ll love how this journey unfolds for our outlaws.
I was immediately drawn to the premise of Iron Dogs just from reading the synopsis, which surprised me because I don’t typically enjoy westerns. The story is part horror, part action and all character driven. The characters, though they seem like they should be unlikeable, all grow on you immediately. They each have a reason for being the way they are and the way the narration is written in an omnipresent manner allows you to literally get inside each of their heads.
The second act started a little slow (though it did follow two great shootouts early on), but you never lose that growing sense of dread as everything is slowly revealed. When the second act gets going, though, it never stops. Leading all the way to the exciting and clever climax. The last page had me hoping for more and yet feeling satisfied with the conclusion.
As a fan of horror I recommend Iron Dogs, but also as a fan of good stories in general.
superior horror western good cast of characters a gruesome monster although the outlaw gang are bloodthirsty killers you can't help rooting for them with the exception of Billy .really enjoyed it five stars.
This book grabbed me from the beginning, then for me, it slowed down a bit. Then it picked up again and took me on a chilling ride. Creepy whispers, mysterious shadows and questionable loyalties along with some amazing sound effects, made this a bone-chilling thriller. At first, I wasn’t sure about the narration but then once I really got into the story or should I say, the story got into me, so did the narration. He did a fantastic job on all the different characters making it easy to tell them apart from each other. Great story all the way around. I highly recommend this book.
This is the first book I read from this author and let me tell you that I loved it! Such a good book with great characters that keeps you obsessed with every page since the first one. The ending of this book.. come on! I just didn´t expect it! Can´t wait to read other books from this great writer! Amazing job! a must-read! A fantastic book that has it all! I happily endorse this story to any and all who are looking for an enjoyable read and a completely different experience than anyone could imagine on their own. Great book!
Not usually my genre for reading, but after interviewing him on my radio show, I had to give it a shot. I'M GLAD I DID! It is so well written, that it left me with chills, even after I put it down for the night.
The characters start off as a ragtag group of thieves, but as the nightmare progresses, you begin to see a new side to these bad men. Worth the read, down to the very last word. Give it a chance. You won't regret it.
audible:So,I needed a horror story and this was it!WOW! This was a doozy.We have many kinds of monsters and some are not human.Neil Chase was a very good narrator.I didn;t need all the bells and whistles,but they did keep me riveted! I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.'