Sisters of the Wild Sage: A Weird Western Collection

by Nicole Givens Kurtz

When someone with a pistol meets someone with a magic wand, the pistol loses.From Nicole Givens Kurtz comes a collection of weird western short stories nestled in the often horrific American past and tucked into the parched future. Here are tales of talisman, magic, and the power of ancients wielded by those strong enough to endure the harsh new frontier. These rugged individuals brought not only their belongings but their eastern beliefs with them.They weren't ready for the west.

Are you? Saddle up. Escape to a West as weird and wonderful as one might imagine.

Genres: Short Stories, Fantasy, Westerns, Weird West, Anthologies, Fiction

224 pages, Paperback

First published April 15, 2019

About the author

Nicole Givens Kurtz is an author, editor, and educator. She's the recipient of the Ladies of Horror Grant (2021), the Horror Writers Association's Diversity Grant (2020) and the two-time Atomacon Palmetto Scribe Award Winner (2021 and 2022). She's also the editor of the groundbreaking anthology, SLAY: Stories of the Vampire Noire. She’s written for White Wolf, The Realm's The Vela: Salvation series, and Baen’s No Game for Knights and Straight Outta Tombstone. Nicole has over numerous short stories published as well as numerous novels and three active speculative mystery series. She enjoys reading scary stories and watching true crime.

Reviews

[Eden Royce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wild. Untamed. Raw. Words used to describe the American Southwest. I would also add: full of magic, spirits, and a ferocious beauty. Also words that describe Nicole Kurtz’s latest collection: Sisters of the Wild Sage.

Kurtz has long had a love of this region of the country from the time she spent living in New Mexico. Paired with her affinity for weird fiction, this is a collection I was happy to escape into. Sisters is a combination of previously published and new stories that focus on the voices of Black and Native protagonists. Stories of Blacks who have moved West seeking a better life, only to discover there are some things you can’t run from. Tales of Native peoples trying to hold on to their way of life against a swiftly changing world. Few times have I seen such a focus in Western tales, even though there is plenty of historical evidence to support these characters being an integral part of the West.

Sisters is a homage to the women of this world – old, young, wise, ingénue – surviving, even thriving in a harsh land. Kurtz’s characters battle against foes supernatural and human, even against themselves, in a bid to create a better life. These are tales of justice, retribution, hope, and home.

From the spiritually-focused historical “Revival” to the dystopian future of “The Pluviophile”, Kurtz balances the unusual with the everyday to create engrossing stories of human nature and the whims of the supernatural. Sisters of the Wild Sage is an engaging collection of weird and wondrous stories that celebrate the Southwest in all of her severe beauty.

[Paul (Life In The Slow Lane) · Rating 3 out of 5]

You dagnabbed vaaarmint.

This was my first shot (excuse the pun) at Weird Westerns, if that is an actual genre. I like the dialogue in this dominant-women western. Ms Kurtz has a wild imagination and a dab hand at describing the typical western backdrop. Hell! She even manages to squeeze in a lynch mob. I was mildly interested from the moment I put my foot in the stirrup. But far from being a wild ride, I found the stories a bit flat for an action luvin' desperado like me...still...the inclusion of magic kept me going...for a while at least. In the end, I skipped a few of the stories. For me, a TRUE weird western would have included Wile E. Coyote dropping an Acme anvil on one of the bad/good guys...or sumfin' like that there...pardner.

I couldn't give this anthology more than two and a half cactusy stars. 🌵🌵🍃

[Sadie Hartmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sisters of the Wild Sage is such a sweet departure from my usual diet of horror. Lovers of magical realism, fantasy, historical fiction, and weird westerns should immediately add this to their 'buy' list. Kurtz has a strong, magnetic storytelling voice that draws readers into the narrative. Her characters are vivid, bold, and entertaining.
I especially enjoyed the dialog--Kurtz assigns the women in her stories with plenty of unique spunk and attitude giving them distinct personalities.
My favorite aspect of these twelve tales is the threads of ancestral magic woven through the world-building of Wild Sage, New Mexico like a tapestry.
"When someone with a pistol meets someone with a magic wand, the pistol loses."
My favorites:
BELLY SPEAKER
THE WICKED WILD
RISE

Highly recommend this collection and the author's work.

[Riju Ganguly · Rating 2 out of 5]

Lots of grounded characters. Lots of anger, angst, words, wind. History and hatred getting mixed up to create bursts of shocking violence, with very little in terms of coherent stories.
Except 'Justice', that had a brilliant plot and neatly twisted execution, didn’t like anything else.
Rather disappointed, overall.

[David Riley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Sisters of the Wild Sage is certainly not a bunch of lawmen running around taking on the forces of evil. Most of the action is set in Wild Sage, New Mexico. There's a quote that says a lot. "When someone with a pistol meets someone with a magic wand, the pistol loses." These stories are about women, for the most part–women of color. And Kurtz lets loose with her having lived in New Mexico, the wind, the night sky are powerful forces here. And the story is just as likely to take place in a hogan as anywhere else.
In the interest of disclosure, I was the original publisher of one of these stories. "Justice" first appeared in Six Guns Straight From Hell back around 2007. Maybe I'm biased, but it's still my favorite story in this collection. It actually has a sheriff in it, but none of that matters as justice asserts itself in a Navajo hogan.

[The FountainPenDiva, Old school geek chick and lover of teddy bears · Rating 5 out of 5]

Firstly, thank you to the author for sending me two copies of this anthology. I actually purchased a Kindle version first because I wanted to support this work. Be that as it may, it was nice to read weird western urban paranormal that centers Black and Indigenous characters, especially in eras where such voices tended to be erased.

[Michele Berger · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dazzling, groundbreaking and compelling. These are the words that came to mind when I finished this collection. I have not read widely in westerns or weird westerns, so I have no background in the genre. I immediately forgot this fact as I was pulled into the vividly described realities of Kurtz’s characters. These stories are mostly set in New Mexico around the 1900s, though some take place in the present or near future. Kurtz is a powerful storyteller, weaving in fascinating tidbits of history alongside powerful characters. These creative stories run the gamut of magical realism, horror and science fiction.

The stories surprise at every turn, they are well-constructed and satisfying. Some of my favorites include ‘Revival, Belly Speaker, Unhinged, The Wicked Wild, The Pluviophile, and Sisters of the Wild Sage’.

We are privy to complex and memorable characters, mostly Black women and women of color and viscerally experience how they have to make a way out of no way and keep their dignity whole doing so. In several stories, Kurtz explores the challenges these women faced in a post-Reconstruction world that was sometimes indifferent, often hostile, and sometimes brimming with new possibilities. You’ll cheer and cry for them at every turn.
I imagine that Kurtz’s ability to grapple with the twin yoke of sexism and racism, adds a new layer to the subject matter of the genre.

I think folks who routinely read weird westerns will enjoy this offering. And, those new to the genre will be encouraged to read more. I sincerely hope there is a Sisters of the Wild Sage, vol. 2 planned!

I received an ARC for an honest review.

[Michael Williams · Rating 5 out of 5]

I absolutely loved this anthology. Kurtz's stories are driven by fiercely motivated characters who have a lot to lose and who are deep enough and developed enough to be simultaneously bold, conflicted, and uncertain. These are powerful stories of people of color, women, hope, revenge, powers both beyond our understanding and keenly aware of our own desires, mothers and daughters both mundane and magical, marginalization, and self-preservation in a time and place when opportunity and danger were plentiful and equally readily at hand. Set against a vividly depicted backdrop of New Mexico in an age our culture has spent many decades analyzing, inventing, and reinventing, Kurtz's love for the time and the place and the people wells up in every sentence, every scene, every story. Absolutely magnificent.

[Darrell Grizzle · Rating 5 out of 5]

Strong stories with strong female leads! Some of the stories are set in the historic Wild West and some are in the modern-day West (and one is set in a post-apocalyptic West), but all are well-written, compelling, and haunting. I especially love the stories that make use of folklore and magic. There are moments of true horror here, but also moments that will touch your heart. Another great book from one of my favorite authors!

[Samantha · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love a good short story collection, especially when my life is overly busy--I get to finish what I'm reading, and yet still get to linger in a theme or feeling. I read this book slowly, over about a month, stopping to savor each story when I'd finished. It's a strong collection, exploring the weird side of the west, in a variety of time periods and with a variety of characters, with the "weird" coming in from imaginative angles.

The scenery was practically a character in several stories, and I felt the heat and wind and thirst alongside the characters, who included determined, dangerous, and magical people, all of whom felt real to me and drew me into the tales.

Among the individual stories, "Belly Speaker" scared me the most. "Justice" surprised me the most. "Unhinged: A Tale of Three Brothers" left me the most unsettled. "The Pluviophile" broke my heart the hardest. The title story, "Sisters of the Wild Sage" was my favorite. I'll be thinking back to these stories for years to come. So glad I read it!

[Ulff Lehmann · Rating 4 out of 5]

With short story anthologies it's always a mixed bag. Truth be told, until fairly recently I didn't read many.

This was the first time, I read anything from Givens Kurtz, and while it will be a long time before I can read anything of hers again (I got a TBR shelf ffs) I shall return to her work eventually.

Is it perfect? No, but that's wholly a subjective matter as Givens Kurtz also tackled some rather depressing topics that hit so much closer to home than I liked. Still, even those stories had me wanting more.

Weird West, with that I associate "cowboys (or girls) with magic". Some of the stories, while no less magical had very little to do with my idea of cowboys (or girls), which was fine, I might have gotten tired of cowboys (and girls) eventually. What I did appreciate, was that none of the protagonists was white! I know enough about history to intellectually understand the hardships people of color have been going through for, basically, forever, so these tales, of the humanity that binds us all, of the pain her characters feel, and the hope, was sheer bliss.

Thank you

[William Tracy · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of short stories, all focused on the area around New Mexico. They range from historical fantasy and horror, to future dystopian, to urban fantasy. There's a lot of stories to like in this collection, even if they aren't all winners. My favorites were the ones focusing on the wild west.

[Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fantastic West

Totally enjoyed this collection of stories. This version of the west is wild and weird indeed. With many African Americans having been part of the old west, despite the seriously deficient American history lessons, I found this correct inclusion of Blacks in the west a breath of fresh air.

[Brittany (Lady Red) · Rating 3 out of 5]

I wish I’d liked this more, the concept was fantastic. But the stories were uneven.

[Ty · Rating 5 out of 5]

Weird Wyld West Anthology.

I was surprised by a few stories and the twists which was great particularly the vengeful grandma. I am happy that the authors used Dine instead of Navajo.

The tales have a wide spectrum of endings from heartbreaking to overladen with hope. It is a good mix. I had chuckled a bit at "nice trade" the first time I read that story in another anthology and I chuckled at the snark again.

Be nice if they had another half dozen good stories as the anthology was over too soon.