Deadwood

Crockett and Crane #2

by Kyle Robert Shultz

It’s not the people in this town you have to watch out for.

It’s the buildings.

Monster hunter and part-time centaur Todd Crane didn’t ask to be sheriff of Deadwood. For one thing, he’s never had an easy time staying on the right side of the law. For another, he’s too busy trying to find a dangerous sorcerer who nearly destroyed the United States of Neverica.

But some men—and centaurs—have greatness thrust upon them. Not only is Todd the reluctant defender of the peace in Deadwood, he’s the only one who can thwart the schemes of a powerful magical entity manipulating the town from the shadows.

And when Todd’s past comes back to haunt him, the stakes get a lot more personal for him and his friends.

Heroes will fall. Secrets will be revealed. Everything is about to change.

Genres: Fantasy, Retellings

288 pages, ebook

Published June 30, 2019

About the author

Kyle Robert Shultz is the creator of the Aftermythos, an interconnected collection of stories set in an alternate universe where fairy tales and mythology are history. Shultz is a completely ordinary human being with no remarkable qualities whatsoever. Accounts suggesting that he is a dangerous wizard exiled from a parallel reality, a cleverly-disguised magical creature passing off the history of another world as original fiction, a mysterious trickster entity described in the folklore of a circumscribed region of Wales, or a pseudonym adopted by three talking otters stacked up in a trench coat should be dismissed as not entirely accurate.

Note: I'm not active on Goodreads, so I may not see messages or other notifications. I only use this profile for business, so don't be offended if I don't accept your friend request. If you want to get in touch with me, email me at kyle@aftermythos.com.

Reviews

[Amelie · Rating 5 out of 5]

UPDATED REVIEW (first reread December 2021, five stars):
This is arguably one of Kyle Robert Shultz’s best-written books, excellently demonstrating complex characters, a brilliant plot, and an absolute abundance of creativity.

I do not know how the author manages to blend uproarious humor and gut-punching revelations so seamlessly; I am amazed at his writing mastery. I hope to write like this someday.

ORIGINAL REVIEW (first read May 2021, four stars):
Oh. Oh, my.

This was mind-blowing and brilliant and creepy and there are so many connections, ahhhhh! (I know I keep using some form of the adjectives “mind-blowing” and “brilliant,” but I haven’t yet found any others that encompass my feelings as well as those.)

The villains are creepy (especially Brother). But they’re so well-written. And the connections to Beaumont & Beasley...if you’ve read it, you know.

I love this crew of main characters so incredibly much. I absolutely ship Todd and Amy (as they’ve obviously moved past their “I will literally kill you if you do something annoying”), and their banter continues to make the dialogue sparkle. I love Julio and his precious, Mexican dragon sass, and Meg is a precious cinnamon roll bookworm after my own heart. This found family is so amazing.

Pretty much the only thing that isn’t my most favorite about the Crockett & Crane series is the inclusion of vampires (as I mentioned in my review of Horseman). I’m not super comfortable with the traditional concept, and they’re just really, really creepy and disgusting. The parts with the vampires never get incredibly gory or overly disturbing, but they still make me shudder.

This is one of the darkest Shultz books, but it’s still absolutely amazing, and my feels level went through the roof. After finishing the book, I literally sat on the couch making incoherent noises while my sister waited patiently for me to find words.

I need Westenra now. Or the next Beaumont & Beasley. Or Blackfire. Whichever Shultz book comes next, I’m here for it, please and thank you.

Content: a couple non-descriptive kisses, mild violence, creepiness

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

KYLE ROBERT SHULTZ, HOW DARE YOU?

Ahem. Yes. Deadwood, the latest adventure of Crockett and Crane, is just as great as the first one — arguably better, in fact. It's exactly as creepy as it should be, yet it maintains Mr. Shultz's trademark humor. The twists on old tales are highly creative, and the plot flows very well, with plenty of twists and turns. (I intended to read about a quarter of the book before bed last night. I ended up reading the whole thing because I forgot to put the story down and there just wasn't a good stopping place.) Also, I have a love-hate relationship with how well Mr. Shultz does character arcs. On one hand, they're generally very well-drawn, and he does a great job of setting up climaxes that force characters to make truly difficult choices. On the other hand, he forces my favorite characters to make truly difficult choices and often sacrifices in order to save the day.

None of that, however, is the reason for my exclamation of outrage earlier. My problem is the ending — which is satisfying right up until Mr. Shultz drops us all off a storming metaphorical cliff and leaves us hanging by an (equally metaphorical) half-dead vine. It's downright rude. And it's the first time I've ever wanted to punch Crispin Beasley. They had a stable time loop, storm it! Let them be, you overgrown rabbit.

Anyway. Aside from that, Deadwood is excellent and I absolutely recommend it to fans of the Afterverse. Just be prepared for the ending.

[M Shen · Rating 5 out of 5]

i'm sorry but

is it legal to end a book like that

I apologize, folks. Merie Shen is currently incapable of writing a coherent review of this book and will not even try until she has gathered the remnants of her mindblown brain and shattered heart, which may or may not happen anytime soon due to the high likelihood of their being scattered over the obscurest corners of the Afterverse.

that is all

[Tess · Rating 5 out of 5]

GAH

another great installment! A maddeningly brilliant, complicated and twisty book with lots of information on certain characters and a.terrible cliffhanger. Completely recommend!

[H.S. Kylian · Rating 4 out of 5]

KYLE

WHY ARE YOU SO FOND OF CLIFFHANGERS

WHY

In other words, this was also a fun romp through the wackiness that is the Afterverse.

[J.L. Mbewe · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh. My. Goodness. That was one wild ride. And definitely not safe. AND THAT ENDING. Turn back while you can, dear reader. This story is not for the faint of heart. But of course, if you're reading this, it's already too late. So you better buckle up!

Deadwood takes place after Horseman, and our beloved characters are out in the wild, wild west of Neverica looking for a dangerous sorcerer that nearly destroyed them in Horseman.

I enjoyed the camaraderie of the characters, although, I got frustrated with them and their stubbornness. Lots of stubbornness. I LOVE the twists that Kyle Robert Shultz puts on the fairy tales, and I love finding the connections to the Beaumont and Beasley's series as well. It makes me want to go back and reread them all.

Highly recommend. But you'll want to read Horseman first. And if you've read Beaumont and Beasley, you'll get excited about them easter eggs.

**I received a copy in exchange for an honest review**

[Julia Garcia · Rating 5 out of 5]

Oh my goodness... Centaurs, sass and dragons? Yes please! Also, it's over? WHY!?!
This book was epic in so many ways. So many wonderful lines (I'm pretty sure most of my book is underlined because "quotableness"), epic characters, a thrilling plot and so many little Easter eggs to the rest of Kyle's books. It has me wondering where he's going next and the theories are firing bullet-fast through my mind.
Oh and did I mention the ending? Pure genius and I'm SO not over it yet. I'm not sure I ever will be.
Please, oh please write the next one soon, Kyle!

[Carina Shephard · Rating 5 out of 5]

RTC!!

[J.E. · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great entry in an amazing series. I read this book in, more or less, two sittings which is a very rare occurrence for me. But I tell you, once I hit the middle of the book I couldn't put the book down. Todd is a brilliant character. He makes his choices based on what he thinks is best, but even he can see that they are often bad choices. He takes responsibility for his friends while not forcing himself into a role of authority, but giving them all a voice. I love seeing how he makes his choices based on the pressures around him and how that effects everyone. He finds this perfect balance between being so human and still balancing on the edge of escapism making him both fun and relatable.
The rest of the characters were just as fun and nuanced. I loved seeing Julio having to be pulled right out of his blase humor and having to face some serious things. Meg is faced with a situation she's never had to face before and it's both a bit humorous and very very sad. And Amy is both mama-bear and ever-exasperated girl-friendish woman. I absolutely loved digging into her backstory and just how it all unfolded in the story.
The absolute best part of this book, however, is just how brilliantly creepy it is. While it's perfectly balanced with great humor, as always (I laughed out loud more than once) the bases for this story is chilling. You get a good dose of it right off the bat with the prologue, and it just keeps building. Getting to see our characters go up against the villains in the story is a thrill and you never once feel like anyone is fully safe.
And the end of this book, guys! I can't wait for the next one to come out.

[Joseph Leskey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Very slightly modified original review:

(If you want to skip to the end of this review, now is your chance to do so.)

And here's yet another masterpiece from the renowned Mr. Shultz. Just like his other books, Deadwood takes elements from various old tales and folklore, but these are crafted into something new, brilliant, and perfectly complex. Interwoven with all this is the author's unmatched humor and, conversely, remarkable ability to pen a serious scene.

But that's just general stuff, common to pretty much the sum of Mr. Shultz's writing. "What about the particulars?" you might well be asking. Well, I've got some particulars up inside the old skull, but you know how it is. I'll try to remember them.

1. It starts out as good as a banana tastes.

"This is a gross exaggeration, surely," you may splutter. Surely not, I say. Every bit as good. I mean, it starts with a ship, and while not all good books start with a ship, it says something when a book starts with a ship. Something that a reader very much wants to hear. But I don't want to ruin everything, so I'll just leave you with the ship and the knowledge that this beginning really gives you a feel for the story, if you know what I mean. Gets you invested and all that. Enthralled, as it were. But enough about all that, because, despite the spluttered accusations you might have leveled at me, not only does this book start out like bananas…

2. It continues like chocolate cake, lead and cadmium excluded!
(Also, note how this above sentence shows the importance of Oxford commas. If Oxford commas did not exist, this sentence could mean that this book continues like "chocolate cake excluded," whatever that means. But let's move on, then.)

"But I don't like chocolate," you might mutter. I ignore this.

This list item is way too broad, so let's break it down, shall we?

2a. Arguably the best part: the characters

They're so great, funny, multifaceted, and believable that—

"Believable?" you might say if you are an observant skeptic. "Isn't there, like, a part-time centaur as one of the chief characters?"

I count this statement as irrelevant and disregard it.

As I was saying, these are some glorious characters. They're so much so that I fear I completely don't know what to say about them. And I'm distracted by thoughts of deep learning and artificial neural networks, but you don't need to know that.

Unfortunately for me, I don't think I mentioned the characters in any great detail in my review for Horseman (viz., le premier livre de la série). However, I will solve this problem by not mentioning any of them in very great detail in this review either. The points you need to remember are as follows:

i. All the characters are well developed and very evidently so. Le lecteur just feels the development, to put it crudely.

ii. Todd Crane is absolutely the best crook. Full stop. Too bad for you, miscellaneous crooks out there.

iii. There's a dragon AND a gorgon, both fantastic characters in their own right.

iv. Then there's all the other amazing characters and complicated relationships and thingies, all of which I don't want to expound about because you really ought to experience all for yourself. (And I'm feeling a bit indolent.)

v. Then there's [NAME REDACTED BECAUSE SPOILERS] and things get very interesting.

vi. One reason things get very interesting (as mentioned in #5) is manifested in the form of another character, [NAME REDACTED]. As if Todd and Co. (mostly Todd, in this case) didn't have enough troubles.

But these characters are too mindbogglingly brill, so I think I'll just be done with section 2a.

"But you didn't say anything worthwhile," you might moan. I assure you that I do sympathize.

Moving swiftly on!

2b. Also arguably the best part: the plot

Creepy magical entities, creepy magical humans, tumbleweeds, a guitar, potions, sacrifice, a questionable sheriff badge, a very nice little robot thing, interesting discussions between villainous types, a top hat—quite obviously, there's all the elements of a good story here. And, yes, Kyle Robert Shultz took these elements (and other ones that are even more exciting) and created an irredeemably grand thing. And there it goes getting all tied up in his other books with intricate, nuanced detail. And, wow, is this a good book.

2c. Arguably not the best part for the characters: the setting

The buildings are alive. Well, not really, but yes, kind of. You'll see if you read the book. But that's basically all a person has to say about the setting, because sentient-not-sentient buildings are where it's at.

3. It…ends.
(And so does this review because I'm waaaaaaaaay tired of writing it already. Or maybe I'm just tired.)

I'm not entirely sure the kind of ending this book ends with is allowed under the International Committee for Eradication of Cruelty to Readers's Ending Apprehension Mandate (ICECR EAM). Clear violations any way you look at it.

Violation 0x1: The ending scene will have catastrophic effects on everything, surely it will.

Violation 0x2: And how does this even work? O_o o_O

Violation 0x3: It's CoMplEteLy out of le bleu.

Violation 0x4: It is also inexpressibly marvelous and I want book three directly, if you please.

And, no, of course I won't give you the tiniest little hint about the content of this ending. Why do you ask such things? *is huffy and offended*

So, right, do yourself a very great favor and read the thing. If you haven't already, you should read Horseman first, probably. Series, y'know. Adieu.


Oh yes, and do forgive any fautes de grammaire you may find in this review. Tired, you know. (Top quality excuse, fatigue.)

[E.B. Dawson · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am a huge fan of this author and his body of work, but this one didn't quite hit my taste and I just felt like the pieces didn't fit together as well as some of his other books.

I think the first half was actually my favorite. Lots of great dialogue. This book does get rather dark, but there are two types of creep/dark. The concept of the living town, the backstory of the entity who possesses this town was all deliciously creepy to me.

Some of the creep that comes later in was not as much my taste and I found myself just not having fun in the last third. But a huge part of that is personal preference and attached to personal things going on in my life. Character motivations was another big thing that didn't work for me.

But if you loved Horseman, you should definitely give this one a shot.

[Katherine M · Rating 5 out of 5]

Welcome. Enjoy your stay, because you will never leave. Todd and company take refuge in a town, only to discover they’re just toys for someone’s amusement. Now they just need to stay alive long enough to leave. And what does Jack want?

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Not Your Father's Western

The title may sound like an old black and white movie with gunfights and some guy called the Duke. But make no mistake. Deadwood is a fantasy western featuring dragons, centaurs, and whole host of mythical creatures set in an alternate United States of America. There is an evil in the town of Deadwood and it has no strings on it.

A sinister and humorous retelling of Pinocchio, that once again proves, the stories are never the ones you think you know.

Deadwood is the second book in the Crockett and Crane series, which is part of the larger and inner connected Afterverse. I really would not recommend starting here, go back and read Horseman first.

If you have already read Horseman then I'm not sure why you are reading reviews instead of just reading Deadwood. You already know you want to. As my mom said upon my opening my Amazon order, "There's a second book!"

Just a word of warning, the ending is going to make you want book three now.

[Olivia Cornwell · Rating 4 out of 5]

***I received a digital arc of this book in exchange for an honest review***

A positively roaring adventure! Todd and the gang find themselves stuck in Deadwood, where things are sinister and about to get really dangerous really fast.

I loved revisiting this story. I read the Wattpad version, but this one felt even more intense. The stakes are high, and I am here for it.

I love the color and vibrancy of the characters. Lots of sass, lots of mischief. Julio is probably my favorite, and after this book I have a lot more questions about him than I did before.

The storyline was intense and energetic, and I enjoyed the element of suspenseful darkness that lurked in the background. I am now also traumatized by puppets that move in dark places.

Definitely looking forward to the next installment!

[Beth Wangler · Rating 5 out of 5]

How does each Shultz story just keep getting better?

"Deadwood" was full of the quirky characters, creative catastrophes, and healthy dash of magic that I've grown to know and love from all of Shultz's series. If possible, the execution of all of those elements was even more delightful in this book.

Todd, Amy, Meg, and Julio find themselves in a new tricky spot. The situation is perfect for highlighting the best parts of these characters, including the quippy lines and heartfelt moments, AND it was perfect to challenge them. One thing I love about this series is that the books are relatively episodic in nature, but despite that, the characters do grow and develop.

As the backdrop, Shultz introduced his creepiest—and most creative—villain yet.

This book made me feel many things: Joy, fear, humor, dread, hope, shock, and eager anticipation. I can't wait for more!

[Grace T · Rating 4 out of 5]

reread 2023: yes it's great and Julio is lovely and all BUT RIGHT NOW ALL MY DRACULA-DAILY-ADJACENT SELF CARES ABOUT IS THE FACT THAT QUINCEY MORRIS IS ALIVE IN THE AFTERVERSE

previous review 2020:
I'd read the original version of this on Wattpad, so certain allusions and vicious villainous plot twists weren't quite as shocking as the first time around, but this was still an excellent read. Julio is so, so great. Especially when he literally screams "kill it with fire" but in Spanish and in all caps. I don't know why that's so funny but it is. I love that boy.

[H.L. Burke · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this second book in the Crockett and Crane series. It probably could be read/listened to out of sequence .It had been about a year since I read book one, and I didn't need a lot of catchup and the story stands alone pretty well though it does continue some conflicts left over from book one.

First off, this book is very funny. I'm starting with that as a positive, but it's also one of the few problems I have with the book. More so in this series than in the companion Beaumont and Beasley, the humor is a little over the top. In the first book, my one negative was that sometimes the jokes stretch on past when they are funny. This one does the same thing in places, but it's more "scenes that should be serious are written with a jokey tone." Not ALL of said serious scenes. There are two he doesn't do this with that definitely hit the hammer down and pull back from the style I'd overall call intentionally over the top/slapstick. Those work really well.
The narration is also bridging on over the top. Some accents are exaggerated bridging on cartoony. I think this is very much a choice, and if you're looking for a Hank the Cowdog experience, you're going to find it here. Some of the seriousness of the plot, though, does clash a little with this delivery. When the scenes are in full on screwball cowboy comedy, it's perfect. When we're dealing with life or death and truly tragic circumstances, sometimes the accents are mildly distracting.

Overall, it was a very fun read I'd recommend, and definitely had an emotional punch that I wasn't necessarily expecting. Good lore/world building additions to the overall mythology from the combine series too.

I received a free copy of this audiobook. This did not influence my review.

[Erin Dydek · Rating 4 out of 5]

A Fun Blend of Myths, Legends, and Magic

It’s been a while since I read the first book in this series but it was easy to follow the story and get back into the world of Crockett and Crane. Shultz always has an interesting take on popular fairytales, myths, and legends as he reinvents them in new and exciting crossovers. Check out Deadwood if you’re looking for a fast-paced evil Pinocchio story. You’ll enjoy it a lot more if you’re familiar with the events of the Beaumont and Beasley series as there’s several connections between the two series.

[Kate Ramsey · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Crocket and Crane books are always a super fun read. Engaging, and witty without the humor becoming stale. And under the humor there is mortal peril, unbeatable odds, betrayal, love, and fallible protagonists. What could go wrong?

[allison riera :) · Rating 4 out of 5]

apparently i never reviewed this? idk why. ;)

anyway, from what i remember (i need to reread it!), this book is so freaky + amazing. the way that Shultz twisted in the tale of Pinocchio was just i.n.c.r.e.d.i.b.l.e.

[vvanyaa1234 · Rating 2 out of 5]

You can find a full review of all of the Afterverse books here.

I really dislike the "possession" trope when it's seen as a good thing. The "We Are Sylvia" chapter was weird and honestly wrong.