In 1863, as war rages in Mexico and the United States, another millennia old conflict is escalating. Fueled by the whims of an eldritch intelligence, all of mankind is subject to its sway.Samuel Sheldon is a chosen heir of the Trust, an enigmatic and gold obsessed cabal with origins seeped in the secret history of the world. When his prisoner, Mangas Coloradas, is murdered on Sheldon's first assignment, an unpredictable series of events threaten to upset the Trust's flawless designs. Determined to prove his worth, Sheldon is tasked with recovering a vast horde of missing gold; an endeavor that swiftly spirals into a supernatural odyssey of violence sprawling from the siege of Richmond to the wastelands of Mexico. Obstructed by treachery and confronted with the strange secrets of his employers, Sheldon must decide if the rewards of power are worth the price.
What an immersing complex story. Set in the mid 19th Century and geographically spanning the American West to Old Europe Balkans there is a little bit of every part of the globe included in this yarn. This is one you get in and hold on as it is a fast and engaging story with multiple closely interwoven threads - at times a classic Western, at others a Lovecraftian tome with its mystical entities and at others a fantastical American historical fiction novel. I've read stories that have attempted the same blend of disparate threads to tell a complex tale. Rarely have I read the weaving done so well as is done in The Yellow Painted Man.
This the era of the Civil War days for America, but it is also the era of the secret society known as the Trust. But who or what directs the actions of the Trust? If the agents of the Trust are human, then what if the one that created the Trust is not human and has lived longer than the earth itself. Many familiar historical moments are found here but what if cosmic forces were pulling the strings?
The author has done an amazing job at taking history and weaving LovecraftIan Lore within it, this making it a tale of alternative history of sorts. This had me hooked and with this being a trilogy, I'm very excited to have found this author and am looking forward to reading even more of his work. Enjoyed every minute of it! Recommend highly for something definitely new that could easily create its own genre: Cosmic Alternative History.
Good story line and ability to describe scenes/people. Very confusing/hard to follow though when the author would constantly switch between using a character's last name & first name within the same scene. Kept thinking it was a new character until I realized what was happening.
Book is set in 1863 as war is going on in US and Mexico, with other conflicts arising. It is all fueled by gold and the fight for power. One man is in charge of the Trust and he must decide if it is all worth the risks.
This was a basic good vs evil story, and it did not pull me into the story. I found myself speed reading through passages to get through the book.
This was incredible. I'm really at a loss for words. There's just so much but I can't seem to get it out right. It's a sad state of reality, that's for sure. It's a dang good book and I don't reread books often but this is one that I would want to. Several times.
I received a free copy of this book via Booksprout and am voluntarily leaving a review.
Violence between Mexico and U.S. as war rages in the 1863. It is fueled by gold and the need for power. One man must decide if it is worth the risk. A typical good versus evil storyline which was a bit boring.
I gave it my best shot but just could not get into it. It seemed like a good concept but I found it confusing and not worth the effort. Sorry, to the writer. Just not the one for me.
This book is fantastic; it is a bit challenging to keep the characters straight. The writing is excellent, with just the right amount of creepiness to keep one engaged.