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A Wind of Knives
A quiet rancher in Civil War-era Texas emerges from an alcohol-soaked haze to find his sole ranch hand and lover has been lynched—hanged by party or parties unknown. Left with nothing but his failing ranch, Daniel Hays takes it upon himself to seek out those responsible for his lover’s death, experiencing puzzling new relationships along the way, including repeat encounters with a ghostly coyote that leads him to the final stop of his odyssey for revenge.
“Kurtz delivers an intense, gritty, and moving story that takes a new look at the Old West."
—Lee Thomas, author of The German and Ash Street
“Many Westerns have explored the theme of revenge, but few have done so as provocatively as Ed Kurtz. Sympathetic characters skillful plotting, and most notably a moving and insightful meditation on love and loyalty.”
—Heath Lowrance, author of City of Heretics
"Daniel Hays is one of the most interesting characters to cross the western terrain."
—Edward A. Grainger, author of the Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles series
“Ed Kurtz is a master storyteller.”
—Todd Robinson, author of The Hard Bounce and Rough Trade
“Kurtz delivers an intense, gritty, and moving story that takes a new look at the Old West."
—Lee Thomas, author of The German and Ash Street
“Many Westerns have explored the theme of revenge, but few have done so as provocatively as Ed Kurtz. Sympathetic characters skillful plotting, and most notably a moving and insightful meditation on love and loyalty.”
—Heath Lowrance, author of City of Heretics
"Daniel Hays is one of the most interesting characters to cross the western terrain."
—Edward A. Grainger, author of the Cash Laramie and Gideon Miles series
“Ed Kurtz is a master storyteller.”
—Todd Robinson, author of The Hard Bounce and Rough Trade
140 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 14, 2013
7 people are currently reading
180 people want to read
About the author
Ed Kurtz
56 books145 followersEd Kurtz is the author of THE RIB FROM WHICH I REMAKE THE WORLD and other novels. His short fiction has appeared in numerous collections, and has been honored in Best American Mystery Stories as well as Best Gay Stories. Kurtz lives in Minneapolis.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 39 reviews
July 30, 2016
*3.5 Stars*
Based on that summary, you might expect this novella to be a Death Wish-style Western actioner where Daniel tracks each man down one by one and we get episodes of violent, cathartic retribution in graphic detail. But I was pleasantly surprised that this was much more brooding and contemplative, and more about studying the nature of revenge, and how much of an ineffective effort it can be. It shows how muddled it can be, how it rarely goes the way many would expect, but shows how through it all, Daniel keeps going out of a sense of duty; it's something he simply has to do. Another thing that I really enjoyed was the little hint of what might be some magical realism, which really added great texture to this tale. I subtracted a half-star though because the ending felt like a bit of a rushed cop-out and a let-down.
He wished for his guns, but decided his hate would have to do.While the country is neck-deep in civil war, unassuming Texas rancher Daniel Hays wakes up to find his loyal ranch-hand and lover Steven castrated and lynched, hanging from a juniper tree. Daniel gathers his guns and his horse Oscar and sets out to reap vengeance on those responsible.
Based on that summary, you might expect this novella to be a Death Wish-style Western actioner where Daniel tracks each man down one by one and we get episodes of violent, cathartic retribution in graphic detail. But I was pleasantly surprised that this was much more brooding and contemplative, and more about studying the nature of revenge, and how much of an ineffective effort it can be. It shows how muddled it can be, how it rarely goes the way many would expect, but shows how through it all, Daniel keeps going out of a sense of duty; it's something he simply has to do. Another thing that I really enjoyed was the little hint of what might be some magical realism, which really added great texture to this tale. I subtracted a half-star though because the ending felt like a bit of a rushed cop-out and a let-down.
"I hope you get your revenge. A man can't be right when there's somebody livin' that oughtn't be."
January 18, 2017
You cannot get any further up my alley than "beautifully, starkly written queer western about the necessities and ambiguities of revenge," but I think I can make an argument for the nearly-objective virtues of this novella.
Daniel Hays operates a failing ranch during the Civil War--most of the ranch hands have gone off to fight, leaving the whole area, and consequently the novel, with a kind of desolate and haunted atmosphere--and one night, while he's drunk, his one remaining employee, Steven Houpe, is tortured and lynched. Steven was also Daniel's lover--him being dead before the novel begins obviously limits his presence, but Kurtz sketches in their relationship with a nice poignancy, especially when Daniel reminisces about both Steven and his wife and must, on account of his listener, disguise some of the details--so Daniel has, as he sees it, an obligation to see justice done. He goes to the law, but the law isn't interested, because "everybody knew" about Steven. So, accompanied by an ambivalent friend, Daniel rides out to try to follow the trail himself, and what we end up with is a kind of melancholy Blue Ruin scenario, where Daniel isn't equipped for the job he's doing and there seems little certainty of it ending well.
"When you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves" is an excellent story (if a common one), but that isn't exactly what Kurtz is doing here: this is more about loss than violence, and the casualties here aren't all deaths, but also ruined relationships, troubled memories, and the loss of consolation. Setting his story among people on the margins--not just Daniel and Steven, but also a woman left alone and the empty landscape of the cleared-out country in general--also makes it a story that wouldn't have been told until recently, and aids the vibe this has of being a kind of secret narrative of one man's life, covering the things the official record would never touch on. It's a mournful, delicate, immersive work that makes me want to read more Kurtz soon.
Daniel Hays operates a failing ranch during the Civil War--most of the ranch hands have gone off to fight, leaving the whole area, and consequently the novel, with a kind of desolate and haunted atmosphere--and one night, while he's drunk, his one remaining employee, Steven Houpe, is tortured and lynched. Steven was also Daniel's lover--him being dead before the novel begins obviously limits his presence, but Kurtz sketches in their relationship with a nice poignancy, especially when Daniel reminisces about both Steven and his wife and must, on account of his listener, disguise some of the details--so Daniel has, as he sees it, an obligation to see justice done. He goes to the law, but the law isn't interested, because "everybody knew" about Steven. So, accompanied by an ambivalent friend, Daniel rides out to try to follow the trail himself, and what we end up with is a kind of melancholy Blue Ruin scenario, where Daniel isn't equipped for the job he's doing and there seems little certainty of it ending well.
"When you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves" is an excellent story (if a common one), but that isn't exactly what Kurtz is doing here: this is more about loss than violence, and the casualties here aren't all deaths, but also ruined relationships, troubled memories, and the loss of consolation. Setting his story among people on the margins--not just Daniel and Steven, but also a woman left alone and the empty landscape of the cleared-out country in general--also makes it a story that wouldn't have been told until recently, and aids the vibe this has of being a kind of secret narrative of one man's life, covering the things the official record would never touch on. It's a mournful, delicate, immersive work that makes me want to read more Kurtz soon.
November 11, 2019
My review of A WIND OF KNIVES can be found at High Fever Books.
Although I like a good Western, I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a fan of the genre. Ed Kurtz just might change that, though. While I’ve enjoyed a number of cinematic Westerns and a (too) few weird Western or horror Westerns, like Robert Swartwood and David B. Silva’s Walk The Sky, I haven’t read an actual good and proper pure Western until now. I suspect, too, that A Wind of Knives may not be entirely representative of the Western genre given some of its themes and subject matter.
With the United States embroiled in the Civil War, labor and resources are stretched thin in Texas, and the law is overtaxed with militia deserters, runaway slaves, and criminals. It’s a lawless time, and with justice being hard to find, some have to take it upon themselves to set things right. Such is the case with Daniel, who finds his mutilated lover, Stephen, hanged from a tree.
Although Daniel only has one slim lead to follow, Kurtz keeps this slim novella emotionally complex and fraught with treachery. The law views Stephen’s murder as legally justified given that sodomy is outlawed, and none are too concerned about the violent murder of a homosexual, or the potential death of another one. Daniel is warned off, but refuses to comply and sets off into the frontier with the help of a friend.
Kurtz does an incredible job navigating the politics of the time and the emotional complications that the bisexual Daniel has faced over the course of his life where the concept of love has had little practical meaning. “For Daniel,” we’re told early on, “love represented little more than the things one did, whether he liked them or not, and how well he slept at night after having done them. Love was life, and life was nebulous at best.”
Explorations on the fluidity of sexuality strike me as something the Western genre isn’t typically known for, certainly not on the Clint Eastwood spaghettis I grew up on, and I doubt John Wayne ever spent much time philosophizing about men finding sexual release and comfort with their comrades on the war trail, hundreds of miles away from home and with the certainty of death lurking nearby, let alone doing so in a positive, nonjudgmental way.
Unexpected, too, at least as an outsider to this particular genre, was Kurtz’s approach to revenge. Throughout the entirety of A Wind of Knives, Kurtz steadfastly and deliberately refuses to meet expectations, or even readers wishes. It’s sort of an anti-Hang ‘Em High in the way it avoids direct, straightforward conflict and casts Daniel as a protagonist who is a naive stranger to killing, rather than a gunslinger with an itchy trigger finger. Revenge, Kurtz writes, is “messy as all hell, never does go quite right.” Although this exchange occurs between characters, it’s just as much a reminder to the audience from the author on what to expect of this narrative as a whole.
In forgoing what many might view as the narrative traditions of the Western genre, bred on steely-eyed cowboys saving the day, A Wind of Knives proves a far thornier take on 1800s vigilante justice for its approach to the topics at hand as much as the devices and expectations it purposefully avoids. I also leaves me yearning for more Westerns, doubly so if they’ve got Kurtz’s name attached.
[Note: I received an advance copy of this title from the author.]
Although I like a good Western, I wouldn’t go so far as to call myself a fan of the genre. Ed Kurtz just might change that, though. While I’ve enjoyed a number of cinematic Westerns and a (too) few weird Western or horror Westerns, like Robert Swartwood and David B. Silva’s Walk The Sky, I haven’t read an actual good and proper pure Western until now. I suspect, too, that A Wind of Knives may not be entirely representative of the Western genre given some of its themes and subject matter.
With the United States embroiled in the Civil War, labor and resources are stretched thin in Texas, and the law is overtaxed with militia deserters, runaway slaves, and criminals. It’s a lawless time, and with justice being hard to find, some have to take it upon themselves to set things right. Such is the case with Daniel, who finds his mutilated lover, Stephen, hanged from a tree.
Although Daniel only has one slim lead to follow, Kurtz keeps this slim novella emotionally complex and fraught with treachery. The law views Stephen’s murder as legally justified given that sodomy is outlawed, and none are too concerned about the violent murder of a homosexual, or the potential death of another one. Daniel is warned off, but refuses to comply and sets off into the frontier with the help of a friend.
Kurtz does an incredible job navigating the politics of the time and the emotional complications that the bisexual Daniel has faced over the course of his life where the concept of love has had little practical meaning. “For Daniel,” we’re told early on, “love represented little more than the things one did, whether he liked them or not, and how well he slept at night after having done them. Love was life, and life was nebulous at best.”
Explorations on the fluidity of sexuality strike me as something the Western genre isn’t typically known for, certainly not on the Clint Eastwood spaghettis I grew up on, and I doubt John Wayne ever spent much time philosophizing about men finding sexual release and comfort with their comrades on the war trail, hundreds of miles away from home and with the certainty of death lurking nearby, let alone doing so in a positive, nonjudgmental way.
Unexpected, too, at least as an outsider to this particular genre, was Kurtz’s approach to revenge. Throughout the entirety of A Wind of Knives, Kurtz steadfastly and deliberately refuses to meet expectations, or even readers wishes. It’s sort of an anti-Hang ‘Em High in the way it avoids direct, straightforward conflict and casts Daniel as a protagonist who is a naive stranger to killing, rather than a gunslinger with an itchy trigger finger. Revenge, Kurtz writes, is “messy as all hell, never does go quite right.” Although this exchange occurs between characters, it’s just as much a reminder to the audience from the author on what to expect of this narrative as a whole.
In forgoing what many might view as the narrative traditions of the Western genre, bred on steely-eyed cowboys saving the day, A Wind of Knives proves a far thornier take on 1800s vigilante justice for its approach to the topics at hand as much as the devices and expectations it purposefully avoids. I also leaves me yearning for more Westerns, doubly so if they’ve got Kurtz’s name attached.
[Note: I received an advance copy of this title from the author.]
June 29, 2013
Having enjoyed Kurtz's action-packed entry in the Sam Truman series, I was eager to pick up his latest novella. I'm a big fan of Westerns, though more through film and television than in print. I've read a lot of Western short stories but nothing novella/novel length. I went into A WIND OF KNIVES without reading the back cover blurb or any reviews, and I was pleasantly surprised with the direction Kurtz took with his tale of revenge. A WIND OF KNIVES is a story about love and revenge, but also about change. The novella takes place during the Civil War. A time of great upheaval when men were being conscripted into the Confederate Army and law enforcement spread thin between common crimes, deserters and the 'Indian threat.' It's during this time that the protagonist, Daniel Hays, finds his ranch hand (and lover) tortured and hanged by a gang of hateful men. What follows is a fast-paced tale full of memorable characters and events that will stand up well next to any Western piece of fiction.
July 2, 2013
Many Westerns have explored the theme of revenge, but few have done so as provocatively as Ed Kurtz's A Wind of Knives. And certainly none have approached it in quite the same way. On its surface, this is a familiar story: after his lover is brutally murdered, farmer Daniel Hays seeks revenge. The difference, from the start, is Daniel's lover is... was... a man. And in Texas during the Civil War, justice for the slaying of a `sodomite' is not a priority for the law.
But if switching up gender roles in an otherwise traditional Western was all A Wind of Knives offered, it would be thin gruel. Kurtz gives us much more than that--sympathetic characters skillful plotting, and most notably a moving and insightful meditation on love and loyalty.
But if switching up gender roles in an otherwise traditional Western was all A Wind of Knives offered, it would be thin gruel. Kurtz gives us much more than that--sympathetic characters skillful plotting, and most notably a moving and insightful meditation on love and loyalty.
December 23, 2019
A bleak, heartbreaking, but brilliant novella.
November 12, 2019
*** Review copy received from the author for review consideration ***
This novella starts off with one of the most visceral, brutal openings, and without going into spoiler territory, all I can say is that it is definitely not for the faint of heart. Daniel, the protagonist, has inherited his now-deceased boss’s farm in Civil War era Texas. He convinces the reader that he’s your typical red-blooded American cowboy type in the 1800s, but turns out to be so much more.
Michael Arnzen wrote something to the effect that horror is showing the reader a character going into a room, seeing that there’s something under a bed-sheet that’s they know is going to be terrible, and amplifying a degree of suspense that can only be relieved when the character draws back the sheet and confronts the terror underneath. Wind of Knives embodies this sentiment. I found it an interesting choice to start the narrative where the author did at the point of what’s normally a denouement or an aftermath moment in plot structure, but Kurtz makes it work.
Daniel wants justice on those who committed an atrocious act on one of the few remaining farmhands, Steven. The town sheriff, James, reminds him that “there’s a goddamn war on.” James’s brother, Christopher, is the one Daniel was hoping to talk to, but that will have to wait. Kurtz writes Southern settings convincingly and doesn’t fall back on stereotypical dialogue to do it. He also brings in LGBTQ+ issues into the backdrop of the South in the late 1800s, which is not an easy task, but he pulls it off with great aplomb, playing with hyper-masculinization and gender roles of the era.
As the book races toward its conclusion, things come to a satisfying conclusion. Again, I can’t say much else without going into spoilers, and even though I would have wanted a more epic confrontation, I enjoyed the direction Kurtz took.
Wind of Knives is a powerful and moving piece, a stark reminder of why Ed Kurtz deserves a much wider readership. He is one of the most versatile writers of horror and crime today, and if you haven’t read any of his previous work, you should really aim to remedy that as soon as possible. He has written other books set in the South with more of a gritty crime focus, such as last year’s At the Mercy of Beasts.
I truly hope that more people will pick up his books, because they’re truly excellent. If you want to read his work but don’t know where to start, I would strongly recommend his earlier novel, Bleed.
This novella starts off with one of the most visceral, brutal openings, and without going into spoiler territory, all I can say is that it is definitely not for the faint of heart. Daniel, the protagonist, has inherited his now-deceased boss’s farm in Civil War era Texas. He convinces the reader that he’s your typical red-blooded American cowboy type in the 1800s, but turns out to be so much more.
Michael Arnzen wrote something to the effect that horror is showing the reader a character going into a room, seeing that there’s something under a bed-sheet that’s they know is going to be terrible, and amplifying a degree of suspense that can only be relieved when the character draws back the sheet and confronts the terror underneath. Wind of Knives embodies this sentiment. I found it an interesting choice to start the narrative where the author did at the point of what’s normally a denouement or an aftermath moment in plot structure, but Kurtz makes it work.
Daniel wants justice on those who committed an atrocious act on one of the few remaining farmhands, Steven. The town sheriff, James, reminds him that “there’s a goddamn war on.” James’s brother, Christopher, is the one Daniel was hoping to talk to, but that will have to wait. Kurtz writes Southern settings convincingly and doesn’t fall back on stereotypical dialogue to do it. He also brings in LGBTQ+ issues into the backdrop of the South in the late 1800s, which is not an easy task, but he pulls it off with great aplomb, playing with hyper-masculinization and gender roles of the era.
As the book races toward its conclusion, things come to a satisfying conclusion. Again, I can’t say much else without going into spoilers, and even though I would have wanted a more epic confrontation, I enjoyed the direction Kurtz took.
Wind of Knives is a powerful and moving piece, a stark reminder of why Ed Kurtz deserves a much wider readership. He is one of the most versatile writers of horror and crime today, and if you haven’t read any of his previous work, you should really aim to remedy that as soon as possible. He has written other books set in the South with more of a gritty crime focus, such as last year’s At the Mercy of Beasts.
I truly hope that more people will pick up his books, because they’re truly excellent. If you want to read his work but don’t know where to start, I would strongly recommend his earlier novel, Bleed.
September 17, 2013
Daniel Hays is a widower and owner to a failing Texas ranch during the Civil War. If that's not enough to wear down a man, he awakens one day to find his lone ranch hand, Steven Houpe, beaten, mutilated, and hanged from the branch a juniper tree. It's insult enough to see a friend done in like that, but it's unfathomable it should happen on Daniel's own land. And if that's not enough to spur him to seek justice, but he and Steven were a mite closer than folks in those days could tolerate, let alone speak aloud, so a need for justice twists into a hunger for vengeance.
A Wind of Knives is a blend of revenge tale, murder mystery, classic western, and a wistful love story thrown in for good measure. Daniel Hays' rage in the wake of Steven's murder seems whiskey-fueled at first. But he sobers up and tries to get the law on his side, but the sheriff is busy with other matters and the deputy is in no hurry to dole out justice for a "sodomite." Daniel is on his own, directionless and set to kill whoever is responsible despite never having killed a man in his life. An old friend, Christopher Case (the deputy's older brother), joins him out of concern, but seems more intent on keeping Daniel from getting himself killed than hunting down a killer. Christopher feels like a voice of reason amid the hornet's nest of emotions driving Daniel on his path for vengeance.
It's a small odyssey in a sense, and a compelling one at that, with Daniel contending with one road block after another as he tries to put a face to his anger. The best he can manage for a time is to be haunted by a wounded coyote he finds on the trail, a specter that walks a razor's edge between spurring Daniel on and warning him off--not to mention the fitful dreams of Steven's face telling him to let it go.
While I wouldn't be surprised some readers might be taken aback at a bisexual protagonist in a western, it's the emotional impact and the universally relatable turmoil of wanting to set things right, not just in the world but in himself, that really stands out in the story. There's a time when Daniel's trek feels like a long road to ruin, abandoning his farm to hunt down a killer even though he has no idea how to go about it--or even if he has it in him to do it when the time comes. I really got a sense of the loneliness and despondence, but it didn't take long for me to hope Daniel could find some solace through his grief, even more than a want to see Steven's killer(s) brought down in a righteous hail of bullets.
It kind of felt like a long-buried gem that Ed Kurtz has mined from some hidden vein of American folklore. It's solid gold and one of the best written stories from 2013 that I've read so far.
A Wind of Knives is a blend of revenge tale, murder mystery, classic western, and a wistful love story thrown in for good measure. Daniel Hays' rage in the wake of Steven's murder seems whiskey-fueled at first. But he sobers up and tries to get the law on his side, but the sheriff is busy with other matters and the deputy is in no hurry to dole out justice for a "sodomite." Daniel is on his own, directionless and set to kill whoever is responsible despite never having killed a man in his life. An old friend, Christopher Case (the deputy's older brother), joins him out of concern, but seems more intent on keeping Daniel from getting himself killed than hunting down a killer. Christopher feels like a voice of reason amid the hornet's nest of emotions driving Daniel on his path for vengeance.
It's a small odyssey in a sense, and a compelling one at that, with Daniel contending with one road block after another as he tries to put a face to his anger. The best he can manage for a time is to be haunted by a wounded coyote he finds on the trail, a specter that walks a razor's edge between spurring Daniel on and warning him off--not to mention the fitful dreams of Steven's face telling him to let it go.
While I wouldn't be surprised some readers might be taken aback at a bisexual protagonist in a western, it's the emotional impact and the universally relatable turmoil of wanting to set things right, not just in the world but in himself, that really stands out in the story. There's a time when Daniel's trek feels like a long road to ruin, abandoning his farm to hunt down a killer even though he has no idea how to go about it--or even if he has it in him to do it when the time comes. I really got a sense of the loneliness and despondence, but it didn't take long for me to hope Daniel could find some solace through his grief, even more than a want to see Steven's killer(s) brought down in a righteous hail of bullets.
It kind of felt like a long-buried gem that Ed Kurtz has mined from some hidden vein of American folklore. It's solid gold and one of the best written stories from 2013 that I've read so far.
June 30, 2013
I'm not a big western reader but I do loves me some revenge. Having said that, this isn't your garden variety revenge novel, either. There's a palpable sense of loss and longing in this book that gives it a deeper resonance than your average payback-for-evil-deeds kind of story. I thought Ed Kurtz was a pretty damn good writer when I read the first Sam Truman mystery, Catch My Killer. Now I know he's a great writer plumbing deep, honest emotion and creating characters I want to see succeed, even though we know they are doomed to fail. This is powerful and meaningful stuff.
March 9, 2020
I originally read this in 2017 when it was published by Snubnose press. I liked it enough to want to read this new edition. Back then I only gave it three stars mostly because I was disappointed in the ending. Now I’ve changed my mind. A Wind Of Knives is a fantastic western noir full of realism, nuance, and heart. Kurtz is a terrific writer that has way of turning a phrase. It’s about a man that sets out on revenge and it doesn’t go quite the way he wants it to. Everything about the book is great including the ending that I now find much more satisfying. It gives a very noir kind of finish. The mission is complete albeit in a very sad and unexpected way. I’d highly recommend this book even if you aren’t into westerns.
August 2, 2013
When Daniel Hays wakes to find his ranch hand, and lover, Steven tortured and hanging from the juniper tree in his yard he sets out to exact revenge on the perpetrators. Many writers would have been tempted to turn this premise into an epic tale of cat-and-mouse but Ed Kurtz distills everything down so that events unfold naturally and believeably. Kurtzs' writing is compact and economical but he manages to fit loads into this short novella (love, loss, redemption) without short changing the reader.
I read this straight after Philip Meyers' amazing (and epic) The Son as I wanted to stay in 1800s Texas a bit longer. Have to say that it didn't disappoint. Recommended
I read this straight after Philip Meyers' amazing (and epic) The Son as I wanted to stay in 1800s Texas a bit longer. Have to say that it didn't disappoint. Recommended
February 19, 2020
Beautiful, sad, brutal. Full review coming soon.
December 22, 2019
3.5 stars
A Wind of Knives is a novella-length LGBT Western, taking place in Civil War-era Texas. Daniel Hays is without a doubt an interesting character with an interesting story. And it's a surprising story, at least for me. After reading the blurb, I expected a more action-driven tale with Daniel searching for vengeance for the death of his friend and lover. And he is searching for revenge or justice, however you want to slice it, it comes down to the same for Daniel. He also learns a few lessons about revenge along the way. So, while this one did have some action, it is more reflective with a healthy dose of tension, and there's a bit of the mystical by way of a coyote that shows up throughout Daniel's journey. The only drawback to this one was the ending, which felt a bit rushed, but I do have to add that there is an excellent twist toward the end that did have me sitting up and taking notice. All in all, this one was an intriguing, quick read, and I'll certainly be checking out more of this author's work.
A Wind of Knives is a novella-length LGBT Western, taking place in Civil War-era Texas. Daniel Hays is without a doubt an interesting character with an interesting story. And it's a surprising story, at least for me. After reading the blurb, I expected a more action-driven tale with Daniel searching for vengeance for the death of his friend and lover. And he is searching for revenge or justice, however you want to slice it, it comes down to the same for Daniel. He also learns a few lessons about revenge along the way. So, while this one did have some action, it is more reflective with a healthy dose of tension, and there's a bit of the mystical by way of a coyote that shows up throughout Daniel's journey. The only drawback to this one was the ending, which felt a bit rushed, but I do have to add that there is an excellent twist toward the end that did have me sitting up and taking notice. All in all, this one was an intriguing, quick read, and I'll certainly be checking out more of this author's work.
August 14, 2023
_A Wind of Knives_ by Ed Kurtz receives four stars from me.
I enjoyed this novella, at times it was lyrical, very engaging.
Kurtz does a good job of description. I don't like overly descriptive passages but that's not what is going on in this book. Kurtz is good at setting the mood, and the setting with a few sentences. Description never gets in the way of the plot, or the action. Which is something I really enjoyed.
I think he has some symbols in there that need time to explore: the coyote for example.
Was I missing anything? I would have liked to have had some flashbacks to see the relationship a bit. I think that would have given me a fuller picture. But hey, this is also a novella. Could it be longer? it could, but I think closing to be focused on the events of the novella was a smart move. It keeps the action going.
This is a gay western which appealed to me.
Recommended: yes.
I enjoyed this novella, at times it was lyrical, very engaging.
Kurtz does a good job of description. I don't like overly descriptive passages but that's not what is going on in this book. Kurtz is good at setting the mood, and the setting with a few sentences. Description never gets in the way of the plot, or the action. Which is something I really enjoyed.
I think he has some symbols in there that need time to explore: the coyote for example.
Was I missing anything? I would have liked to have had some flashbacks to see the relationship a bit. I think that would have given me a fuller picture. But hey, this is also a novella. Could it be longer? it could, but I think closing to be focused on the events of the novella was a smart move. It keeps the action going.
This is a gay western which appealed to me.
Recommended: yes.
February 26, 2020
Kurtzzz!
A beautiful starting paragraph immediately driven into the horror of death. Kurtz is a poet in thought and an absolute genius at writing. He’s the author I always recommend as he is not well known but very well should be.
Now, Kurtz isn’t easy for the weak of stomach and his stories never end the way one wants , but that’s actually become a thing of beauty from him. You start wondering how he’s going to mind fuck you this time; how you will be both upset and content.
He’s always such a phenomenal writer. I never know how anything will go with his books and I love him for it. He is and always will be a top author for me.
A beautiful starting paragraph immediately driven into the horror of death. Kurtz is a poet in thought and an absolute genius at writing. He’s the author I always recommend as he is not well known but very well should be.
Now, Kurtz isn’t easy for the weak of stomach and his stories never end the way one wants , but that’s actually become a thing of beauty from him. You start wondering how he’s going to mind fuck you this time; how you will be both upset and content.
He’s always such a phenomenal writer. I never know how anything will go with his books and I love him for it. He is and always will be a top author for me.
May 13, 2020
As a storyteller, Kurtz is a masterful craftsman. His imagery is so poetically descriptive, with prose so rich that the terrain reads like a Thomas Cole painting looks—so epically rendered at times that it grows palpable.
A Wind of Knives is told with a lot of elegance, but it’s not without its grit. Kurtz’s adept plotting is so visceral it’s uncanny. The author’s queer vision might be revisionist by nature, yet there’s no doubt that this is a brutal Western through and through. Kurtz does not shy away from the harshness of the realm.
For more, check out my full review: https://www.fearsomequeer.net/blog/ir...
A Wind of Knives is told with a lot of elegance, but it’s not without its grit. Kurtz’s adept plotting is so visceral it’s uncanny. The author’s queer vision might be revisionist by nature, yet there’s no doubt that this is a brutal Western through and through. Kurtz does not shy away from the harshness of the realm.
For more, check out my full review: https://www.fearsomequeer.net/blog/ir...
December 28, 2022
This was a quick read for a boring night at work.
A shocking crime leads Daniel Hays to seek revenge. He abandons his ranch and takes his old horse, Oscar, to try and find out who was responsible. Throughout the story, Daniel keeps getting close and then never quite getting the answers he wants.
Ultimately, A Wind Of Knives isn't a revenge story. It's a love story, and a meditation on grief. Kurtz' spare but descriptive writing gives us a distinct sense of time, space, and the frustration of a hard man who's not sure how to deal with his feelings when violence doesn't work.
A shocking crime leads Daniel Hays to seek revenge. He abandons his ranch and takes his old horse, Oscar, to try and find out who was responsible. Throughout the story, Daniel keeps getting close and then never quite getting the answers he wants.
Ultimately, A Wind Of Knives isn't a revenge story. It's a love story, and a meditation on grief. Kurtz' spare but descriptive writing gives us a distinct sense of time, space, and the frustration of a hard man who's not sure how to deal with his feelings when violence doesn't work.
November 5, 2023
It’s been a while since I’ve read a novella and a western. I’m glad that A Wind of Knives was the one I chose to read. It has a depth I wasn’t expecting in a work of its size which just proves that size isn’t everything when it comes to crafting a great read. Kurtz delivered great characters and pulled no punches. He even managed to surprise me in the end. I think I’m going to read more of his work in the future.
August 13, 2025
Well, this was a barrel of laughs. A very short novella which you can read in a sitting, A Wind of Knives is a meditation upon life, love and loneliness. It's a superb glimpse into life on the American frontier. It's gritty, realistic and poignant. Probably do not read if you're feeling a bit down. It won't help.
Recommended.
Recommended.
May 3, 2020
This was cool, like a classic western revenge story with a twist. A civil war era cattle rancher goes after his lovers killer. Ed Kurtz writes really well. There’s a ghost coyote in here for good measure. He writes in a spare, brutal way that’s satisfying.
August 19, 2022
A taut and evocative queer Western revenge story set in Texas during the Civil War years. This was an enjoyable novella, easy to read in about an hour. I picked it up for .99 cents and got more than my money's worth. Kurtz is an engaging storyteller.
December 26, 2019
I enjoyed this one quite a bit. It's not your grandfather's Western, so take any notion of John Wayne, white hat/black hat characters and rid yourself of that right off the bat. Those people do not exist in Kurtz's West. Instead, you have nuanced, deeply flawed characters, all dealing with some form of trauma. It's a harsh view of the West, where life is cheap and revenge is sometimes more precious than seeing another day. The story takes several turns, none of which are expected, keeping you wanting to read on. Highly recommended.
February 10, 2021
It is a damn shame that Kurtz is not more widely known. I read this one in one sitting for two reasons: it was short and I couldn't put it down even if I'd wanted to.
September 4, 2021
Ed Kurtz takes what I expected from a western and flips it on its head. A tale of revenge that mixes violence with heart seamlessly.
December 9, 2023
A fascinating, captivating read. Also one of the saddest damn books I’ve read in a long while.
March 21, 2017
It can't get better than a queer fatalist neo-noir western. This little novella has the same black heart as The Rib From Which I Remake the World, but there's a tenderness here that novel didn't quite achieve. I tried to digest it as slowly as I could. If only it were a full-length novel.
December 16, 2019
I've read some western-themed horror in the past, but this book was my first read of a more straight-up western, and I really enjoyed it. This is a tale of revenge, but it's not all violence and grit-- there are some moments that tug on the heartstrings and I felt a lot of sympathy for the protagonist. It's a novella, but there's a lot of story in the limited number of pages. The author did a great job creating believable characters, excellent pacing, and the perfect level of suspense to keep the reader flipping pages. Kurtz's writing makes me want to pick up more of his work in the future, and also explore this genre a bit more.
*Thank you to the author for providing me with an advance copy for review consideration.
*Thank you to the author for providing me with an advance copy for review consideration.
June 11, 2021
Let's start with the disclaimers: I didn't have a shelf for westerns until I read this book, and previously, my only experience with the genre was a much-detested junior high school reading of Shane (which Mr. Kurtz encourages me to revisit), and the beginning of Lonesome Dove, which I eventually cast aside in favor of other pursuits. I had also read Annie Proulx's "Brokeback Mountain," and inquired as to whether Kurtz's novella was better. He said "Absolutely."
Dear reader, he was telling the truth.
So, what makes A Wind of Knives the type of western that makes gals like me, who don't care much for the genre, feel like maybe there's something to it after all?
First of all, the title is ridiculously great. I had been meaning to pick up A Wind of Knives solely based on the violent promise of its title, and I'm glad I finally did.
Secondly, although you'll find quite a lot of brooding, talk about the Texas landscape, and horseback riding, it's also obvious that this is a story that goes beyond those western clichés and offers some unique characters with complex souls.
Third, and not to spoil the plot, but this will all end badly. Maybe not "Unforgiven"-level badly, but Daniel Hayes isn't a lawman or an outlaw, at least in the six-shooter sense. He's a man who wants revenge, but like most of us average everyday vengeance-seekers, it's a dream that will never come true. And that's what I found most interesting about Kurtz's book, because the typical western, in my mind, is all about chasing down the bad guys and delivering some form of frontier justice. Is there justice in this book? Perhaps, in its way. But more likely, it's the same type of thing we humans deal with every day, as frustrating and maddening as that is, with a man stuck in the middle, trying to figure out what to do about it. Is he supposed to just let it go and move on? Even if the bad guy gets shot, does that really solve anything? And what does one do with a hole in the heart that can never be mended?
So, while the western is not likely to become my favorite genre of all time, after reading this book I can say I kinda get it. I still think Texas is a terrible place for steers, queers, and women to live (and, based on personal experience, that doesn't seem like it's ever likely to change), but I can also see why the enterprising lone wolf (or coyote) might want to test their mettle out there.
Thanks, Mr. Kurtz, for giving us this surprising little gem of a western, and I look forward to reading more of your work.
Dear reader, he was telling the truth.
So, what makes A Wind of Knives the type of western that makes gals like me, who don't care much for the genre, feel like maybe there's something to it after all?
First of all, the title is ridiculously great. I had been meaning to pick up A Wind of Knives solely based on the violent promise of its title, and I'm glad I finally did.
Secondly, although you'll find quite a lot of brooding, talk about the Texas landscape, and horseback riding, it's also obvious that this is a story that goes beyond those western clichés and offers some unique characters with complex souls.
Third, and not to spoil the plot, but this will all end badly. Maybe not "Unforgiven"-level badly, but Daniel Hayes isn't a lawman or an outlaw, at least in the six-shooter sense. He's a man who wants revenge, but like most of us average everyday vengeance-seekers, it's a dream that will never come true. And that's what I found most interesting about Kurtz's book, because the typical western, in my mind, is all about chasing down the bad guys and delivering some form of frontier justice. Is there justice in this book? Perhaps, in its way. But more likely, it's the same type of thing we humans deal with every day, as frustrating and maddening as that is, with a man stuck in the middle, trying to figure out what to do about it. Is he supposed to just let it go and move on? Even if the bad guy gets shot, does that really solve anything? And what does one do with a hole in the heart that can never be mended?
So, while the western is not likely to become my favorite genre of all time, after reading this book I can say I kinda get it. I still think Texas is a terrible place for steers, queers, and women to live (and, based on personal experience, that doesn't seem like it's ever likely to change), but I can also see why the enterprising lone wolf (or coyote) might want to test their mettle out there.
Thanks, Mr. Kurtz, for giving us this surprising little gem of a western, and I look forward to reading more of your work.
August 21, 2021
I liked this. Simple and effective.
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