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The Strange and Astounding Memoirs of Watt O'Hugh the Third #3
Watt O'Hugh and the Innocent Dead: Being the Third Part of the Strange and Astounding Memoirs of Watt O'Hugh the Third
On the morning of Wednesday, September 24, 1879, I awoke in a prison in Montana.I did not imagine that evening might find me sprawled beneath a great and ferocious sand crab on a rancid beach, deep in the Hell of the Innocent Dead.But that is indeed where I wound up.The moral, if there is one: never plan your day too inflexibly.
THE WAIT IS OVER: THE CLASSIC ADVENTURE CONCLUDES....
In this, the final book of the trilogy, Watt O'Hugh, the dead/not-dead, Time Roaming Western gunman, travels the length and breadth of the sixth level of Hell, recruiting a shadowy army that might storm the borders of the Underworld, free humanity and the inscapes from the clutches of the Falsturm and his Sidonian hordes, and stave off the Coming Storm.
He'll need a little luck.
THE WAIT IS OVER: THE CLASSIC ADVENTURE CONCLUDES....
In this, the final book of the trilogy, Watt O'Hugh, the dead/not-dead, Time Roaming Western gunman, travels the length and breadth of the sixth level of Hell, recruiting a shadowy army that might storm the borders of the Underworld, free humanity and the inscapes from the clutches of the Falsturm and his Sidonian hordes, and stave off the Coming Storm.
He'll need a little luck.
285 pages, Kindle Edition
Published September 1, 2019
1 person is currently reading
65 people want to read
About the author
Steven S. Drachman
4 books28 followersI am a writer and critic whose work has appeared in The New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Phoenix, Entertainment Weekly, The Village Voice and The Chicago Sun-Times, among other places. I grew up in Maryland and I currently live in Park Slope, Brooklyn.
I suppose that rather than write ten other books, I put everything that I love into the Watt O'Hugh trilogy. So this is a Western, and a sci-fi/fantasy novel, a love story, and a historical novel of ancient China and 19th century America that I researched carefully. If I could have made it a musical too, maybe I would have. You'll find ghosts, time Roaming Western gunmen, women of the dark arts, Chinese emperors from the First and the 19th Century, an army of "Deadlings" (they're like zombies, only different), a breathless horseback tour of New York City in 1874, shoot-outs in Nebraska and in Manhattan's Great Roman Hippodrome theater that I think you'll remember for a while, and various true historical figures, such as J.P. Morgan and Oscar Wilde. I've tried my best to give you a smart and wild ride, and I hope you'll enjoy it.
If you've read my book, or are interested in my book, and want to get in touch, please do. I would love to hear from you. (If you're a blogger, and you'd like to review my book, please let me know!)
I suppose that rather than write ten other books, I put everything that I love into the Watt O'Hugh trilogy. So this is a Western, and a sci-fi/fantasy novel, a love story, and a historical novel of ancient China and 19th century America that I researched carefully. If I could have made it a musical too, maybe I would have. You'll find ghosts, time Roaming Western gunmen, women of the dark arts, Chinese emperors from the First and the 19th Century, an army of "Deadlings" (they're like zombies, only different), a breathless horseback tour of New York City in 1874, shoot-outs in Nebraska and in Manhattan's Great Roman Hippodrome theater that I think you'll remember for a while, and various true historical figures, such as J.P. Morgan and Oscar Wilde. I've tried my best to give you a smart and wild ride, and I hope you'll enjoy it.
If you've read my book, or are interested in my book, and want to get in touch, please do. I would love to hear from you. (If you're a blogger, and you'd like to review my book, please let me know!)
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Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews
July 2, 2019
Touching tragedy, dead-pan comedy, and a time-traveling cowboy? It's fantastic!
September 7, 2019
Touching tragedy, dead-pan comedy and a time-traveling cowboy? Part three of Drachman's epic fantasy series is indeed fantastic.
June 30, 2019
One Hell of a Ripping Yarn
If you have trouble imagining a sharp-shooting wild-west rodeo performer whose compassion earns him the protection of ghostly children and who later falls in with a coven of mysterious time-traveling sorcerers, you’re in luck. In Watt O’Hugh and the Innocent Dead, Steven Drachman has done the heavy lifting for you. In his innovative time-travel, occult, wild west mash-up he delivers a decidedly post-modern hero. Among other things, Watt is an orphan, an adventurer and a world-weary observer of the human condition. Yet his lust for life is palpable, second only to his lust for beautiful women.
All things considered, Watt is a rather moderate sort of down-at-heels roué. For starters, his innate talent for “roaming” through time has given him a perspective that’s highly unusual for a man who hit his prime in 1863. Readers of the Watt series so far (Ghosts of Watt O’Hugh and Watt O’Hugh Underground) have gained an intimate understanding of that perspective through his own first-person diary account. They’ve seen him trapped, triumphant and traipsing across time with a giant hole in his heart for Lucy Billings, a lost love who may or may not have existed solely to tempt him into initiating his own doom.
Of course, Watt’s intricately conceived adventures would come to nothing if it weren’t for Drachman’s deft pacing, snappy dialogue and sharply etched, indelible characterizations. These qualities, in concert with the sheer originality of the series concept, are what make Watt’s saga such an intriguing pleasure to read.
All along Watt’s exotic journey, our hero encounters a sprawling constellation of unusual characters. Among them is Master Yu, who is either the Chosen One, the worst poet in history, a self-deceiving fool or a dim sum platter of all three. In spite of himself, Watt is also accompanied by the unsought, fearsome responsibility to save humanity from the darkest of dark Evils in all of fantastical fiction. For to tangle with the Sidonians is to become ensnared in the very core of corruption, venality, avarice, lechery — in short, all the deadly sins stuffed into a Kaiser roll with a side order of murder and mayhem.
Fans of the series will also welcome the reappearance of Madame Tang, whose trickster-like abilities and acerbic demeanor add a note of paradoxical stability to Watt’s swirling adventure. And, make no mistake, stability is in short supply — because after Watt’s surprise encounter with a giant crab, he spends most of The Innocent Dead in Hell.
Not, mind you, the Hell of Dante or George Bernard Shaw, either one of which is far too orderly by comparison. Though Dante’s realm may be more gruesome, it’s also much more reasonable than this version. That’s probably because Watt’s Hell isn’t built from literary archetypes, but from the everyday trivia that stifles even the noblest enterprises.
Besides, in a very literal sense, this Hell is tasteless. The senses, though they exist in attenuated form, give the occupants of Drachman’s netherworld no pleasure. Though the doomed shades eat whatever food, “such-as-it-is,” is available, they do so only to maintain their humanity, in the vague hope they may someday rejoin the living.
Fortunately for Watt, the unfailing courage — or is it indifference? — that has saved his hide thus far, seems ready to serve him again. That is, if only he can survive the nauseating, gray rain and the sickening feeling that life outside of Hell is only fractionally better. Like many a character in classic mythology, Watt is blessed with powerful friends who, at critical moments, bear the gift of Insight. As a consequence, there’s every chance he may succeed, if only to fail again in better times.
Guiding the reader through this gray world is Drachman’s uncanny transmogrification of words into colorful images. His voice is unwavering and his phantasmagoric imagination stares unflinchingly at the darker side of Reality. In the end, this is the basis for the series’ cumulative emotional impact. For like Watt, we too are roamers through Time, whose awareness of Life’s illusions is itself an illusion — the fairy tale the universe reads us to sleep with at night.
If you have trouble imagining a sharp-shooting wild-west rodeo performer whose compassion earns him the protection of ghostly children and who later falls in with a coven of mysterious time-traveling sorcerers, you’re in luck. In Watt O’Hugh and the Innocent Dead, Steven Drachman has done the heavy lifting for you. In his innovative time-travel, occult, wild west mash-up he delivers a decidedly post-modern hero. Among other things, Watt is an orphan, an adventurer and a world-weary observer of the human condition. Yet his lust for life is palpable, second only to his lust for beautiful women.
All things considered, Watt is a rather moderate sort of down-at-heels roué. For starters, his innate talent for “roaming” through time has given him a perspective that’s highly unusual for a man who hit his prime in 1863. Readers of the Watt series so far (Ghosts of Watt O’Hugh and Watt O’Hugh Underground) have gained an intimate understanding of that perspective through his own first-person diary account. They’ve seen him trapped, triumphant and traipsing across time with a giant hole in his heart for Lucy Billings, a lost love who may or may not have existed solely to tempt him into initiating his own doom.
Of course, Watt’s intricately conceived adventures would come to nothing if it weren’t for Drachman’s deft pacing, snappy dialogue and sharply etched, indelible characterizations. These qualities, in concert with the sheer originality of the series concept, are what make Watt’s saga such an intriguing pleasure to read.
All along Watt’s exotic journey, our hero encounters a sprawling constellation of unusual characters. Among them is Master Yu, who is either the Chosen One, the worst poet in history, a self-deceiving fool or a dim sum platter of all three. In spite of himself, Watt is also accompanied by the unsought, fearsome responsibility to save humanity from the darkest of dark Evils in all of fantastical fiction. For to tangle with the Sidonians is to become ensnared in the very core of corruption, venality, avarice, lechery — in short, all the deadly sins stuffed into a Kaiser roll with a side order of murder and mayhem.
Fans of the series will also welcome the reappearance of Madame Tang, whose trickster-like abilities and acerbic demeanor add a note of paradoxical stability to Watt’s swirling adventure. And, make no mistake, stability is in short supply — because after Watt’s surprise encounter with a giant crab, he spends most of The Innocent Dead in Hell.
Not, mind you, the Hell of Dante or George Bernard Shaw, either one of which is far too orderly by comparison. Though Dante’s realm may be more gruesome, it’s also much more reasonable than this version. That’s probably because Watt’s Hell isn’t built from literary archetypes, but from the everyday trivia that stifles even the noblest enterprises.
Besides, in a very literal sense, this Hell is tasteless. The senses, though they exist in attenuated form, give the occupants of Drachman’s netherworld no pleasure. Though the doomed shades eat whatever food, “such-as-it-is,” is available, they do so only to maintain their humanity, in the vague hope they may someday rejoin the living.
Fortunately for Watt, the unfailing courage — or is it indifference? — that has saved his hide thus far, seems ready to serve him again. That is, if only he can survive the nauseating, gray rain and the sickening feeling that life outside of Hell is only fractionally better. Like many a character in classic mythology, Watt is blessed with powerful friends who, at critical moments, bear the gift of Insight. As a consequence, there’s every chance he may succeed, if only to fail again in better times.
Guiding the reader through this gray world is Drachman’s uncanny transmogrification of words into colorful images. His voice is unwavering and his phantasmagoric imagination stares unflinchingly at the darker side of Reality. In the end, this is the basis for the series’ cumulative emotional impact. For like Watt, we too are roamers through Time, whose awareness of Life’s illusions is itself an illusion — the fairy tale the universe reads us to sleep with at night.
July 27, 2019
Drachman gives us an adventure worthy of reading time. The prose was tight and kept the pages turning.
July 25, 2019
This is such a great conclusion to the series!!
Watt's humor never fails to make me smile, and the novel is written in an amusing and unique style. Every time I open the book, I feel as if I am transported to another world just beneath the surface of our own because of the detail and thought put into it, as well as the historical research.
With heart-racing adventures, gorgeous descriptions, and witty characters, this is definitely a novel that I will read again and again. I am so glad that it has finally arrived- opening this novel felt like coming home once more.
Watt's humor never fails to make me smile, and the novel is written in an amusing and unique style. Every time I open the book, I feel as if I am transported to another world just beneath the surface of our own because of the detail and thought put into it, as well as the historical research.
With heart-racing adventures, gorgeous descriptions, and witty characters, this is definitely a novel that I will read again and again. I am so glad that it has finally arrived- opening this novel felt like coming home once more.
August 25, 2019
The long awaited third installment is here, and it does not disappoint. Never a dull moment in this charming, clever, and crazy adventure through time and through the Underworld.
September 20, 2019
Although I have never read the first two books in this series I really enjoyed it! I will have to go back and read the first two now. I love anything dealing with cowboys and to add time travel to that pot just made this one even better. This title packs a punch with the emotions that it gains from the reader. I couldn't put it down. I do think that I would have loved this even more if I would have read the first two titles.
The writing in this one was very good. I was never lost and I enjoyed how the author wrote the story. the characters were also fantastic! And I can't wait to check out book one and two!
If you are a fan of this series I think it would be a stellar conclusion to it!
The writing in this one was very good. I was never lost and I enjoyed how the author wrote the story. the characters were also fantastic! And I can't wait to check out book one and two!
If you are a fan of this series I think it would be a stellar conclusion to it!
July 6, 2025
I was attracted to this series because of the picture on this book, so now, my long sojourn is over and I can give you my opinion of the series.
The first book was excellent. I loved the mostly realistic seeing with a hint of mystery to it, with the strange powers of Watt O'Hugh.
The second book was okay.
The third book spent most of its time in Hell (more like Purgatory really), so little of the book has a realistic setting. It also has a lot of characters and I felt like it was trying to tie up a lot of loose ends and appropriately pay tribute to various people in a way that felt contrived. Where the first book felt like a kind of random rollicking adventure, this one felt like a complex web in an imaginary seeing where anything could happen, thereby decreasing tension.
Maybe people that like closure might like this book, but I felt like the mystery was being bit by bit destroyed. Same could be partially said about the second book. I liked it when Watt O'Hugh was semi-oblivious, unaware of the nature of his powers, and going on adventures that felt like they had higher stakes. The third book laterally had higher stakes, but it was set in an imaginary world. The first book felt like it had higher stakes because the world and the people felt more real.
What do I recommend? Read the first book. If you love it and want closure, keep reading. In contrast, If you love the mystery of the world and want to keep it that way, stick to the first book.
The first book was excellent. I loved the mostly realistic seeing with a hint of mystery to it, with the strange powers of Watt O'Hugh.
The second book was okay.
The third book spent most of its time in Hell (more like Purgatory really), so little of the book has a realistic setting. It also has a lot of characters and I felt like it was trying to tie up a lot of loose ends and appropriately pay tribute to various people in a way that felt contrived. Where the first book felt like a kind of random rollicking adventure, this one felt like a complex web in an imaginary seeing where anything could happen, thereby decreasing tension.
Maybe people that like closure might like this book, but I felt like the mystery was being bit by bit destroyed. Same could be partially said about the second book. I liked it when Watt O'Hugh was semi-oblivious, unaware of the nature of his powers, and going on adventures that felt like they had higher stakes. The third book laterally had higher stakes, but it was set in an imaginary world. The first book felt like it had higher stakes because the world and the people felt more real.
What do I recommend? Read the first book. If you love it and want closure, keep reading. In contrast, If you love the mystery of the world and want to keep it that way, stick to the first book.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
September 29, 2019
Watt O'Hugh and the Innocent Dead is the third book in Steve S. Drachman's fantasy book series. I did not read the first two books I suggest you do because there is a cliff hanger from book two.
Drachman takes you into Wild Wild West world with a modern Sci-Fi twist. There is time traveling involved too. How can you not like a book about this? Watt who is an orphan and adventurer. He is compassionate. His compassion earned him the protection of ghostly children.
The book feels a lot like a first-person diary. He has a lust for life and beautiful women. He falls in with a coven of strange time-traveling sorcerers. Time-traveling allowed him to learn many things not the norm for men in 1863. Is his love, Lucy Billings, a good thing or is a villain who wants to ruin his life? Throughout his journey, he runs into some unusual characters. His responsibility is to save humanity from the darkest of dark evils in all of fantastical fiction.
Drachman does comedy really good. The pacing, witty dialogue, indelible characterization was well done. I laughed here and there while reading. It is a touching tragedy, dead-pan comedy, and a fun mystery. This is Watt O'Hugh's final adventures.
"Received this book from Jean Nerd. I was not required to write a positive review. This is my honest review."
Drachman takes you into Wild Wild West world with a modern Sci-Fi twist. There is time traveling involved too. How can you not like a book about this? Watt who is an orphan and adventurer. He is compassionate. His compassion earned him the protection of ghostly children.
The book feels a lot like a first-person diary. He has a lust for life and beautiful women. He falls in with a coven of strange time-traveling sorcerers. Time-traveling allowed him to learn many things not the norm for men in 1863. Is his love, Lucy Billings, a good thing or is a villain who wants to ruin his life? Throughout his journey, he runs into some unusual characters. His responsibility is to save humanity from the darkest of dark evils in all of fantastical fiction.
Drachman does comedy really good. The pacing, witty dialogue, indelible characterization was well done. I laughed here and there while reading. It is a touching tragedy, dead-pan comedy, and a fun mystery. This is Watt O'Hugh's final adventures.
"Received this book from Jean Nerd. I was not required to write a positive review. This is my honest review."
Displaying 1 - 9 of 9 reviews