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Pteranodon Canyon
It’s 1874 and Pteranodon poaching has just been made illegal, but that doesn’t stop some outlaws from profiting off the killing. Rumor has it the infamous bandit, Francis Burner, previously presumed dead, is running an operation out near western Wyoming, which has some folks mighty flustered.
Esteemed bounty hunter Charlie Archer isn’t looking for that one last majestic ride into the sunset. He’d much prefer to spend his days hitting the bars and blackjack tables, and his evenings mourning the loss of his family. But when a representative from the United States government comes knocking on the door with an opportunity too good to turn down, well….looks like Charlie will be jumping into that saddle for one last hunt - track down the bastard Francis Burner, murderer of his wife and child.
Charlie gathers up a posse and sets off on a bloody and brutal adventure across the Old American West, territories populated by carnivorous dinosaurs and human scoundrels aplenty.
So, saddle up. It’s high noon and the day is hungry.
Esteemed bounty hunter Charlie Archer isn’t looking for that one last majestic ride into the sunset. He’d much prefer to spend his days hitting the bars and blackjack tables, and his evenings mourning the loss of his family. But when a representative from the United States government comes knocking on the door with an opportunity too good to turn down, well….looks like Charlie will be jumping into that saddle for one last hunt - track down the bastard Francis Burner, murderer of his wife and child.
Charlie gathers up a posse and sets off on a bloody and brutal adventure across the Old American West, territories populated by carnivorous dinosaurs and human scoundrels aplenty.
So, saddle up. It’s high noon and the day is hungry.
- GenresHorror
253 pages, Kindle Edition
Published April 22, 2022
11 people are currently reading
74 people want to read
About the author
Tim Meyer
49 books1,052 followersTim Meyer dwells in a dark cave near the Jersey Shore. He's an author, husband, father, podcast host, blogger, coffee connoisseur, beer enthusiast, and explorer of worlds. He writes horror, mysteries, science fiction, and thrillers, although he prefers to blur genres and let the story fall where it may.
You can follow Tim at https://timmeyerwrites.com
OR like his Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/authortimmeyer
You can follow Tim at https://timmeyerwrites.com
OR like his Facebook page here: www.facebook.com/authortimmeyer
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
April 29, 2022
Cowboys and Dinosaurs, enough said!!! But seriously if your a fan of the weird western genre or the dinosaur movies of the 60's and 70's like The Valley of Gwangi you will enjoy this. This is an obvious love letter to the genre and it shows.
June 2, 2022
4.5. A western AND dinos? I didn't expect to care for this but ended up loving it. Meyer has given us a highly entertaining tale here. Don't miss out.
April 17, 2022
In Pteranodon Canyon, Tim Meyer has crafted a wild west adventure that pits three memorable protagonists against an array of bloodthirsty dinos and black-hearted scoundrels. A non-stop thrillride from start to finish and a unique addition to the current horror western boom. Meyer's penchant for cinematic storytelling and sprinkling in just the right amount of blood and guts makes for a great time.
May 14, 2022
Tim Meyer does it again with an excellent mashup of genres that is sure to satiate your palette.
I'll start by saying westerns are not my normal genre of choice, but adding in gut munching Dinos that thirst for blood made this read all worth the while. The wonky and outlandish narrative of prehistoric fun that unfolds is nothing short of a good time. If nothing else, you'll be satisfied with the basic journey of our three main characters and the narratives that unfold with each. However, as with all Tim's books, the characters and their relationships are well developed. And perhaps most importantly, the book has heart and soul.
I've been such a huge fan of Tim's work and Pteranodon Canyon just added fuel to that fire. The wonky and outlandish tale that is spun is just plain fun, and I strongly recommend it. Four stars from me!
I'll start by saying westerns are not my normal genre of choice, but adding in gut munching Dinos that thirst for blood made this read all worth the while. The wonky and outlandish narrative of prehistoric fun that unfolds is nothing short of a good time. If nothing else, you'll be satisfied with the basic journey of our three main characters and the narratives that unfold with each. However, as with all Tim's books, the characters and their relationships are well developed. And perhaps most importantly, the book has heart and soul.
I've been such a huge fan of Tim's work and Pteranodon Canyon just added fuel to that fire. The wonky and outlandish tale that is spun is just plain fun, and I strongly recommend it. Four stars from me!
March 5, 2023
Mosey out west in Tim Meyer's PTERANODON CANYON, where the west is as wild as the dinosaurs that roam its badlands. That's right, this is a classic western but with dinosaurs as well. This is a western the likes of which you've surely never read before but may want to read again.
The premise of the story is as classic as western fiction itself. A gunslinger must hunt down an outlaw across the western frontier. He gathers a posse along the way as they fight bad guys, neerdowells, swindlers, and thunder lizards. It all culminates in a showdown between good and evil... and giant man-eating dinosaur.
While westerns are not my thing at all, this unique mash up made this a fun read. You'll find yourself turning the pages to find out what's next: an outlaw or a T-Rex. If you like westerns, action, or sci-fi adventure, you'll love Tim Meyer's PTERANODON CANYON
Saddle Up and Ride!
The premise of the story is as classic as western fiction itself. A gunslinger must hunt down an outlaw across the western frontier. He gathers a posse along the way as they fight bad guys, neerdowells, swindlers, and thunder lizards. It all culminates in a showdown between good and evil... and giant man-eating dinosaur.
While westerns are not my thing at all, this unique mash up made this a fun read. You'll find yourself turning the pages to find out what's next: an outlaw or a T-Rex. If you like westerns, action, or sci-fi adventure, you'll love Tim Meyer's PTERANODON CANYON
Saddle Up and Ride!
July 7, 2022
The nitty-gritty: Killer dinosaurs and Old West shootouts come together in this bloody and highly entertaining story.
One of my favorite fantasy subgenres is “weird western,” and I can definitely say that Pteranodon Canyon fits the bill if you enjoy weird westerns as well. And what could be weirder than an alternate universe set in 1874 where dinosaurs roam the United States? Tim Meyer combines the sensibility of the Wild West with killer dinos, and the result is a gleefully gory, over-the-top revenge story with guns, betrayals and larger-than-life characters.
The story revolves around three characters who are hired to stop a notorious dinosaur poacher named Francis Burner and his right hand man Billy Tanner. Charlie Archer is a bounty hunter for hire, and when he’s asked to go after Francis Burner and stop his illegal operation, he knows it’s fate. Burner, you see, was responsible for the death of Charlie’s wife and kid, and Charlie has been looking for payback ever since. Elinor “Nellie” Watts is one of the best gunslingers in the West, and Finn Hampton is a dino expert who’s planning on writing his own dinosaur encyclopedia one day. Finn also has a sordid past with one of the poachers. Billy lost an eye after a violent run in with Finn, and Billy just happens to be looking for Finn so he can enact his own revenge.
As Charlie, Finn and Nellie make the dangerous trek to find Burner, they’ll have to outrun Tyrannosaurs and Nemicolopterus, survive a trip through Dinosaur Alley, outwit Francis Burner and Billy Tanner—and stay alive long enough to complete the job and collect their bounty payment.
Pteranodon Canyon was so much fun! I thought the author did a great job of combining the Wild West with the unusual addition of a world where dinosaurs are alive and roaming the open plains. Not only are there killer dinosaurs to watch out for, but we get to see herbivores like the Brontosaurus who have no interest in humans at all. In this story, Pteranodons have a hallucinogenic-like fluid in their nasal cavities (yuck) which is harvested and illegally sold as a powerful drug. Because the Pteranodons were being killed off at an alarming rate, the Pteranodon Preservation Act of 1872 was put into effect, thus making poaching illegal. That doesn’t stop criminals from killing them anyway, of course, which leads us to our story. I love the idea of an illegal drug trade involving dinosaurs—it’s kind of ridiculous if you think about it—but Meyer makes it work.
I thought the characters were a lot of fun too. I loved Nellie, who is a tough as nails sharpshooter and completely uninterested in romance, especially when Charlie and Finn try to hit on her, lol. She can hold her own and knows how to put idiots like Charlie and Finn in their place. Charlie’s character supplies the emotional punch of the story, as he’s mourning the loss of his family. He won’t rest until he puts Burner in the ground, and I couldn’t help but cheer him on. But Finn turned out to be my favorite character, which surprised me. I loved Finn’s enthusiasm for dinosaurs and his ability to drop interesting dino facts wherever he goes. Finn is awkward and funny and his dialog made me laugh out loud.
The bad guys are properly mean and violent, they did not disappoint. There are several side characters I enjoyed, like Nellie’s friends Barney and Marina who were caught up in Burner’s life of violence and are just trying to stay clean. But the story mostly focuses on Charlie, Nellie, Finn, Burner and Billy, and for such a short book I appreciated the fact that the author didn’t overstuff his story with too many characters.
If you’re a squeamish reader, though, beware, because Pteranodon Canyon has lots of graphic violence. Any Wild West story worth its salt is going to be violent, but add meat-eating dinosaurs to the mix and you have a unique combination of deadly gunfights and huge dinosaurs who are just trying to survive, even if that means going after the human population. I loved the detailed descriptions of dinos biting the heads (and other body parts) off humans, and you can tell Meyer took great delight in describing every arterial spray of blood and severed limb. All this gore is balanced out by tongue-in-cheek humor, and for some reason there’s something ridiculously satisfying about dinosaurs killing people, especially when it’s the bad guys.
The ending was both tragic and cathartic, and the promised final showdown did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed Pteranodon Canyon and I look forward to Tim Meyer’s next book.
Big thanks to the author for providing a review copy.
One of my favorite fantasy subgenres is “weird western,” and I can definitely say that Pteranodon Canyon fits the bill if you enjoy weird westerns as well. And what could be weirder than an alternate universe set in 1874 where dinosaurs roam the United States? Tim Meyer combines the sensibility of the Wild West with killer dinos, and the result is a gleefully gory, over-the-top revenge story with guns, betrayals and larger-than-life characters.
The story revolves around three characters who are hired to stop a notorious dinosaur poacher named Francis Burner and his right hand man Billy Tanner. Charlie Archer is a bounty hunter for hire, and when he’s asked to go after Francis Burner and stop his illegal operation, he knows it’s fate. Burner, you see, was responsible for the death of Charlie’s wife and kid, and Charlie has been looking for payback ever since. Elinor “Nellie” Watts is one of the best gunslingers in the West, and Finn Hampton is a dino expert who’s planning on writing his own dinosaur encyclopedia one day. Finn also has a sordid past with one of the poachers. Billy lost an eye after a violent run in with Finn, and Billy just happens to be looking for Finn so he can enact his own revenge.
As Charlie, Finn and Nellie make the dangerous trek to find Burner, they’ll have to outrun Tyrannosaurs and Nemicolopterus, survive a trip through Dinosaur Alley, outwit Francis Burner and Billy Tanner—and stay alive long enough to complete the job and collect their bounty payment.
Pteranodon Canyon was so much fun! I thought the author did a great job of combining the Wild West with the unusual addition of a world where dinosaurs are alive and roaming the open plains. Not only are there killer dinosaurs to watch out for, but we get to see herbivores like the Brontosaurus who have no interest in humans at all. In this story, Pteranodons have a hallucinogenic-like fluid in their nasal cavities (yuck) which is harvested and illegally sold as a powerful drug. Because the Pteranodons were being killed off at an alarming rate, the Pteranodon Preservation Act of 1872 was put into effect, thus making poaching illegal. That doesn’t stop criminals from killing them anyway, of course, which leads us to our story. I love the idea of an illegal drug trade involving dinosaurs—it’s kind of ridiculous if you think about it—but Meyer makes it work.
I thought the characters were a lot of fun too. I loved Nellie, who is a tough as nails sharpshooter and completely uninterested in romance, especially when Charlie and Finn try to hit on her, lol. She can hold her own and knows how to put idiots like Charlie and Finn in their place. Charlie’s character supplies the emotional punch of the story, as he’s mourning the loss of his family. He won’t rest until he puts Burner in the ground, and I couldn’t help but cheer him on. But Finn turned out to be my favorite character, which surprised me. I loved Finn’s enthusiasm for dinosaurs and his ability to drop interesting dino facts wherever he goes. Finn is awkward and funny and his dialog made me laugh out loud.
The bad guys are properly mean and violent, they did not disappoint. There are several side characters I enjoyed, like Nellie’s friends Barney and Marina who were caught up in Burner’s life of violence and are just trying to stay clean. But the story mostly focuses on Charlie, Nellie, Finn, Burner and Billy, and for such a short book I appreciated the fact that the author didn’t overstuff his story with too many characters.
If you’re a squeamish reader, though, beware, because Pteranodon Canyon has lots of graphic violence. Any Wild West story worth its salt is going to be violent, but add meat-eating dinosaurs to the mix and you have a unique combination of deadly gunfights and huge dinosaurs who are just trying to survive, even if that means going after the human population. I loved the detailed descriptions of dinos biting the heads (and other body parts) off humans, and you can tell Meyer took great delight in describing every arterial spray of blood and severed limb. All this gore is balanced out by tongue-in-cheek humor, and for some reason there’s something ridiculously satisfying about dinosaurs killing people, especially when it’s the bad guys.
The ending was both tragic and cathartic, and the promised final showdown did not disappoint. I thoroughly enjoyed Pteranodon Canyon and I look forward to Tim Meyer’s next book.
Big thanks to the author for providing a review copy.
April 19, 2022
Tim Meyer's 'Pteranodon Canyon' is an upcoming dino classic! Not only is it a thrilling adventure novel, but it also explores the relationship between humans and nature in a captivatingly imaginative way.
To begin with, the author is to be commended for his knowledge of paleontology. The dinosaurs in the story are always correctly described according to the most recent scientific discoveries. This reinforces the credibility of the extinct beasts in the story.
Other than that, it's an adventure story with an excellent build-up of suspense. There is a lot of action in the story and that is interspersed in the right way with some triggers for new conflicts. Meyer proves himself as a technically strong writer.
In addition, Charlie Archer, Elinor Watts and Finn Hampston are great antagonists. My personal favorite is Finn Hampston, because of the hero trio he is the mysterious one. The reader gradually gets a little more information about him. In this way the author creates a certain image about him that leaves the reader in suspense. He is also a nature lover, loves dinosaurs and wants to write a book about them. This combination of mystery and dreams makes him a fascinating character for me.
And then the question is what does the author want to show with the story? I believe Meyer has the same message for his readers as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World" (1912). It is important to have respect for nature and life. As soon as people start to see nature as a product, a dangerous situation arises.
I think that 'Pteranodon Canyon' touches on the work of Richard David Precht. This German philosopher is concerned with animal rights and every now and then I thought of his quote: There are two categories of animals. One believes that there are two categories and the other suffers from that.' (1) Meyer plays along with this sometimes literally and then ironically, so that reading is not only a great pleasure, but also shows a commitment to nature.
Back to 'The Lost World' for a moment. The themes of the classic (adventure, masculinity and evolution) can also be found in this page turner. He beautifully shows how ideas about masculinity have developed. His female protagonist proves that time and again in a great way. The other subjects also show that a lot can happen with thoughts and ideas in a century. That is why 'Pteranodon Canyon' is a perfect counterpart to the dino classic of the twentieth century and in my experience a dino classic of the twenty-first century.
So for fans of exciting dinosaur adventure stories, this book by Tim Meyer is a must-read. And also for the more literary reader there is plenty to enjoy because of its connection with the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the German philosopher Richard David Precht. . #pterandoncanyon #timmeyer #evilepochpress
(1) Precht, Richard David (2018) Tiere denken: vom Recht der Tiere und den Grenzen des Menschen. Goldmann Verlag: München
To begin with, the author is to be commended for his knowledge of paleontology. The dinosaurs in the story are always correctly described according to the most recent scientific discoveries. This reinforces the credibility of the extinct beasts in the story.
Other than that, it's an adventure story with an excellent build-up of suspense. There is a lot of action in the story and that is interspersed in the right way with some triggers for new conflicts. Meyer proves himself as a technically strong writer.
In addition, Charlie Archer, Elinor Watts and Finn Hampston are great antagonists. My personal favorite is Finn Hampston, because of the hero trio he is the mysterious one. The reader gradually gets a little more information about him. In this way the author creates a certain image about him that leaves the reader in suspense. He is also a nature lover, loves dinosaurs and wants to write a book about them. This combination of mystery and dreams makes him a fascinating character for me.
And then the question is what does the author want to show with the story? I believe Meyer has the same message for his readers as Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's "The Lost World" (1912). It is important to have respect for nature and life. As soon as people start to see nature as a product, a dangerous situation arises.
I think that 'Pteranodon Canyon' touches on the work of Richard David Precht. This German philosopher is concerned with animal rights and every now and then I thought of his quote: There are two categories of animals. One believes that there are two categories and the other suffers from that.' (1) Meyer plays along with this sometimes literally and then ironically, so that reading is not only a great pleasure, but also shows a commitment to nature.
Back to 'The Lost World' for a moment. The themes of the classic (adventure, masculinity and evolution) can also be found in this page turner. He beautifully shows how ideas about masculinity have developed. His female protagonist proves that time and again in a great way. The other subjects also show that a lot can happen with thoughts and ideas in a century. That is why 'Pteranodon Canyon' is a perfect counterpart to the dino classic of the twentieth century and in my experience a dino classic of the twenty-first century.
So for fans of exciting dinosaur adventure stories, this book by Tim Meyer is a must-read. And also for the more literary reader there is plenty to enjoy because of its connection with the work of Sir Arthur Conan Doyle and the German philosopher Richard David Precht. . #pterandoncanyon #timmeyer #evilepochpress
(1) Precht, Richard David (2018) Tiere denken: vom Recht der Tiere und den Grenzen des Menschen. Goldmann Verlag: München
June 9, 2022
A solid western, with plenty of action and high stakes. In fact, you could remove the dinosaurs altogether and this would still be a great modern western!
May 13, 2022
Interesting western/scifi mashup. Bounty hunters, outlaws and hungry dinosaurs. Highly recommended!
July 21, 2022
Pteranodon Canyon is a well-written "weird west" set in what is presumably an alternate universe where dinosaurs never went extinct. It's essentially a traditional western story that combines bounty hunters with the "revenge for killing my family" trope with dinosaurs sprinkled in for good measure. On its own, the western is pretty straightforward and enjoyable, and the sci-fi element works well in the mix.
There was a brief mention of doorways to other worlds that was brought up once but never really explored; I would love to see more of that in a sequel.
It's a fun splatter western with dinosaurs. What more could you ask for?
There was a brief mention of doorways to other worlds that was brought up once but never really explored; I would love to see more of that in a sequel.
It's a fun splatter western with dinosaurs. What more could you ask for?
June 13, 2025
7 This is a perfectly entertaining read, pulpy fun for in between heftier tomes. It delivers what the cover promises: cowboys vs dinosaurs. It is competently written - no high prose of course. It's even a bit terse, I would say, but the gore is delivered with diverse enough descriptions and I could follow the flow of the action well. Of course this has to contain all the tropes of both the dinosaur genre and the western, and it does. There are T. rexes, Tricertatops, Stegosaurus en all kinds of raptors here. And there are gunslingers, poachers, saloons and shoot outs galore. One does not expect depth from a book like this, but even so I found the characters at the start to be a bit too much verging on cliche. Later on however, I thought the author did his best to give them a bit of development out of that cliche territory, and not give them the ending one would think they deserved according to the tropes of the genre. I appreciated that, even if the focus (of course) was on the adventure. Also the way the dinosaurs were used was refreshingly honest compared to Jurassic Park (the movies) and other monster stories. Firstly there were feathers! Secondly the dinosaurs were not the antagonist. There was no sense of a vendetta against a specific monster. The dinosaurs were creatures just trying to live their lives and dealing with humans encroaching on their habitat, just like wildlife is now. I thought this a good way to update the 'dinosaur story' for the modern age (in which we are more honest as to our own responsibility towards our ecosystem).
It was great fun to read this example of a 'weird western'! Only 235 pages or so this is a quick palate cleanser for the reader interested in the 'weird', in pulpy adventure or in dinosaur stories.
It was great fun to read this example of a 'weird western'! Only 235 pages or so this is a quick palate cleanser for the reader interested in the 'weird', in pulpy adventure or in dinosaur stories.
June 9, 2022
Hot damn was this a fun book!
Meyer creates such a fun world and delivers more than just a fun pulpy ride. All of the characters were unique and well drawn.
The dinosaur carnage was majestic!
Meyer creates such a fun world and delivers more than just a fun pulpy ride. All of the characters were unique and well drawn.
The dinosaur carnage was majestic!
December 13, 2023
Pteranodon Canyon
By Tim Meyer
I want to thank the author for providing me with an audiobook to listen to and review.
This was a splattery western story with dinosaurs! The story was heavy on the western theme, something straight out of an old western movie. The incorporation of dinosaurs was done well. I didn't feel like they were just thrown in there. There was a lot of action, which included some gory bits. There was a small cast of characters, which I prefer. I unfortunately didn't feel too emotionally connected to them, but they were interesting.
This book would be a tame introduction to splatter westerns for people new to the genre. This is not "extreme" by any means, and most people should be able to enjoy reading it. Overall, I enjoyed this. It was an original idea and kept my attention throughout. I'm giving this a 4⭐️ rating.
The narrator for this book, Ray Montecalvo, was excellent, and they get 5⭐️s for their work. I would love to listen to more audiobooks they narrate.
By Tim Meyer
I want to thank the author for providing me with an audiobook to listen to and review.
This was a splattery western story with dinosaurs! The story was heavy on the western theme, something straight out of an old western movie. The incorporation of dinosaurs was done well. I didn't feel like they were just thrown in there. There was a lot of action, which included some gory bits. There was a small cast of characters, which I prefer. I unfortunately didn't feel too emotionally connected to them, but they were interesting.
This book would be a tame introduction to splatter westerns for people new to the genre. This is not "extreme" by any means, and most people should be able to enjoy reading it. Overall, I enjoyed this. It was an original idea and kept my attention throughout. I'm giving this a 4⭐️ rating.
The narrator for this book, Ray Montecalvo, was excellent, and they get 5⭐️s for their work. I would love to listen to more audiobooks they narrate.
May 30, 2022
The mix of dinosaurs and the Old West creates a fun world to imagine. The three lead characters are distinct and interesting enough to root for, even when they make questionable decisions (and all three do, for reasons that fit their characters well). My one quibble is I did not like the a key element of the ending (how Tanner was beaten) as I had come to believe the villain was smarter than that. However, I'd be happy to read more about the main characters in the future. They carry the spirit of the Old West gunslingers as they shoot at giant lizards.
May 2, 2022
Pteranodon Canyon
I really disliked the cursing. Totally took away from the book. I don't recommend this for kids. I like the different dinosaurs and the dino and human interact ion. The ending could have been better. Left opening for more books. Hoping more stories with Finn and Nellie.
I really disliked the cursing. Totally took away from the book. I don't recommend this for kids. I like the different dinosaurs and the dino and human interact ion. The ending could have been better. Left opening for more books. Hoping more stories with Finn and Nellie.
December 30, 2022
Dust of that hat and pick up your guns, you're gonna need them.
May 13, 2024
Man, this concept is super cool but I had a few problems with it. Mostly, the existence of dinosaurs and their impact on the evolution of other animals in an ecosystem wasn't explored very deeply. It seemed too short for its plot, and I would have preferred at least 50 or so more pages (enough for more character building). Also, the ending was disappointing.
December 11, 2024
Dinosaurs and the Old West come clashing and mashing and bashing together in this excellent book
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews