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La Casa del Diablo
The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly at the Mountains of Madness. A weird western novella set in the desert of 1875.
124 pages, Kindle Edition
Published October 18, 2022
1 person is currently reading
6 people want to read
About the author
John Urbancik
77 books64 followersWriter of ghost stories and fairy tales. Born on a small island in the northeast United States called Manhattan, John went on to live in places like Orlando, Richmond, Sydney, and Madrid. He's circled the US in a car, and he recently started learning to play the bass.
But he may be best known for InkStains, the year-long project in which he wrote a story a day every day by hand with a fountain pen. This led to a podcast and then a nonfiction book (InkStained: On Creativity, Writing, and Art).
As of this writing, he's isolated somewhere in Florida working on the end of the DarkWalker series, a vampire novel, and Gothic romance.
But he may be best known for InkStains, the year-long project in which he wrote a story a day every day by hand with a fountain pen. This led to a podcast and then a nonfiction book (InkStained: On Creativity, Writing, and Art).
As of this writing, he's isolated somewhere in Florida working on the end of the DarkWalker series, a vampire novel, and Gothic romance.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
June 29, 2023
When he was younger, Kasper Diehl watched his entire family be slaughtered by a notorious killer named Damon Rose. It was only because Rose ran out of bullets and didn’t think Kasper was worth reloading over that Diehl was spared. Since that day, his entire life has been spent seeking vengeance. Now, after learning his prey has settled in Grave Hollow—also known as La Casa del Diablo—Kasper is coming, his father’s Walker Colt strapped to his hip.
Along the way, he finds a coach that’s been set upon by bandits, the driver killed, but the passengers, Della and her father Morton, left alive to fend for themselves in the middle of nowhere.
When Kasper learns they’re also headed to Grave Hollow—Della detests the other name—they agree to accompany one another into town.
Once there, Kasper finds his prey has fled, but the reason Morton and Della are there may lead him to Damon Rose after all, unless of course the world ends before Kasper can reach him. La Casa del Diablo, he discovers, has more than earned its name.
I don’t normally go for westerns, but lately a few of my favorite authors have added the “Weird Western” genre to their repertoire and, enjoying the authors, of course I read them. David Bain’s COWBOYS OF CTHULHU and RIDERS WHERE THERE ARE NO ROADS from his “Riders of the Weird West” series, Chad Lutzke’s HOW THE SKIN SHEDS, and now John Urbancik has given us LA CASA DEL DIABLO.
Simply put, I enjoyed this book a lot. Urbancik has written a ton of poetry and I’ve always thought it showed in his prose (try his collection THE MUSEUM OF CURIOSITIES for more proof). His characters step off the page with not a single word wasted (this book is super slim at only 152 pages), and his sometimes-lyrical turns of phrase suck you into his worlds.
If this is the kind of stuff that’s out there in the weird western genre, then I must be a western fan because I’m all aboard for more. Then again, Urbancik has always been one of those writers who, since I was first introduced to his work (my God, over a decade ago?), any time I hear his name, I stop what I’m doing and listen close, because whatever it is he’s done is bound to be worth the money.
La Casa del Diablo is definitely, highly recommended.
Along the way, he finds a coach that’s been set upon by bandits, the driver killed, but the passengers, Della and her father Morton, left alive to fend for themselves in the middle of nowhere.
When Kasper learns they’re also headed to Grave Hollow—Della detests the other name—they agree to accompany one another into town.
Once there, Kasper finds his prey has fled, but the reason Morton and Della are there may lead him to Damon Rose after all, unless of course the world ends before Kasper can reach him. La Casa del Diablo, he discovers, has more than earned its name.
I don’t normally go for westerns, but lately a few of my favorite authors have added the “Weird Western” genre to their repertoire and, enjoying the authors, of course I read them. David Bain’s COWBOYS OF CTHULHU and RIDERS WHERE THERE ARE NO ROADS from his “Riders of the Weird West” series, Chad Lutzke’s HOW THE SKIN SHEDS, and now John Urbancik has given us LA CASA DEL DIABLO.
Simply put, I enjoyed this book a lot. Urbancik has written a ton of poetry and I’ve always thought it showed in his prose (try his collection THE MUSEUM OF CURIOSITIES for more proof). His characters step off the page with not a single word wasted (this book is super slim at only 152 pages), and his sometimes-lyrical turns of phrase suck you into his worlds.
If this is the kind of stuff that’s out there in the weird western genre, then I must be a western fan because I’m all aboard for more. Then again, Urbancik has always been one of those writers who, since I was first introduced to his work (my God, over a decade ago?), any time I hear his name, I stop what I’m doing and listen close, because whatever it is he’s done is bound to be worth the money.
La Casa del Diablo is definitely, highly recommended.
September 23, 2025
La Casa del Diablo is a fun, quirky read with intriguing characters and a chef's kiss ending! My only slight criticism is the seemingly random character perspective changes threw me off a bit, but nowhere near enough to hinder my overall enjoyment of this well-crafted "Weird Western". This was only my second work by John Urbancik, and I am absolutely looking forward to the next one!
February 20, 2023
John Urbancik's penchant for dark fantasy mixed with dusty, gritty western landscapes makes for a hell of a ride. Add a dash of horror and this book becomes exceptional. Loved it!
September 5, 2025
What makes this book so great is its pace. Slowly, slowly, slowly it teases the reader until s/he finally gets to the book’s end.
I can breathe again.
I can breathe again.
October 15, 2025
Quick, tidy, and to the point. It was interesting enough to hold my attention, but I wish there was more back story to the characters. Though I guess it wasn't necessary for the purposes of this story, I really wanted to know the origins of the characters and how they ended up where they did.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews