Dead Man's Hand: Five Tales of the Weird West [Paperback]

I hope those of you reading this review will forgive my giving my own work a 5 star rating. But I am very pleased with how this collection of Weird Western tales turned out. The cover art is striking--assuming it's ever posted so you can see it online. Also, the interior design is quite innovative, with the corners of the pages made to look like those of the poker cards that comprised Wild Bill Hickock's last hand.

My fondness for DEAD MAN'S HAND is also due to the fact that the stories collected within its covers were so much fun to write. Included are two previously published novellas, WALKING WOLF (about a European werewolf raised by American Indians), and LYNCH (a story of a gunslinger resurrected from the dead by a former student of Dr. Frankenstein), as well as two previously published short stories, "The Tortuga Hill Gang's Last Ride" (about a gang of outlaws who pick up a rather unusual companion-in-crime) and "Calaverada" (weird doings on the Mexican Day of the Dead).
There is also a brand new novella called HELL COME SUNDOWN, about a Texas Ranger who tracks down the vampire who destroyed his world. There is also an introduction by my good buddy JOE R. LANSDALE, who says a lot nice thinsg about. Some of which might actually be true.

So, if you like my stuff--or you enjoy weird tales of the Old West, or simply like stories that are one step outside the Usual, then you'll enjoy DEAD MAN'S HAND.

I am a big fan of Deadlands (the RPG), and so I was looking forward quite a bit for this book once I discovered it. I have two stories left to read - which means I have about 30 pages left in the book (roughly 290 pages read of 320 pages total).

A word on the stories thus far...

1. Hell Come Sundown - it's a bounty hunter-esque old west ranger story... Weird West style, of course. Without trying to ruin anything, it is a very good story and a good twist on a couple classic horror genres. i really enjoyed this one.

2. Lynch - something along the lines of a Weird West Frankenstein, this one had me hooked from the get-go. Great stuff.

3. Walking Wolf - this story had the most potential of the three main stories (which are Walking Wolf, Lynch, and Hell Come Sundown). However, i found it to be more of a commentary on the whites' crimes against Native Americans in the 19th century. It was an entertaining tale - what can go wrong with werewolves - but there is quite a bit to wade through to get to the meat of the story. It follows the same basic formula as Lynch to some degree (wronged man seeks revenge), but it is composed of so much historical information and commentary that you almost begin to wonder if you are reading propaganda or fiction. Nonetheless, i did really enjoy this story. The tale also includes an interesting view of a werewolf society that moved into the Wild West much for the same reason the average Joe did.

Overall, though i have two very short stories to finish and can only comment on the main stories in the book, i am glad i bought this book. It captures a good feel of the "Weird West" which is a genre that I think is greatly under-utilized. That said, the stories use fairly common formulas - in general, protagonist is wronged, usually horribly, and he seeks revenge. Toss with supernatural and undead, and voila, you have Dead Man's Hand. However, that should not discourage the potential buyer - if you like Weird West, then chances are you will enjoy this book. Quite honestly, i couldn't put it down - however, i do think it is due more to my love of the genre than my love for the writing.

Which brings me to the writing - Collins does possess (at least if this book is any indication) a fabulous writing style. Her wording is not repetitive or overly descriptive - yet, at the same time, it is rich and engaging. If i were more into pure vampire books, i'd probably check out her Sonja Blue (i think that's what it is called?) stories - but i'm not into that stuff. i do prefer Weird West, and she delivers here magnificently.

After reading a number of science-fiction and adventure-action books, I was in the mood to read something different, but I didn't know what type of book to read. I was browsing through the book store one day, and there was this dark cover on a book with interesting art work that caught my eye. From the looks of the cover, it appeared the book was a western; I was never big on western motifs, but like I mentioned, I was in the mood for something different. Remember when we were told as children to not judge a book by its cover? Well, I was glad to judge this book by its cover; because if I didn't pick this book up, I would have missed out on a series of short stories that were very entertaining to read! If you are in the mood for a western that is a little on the dark side, then look no further!

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