Blood Riders
4/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this ebook
“The history of the Old West written in blood and laced with dark humor, all set against a backdrop of ancient evil and a struggle for survival….You’re in for the ride of your life.”
—James Rollins, New York Times bestselling author of The Devil Colony
Already a New York Times bestselling author for his satiric, gore-soaked “songbooks” (It’s Beginning to Look a Lot like Zombies; Every Zombie Eats Somebody Sometime), author Michael P. Spradlin now dons a different hat and gallops hell for leather into a darker, wilder West. Blood Riders is the story of Civil War veteran Jonas R. Hollister, who’s recruited by the U.S. government to hunt down and destroy an ancient tribe of vampires that is terrorizing the frontier territories. An ingenious mash-up of western and dark fantasy—with an intriguing touch of American steampunk weaponry thrown in for good measure—Spradlin’s Blood Riders has Hollister joining up with real-life historical figures Samuel Colt and Alan Pinkerton and one of horror literature’s most famous monster hunters (Abraham Van Helsing from Bram Stoker’s Dracula) to rid the West of the undead scourge once and for all.
Michael P. Spradlin
Michael P. Spradlin is the New York Times Bestselling and Edgar Award-nominated author of more than a dozen books for children, including the Western Heritage Award-winning Off like the Wind: The Story of the Pony Express. Spradlin grew up in Homer, Michigan and attended Central Michigan University where he graduated with a BS degree in History in 1982. He currently resides in Lapeer, Michigan with his wife, daughter, and two schnoodles Apollo and Willow.
Read more from Michael P. Spradlin
It's Beginning to Look a Lot Like Zombies: A Book of Zombie Christmas Carols Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Jack and Jill Went Up to Kill: A Book of Zombie Nursery Rhymes Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pararescue Corps Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsEvery Zombie Eats Somebody Sometime: A Book of Zombie Love Songs Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5
Related to Blood Riders
Related ebooks
Devil's Pocket Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Syn in the City Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Mindjacker: Mindjacker, #1 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDeath in Florence Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Blood Rock Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5King of the Road Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Max Porter Box Set: Volume 2: Max Porter Paranormal Mysteries Box Set, #2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsClouds and Earth Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Rainy Season Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsWhat Gods Incite: The Frost Arcana, #3 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5What Man Defies: The Frost Arcana, #2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Junction Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fall of the Angels Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsA Box of Nothing Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Goddess Investigations Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsServices Rendered: The Case of Dan Shamble, Zombie PI Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Moonflowers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Thorn of Dentonhill Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsDay Soldiers Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Frost Moon Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Eternal Warrior Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Big Egos Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hard Times: Sam Harlan, Vampire Hunter, #2 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Brightside: Brightside, #1 Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Relatives Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Demon Jack Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Bones of the Past Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Drinking Midnight Wine Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5SINthetic Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Justice: The Galilee Falls Trilogy, #1 Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Fantasy For You
The Fellowship Of The Ring: Being the First Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Lord Of The Rings: One Volume Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Phantom Tollbooth Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Priory of the Orange Tree Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Empire of the Vampire Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Warrior of the Light: A Manual Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silmarillion Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Fairy Tale Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Two Towers: Being the Second Part of The Lord of the Rings Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Nettle & Bone Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5This Is How You Lose the Time War Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Tress of the Emerald Sea: Secret Projects, #1 Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5The Princess Bride: S. Morgenstern's Classic Tale of True Love and High Adventure Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5She Who Became the Sun Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Desert: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Piranesi Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Picture of Dorian Gray (The Original 1890 Uncensored Edition + The Expanded and Revised 1891 Edition) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Pirate Lord: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Sarah J. Maas: Series Reading Order - with Summaries & Checklist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Slewfoot: A Tale of Bewitchery Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Ocean at the End of the Lane: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Wizard's First Rule Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Empire: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Babel: Or the Necessity of Violence: An Arcane History of the Oxford Translators' Revolution Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Labyrinth of Dreaming Books: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The City of Dreaming Books Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Assassin and the Underworld: A Throne of Glass Novella Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Black Sun Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Strange Case of the Alchemist's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Reviews for Blood Riders
12 ratings5 reviews
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5Blood Riders is a satisfying western/horror that gets the job done with a competence I appreciated. It's not going to set anyone's world on fire, but in a genre riddled with crap, it's definitely one of the better ones. Captain Hollister is disgraced after his wild stories of being attacked by superhumans are discounted. But something weird is happening in the west, and he's being pressed back into service by none other than Allan Pinkerton himself. Will Hollister be able to prevent a terrible evil from spreading?The answer, may not exactly surprise you, but it's a fun journey getting there. Spradlin has worked as a writer for quite some time in various areas, and his experience shows. The prose is clean and unobtrusive, the pacing excellent - probably the best strength of the novel - and the ideas creative without being silly. The novel itself is built around several set pieces, and he has a real gift for this mini "episodes" as it were. Deserted towns overrun by vampires, with ticking deadlines and civilians in danger, it sounds a little hackneyed but he puts them together really well. The conclusion was satisfying, setting up for an obvious sequel that never seemed to arrive, which is disappointing, as I would read it.
- Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/53.5
This book has a weird ending. It's just a warning. It isn't a cliffhanger, just a sort of an opening.
Jonas Hollister witnessed the death of his men and nobody believed him since no body was ever found. He survived thanks to sunrise. He ended up in prison, since he didn't want to change his story that the killers weren't Indians. Four years later, Allan Pinkerton came to get him out since there was another similar attack. Hollister wanted another inmate, Chee, to be pardoned and placed under his command if they were to hunt the things that killed his men. They were not the only ones who were hunting. Another person who was after Malachi, the insane Ancient, was Shaniah, also an Ancient, but the one who follows the rules and doesn't feed on human blood. She came to America either to capture or kill Malachi.
Although there is nothing new in this book which I haven't seen before and with all the books featuring vampires either as good guys or villains, there is little left to surprise a reader. There are vampires here - Archaics in this book - with their own laws, they can be hurt with water, and a number of other already used things (Van Helsing is helping them, Winchester is their gunsmith), but the setting is great and I think that is the greatest strength of this book. That and its awesome characters (Chee and his Dog). The combination of already used motifs with this setting is still great. The weakest points are the vampires. With characters like Hollister, Chee and his dog, any monster would do for a story. I didn't like how the Ancients were depicted though (You are more than a few hundred years old and you are surprised to hear that men send their best to places where they learn battle tactics? Really?)
The world in this book is horrible and harsh. The army is full of pompous fools, corruption is very common and racism is commonplace. Chee is half Chinese and one quarter black and a lot of people treat him as if he isn't a human being. Or they try. I loved the way Hollister dealt with the general manager at the hotel who didn't want to serve Chee. Shaniah's encounter with the three scavengers shows how people treat women (especially if they are alone). That one was rewarding. I am bloodthirsty like that.
The bottom line is if you like Dracula and 19-century America, you will like this story. But take this with reserve. Don't expect it to be the same. It's just a few elements you might recognize, but they don't ruin the story.
Hollister, Chee and his Dog are reason enough to like this story. - Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5great novel, love the old west and vampires!!!!! ENJOY.
- Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5I've read a lot of historical fiction but this is my first venture into hysterical fiction. Or is that hystorical or histerical? Whatever you call it I loved it!! Knowing Mike Spradlin for many years, I was not surprised that he could create a captivating adult novel. I give it five stars not because he is a friend but because I love this book and want more! It somehow sneaks an exploration of human prejudice into a tale of blood eating monsters in the Post Civil War era. Add in a bunch of incredibly advanced modified weapons and a super train and let the fun begin!
- Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A thoroughly enjoyable book. Can't wait for the next one. Jonas Hollister has survived the worst that life can throw at him -- first war, then an encounter with monsters, then the results when no one believes him. But now someone does believe him and life gets really interesting. Wonder what happens with his child? Shania? I hope he takes kung fu from Chee.....