Wild is some of the most fun you’re likely to have reading this year. Lincoln Crisler’s new novella is tough to classify. Wild varies its narration from first to third person as we follow the adventures of three men: a mysterious man named Matthias, a violent outlaw and a Mexican doctor. The three men embark on a rescue mission through Texas as they attempt to locate a local man and his son who have vanished. On their way they encounter zombie hordes, some vicious outlaws and a crazed witch doctor. Not your typical Western fare, huh? It is one part Sergio Leone and one part The Serpent and The Rainbow with a bit more magic and much more zombies. Crisler internalizes of these influences and brings us one heck of an original and entertaining story.
Crisler uses dialect and description to make the reader feel like they are riding through the untouched sands of 1886 Texas. I always love when I finish a story and have absolutely no comments about the writing. In a story like this you don’t want elegant prose getting in the way of the action and you certainly don’t need any clunkiness disrupting the proceedings either. Crisler does neither with Wild. He simply lets the story flow out of him and trusts his amazing descriptive abilities to draw the reader in.
At its core Wild is just a really well-told yarn that one would expect to hear sitting around a campfire. It is fun and engaging with just enough depth and mystery to be completely original. The ending really set the stage for future stories involving these characters and if Wild is any indication, I can only hope that Crisler gives us more.
Highly recommended!
Go ahead and preorder the book through Damnation and stop by Lincoln’s site to check out his books and his amazing reviews.
You're fast! I'm so glad you liked the book. Thanks!
ReplyDelete