Blood in the Soil, Terror on the Wind by Kenneth W. Cain was not for me, personally. I am still thankful that I got to read this!

Horror? Yes please. Western? Yep, I'm in. Anthology? Yep!

The western genre is an excellent place for horror and this anthology was great. Just like any anthology there are stories that hit the mark and others that don't but for the most part all the stories were well done. Some of the monsters are actual creatures, some are the humans, sometimes you get both! If you're a fan of horror stories in easily digestible chunks give this a try.

I'm catching up on reviews so... Thank you to NetGalley and Brigids Gate Press, LLC for access to this book in exchange for my honest opinion.

This is not a book to read at night...

Firstly, because it will keep you up into the small hours, reading story after blood-drenched story, eager to see what new fiends its insanely inspired contributors can dream up next.
Secondly, if and when you do get to sleep, the nightmares will make you wish you were awake.

But if you have a strong stomach and nerves of steel, I highly recommend this gore-fest of an anthology.

I honestly didn’t like this book! I tried to get through it but I just couldn’t. The story just wasn’t for me

I have to be honest – normally tales set in the ol’ wild west leave me a little cold.

However, this bloody clutch of sand strewn tales left me out of breath and completely entertained, as they transcend ‘Westerns’ as a genre and drag the corpse of horror into the Wild West.

And the stories are as varied in style, length and theme (bar the wild west part) as the authors are – I’ve copied this part for speed’s sake but authors such as Antonia Rachel Ward, Nick Kolakowski, Villimey Mist & Damascus Mincemeyer, Jonathan Kemmerer-Scovner, Sean Eads & Joshua Viola, Craig E. Sawyer, Lana Elizabeth Gabris, Joel McKay, David Niall Wilson, Ej Sidle, Brennan LaFaro, Michael Bailey, Amanda J. Spedding, Taylor Rae, P.L. McMillan, Wen Wen Yang, Ben Monroe, and Chad Lutzke.

If like me, you’re not a western fan, fear not -

Do you like horror?
Do you like anthologies?
Do you like varied writing styles?

If you answer yes to all of these questions, get your chaps on, your big hat and a copy of Blood in the Soil, Terror on the Wind - and best leave your six shooters at the door as no guns allowed in the reading room, cowboy.

Five stars, highly recommended.

Weather in an old weathered mine shaft, somewhere off the beaten path, out in the woods, or right here in the middle of this ghost town, danger awaits. We’re going to take you way back, drop you right smack dab in the middle of the Old West at its finest. But we’re not just going to give you shootouts and bullet wounds and blood splatter. Yes, those things are prominently featured, but there’s so much more to this anthology of western horror.

Maybe it’s a well-known creature popping in for a visit, or some new creepy crawly monster sucking out your soul, we’re going to turn the Old West inside-out and explore its guts to the fullest. There are new adventures to be had, monsters both familiar and unfamiliar to be thwarted… And we’re not always going to be the victors. Life in the Old West is hard, trying at its best, and it can wear you down quick.

So, prepare yourself to be transported back in time. Get yourself up on that rickety stagecoach, draw your guns, and let’s get going. There’s vast territory to cover here, and your journey begins now.

Never did I think I would see the day that I enjoyed anything remotely to do with a western. But… that day has come. This collection of short stories left me wanting more because I just devoured each story one after the other and they were all brilliant in their own right. Many of them left me wishing they were full blown novels because Cain had created such interesting characters and storylines. I will definitely be keeping an eye out for more of their work in the future.

A gripping western horror anthology. Like many anthologies, some stories were a hit (The Patchwork Man, was my favorite) and some were a miss. However, I think there is something in here for all fans of horror and perhaps for fans of western stories that need a little something spooky.

This western horror story collection gripped me from the start. I enjoyed how they were all written and presented.

Like with most anthologies, there are stories that stood out for me and others I feel were weaker, however all of them were descriptive and detailed.

I received an advanced review copy from NetGalley, and I am leaving this review voluntarily.

This anthology covers a wide range of horror stories, which I think is a great strength. It's a sampler plate with a small piece of delicious horror to bite into. Quality can vary between writer, but all hold up to a consistently good metric, with some stand out tales.

Blood In The Soil, Terror on The Wind published by Brigids Gate Press and edited by Kenneth W. Cain was received directly from the publisher and I chose to review it. Horror Westerns, are they coming back, or am I just choosing to read them more often lately? Either way, I enjoy them and will continue to read them as long as they are as good as this one was. My attention span is infamously getting shorter so shorter stories are what I prefer nowadays, unless a horror author can keep me reading without skimming, which very few do anymore. Most of the stories in this anthology are outstanding, but like any collection, there are a few duds, which is subjective. One persons dud may be another persons masterpiece. If you, or someone you buy gifts for enjoys horror, or westerns, or both, has not picked up this book, now is a great time to do it.

5 Stars

Who would have thought that I'd enjoy Western based horror, not me, that's for sure.
A good variety of stories ranging from the horror staples of werewolves, vampire's and spirits, onto the more niche and obscure.
All are written well and the book as a whole is presented beautifully with plenty of variation from story to story.

The only drawback as with many anthologies is that I felt there were a couple of stories that were not up to the standard of the others.
Well worth checking out if you're a horror fan and maybe even if you are not.

I liked this book a lot, like most anthologies, you will find some stories are stronger than others. But overall I liked it, the range of stories was great, a few monsters, some classic characters are in there also, and some human monsters. I would recommend it to someone who loves the splatter western books, or if you just like some horror in the old west.

Some of the standouts for me were, “The Good Doctor” by Nick Kolakowski, “Balland of the Overeager Gun” by Sean Eads & Joshua Viola, “Hands” by Joel McKay, “Suffer No Harm” by P.L. McMillan, and “The Patchwork Man” by Ben Monroe.

I would love to tell you why I liked them, but that would spoil the stories, so I will just say that these were my favourites, and now I am going to see what else they have written to add to my ‘to read’ list.

*Thank you to NetGalley for providing me with a copy of the book in exchange for a honest review.*

Cowboy stories with a creepy twist. A collection of scary westerns by various authors. A western paranormal anthology.

Blood In The Soil, Terror on The Wind published by Brigids Gate Press is a collection of Western Horror set in the old American West. I was intrigued by the title and now having read these tales, I can say it's the perfect title choice.

The stories weave together a mix of both familiar and unknown evil while you adventure through some rather atmospheric settings that included ghost towns, a mine shaft,desert canyons and even the woods.

There were many dread inducing scenarios with each story which all together included suspense, gore, supernatural and morbid elements. Each story was its own original and compelling experience.

I particularly enjoyed the old American West settings and the blend of western and horror. I found the stories to be imaginative and entertaining and it's well worth reading.

Samantha S.L.

Thank you to NetGalley, Brigids Gate Press, and Kenneth W. Cain for sending me an eARC in exchange for an honest review.

This anthology is true to its premise in that it’s all horror stories set in the dusty deserts and plains of the long-since-passed American west. Where the buffalo roam and cowboys travel from town to town as they please. The difference from normal westerns is the fact that some monsters lurk in caves, and others in seedy little towns. It's not just coyotes that howl in the night anymore.

I enjoyed this anthology, but I do think certain stories were stronger than others. Some of the standouts, for me, were:
"Crimson Noon," because it was a surprisingly good zombie story that could be expanded in the future.
"The Good Doctor" because of the twist at the end of the story. It honestly had me smiling from ear to ear.
"Boneweaver" for it’s weird dark magic feel and for giving me ideas for a D&D campaign.

These are just three of 17 stories in a somewhat subpar anthology. The standouts were great, but the rest were just subpar in my opinion. This anthology was everything it said it was, I just feel like it should have been more. It was enjoyable and I liked it, but it has some hits and some misses story-wise. Still half of the stories in this book make up for the ones you might not like.

3 stars out of 5.

Surprisingly, this isn’t the first Western Horror I’ve read (there’s even Western Bizarro & Splatter out there in the world), but it is the first short story anthology in this genre I’ve come across.

From a bleak and eerie cover, we jump right into an introduction by the esteemed Ronald Kelly. Then the stories begin…

It was hard to pick favourites, but some did stand out to me:

The Good Doctor: I loved the twist at the end of the story! What a cool concept for a classic story.

Hands: Creepy as hell and what a bizarre horror that would be to witness.

Suffer No Harm: I love that the women were able to take back their power from the corrupt Sheriff and his posse. Then author should write a novella or story about Renee Rattlesnake, I’d love to know her history.

Favourite Line(s): “She seemed to smile for a moment before her pale blue irises sucked into her head, leaving two black holes from which a pair of dirty hands leapt forward and scratched at his face.”

Feedback: Loved the anthology; from hyper sexual talking guns, to bone creatures, to some classic “monsters” showing up, it was a fantastic collection.


Thank you to the Authors, Editor Kenneth Cain, NetGalley, and Brigids Gate Press for a copy!

this was my first time reading a horror westerns short story collection. overall it was fine, some stories were better than the others and sad to say 6 stories i dnfed 💀 either because of the writing style i couldn’t for the life of me continue with or there was a story that was particularly trigging because of animal abuse. BUT i did however have 2 five star stories and 2 four star stories. i’m not sure i’d recommend reading this overall just for the 4 really good ones that i personally enjoyed.

my favourite stories from this collection:
« As Long as You Feed by David Niall Wilson. 5⭐️
« Trade Secrets by Brennan LaFaro. 5⭐️
« The Good Doctor by Nick Kolakowski. 4⭐️
« The Patchwork Man by Ben Monroe. 4⭐️

i recommend reading this only if you really like paranormal westerns horror genre.

Great Collection. Kenneth knows how to get the right people together for a good anthology.
I'm not real big on westerns and on horror westerns, but I took a chance with this one and I'm glad I did.
There were a few I didn't click with only from preference and because I'm not a huge fan, but most held my attention.

This story collection is for those like me who love wacky paranormal westerns. From talking weapons to reanimated dead people to ghost towns that still look like people live there. I thought I had seen it all when it came to paranormal westerns but this book has proved me wrong. I absolutely adored this book and couldn’t get enough of that and hope the authors finds it agreeable to write another book like this. I will be honest and say I had never heard of A couple of the authors in this book but I will definitely be looking forward to reading more from them in the future. If you’re looking for a short story horror collection with great imagination and funny plots you definitely need to read this book I am not steering you wrong when I say this is a great book. I want to thank the publisher Annette galley for my arc copy I am leaving this review voluntarily and please forgive any mistakes as I am blind and dictate my review.

This is a really good anthology of western themed splattery goodness by some fantastic authors. These stories feature monsters both familiar and new and each one has a wild west theme around it.

There's plenty of blood and guts but there's also plenty of narrative to make this much more than just another "splatterpunk" read. You can really feel the dirt on your skin, the noose around your neck, and the grit on your hands as you read.

I highly recommend this anthology!