Josh Rountree is a master of mashing up genres-- here he masters both Western atmosphere and classic Universal-type horror elements in what turns out to be a very sweet story. I fell in love with Charlie Fish and I think you will too.

In the days preceding the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900, a psychic girl and her little brother become orphans and must flee an intolerant town. Luckily, they are adopted by a kind man who was passing by. Less luckily, they run into a pair of scoundrels trying to capture a human/fish hybrid they plan to display at a freak show. This novel skillfully immerses the reader into the perspective of a psychic who is too young to process mental content like an entire town's prejudices or a road bandit's murderous intentions or a sapient animal's instinct to rejoin the herd. Apart from some extended and awkwardly placed flashbacks, the main plot covers just a few days in the children's lives, but the brilliantly chosen turn-of-the-century setting was the kind of time when world-shattering change could happen in the blink of an eye.

This was a weird book. It felt like a western mixed with a supernatural story, it flowed, but I was not very hooked throughout the whole thing.

Paradise was a whirlpool of unnatural greens and gold coral reefs, phosphorescent flowers and palaces cut into the heart of undersea caverns.

THE LEGEND OF CHARLIE FISH is quite simply one of the best novels I have read this year. Set at the turn of the 20th Century, a time when the American Old West was beginning to disappear, it is the story of damaged characters - Floyd Betts, estranged from the late father whom he arrives in town to bury, and the orphans he ‘adopts’, Nellie and Hank, whose parents have been murdered by the townspeople who condemned their as a witch. On the return to Galveston, the trio rescue a creature from two ‘scoundrels’ they encounter on the road. While Floyd initially thinks the men have captured a huge fish, Nellie, who has inherited a form of telepathy, ‘whisper talk’, from her mother, recognises the captive as a sentient being, whom she names Charlie Fish.

There are obviously fantastical elements - the titular character is a Creature From The Black Lagoon-like amphibious man - but it is thoroughly grounded in reality, and what a reality; the climax plays out against the Great Galveston Hurricane of 1900. Josh Rountree’s description of the storm is frighteningly visceral; you really hear, and feel, the wind and surging water, the buildings moving, the almost complete disorientation. I would have to think long and hard to find a better evocation of the destructive power of nature.

I believe this is Josh Rountree’s first novel but his prose is beautiful, even when describing intense violence, either of the storm or the swift retribution of a semi-lawless society. THE LEGEND OF CHARLIE FISH is reminiscent of Ray Bradbury, Neil Gaiman, of Joe R. Lansdale, but Rountree has his own voice. I thoroughly enjoyed it and rushed breathlessly through the story. I will reread it and look forward to see what comes next from the author.

This is a long novella or a short novel I read in one sitting even if I’m not the biggest fan of Western setting. This is a gripping, compelling and highly entertaining novel that kept hooked and turning pages and surprised me at each turn with new marvels and wonderful twists.
It’s poignant, full of emotions, a bit weird at times: it made me cry buckets and smile. It made me discover a new author and I thoroughly enjoyed this story
I strongly recommend it because it’s a brilliant novel.
Many thanks to Tachyon Publications for this arc, all opinions are mine

“I don’t want to be resilient,” I said. “I just want things to be normal. I want me to be normal.”
THE LEGEND OF CHARLIE FISH by @josh_rountree from @tachyonpub
This is a story with an underlying fantastical edge about doing what is right. A warm hearted tale about an eclectic group of characters going against the odds as well as against the storm of a lifetime.
These characters are just a joy to hang out with. They good old fashion, wise-cracking, respectable souls that will give you the shirt off their back even if it was the last one they owned.
This is a short review because I think you need to experience this for yourself. Live the nostalgia of a time you never been to, the simpler times when everything was so much harder, the times when all you really had was your reputation and your integrity.

“Everyone has dark thoughts, selfish notions they’re ashamed of. But the only thing that really matters is how they handle themselves in the living world.”

The Legend of Charlie Fish by Josh Rountree is almost certainly the best Weird Western* tale featuring a humanoid amphibian you will read this year (and most likely for several years to come). It is also very likely that it will prove to be one of the best books you will read all year. Is that a bold statement? Not particularly because this is a GREAT book!

*NOTE: It's actually probably more of a Weird Neo-Western Tale since it takes place around the turn of the century but that just doesn't flow as well.

It reads like some long forgotten folklore that was passed down as a family secret from generation to generation. A tale so wild and unbelievable that it had to be hidden from the world at large. Written in a way that is both inspiring and sad.

It's fully dimensional characters are well-drawn, believable and sympathetic... Read that again. Author Josh Rountree makes a fish-man character that is believable and sympathetic.

The first instinct is to compare it to The Creature from the Black Lagoon. No. That's surface stuff. Too easy. For my money it has more of a To Kill a Mockingbird sensibility going on, with the mysterious, misunderstood Mr. Fish serving as a stand-in for both Boo Radley and the falsely accused Tom Robinson.

This is a wonderful, magical, beautiful fairytale for grownups. Highly recommended.

This is a short, quirky novella about found family and the mysteries of the world set just prior to and during the hurricane of 1900 that nearly leveled Galveston, Texas. The work is much like a folk tale told from different perspectives, and each perspective is finely created and perfectly employed to tell a story about very special orphans, a fish-man, a pair of scoundrels, a smart and ruthless woman, and the man who loves her. It's a fun read full of love for Galveston and perfect for a day at the beach there.

I thoroughly enjoyed The Legend of Charlie Fish. It’s well-written and hugely entertaining. I really enjoyed the mesh of western and fantasy. This works well. Each chapter is told from the viewpoint of different characters who get caught up in the quest to stop Finn and save Charlie. This is a very short book and I enjoyed it so much I never wanted it to end. I’d have loved another 200 pages. This is a well-written, entertaining, and hugely original book. I thought it was great.

Fun and Interesting read. Fast paced.
It's a like a step into the world of yesteryear, with the world as we know it right around the corner.
The story is filled with love and heartbreak and mixed emotions and finding the courage to keep moviing.
Inspirational at times.

I enjoyed this very original, and quirky tale. The characters were great, well most of them, and the pace was good. It was different and very imaginative, and I thought it was great.

Realy enjoyed this book and I think it will have a good audience at my library. Definitely will be ordering.

I requested this one because it might be an upcoming title I would like to review on my Youtube Channel. However, after reading the first several chapters I have determined that this book does not suit my tastes. So I decided to DNF this one.

I really enjoyed this book The Legend of Charlie Fish by Josh Rountree I did not want to put this book down it was that good. I will be reading more from this author! Thank you Netgalley and the publisher for allowing me to read this and leave my opinion.

I inhaled this book. Is it about Charlie Fish? Sort of. It's also very much about Nellie and Hank, a little bit about Floyd, and quite a bit about Galveston, Texas.

You know what it isn't about? 90% of the Goodreads blurb, so don't read it. Don't let it sway you one way or another. This is a fast novella that feels a lot like Vo's What the Dead Know and Clark's The Black God's Drums and Winter Tide.

"Everyone has dark thoughts, selfish notions they're ashamed of. But the only thing that really matters is how they handle themselves in the living world."

The characters really came to life, even the ones we love to hate. I felt like I was watching the scenes in person. The plotting, perhaps, was the least strong aspect, as it was largely predictable until the ending. The emotional content and build was spot-on.

"'Have I ever given you the impression that I'm a soft flower in need of your care?' she asked."

I do have some notes, as they like to say in the performing business. The title is--and this is shocking, I know--misleading. I'd argue it is not about Charlie's legend, and Nellie is the thread that holds it together. The prose can be a bit colorful in spots, which is great for building an atmosphere, but doesn't do the characters any favors when it's used similarly for each narrator.

Quibbles aside, this was fast and fun, if fun is the right word for creepy, dead-end towns, men with evil in their hearts, and the uncanny.

Four and a half stars, rounding down just because I save that fifth one for the truly amazing book that I want to read again and again. But you never know if I'll change my mind.


Thanks to Netgalley and Tachyon Publications for an advance reader copy. As always, all opinions my own, all quotes subject to change in final pubs, etc., etc.*

*You know, someday I'm going to have to sit down with the people that believe opinions are grown in a void and have a little philosophical discussion.

This is clearly historical science fiction built around a specific event, with characters and plot spun in around the edges. You can tell that the author was captivated by the 1900 hurricane in Galveston, Texas - not just from the author's note, but from how the tension of the rising storm and the beauty of the city are drawn in broad, colorful strokes. While this anchored the story solidly in a time and place, the characters felt the lack of focus. I had my biggest gripe with twelve-year-old Nellie, whose voice read as FAR older than her years. The fact that I couldn't see a difference between her inner monologue as a child and as a woman past middle age in the epilogue speaks to the lack of attention paid to constructing an accurate voice. The other POV character, Floyd, was little more than a vehicle for the story to flow through. Professor Finn and Kentucky Jim were appropriately devious and henchlike, but failed to exist beyond their caricatures. I even expected more from the eponymous Charlie Fish, the Shape of Water-esque fish man around which the narrative revolves. I also struggled with the structure of the narrative, with jumps back and forth in the characters' timeline without any clear pattern. Even the inclusion of dates in the chapter titles would have gone a long way in clarifying the timeline of the novella. While I can't deny the story was compelling, it didn't feel like anything I haven't seen before through a slightly different lens.

The Good: Texas western with paranormal leanings
The Bad: Too short; would have enjoyed more development from Hank and Charlie
The Literary: Alternating POV; historical backdrop of the Great Galveston Hurricane

Floyd Betts returns to his hometown after many years to attend his father's funeral and quickly remembers why he left in the first place. Before he leaves, he's finds two orphaned and starved children, and decides to bring them back to his home in Galveston, Texas. Nellie, the precocious sister, is a witch, and her brother Hank, a sharp shooter with his deceased father's colt revolver.

Traveling through Texas backcountry in 1900, Floyd, Nellie, and Hank happen upon a traveling salesman, Professor Finn, his henchman, Kentucky Jim, and a fish-man they are trying to capture. Nellie understand they mean to beat and chain the fish-man to put him on display for profit, and soon learns she can also communicate empathically with the fish-man, an intelligent and sentient creature. They fight off the charlatans, escape, and decide to bring newly named Charlie Fish to Galveston with them in the hopes his family might find him by way of the ocean.

Mix a pulpy western with southern gothic fantasy, and you've got this addictive and satisfying short novel in the vein of True Grit and The Shape of Water. I love both of those movies. The tropes of hardened men making it in a rough world, found families, and exploitation of those just a little different are just as effective here in The Legend of Charlie Fish.

Rountree uses alternating POV chapters between Floyd and Nellie to bring in backstory that reveals the hardships these characters have already faced, which helps to make the characters immediately sympathetic. I initially thought Nellie's perspective is to allow explanation of her witchy powers and "whisper talk", but I soon came to realize she is as much of a protagonist as Floyd, maybe even more so.

In addition to the chapter structure, the stakes and anticipation steadily rise as the little family is pursued by Finn and Jim, and Galveston city is under threat of a storm that only gets worse and worse. Their story is captivating enough, but add in the backdrop of the Great Storm, the deadliest natural disaster in U.S. history, and you've got a real nail-biter. While I really appreciate the technical aspects and construction of the story, what I love most of all is how well it reads, how fast I care about the characters, and how the story sweeps me away.

Highly recommended for my fellow Texans, but also western and literary fantasy fans!

It's Universal's The Creature from the Lonesome Dove Lagoon.
It's The Shape of Water by Cormac McCarthy.
It's Glenn Campbell's "Galveston" in a haunting mashup with Bowie's "Scary Monsters (and Super Creeps)."

It's the kind of book that's so singular that it invites these sorts of twisted comparisons, because it's hard to talk about or describe in any other way. Against the backdrop of the devastating Galveston hurricane of 1900, a Texas loner, a brassy widow, and a pair of starving orphans (one who happens to be psychic) become an unlikely found family, made even more unlikely with the addition of a mysterious fish-man.

But here's the kicker: it's a beautifully-wrought book. The greatness does not come DESPITE the weird subject matter, but often because of it, dealing with devastation, loss, longing, and otherness in unequivocal terms.

This unique and atmospheric story centers around a lonely middle-aged man, the proprietress of a boarding house, two orphans (one with secret powers), and a mysterious being that’s part fish and part man.

It sounds bizarre (and it kind of is!), but somehow it all works together to form a tale that I had a hard time putting down. Interesting and heartwarming characters, and a plot that’s very original.

I think it’s actually better to go in to this book not knowing much about it, to have it all be a bit of a surprise.

My thanks to Tachyon Publishing, NetGalley, and Josh Rountree for providing me an arc in exchange for an honest review.

'The Legend of Charlie Fish' starts with a storm, and with a strong Weird Western vibe. "Ghosts were my only company." The protagonist has made a home in Galveston, Texas, despite not meaning to necessarily. He has been convinced that his death is overdue and he's not sure if he can keep outrunning death. He hears Charlie, who has been gone for decades...or not. The protagonist is convinced this will be his last day in Galveston. With alternating points of view, the character, Nellie, reveals to the reader that her mother used to send her and her brother to gather ingredients for spells. When trying to buy something from the general store, the children face the wrath of Mr. O'Casey, who doesn't like 'witchy' children Nellie and her brother. Although he sells the items the children have been instructed to buy for their mother, O'Casey seems to be aware that their mother makes remedies of her own, and he doesn't hide his disdain for that. He, of course, sells his own medical brown bottles and tins, raising the cost as much as it suits him. But the people of the town know that the children's mother's remedies are more effective, and she doesn't rip them off quite as much.

It doesn't help, of course, that the mother character goes around town in bare feet with hair unbound, spending most of her time in nature. She walks alone at night frequently, and so it doesn't take very much effort for O'Casey to convince the townspeople that she's a witch.

While it could be difficult at times to follow the different points of view, having settled and connected with one more than the others, the book continues its entertaining story. When the children eventually meet the titular Charlie Fish, things turn to an interesting direction.

The author's afterword adds an interesting dimension to this text as well, about how hurricanes and tropical storms threaten Galveston from the Gulf of Mexico every year. Galveston has a close call with a powerful hurricane on average every three years. It suffers a direct strike every nine. The Great Storm comes along and repeats itself about once every thirty years. Even though predicting the storms has become perhaps easier, there's no one to turn the storms away, to send them back to the sea. The tropical storms hampered the famous people like John Lafitte, the famous New Orleans pirate who claimed Galveston as a base for his smuggling operation.