Cold as Hell
by Rhett C. Bruno and Jaime Castle
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Pub Date May 24 2022 | Archive Date Jul 19 2022
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Description
In the West, there are worse things to fear than bandits and outlaws.
Demons. Monsters. Witches. James Crowley’s sacred duty as a Black Badge is to hunt them down and send them packing, banish them from the mortal realm for good.
He didn’t choose this life. No. He didn’t choose life at all.
Shot dead in a gunfight many years ago, now he’s stuck in purgatory, serving the whims of the White Throne to avoid falling to Hell. Not quite undead, though not alive either, the best he can hope for is to work off his penance and fade away.
This time, the White Throne has sent him to investigate a strange bank robbery in Lonely Hill. An outlaw with the ability to conjure ice has frozen and shattered open the bank vault and is now on a spree, robbing the region for all it’s worth.
In his quest to track down the ice-wielder and suss out which demon is behind granting a mortal such power, Crowley finds himself face-to-face with hellish beasts, shapeshifters, and, worse … temptation. But the truth behind the attacks is worse than he ever imagined …
The Witcher meets The Dresden Files in this weird Western series by the Audible number-one bestselling duo behind Dead Acre.
Advance Praise
"Bruno and Castle…kick off a new collaboration in impressive style; their fantasy-western series debut blends its two genres perfectly and offers enough worldbuilding to sustain many sequels…A gritty romp sure to please fans of Jim Butcher and Mike Carey."
-Publishers Weekly (starred review)
"Gunslingers and demons, shootouts and monsters, cowboys and the supernatural-Cold as Hell is an imaginative, fun, and exciting novel."
-Kevin J. Anderson, New York Times bestselling coauthor of Dune: House Atreides
"Cold as Hell? More like fun as hell. Take an undead outlaw hero, match him villains of the most devilish kind, and string it all together with a plot that has more twists and turns than a hangman's noose. Westerns don't get any weirder than this."
-Matt Forbeck, New York Times bestselling author
"A weird and wild twist on the Old West that mashes gunslingers, divine intervention, and the supernatural into one hell of a story. Highly recommended!"
-Jonathan Maberry, New York Times bestselling author of V-Wars and Kagen the Damned
"Undead cowboy ronin delivering the Lord's justice in the Old West? Cold as Hell snared me like a lasso and never let go."
-Scott Sigler, #1 New York Times bestselling author of Earthcore
"A badass supernatural western…It's like the Witcher goes to Tombstone."
-Larry Correia, New York Times bestselling author of Monster Hunter International
"The rich mystical elements feel every bit as authentic to the west as the gunslinging and grit, all of which deftly bring the characters and setting to life."
-Shirtaloon, Top 10 Amazon charts bestselling author of He Who Fights with Monsters
Marketing Plan
• National and regional reviews, interviews, and features
• Fantasy-fiction buzz mailing
• Digital and print advertising
• Bookseller and library show marketing
• Social media campaign
• Visit the authors’ websites: RhettBruno.com │JaimeCastle.com
• Also available from Blackstone: The Roach and Vicarious
Rhett C. Bruno is the USA Today and Washington Post bestselling and Nebula Award nominated author of the Circuit Saga, the Children of Titan series, the Buried Goddess Saga, Vicarious, and The Roach, among other works. He is currently a full-time author and publisher living in Delaware with his wife and daughter.
Jaime Castle is the Washington Post and #1 Audible bestselling author of The Luna Missile Crisis, The Buried Goddess Saga-which includes the IPPY Award-winning Web of Eyes-and more. Hailing from the great nation of Texas, he lives with his wife and two children and enjoys anything creative. Castle cohosts Keystroke Medium, a popular podcast devoted to reading, writing, and everything in between. His office looks as if Marvel and DC vomited on his walls and he refuses to clean it up.
Available Editions
| EDITION | Hardcover |
| ISBN | 9798200710676 |
| PRICE | $28.99 (USD) |
Featured Reviews
Montzalee W, Reviewer
Cold as Hell
(Black Badge #1)
by Rhett C. Bruno. and Jaime Castle
Definitely another winner! This book is fantastic! It's built in the same world but a different time and mostly different characters as Dead Acre. In Dead Acre, Mutt was there a very young man but here he is a kid. We see him only briefly a couple of times but it's our Mutt that will someday be in Dead Acre.
This book has a different main character and he is dead but working for Angels to right wrongs but mostly to stay out of what might happen to him if he doesn't take the job. He is the Hand of God when monsters, demons, and other supernatural forces need tended to.
Set in a Western atmosphere, I could just about taste the dust and smell the filth. Terrific world building! Characters were awesome as well. Love or hate 'em, they were realistic as could be. I loved his poor old horse! Our tough 'ol dead hero can't feel anything when he is shot but he really likes his horse.
The monsters, demons, and people were shown as having many sides to their personalities too. Through action, dialogue, and the creative genius of these writers, the story opened up more and more. Surprises just kept coming up too! There is a satisfying ending although many loved characters were lost.
The ending was not a cliffhanger! I hate those! But it did give a shocking glimpse into the next book! WHAT? Can't wait to see how that works out!
Thanks to the publisher and NetGalley for letting me read this outstanding book! This book goes in my favorite folder!!!
Charles P, Reviewer
I am a huge fan of the previous Crowley book and listened to it on audiobook. I described it as a supernatural RED DEAD REDEMPTION and think that still holds up. Crowley is a fantastic Weird West protagonist, just enough jaded and cold-blooded to be believable while also weary as well as sympathetic. The storyline has him butting heads continually with his angelic patron, Shar, and also struggling to balance his own moral compass with the absolute obedience expected of him as a Hand of God.
The book has some awesome action sequences, some gripping drama, and some judicious use of historical figures that makes it an excellent read. We also get some follow up to the events of Dead Acres that provides a lot of emotional satisfaction. I do not believe this will be the last of this series and am excited to pick up more volumes in it.
The only complaint I have about the story is the use of Coyote as a name for a demon as he holds a very benevolent place among Native American mythology and it seemed a very poor fit to compare him to Loki or other malevolent spirits, if not outright wrong. This is especially odd since the book is otherwise sympathetic to the plight of Native Americans.
Note: It should be noted the ARC is lacking indentation and is thus very hard to read on my Kindle. The paragraphs all sort of run together. Hopefully this will be fixed before its release.
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