4.5 

Black Rose

By Arlo Z. Graves
Black Rose by Arlo Z. Graves digital book - Fable

Publisher Description

Step into an Old West of legends, legacies, and lies, where machines come to life and deadly silver terrorizes the land.

Twenty-four years have passed since the devastating Awakening of the rogue commuter train, Bucephalus, left countless dead and America forever changed. It also took everything from Geist Warden Gabriel Velasquez. It took his father, his sister, and left him infected with silver, an illness that can be controlled but not cured. Since that day, Gabriel has lived for vengeance, but his time is running out.

A chance encounter in the Nevada desert sets Gabriel on the trail of the legendary Colt .45 Buntline Special, the Black Rose. Fabled lawman Wyatt Earp himself once carried the cursed revolver. No one knows how he bent the demon to his will. Some say the Rose twisted him to hers. Whatever their pact, Wyatt Earp once carried the most feared gun in the West, a silver-spitting fiend.

Only silver can kill Bucephalus, and only the Black Rose shoots silver. She's exactly what Gabriel needs, and he'll go to any lengths to get his hands on her. He will take the Black Rose for himself, one way or another, and finally have his revenge.

But the Black Rose has plans of her own …

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Black Rose Reviews

4.5
“I really enjoyed this. The world building is fascinating (the machines! The silver!) and honestly my only complaint is it's too short! I wanted to spend more time with the world and learn more!”
“I love a Weird Western, and Black Rose fits the bill. In this world silver flows through the ground like a malevolent liquid and brings machines to life. Including the guns on the hips of our main character, the Geist Warden Gabriel Velasquez, who is tasked with taking out these machines. His reasons for following this lifestyle has to do with his past. The reveal at the end is quite satisfying and turns everything he knows on it's head. The role of silver I initially missed but heard an interview with the author who stated they had this because of how polluting the extraction of silver is and how many mines are toxic still to this day.”
“Black Rose takes the weird Western to a new level. It exemplifies both genres - the headiness and legends long-past of a Western and the deep lore and wild magic of the weird combine into a ride that you can't get off of once you're on it. Graves instantly transports us into a world that's alive, where legends are born and silver floods ghost towns in Nevada and a revolver that shoots silver might be out there, waiting... Gabriel's characterization was wonderful - we got to know him really well through such a short time frame, and I felt for him as the story progressed. His arc was intensely satisfying, and though I would kill to read more about him, I'm also totally content with this being the last I see of Gabriel Velasquez because his story was the perfect payoff. Also I might be in love with him? Read this if you're a veteran of weird westerns or if you're just starting to explore the genre, it really is a triumph on all levels. I received an advanced copy for free on Booksprout and I'm leaving this review voluntarily.”
“Black Rose is a fast-paced thrilling & griping ride through the old west. Where supernatural, stream punk, horror and Western blend together seemlessly. Geist Warden Gabriel Velasquez lost everything after the machines awaken. The Black Rose a cursed revolver once carried by Waytt Earp, is the only gun that can shoot silver and he needs it in order to kill Bucephalus, the Awakened renegade train. How I would love to watch this as a movie in a sucker for old westerns.”

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