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The Light Sublime Trilogy #1
The Massacre at Yellow Hill
When George Miller is killed in the mines of Yellow Hill, his wife and children are left to try and piece their lives back together. Tabitha Miller, George’s widow, is thrown into deeper chaos when she discovers that George’s death had nothing to do with the cave’s collapse, but was caused by some terrible predator deep within the earth. His death covered up by the mine’s Proprietor-Jeremiah Hart.
In nearby Big Spring, freed slave-turned-occult bounty hunter Gilbert Ptolemy arrives with his adopted son in search of a murderous vampire. New revelations in Yellow Hill draw the duo toward the struggling Miller family, the strange mine, and the horrors lurking within.
The Miller and Ptolemy families are pitted against mundane and supernatural forces in this Weird West adventure. Family struggles, heart-stopping gunfights, and nightmare creatures from dark realms abound in this first novel from C.S. Humble, The Massacre at Yellow Hill.
In nearby Big Spring, freed slave-turned-occult bounty hunter Gilbert Ptolemy arrives with his adopted son in search of a murderous vampire. New revelations in Yellow Hill draw the duo toward the struggling Miller family, the strange mine, and the horrors lurking within.
The Miller and Ptolemy families are pitted against mundane and supernatural forces in this Weird West adventure. Family struggles, heart-stopping gunfights, and nightmare creatures from dark realms abound in this first novel from C.S. Humble, The Massacre at Yellow Hill.
260 pages, Paperback
First published March 22, 2018
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 90 reviews
July 26, 2023
THE MASSACRE AT YELLOW HILL (Book 1: That Light Sublime Trilogy)
You can listen to me READ this review:
https://open.substack.com/pub/sadieha...
Other books I’ve enjoyed/recommended: The Black Wells Series Books 1 & 2
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978158767...
Release Date: April 17th, 2023
General Genre: BISAC Categories: Horror - General, Westerns - General
Subgenre/Themes: Western, Supernatural/Vampires, Creature-Feature, Occult, Small Town Horror, Coming-of-Age
Writing Style: Multiple POV, short chapters, fast pace, character-driven, lush/accessible prose written with purpose and intention, intricately plotted
What You Need to Know: I am the editor-in-chief of Dark Hart Books, publisher of Humble’s Black Wells Series which means I stand behind C. S. Humble’s work as a publisher, a Bram Stoker Awards nominated editor, and the author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered. Cemetery Dance stands with me behind That Light Sublime Trilogy and basically, what I’m telling you in my loudest voice possible, is that Humble’s work is not only worth your time, it’s worth prominent retail space on your shelves and worth opening your reader’s heart because that, my friends, are where these characters will live in perpetuity.
My Reading Experience: Goddamn it if this book didn’t catch me hard in the feels, again! I already read this book when it was self-published. I knew what to expect going into this a second time but there was something different about returning to these characters after knowing everything that I know (yes, I’ve read the whole trilogy). I’d like to use this time to remind anyone reading this that it’s not a review, it’s a response. It’s my heart glowing. My brain fired up. It’s me trying to explain the way this book made me feel alive and excited and emotional and this is just me organically trying to put these things into words so that you can decide for yourselves if this is something you want to enjoy for yourself.
I’m not great at explaining why an author’s storytelling works for me or not but what I can share is that this is character-driven work. A lot of intention and purpose went into the craftsmanship of creating characters with authenticity. These characters act independently from one another with their own motivations, their own emotions, reactions, voices, and opinions, all the things that make each person special and uniquely them are accounted for. Nobody is a stand-in. Not one person in this story given a name is wasted.
And the main protagonists are fucking real. They are actively doing things while they’re talking to each other. They’re making coffee, lighting a pipe, brushing their horses…they have tears, they tuck in their shirts, and their eyes are scanning the room or conveying emotions to one another. The author is busy recording everything they���re saying and doing. The barroom is a place. The Miller family lives in a house. The mine shaft has lighting along the walls, am I doing a good job explaining how intricately and carefully this story has been crafted? The chapters serve the purpose of propelling the action forward, they’re succinct, organized, and fluid. The backstories of our favorite characters are exactly where they need to be at the perfect time. I mean, sometimes our participation, as readers, in a very well-written book, is a reminder of what quality feels like while you’re reading it. You can suddenly be struck with the realization that this is how storytelling is supposed to be. An author has the ability, the skills, to lift the reader up and out of themselves and set them down in another world, another time, to live other lives as people in the middle of a supernatural horror Western. We get to wonder what terrible thing has taken up residence inside a mine.
We meet a family crushed by grief and devastating loss. A woman, Tabitha now a widow with a young son, Georgie, and a daughter, Annie.
“Dunes of sand rolled out forever. Hundreds of miles of beach and not a drop of ocean. That is what her life had become. All grit and no salve.
But sadness wouldn’t win today. She told herself. She had to find a way to stop crying in front of the children, even when it was hard. If they were going to work past their father’s death, if they were ever going to find that strength in themselves, they had to see it in her first.”
The Millers. It’s terrifying how much I fell in love with this family the second time around, they’re all treasured-up in my heart.
You will also experience the love between an orphan boy named Carson adopted, loved, and cared for by a man named Gilbert Ptolemy. They are on a journey to save the world. Maybe my most beloved trope of all time, an older, wiser, hardened man looking after a child who is alone in this world (this is where I could list them all but I’m thinking specifically of Roland and Jake, Joel and Ellie, Eleven and Hopper, etc.).
And if all of this isn’t enough (it is) there’s also epic fucking horror. Vampires, some kind of Hell-beasts, a secret society of the occult, an ancient tome that drives people insane, and the most horrific vampire, Sigurd of Antioch. The only people that we know of who can stop all of this madness? The characters we’re in love with. So, hold on to your heart in your chest.
Final Recommendation: Um, buy this fucking book and then the next two.
Comps: Like if King, Lansdale, McMurtry, Tolkien, and Lewis smashed their voices together to write a horror Western.
You can listen to me READ this review:
https://open.substack.com/pub/sadieha...
Other books I’ve enjoyed/recommended: The Black Wells Series Books 1 & 2
Affiliate Link: https://bookshop.org/a/7576/978158767...
Release Date: April 17th, 2023
General Genre: BISAC Categories: Horror - General, Westerns - General
Subgenre/Themes: Western, Supernatural/Vampires, Creature-Feature, Occult, Small Town Horror, Coming-of-Age
Writing Style: Multiple POV, short chapters, fast pace, character-driven, lush/accessible prose written with purpose and intention, intricately plotted
What You Need to Know: I am the editor-in-chief of Dark Hart Books, publisher of Humble’s Black Wells Series which means I stand behind C. S. Humble’s work as a publisher, a Bram Stoker Awards nominated editor, and the author of 101 Horror Books to Read Before You’re Murdered. Cemetery Dance stands with me behind That Light Sublime Trilogy and basically, what I’m telling you in my loudest voice possible, is that Humble’s work is not only worth your time, it’s worth prominent retail space on your shelves and worth opening your reader’s heart because that, my friends, are where these characters will live in perpetuity.
My Reading Experience: Goddamn it if this book didn’t catch me hard in the feels, again! I already read this book when it was self-published. I knew what to expect going into this a second time but there was something different about returning to these characters after knowing everything that I know (yes, I’ve read the whole trilogy). I’d like to use this time to remind anyone reading this that it’s not a review, it’s a response. It’s my heart glowing. My brain fired up. It’s me trying to explain the way this book made me feel alive and excited and emotional and this is just me organically trying to put these things into words so that you can decide for yourselves if this is something you want to enjoy for yourself.
I’m not great at explaining why an author’s storytelling works for me or not but what I can share is that this is character-driven work. A lot of intention and purpose went into the craftsmanship of creating characters with authenticity. These characters act independently from one another with their own motivations, their own emotions, reactions, voices, and opinions, all the things that make each person special and uniquely them are accounted for. Nobody is a stand-in. Not one person in this story given a name is wasted.
And the main protagonists are fucking real. They are actively doing things while they’re talking to each other. They’re making coffee, lighting a pipe, brushing their horses…they have tears, they tuck in their shirts, and their eyes are scanning the room or conveying emotions to one another. The author is busy recording everything they���re saying and doing. The barroom is a place. The Miller family lives in a house. The mine shaft has lighting along the walls, am I doing a good job explaining how intricately and carefully this story has been crafted? The chapters serve the purpose of propelling the action forward, they’re succinct, organized, and fluid. The backstories of our favorite characters are exactly where they need to be at the perfect time. I mean, sometimes our participation, as readers, in a very well-written book, is a reminder of what quality feels like while you’re reading it. You can suddenly be struck with the realization that this is how storytelling is supposed to be. An author has the ability, the skills, to lift the reader up and out of themselves and set them down in another world, another time, to live other lives as people in the middle of a supernatural horror Western. We get to wonder what terrible thing has taken up residence inside a mine.
We meet a family crushed by grief and devastating loss. A woman, Tabitha now a widow with a young son, Georgie, and a daughter, Annie.
“Dunes of sand rolled out forever. Hundreds of miles of beach and not a drop of ocean. That is what her life had become. All grit and no salve.
But sadness wouldn’t win today. She told herself. She had to find a way to stop crying in front of the children, even when it was hard. If they were going to work past their father’s death, if they were ever going to find that strength in themselves, they had to see it in her first.”
The Millers. It’s terrifying how much I fell in love with this family the second time around, they’re all treasured-up in my heart.
You will also experience the love between an orphan boy named Carson adopted, loved, and cared for by a man named Gilbert Ptolemy. They are on a journey to save the world. Maybe my most beloved trope of all time, an older, wiser, hardened man looking after a child who is alone in this world (this is where I could list them all but I’m thinking specifically of Roland and Jake, Joel and Ellie, Eleven and Hopper, etc.).
And if all of this isn’t enough (it is) there’s also epic fucking horror. Vampires, some kind of Hell-beasts, a secret society of the occult, an ancient tome that drives people insane, and the most horrific vampire, Sigurd of Antioch. The only people that we know of who can stop all of this madness? The characters we’re in love with. So, hold on to your heart in your chest.
Final Recommendation: Um, buy this fucking book and then the next two.
Comps: Like if King, Lansdale, McMurtry, Tolkien, and Lewis smashed their voices together to write a horror Western.
May 21, 2023
A stranger walks into a saloon, places a coin on the bar. The barman asks what his poison will be. He presses a finger to the tip of his hat, raises it slightly, their eyes meet. The strangers are cold, dead but penetrating. The barman’s peel open with fright, large and bulbous whites, speckled with burst capillaries.
‘I’ll take a shot of Donald Ray Pollock… and a dram of Joe R Lansdale and you can top it off with a dash of Cormac McCarthy…’
‘Yes’sir’ the barman says as he turns to fetch the stranger his drink. He returns moments later, places the drink on the bar with a shaking hand, some of the contents dribbles down the glass.
The stranger looks around the bar, eyes the collect sorry group of day drinkers. He takes a gulp. The liquid refreshing, the mix divine, the subtle notes singing on his tongue: transcendent.
‘Goddamned!’ He exclaims.
‘Good?’ The barman asks, edging closer, eyes still wide, hands still shaking.
‘Heavenly…’ the stranger offers and finishes the drink before slamming the glass back down, the sound a gunshot in the saloon and the dregs playing cards in the corner stop and look up.
‘What’s a tipple like that called?’ The barman asks, ‘If I were to serve it again, to folks around these parts.’
The stranger pulls his hat back down, the shadow of the brim hiding his dead eyes as he glances around the room, he takes in the place, breathes deeply, tasting the smoke and sweat and faint straw from the livery down the way. He pauses, head cocking to the side in contemplation… his lips part revealing his pearly whites.
‘It’s called…The Massacre at Yellow Hill’ he utters, before turning to leave, sauntering over to the batwing doors, his spurs chiming with each footfall. Once at the door he places a hand to one of the batwings, it creaks open and begins to exit…
‘HEY?’ The barman calls out.
The stranger pauses, the batwing doors held open. He cocks his head, doesn’t turn, waits for the sound of a cocked gun, but nothing comes, he grunts over his shoulder, he’s places to be and won’t be waylaid.
‘What’s your name sir?’
‘The names C.S. Humble… and I’ll be seeing you around.’
And with those words the stranger, who now goes by the name C.S. Humble steps from the saloon, the batwing doors swing closed blocking him from sight, when they swing open again, the man has vanished.
‘I’ll take a shot of Donald Ray Pollock… and a dram of Joe R Lansdale and you can top it off with a dash of Cormac McCarthy…’
‘Yes’sir’ the barman says as he turns to fetch the stranger his drink. He returns moments later, places the drink on the bar with a shaking hand, some of the contents dribbles down the glass.
The stranger looks around the bar, eyes the collect sorry group of day drinkers. He takes a gulp. The liquid refreshing, the mix divine, the subtle notes singing on his tongue: transcendent.
‘Goddamned!’ He exclaims.
‘Good?’ The barman asks, edging closer, eyes still wide, hands still shaking.
‘Heavenly…’ the stranger offers and finishes the drink before slamming the glass back down, the sound a gunshot in the saloon and the dregs playing cards in the corner stop and look up.
‘What’s a tipple like that called?’ The barman asks, ‘If I were to serve it again, to folks around these parts.’
The stranger pulls his hat back down, the shadow of the brim hiding his dead eyes as he glances around the room, he takes in the place, breathes deeply, tasting the smoke and sweat and faint straw from the livery down the way. He pauses, head cocking to the side in contemplation… his lips part revealing his pearly whites.
‘It’s called…The Massacre at Yellow Hill’ he utters, before turning to leave, sauntering over to the batwing doors, his spurs chiming with each footfall. Once at the door he places a hand to one of the batwings, it creaks open and begins to exit…
‘HEY?’ The barman calls out.
The stranger pauses, the batwing doors held open. He cocks his head, doesn’t turn, waits for the sound of a cocked gun, but nothing comes, he grunts over his shoulder, he’s places to be and won’t be waylaid.
‘What’s your name sir?’
‘The names C.S. Humble… and I’ll be seeing you around.’
And with those words the stranger, who now goes by the name C.S. Humble steps from the saloon, the batwing doors swing closed blocking him from sight, when they swing open again, the man has vanished.
May 28, 2018
3.5, a good shorter story that's based in Texas right after the assassination of Lincoln. Vampires are plaguing the town of Yellow hill. It follows a bunch of different characters all struggling to find out what's happening to their town, and a freed slave who's a vampire hunter.
longer review to come.
----------------------------------------
Plot:
This book is set in Texas right after the civil war and Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, times are tough out in the west and people are scraping by trying to make ends meet. Yellow Hill is an oil/mining town that’s run by a genuine ass named Jeremiah Hart. He has the entire town on lockdown and threatens people who don’t see things his way or do as he says.
The opening scene is of a person who’s died in the mine from mysterious causes. The miners who witnessed what happened claimed they saw some kind of creature maul him, and that they shot at it but it got away. Jeremiah swears them to secrecy and forces them to take hammers to the body to make it look like he died in a cave in, and not some kind of predator.
The widow of the man who died is trying to make things work for her family, she’s broke, she has nothing left to sell, and she has nowhere to go. She pressures Jeremiah into letting her take her husbands’ place in the mine, it didn’t go over well at first but she eventually gets her way.
Her son and daughter are livid with her taking on this new job that just recently killed their father, there’s a lot of turmoil in the family but before the mother could take on the new job, more people are killed in the mine, including Jeremiah’s son.
In the next town over, there’s a freed slave and a young boy who are vampire hunters. They are tracking down leads about potential vampires in cities across the US, killing them, and sending back their fangs for money. Most people in the world don’t realize that there are vampires and great wolves and other monstrosities running amock in the west. People are easily suckered into being vampire thralls without realizing what’s going on, vampires can mess with your mind and put you in a trance-like state.
When the freed slave and the boy kill a vampire in the next town over they piss off a vampire knight, who comes to kill them because they killed his wife he’s had since the Roman Empire.
These two storylines come together about halfway through the book, and it makes for an interesting and bloody tale about vampires. No sparkles here, these vampires will rip peoples throats out so you can see the backbone.
Final Score: 11/15
Characters:
There are many different characters in this book, and there isn’t a clear main character, you follow around a bunch of different characters in equal parts.
Mrs Miller is the widow of the original murder in the mine, she’s a tough person who’s trying her best but doesn’t always know what to do. She’s bitter and she’s angry about basically everything. She was promised by her husband that things would get better when they moved out west because they’d score rich in an oil town, but they lived in poverty until he died, and things got worse from there. She’s bitter about how Jeremiah treated her husband, paying him pennies on the dollar just because he could. He even pro-rated her husbands last day of wages since he died halfway through the day.
Annie Miller is Mrs Millers daughter, she’s spunky and kind of difficult for her mother to deal with, she’s much more outspoken and angry about things than her brother is and she makes every conversation between her and her mother difficult. She’s also fairly independent and smart.
Ptolemy is the freed slave you meet about a third of the way through the book. He was owned by the young boy’s father until something happened to his father and he died. You don’t know what that is until the end though. He’s very smart, very calm, and very well spoken. He was taught how to read by the boy’s father because he enjoyed having poetry read to him. He’s very religious and finds good in all men because he considers all men to be in the image of God. He talks a lot about the bible and Satan and other Christian references throughout his portion of the book.
Carson is the boy Ptolemy travels with and is training how to hunt vampires. He seems to have a knack for it, they walk into a saloon looking for the vampire and Carson is able to pick her out right away since she was dancing for hours but had no sweat. He’s very attached to Ptolemy and considers him a father figure, calling him Pa. I think their relationship was my favorite thing about the book.
This was a very plot-driven book, since the POV’s jumped around so often, and since the book is so short, the characters were developed but I wouldn’t say they were the star of the show.
Final Score: 9/15
World Building:
Vampires in this world are the old school creepy vampires that are violent and malevolent. They can take on human form, but once they are injured and forced to reveal themselves they revert back to their true form – leathery skin, huge claws, and jaws that can unhinge like a snake.
There’s a lot of racism in this book as well, which, given this is just after the civil war isn’t surprising. Ptolemy has a lot of hardships he has to bare just to make it through each day. He’s not welcome in most establishments and has to pretend he’s a servant of the young boy and keep his distance while Carson does most of the talking.
It does appear as though the Christian religion is a reality in this book, with Satan and his monsters being real.
Old school “propriety” is in full effect, with women being oppressed and thought of as the dainty and weaker sex. One of the POV’s is a very old school kind of woman and believes that women should be demure, seen and not heard.
This is set out in the desert, it’s hot, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s hard to get by.
There’s mention of a Vampire King and I really wanted to see that, but maybe it will come in the next book.
There’s mention of a few secret orders of people, cults mostly, and I would have really liked to have seen more of that.
All in all, since this is a shorter book there’s not a lot of room for extensive world building if you want to have a decent plot – what was there I enjoyed.
Final Score: 11/15
Pacing:
This was a very fast paced book, there weren’t any meandering or ‘unnecessary’ parts to the story. The ending kind of caught me by surprise though, I wanted to learn more about the secret orders and the vampire king but it ended before that could really be addressed.
Final Score: 12/15
Writing:
The writing was clean and there was a lot of southern accents to it. That usually bothers me, but it really worked with the world building and time period. This wasn’t an overly descriptive book, it read very quickly, I went through the whole book in one sitting.
Final Score: 12/15
Originality:
I don’t see a whole lot of wild west kind of books in fantasy, I’ve seen them here and there but I think it’s an underrepresented subgenre as far as I can tell. I liked the fact that these weren’t sparkly sexy vampires, and more tear your face off kind of vampires. There were a lot of Christian over tones which I don’t see very often either.
Final Score: 12/15
Personal Enjoyment:
I liked this book, but I really wanted more from it. I don’t read shorter stories all that much, I don’t know if this would qualify as a novella or not – but I wanted to see more of the secret cults, more of the vampire world, just more of everything really. I felt like I got a little teased and then the book was over. So, I did really like the book, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been a bit longer – which is a good thing, it means what was there was done well.
Final Score: 6.5/10
Audience:
For people who prefer plot driven over character driven
For people who like a lot of blood and violence and vampires
For people who are looking for a western
For people who like multi pov
For people who like shorter stories
For people who like Christian over tones
Not for people who don’t like cursing
Warning: contains racial slurs
Final Score: 73.5/100
longer review to come.
----------------------------------------
Plot:
This book is set in Texas right after the civil war and Abraham Lincoln’s assassination, times are tough out in the west and people are scraping by trying to make ends meet. Yellow Hill is an oil/mining town that’s run by a genuine ass named Jeremiah Hart. He has the entire town on lockdown and threatens people who don’t see things his way or do as he says.
The opening scene is of a person who’s died in the mine from mysterious causes. The miners who witnessed what happened claimed they saw some kind of creature maul him, and that they shot at it but it got away. Jeremiah swears them to secrecy and forces them to take hammers to the body to make it look like he died in a cave in, and not some kind of predator.
The widow of the man who died is trying to make things work for her family, she’s broke, she has nothing left to sell, and she has nowhere to go. She pressures Jeremiah into letting her take her husbands’ place in the mine, it didn’t go over well at first but she eventually gets her way.
Her son and daughter are livid with her taking on this new job that just recently killed their father, there’s a lot of turmoil in the family but before the mother could take on the new job, more people are killed in the mine, including Jeremiah’s son.
In the next town over, there’s a freed slave and a young boy who are vampire hunters. They are tracking down leads about potential vampires in cities across the US, killing them, and sending back their fangs for money. Most people in the world don’t realize that there are vampires and great wolves and other monstrosities running amock in the west. People are easily suckered into being vampire thralls without realizing what’s going on, vampires can mess with your mind and put you in a trance-like state.
When the freed slave and the boy kill a vampire in the next town over they piss off a vampire knight, who comes to kill them because they killed his wife he’s had since the Roman Empire.
These two storylines come together about halfway through the book, and it makes for an interesting and bloody tale about vampires. No sparkles here, these vampires will rip peoples throats out so you can see the backbone.
Final Score: 11/15
Characters:
There are many different characters in this book, and there isn’t a clear main character, you follow around a bunch of different characters in equal parts.
Mrs Miller is the widow of the original murder in the mine, she’s a tough person who’s trying her best but doesn’t always know what to do. She’s bitter and she’s angry about basically everything. She was promised by her husband that things would get better when they moved out west because they’d score rich in an oil town, but they lived in poverty until he died, and things got worse from there. She’s bitter about how Jeremiah treated her husband, paying him pennies on the dollar just because he could. He even pro-rated her husbands last day of wages since he died halfway through the day.
Annie Miller is Mrs Millers daughter, she’s spunky and kind of difficult for her mother to deal with, she’s much more outspoken and angry about things than her brother is and she makes every conversation between her and her mother difficult. She’s also fairly independent and smart.
Ptolemy is the freed slave you meet about a third of the way through the book. He was owned by the young boy’s father until something happened to his father and he died. You don’t know what that is until the end though. He’s very smart, very calm, and very well spoken. He was taught how to read by the boy’s father because he enjoyed having poetry read to him. He’s very religious and finds good in all men because he considers all men to be in the image of God. He talks a lot about the bible and Satan and other Christian references throughout his portion of the book.
Carson is the boy Ptolemy travels with and is training how to hunt vampires. He seems to have a knack for it, they walk into a saloon looking for the vampire and Carson is able to pick her out right away since she was dancing for hours but had no sweat. He’s very attached to Ptolemy and considers him a father figure, calling him Pa. I think their relationship was my favorite thing about the book.
This was a very plot-driven book, since the POV’s jumped around so often, and since the book is so short, the characters were developed but I wouldn’t say they were the star of the show.
Final Score: 9/15
World Building:
Vampires in this world are the old school creepy vampires that are violent and malevolent. They can take on human form, but once they are injured and forced to reveal themselves they revert back to their true form – leathery skin, huge claws, and jaws that can unhinge like a snake.
There’s a lot of racism in this book as well, which, given this is just after the civil war isn’t surprising. Ptolemy has a lot of hardships he has to bare just to make it through each day. He’s not welcome in most establishments and has to pretend he’s a servant of the young boy and keep his distance while Carson does most of the talking.
It does appear as though the Christian religion is a reality in this book, with Satan and his monsters being real.
Old school “propriety” is in full effect, with women being oppressed and thought of as the dainty and weaker sex. One of the POV’s is a very old school kind of woman and believes that women should be demure, seen and not heard.
This is set out in the desert, it’s hot, it’s uncomfortable, and it’s hard to get by.
There’s mention of a Vampire King and I really wanted to see that, but maybe it will come in the next book.
There’s mention of a few secret orders of people, cults mostly, and I would have really liked to have seen more of that.
All in all, since this is a shorter book there’s not a lot of room for extensive world building if you want to have a decent plot – what was there I enjoyed.
Final Score: 11/15
Pacing:
This was a very fast paced book, there weren’t any meandering or ‘unnecessary’ parts to the story. The ending kind of caught me by surprise though, I wanted to learn more about the secret orders and the vampire king but it ended before that could really be addressed.
Final Score: 12/15
Writing:
The writing was clean and there was a lot of southern accents to it. That usually bothers me, but it really worked with the world building and time period. This wasn’t an overly descriptive book, it read very quickly, I went through the whole book in one sitting.
Final Score: 12/15
Originality:
I don’t see a whole lot of wild west kind of books in fantasy, I’ve seen them here and there but I think it’s an underrepresented subgenre as far as I can tell. I liked the fact that these weren’t sparkly sexy vampires, and more tear your face off kind of vampires. There were a lot of Christian over tones which I don’t see very often either.
Final Score: 12/15
Personal Enjoyment:
I liked this book, but I really wanted more from it. I don’t read shorter stories all that much, I don’t know if this would qualify as a novella or not – but I wanted to see more of the secret cults, more of the vampire world, just more of everything really. I felt like I got a little teased and then the book was over. So, I did really like the book, but I think I would have enjoyed it more if it had been a bit longer – which is a good thing, it means what was there was done well.
Final Score: 6.5/10
Audience:
For people who prefer plot driven over character driven
For people who like a lot of blood and violence and vampires
For people who are looking for a western
For people who like multi pov
For people who like shorter stories
For people who like Christian over tones
Not for people who don’t like cursing
Warning: contains racial slurs
Final Score: 73.5/100
April 4, 2023
Humble's The Massacre at Yellow is a fast-paced tale that blends horror and western well.
The characters are enjoyable and engaging, the settings are vivid and easy to imagine, and the horrors that loom over the towns of Yellow Hill and Big Spring keep you hooked to the very end.
I finished this book in one day and recommend it to anyone who's into westerns, vampires, and cosmic horror.
The characters are enjoyable and engaging, the settings are vivid and easy to imagine, and the horrors that loom over the towns of Yellow Hill and Big Spring keep you hooked to the very end.
I finished this book in one day and recommend it to anyone who's into westerns, vampires, and cosmic horror.
August 24, 2023
A pretty solid splatter western, packed with pulpy violence and an array of intriguing characters.
Humble has blended well the poverty-stricken western lifestyle vibes with actual life-threatening monster action.
Humble has blended well the poverty-stricken western lifestyle vibes with actual life-threatening monster action.
July 30, 2023
“Now I will attest what you’re gonna see is pretty shocking.”
I can’t say enough about this book but I really feel you need to go into this without knowing anything except it is about a bounty hunter that deals with the occult and it has some badass monsters.
The characters in here are wonderfully written. I care about them and that makes things difficult because life (and death) is far from easy in Yellow Hill.
The sheriff used the term “calculated anxiety” when he was talking about someone telling a story. I think that term describes Massacre perfectly. It made my heart race, melt, and run cold over and over again. I smiled, I laughed, I crumpled, and I shouted very loudly in my head at some of these characters. Mostly I am just glad that this is only book one of the That Light Sublime trilogy.
If you like connected universes then I am happy to tell you that this has a small (so far) connection to the Black Wells series, which I highly recommend. The first book, All These Subtle Deceits was one of my favorite books last year.
I can’t say enough about this book but I really feel you need to go into this without knowing anything except it is about a bounty hunter that deals with the occult and it has some badass monsters.
The characters in here are wonderfully written. I care about them and that makes things difficult because life (and death) is far from easy in Yellow Hill.
The sheriff used the term “calculated anxiety” when he was talking about someone telling a story. I think that term describes Massacre perfectly. It made my heart race, melt, and run cold over and over again. I smiled, I laughed, I crumpled, and I shouted very loudly in my head at some of these characters. Mostly I am just glad that this is only book one of the That Light Sublime trilogy.
If you like connected universes then I am happy to tell you that this has a small (so far) connection to the Black Wells series, which I highly recommend. The first book, All These Subtle Deceits was one of my favorite books last year.
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April 10, 2023N.B. I do not rate on Goodreads.
Over the last few months horror Westerns have come on to my radar—Joe Lansdale and Coy Hall for example, and I’ve really enjoyed them, so much so that it reignited a passion for watching some of the classic westerns that were part of my childhood. Hence when the opportunity came along to read an ARC of C.S. Humble’s The Massacre at Yellow Hill I jumped at it.
The first in a trilogy, this novella sets the scene for what’s to come. However, that’s not all it does. It packs a punch all of its own and makes for a great read regardless of whether or not you intend to read the rest of the series.
Traits that stand out for me with regards to C.S. Humble’s work are the ease with which his prose flows. The journey is so smooth you don’t even notice it. Secondly, I find his dialogue totally authentic. I guess this in part is what makes the ride so smooth. I must also add that I consider him a master at character naming, and this novella proves it. He’s also great at creating unlikely partnerships between his characters that really work, my favourite in this instance being the relationship between Ptolemy and Carson. There’s so much depth and backstory to unravel here, you can literally feel the tension build and build to a crescendo of dread.
If you enjoy your horror weird and Western, but also full of heart, then this is the book for you.
P.S. Why not check out his Black Wells series published by Dark Hart books while you’re at it? I promise it’s every bit as haunting.
Over the last few months horror Westerns have come on to my radar—Joe Lansdale and Coy Hall for example, and I’ve really enjoyed them, so much so that it reignited a passion for watching some of the classic westerns that were part of my childhood. Hence when the opportunity came along to read an ARC of C.S. Humble’s The Massacre at Yellow Hill I jumped at it.
The first in a trilogy, this novella sets the scene for what’s to come. However, that’s not all it does. It packs a punch all of its own and makes for a great read regardless of whether or not you intend to read the rest of the series.
Traits that stand out for me with regards to C.S. Humble’s work are the ease with which his prose flows. The journey is so smooth you don’t even notice it. Secondly, I find his dialogue totally authentic. I guess this in part is what makes the ride so smooth. I must also add that I consider him a master at character naming, and this novella proves it. He’s also great at creating unlikely partnerships between his characters that really work, my favourite in this instance being the relationship between Ptolemy and Carson. There’s so much depth and backstory to unravel here, you can literally feel the tension build and build to a crescendo of dread.
If you enjoy your horror weird and Western, but also full of heart, then this is the book for you.
P.S. Why not check out his Black Wells series published by Dark Hart books while you’re at it? I promise it’s every bit as haunting.
May 1, 2023
This was amazing!! I love Carson so much!! C.S. Humble you got me again. Beautifully written, incredibly frightening and characters that are so easy to love. Such attention to detail and so much heart!!!
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May 13, 2023The Massacre at Yellow Hill is a beautifully written story about two different sets of people. First we have Tabitha and her two children who are dealing with the aftermath of her husbands death and trying to figure out how they’re going to survive, and then Ptolemy and his son Carson who are on the hunt for evil creatures who are literally tearing people apart. The two stories of these people come together as one as mayhem ensues and lives are changed forever.
C.S. Humble’s words at times are like poetry. He really helps you visualize the Texas setting and makes you feel like you’ve been transported back in time and are right there with the characters.
My reading experience was so enjoyable and I found myself slowing down because I didn’t want the book or my time with these characters to end. This is my first time reading a horror western book and I’m REALLY into this genre now. There are two more books in this series coming and I’m very much looking forward to reading them and seeing what happens next and where the characters go from here. I keep wondering how much time will have passed between this and the second one and how different are the characters going to be now after what they’ve experienced in Yellow Hill.
If, like me, you’ve never dived into the western part of horror, except for King’s The Dark Tower, read this! The story and characters really stay with you and you’ll think of them long after you’ve turned the last page. I can’t wait to see what the next chapter in this series holds.
C.S. Humble’s words at times are like poetry. He really helps you visualize the Texas setting and makes you feel like you’ve been transported back in time and are right there with the characters.
My reading experience was so enjoyable and I found myself slowing down because I didn’t want the book or my time with these characters to end. This is my first time reading a horror western book and I’m REALLY into this genre now. There are two more books in this series coming and I’m very much looking forward to reading them and seeing what happens next and where the characters go from here. I keep wondering how much time will have passed between this and the second one and how different are the characters going to be now after what they’ve experienced in Yellow Hill.
If, like me, you’ve never dived into the western part of horror, except for King’s The Dark Tower, read this! The story and characters really stay with you and you’ll think of them long after you’ve turned the last page. I can’t wait to see what the next chapter in this series holds.
July 9, 2023
Even though Westerns are one of my favourite settings in media, I have never read one until now. When I saw this also included vampires I had to pick it up.
The writing was great, very easy to read and flowed nicely. But I do wish there was a little bit more environmental writing.
Even though this is very much plot-driven, there was enough time dedicated to the characters, whom I grew rather fond of. Gilbert's and Carson's relationship was great, and they were honestly quite the dynamic duo. The Miller family and their story progression were also rather touching. The vampires being gruesome, terrible creatures was a welcome change from the typically glamorous, sexualised ones. The author did not hold back on the gore and violence that's for sure.
I think I would've liked more vampire encounters, as I feel we got to the ending rather quickly. Though maybe it's a good thing there wasn't, else it might've become repetitive.
Overall an enjoyable read that will definitely have me reading the sequel when its out, and seeking out other Westerns.
The writing was great, very easy to read and flowed nicely. But I do wish there was a little bit more environmental writing.
Even though this is very much plot-driven, there was enough time dedicated to the characters, whom I grew rather fond of. Gilbert's and Carson's relationship was great, and they were honestly quite the dynamic duo. The Miller family and their story progression were also rather touching. The vampires being gruesome, terrible creatures was a welcome change from the typically glamorous, sexualised ones. The author did not hold back on the gore and violence that's for sure.
I think I would've liked more vampire encounters, as I feel we got to the ending rather quickly. Though maybe it's a good thing there wasn't, else it might've become repetitive.
Overall an enjoyable read that will definitely have me reading the sequel when its out, and seeking out other Westerns.
December 27, 2023
I’ll start by saying that this book is the furthest I’ve stepped outside of my typical genres. Great imagery and I was kept interested the entire time. Looking forward to reading the rest of the series.
July 21, 2023
Fear is alive in the West
Holy shit. This is my first book by Humble that I’ve read and I can’t wait to dig into more. I never knew I needed a horror western this bad, but it filled an unknown void.
Holy shit. This is my first book by Humble that I’ve read and I can’t wait to dig into more. I never knew I needed a horror western this bad, but it filled an unknown void.
February 20, 2024
Fast-paced and surprisingly heartfelt Weird West/vampire fiction. If you got a special feelz for adopted dad/loving son tropes, yeesh, gird yourself.
April 8, 2023
"While her children slept, Tabitha Miller considered fate and time, dark monsters, and the sham of providence." (Chapter Twenty-Five, The Massacre at Yellow Hill)
I read this book in two sittings, and I am not someone with a lot of time for uninterrupted reading. But books come along now and then that make me insist on making that kind of time, and this is one of them: self-propelled, contemplative without ever feeling bogged down, and punctuated by scenes of abject terror. (See also: This Thing Between Us, by Gus Moreno; and Children of Chicago, by Cynthia Pelayo)
The Massacre at Yellow Hill conjoins and carves holes in two prominent American mythologies: the blank canvas of the West for America's post-Civil War do-0ver as a unified force for good, and Lovecraft's articulation of our collective fears about what lurks underneath land possessed by violence and corruption. If those myths weren't enough to question in the span of one 'coming-of-age, supernatural horror western' (author's words), there are VERY stark moments about how we're tricked by other mythologies into dying for jobs and bosses who don't care about us whatsoever.
Maybe the most impressive aspect of all this mythology-questioning? It stays relatively subtle under a meticulously constructed and completely compelling narrative about a widow and her kids, some miners, a rich creep and his also-creepy scion, a far more ironically normal father and son with a hell of a legacy gig, a few vividly vicious monsters, and a very scary hole in the ground. This book is every bit as frightening as it is smart.
A couple of other notes: I read an advance copy of the updated edition, which includes an author's note about removing previous use of slurs as character development. Appreciated. And on that note, anytime an author depicts non-white characters experiencing racism in America, much LIKE America, we're on ground fraught with challenges. Every book that attempts an examination like this will be imperfect at best, and Yellow Hill is no exception. But it introduces characters and a larger story I look forward to continuing. (Next book in the series will be out this July, after this one sees a re-release later this month.)
I read this book in two sittings, and I am not someone with a lot of time for uninterrupted reading. But books come along now and then that make me insist on making that kind of time, and this is one of them: self-propelled, contemplative without ever feeling bogged down, and punctuated by scenes of abject terror. (See also: This Thing Between Us, by Gus Moreno; and Children of Chicago, by Cynthia Pelayo)
The Massacre at Yellow Hill conjoins and carves holes in two prominent American mythologies: the blank canvas of the West for America's post-Civil War do-0ver as a unified force for good, and Lovecraft's articulation of our collective fears about what lurks underneath land possessed by violence and corruption. If those myths weren't enough to question in the span of one 'coming-of-age, supernatural horror western' (author's words), there are VERY stark moments about how we're tricked by other mythologies into dying for jobs and bosses who don't care about us whatsoever.
Maybe the most impressive aspect of all this mythology-questioning? It stays relatively subtle under a meticulously constructed and completely compelling narrative about a widow and her kids, some miners, a rich creep and his also-creepy scion, a far more ironically normal father and son with a hell of a legacy gig, a few vividly vicious monsters, and a very scary hole in the ground. This book is every bit as frightening as it is smart.
A couple of other notes: I read an advance copy of the updated edition, which includes an author's note about removing previous use of slurs as character development. Appreciated. And on that note, anytime an author depicts non-white characters experiencing racism in America, much LIKE America, we're on ground fraught with challenges. Every book that attempts an examination like this will be imperfect at best, and Yellow Hill is no exception. But it introduces characters and a larger story I look forward to continuing. (Next book in the series will be out this July, after this one sees a re-release later this month.)
July 3, 2018
Great beginning...
...to what I hope will be a many book series.
It's a great start, giving you just enough depth of characters to get attached and make you want to find out what happens to them next. I don't give spoilers, but I think it's safe to say there's a bit of monster hunting, a bit of archaeological mystery, a bit of gore, bad things happening to good people; all this set against a historical western backdrop that really sucks you in and allows an escape from reality. Wish it was longer, it was a quick read, but as this is the author's first, he's most certainly excused... as long as he's planning a sequel. 😉
...to what I hope will be a many book series.
It's a great start, giving you just enough depth of characters to get attached and make you want to find out what happens to them next. I don't give spoilers, but I think it's safe to say there's a bit of monster hunting, a bit of archaeological mystery, a bit of gore, bad things happening to good people; all this set against a historical western backdrop that really sucks you in and allows an escape from reality. Wish it was longer, it was a quick read, but as this is the author's first, he's most certainly excused... as long as he's planning a sequel. 😉
April 24, 2022
I can’t remember the last time I read a western genre novel but this combination of Western + Horror blew me away! The plot is fast paced & hooks you in right away. The creatures are …I have no words… epic!
But in all honesty, what makes this book addicting ( I literally didn’t want to leave this world or Carson) are all the characters and their journeys. The connections are not rushed but form organically. It is heartwarming to watch it all unfold and you feel invested in their happiness! As you turn the last page it feels like a beginning of something and I for one am so happy about that …. 🤠🥹❤️❤️
But in all honesty, what makes this book addicting ( I literally didn’t want to leave this world or Carson) are all the characters and their journeys. The connections are not rushed but form organically. It is heartwarming to watch it all unfold and you feel invested in their happiness! As you turn the last page it feels like a beginning of something and I for one am so happy about that …. 🤠🥹❤️❤️
July 6, 2018
Oh DAMN. I forget where I first heard of this book -- I think Reddit, maybe? -- and while the introduction to the fairly substantial cast of characters began a little clunky, the story very quickly found its voice and revved up into something downright creepy and delightful. I'm not one for long reviews, so I'll just say that this combines several of my favorite things in ways that still easily feel refreshing and new. It's a good, quick read that left me hoping for sequels, and I would highly recommend it.
November 10, 2023
If this is only the first book, the rest of this trilogy will end with tears, cheers and leers...for years! The Massacre at Yellow Hill is the first of C.S. Humble's That Light Sublime Trilogy and what a tour de force it was. This is a harbinger of the horrors to haunt your halls.
In this novel, we follow two main sets of characters:
- Tabitha Miller, widow of George Miller (who dies in a mining "accident" that has a far more sinister origin to it); Annie, their daughter; and Georgie, their son.
- Gilbert Ptolemy, former slave turned bounty hunter who tracks down and destroys supernatural monstrosities; Carson Watts, the adopted son who has a bond with Ptolemy after his biological father taught them both everything they needed to know about the supernatural/Eldritch horrors that pervade in this storyline.
Part one is focused on depicting the aftermath of George's death in the mine and Tabitha's maternal instinct to keep herself and the kids alive. She is a dynamo woman who takes no guff from any man. Strong-willed and a positive feminine force (even if her methods may not always reflect such). The rest of the first part is spent world-building in Yellow Hill, Texas, including introducing us to the baron who has a stranglehold on the town: Jeremiah Hart. He has a far deeper connection to the ensuing destruction and death.
Part two turns the reins over to Ptolemy and Carson, which begins with a fairly humorous exchange between the two men and a woman who observes them coming to Big Spring (a neighboring town). Their source has led them here to conduct business of a certain nature: eliminating a vampire that has set up base as a bar wench in the local watering hole. After a brief, yet action-packed scene, Ptolemy and Carson accomplish their mission. Soon after, the duo crosses paths with Sigurd, a vampire from the same clan as the bar wench. He causes some damage to some of the townsfolk and our duo before escaping, confident he will meet them again to finish the job. They then learn there are far greater forces at work (in Yellow Hill) in a way that is relevant to their modus operandi, so they travel onward to face what lurks there.
Part three intertwines both narratives into a harrowing, brutal and tragic set of events. More plot development is introduced and even a set-up for the sequel occurs here. No spoilers... But, there is a secret order called The Prometheus Society that is the root cause for all of the horrors.
This novel was a fun, quick read and a (literally) explosive way to kick off what could be considered the one of the coolest Weird/Horror Western stories in our modern age of horror. You'll laugh, cry, feel anger and even cheer for the father/son vampire killers within the pages of this book.
I'm giving this one ☠️x5!!!
In this novel, we follow two main sets of characters:
- Tabitha Miller, widow of George Miller (who dies in a mining "accident" that has a far more sinister origin to it); Annie, their daughter; and Georgie, their son.
- Gilbert Ptolemy, former slave turned bounty hunter who tracks down and destroys supernatural monstrosities; Carson Watts, the adopted son who has a bond with Ptolemy after his biological father taught them both everything they needed to know about the supernatural/Eldritch horrors that pervade in this storyline.
Part one is focused on depicting the aftermath of George's death in the mine and Tabitha's maternal instinct to keep herself and the kids alive. She is a dynamo woman who takes no guff from any man. Strong-willed and a positive feminine force (even if her methods may not always reflect such). The rest of the first part is spent world-building in Yellow Hill, Texas, including introducing us to the baron who has a stranglehold on the town: Jeremiah Hart. He has a far deeper connection to the ensuing destruction and death.
Part two turns the reins over to Ptolemy and Carson, which begins with a fairly humorous exchange between the two men and a woman who observes them coming to Big Spring (a neighboring town). Their source has led them here to conduct business of a certain nature: eliminating a vampire that has set up base as a bar wench in the local watering hole. After a brief, yet action-packed scene, Ptolemy and Carson accomplish their mission. Soon after, the duo crosses paths with Sigurd, a vampire from the same clan as the bar wench. He causes some damage to some of the townsfolk and our duo before escaping, confident he will meet them again to finish the job. They then learn there are far greater forces at work (in Yellow Hill) in a way that is relevant to their modus operandi, so they travel onward to face what lurks there.
Part three intertwines both narratives into a harrowing, brutal and tragic set of events. More plot development is introduced and even a set-up for the sequel occurs here. No spoilers... But, there is a secret order called The Prometheus Society that is the root cause for all of the horrors.
This novel was a fun, quick read and a (literally) explosive way to kick off what could be considered the one of the coolest Weird/Horror Western stories in our modern age of horror. You'll laugh, cry, feel anger and even cheer for the father/son vampire killers within the pages of this book.
I'm giving this one ☠️x5!!!
January 9, 2024
Well holy crap. Loved the economical writing, at turns blunt and efficient, then interspersed with heart rending poetry. Gnarly action. This series is gonna be great.
Was having a hard time finding my next read (following another fun Murderbot) but knew after the first couple pages that this was just what I was looking for.
Was having a hard time finding my next read (following another fun Murderbot) but knew after the first couple pages that this was just what I was looking for.
December 13, 2023
This is the Wild West meets Cosmic Horror. Cormac McCarthy meets HP Lovecraft.
A great novella, fast paced, promising a wider world that you want to explore.
I was deeply invested in the character relationships, especially the father-son pair of Ptolemy and Carson.
A very promising series, the 1st book of which has lived up to the hype.
A great novella, fast paced, promising a wider world that you want to explore.
I was deeply invested in the character relationships, especially the father-son pair of Ptolemy and Carson.
A very promising series, the 1st book of which has lived up to the hype.
January 25, 2019
3.5 Stars for a bloody romp through Yellow Hill. This was so pulpy my eyes almost stuck together. A fun, exciting read.
August 15, 2023
4.5⭐️ super fun splatter western with supernatural, cosmic, & occult elements. Looking forward to checking out the rest of the trilogy!
Longer review on my channel: https://youtu.be/pGSxmXfwZTA
Longer review on my channel: https://youtu.be/pGSxmXfwZTA
April 28, 2023
I loved this book. It was a western - very McMurtry - but with vampires and other supernatural beings. It was well written, well paced and super fun.
It is book one of a series and it felt that way as there were several open story-lines when the novel ended, but I am excited to keep reading about these characters.
The scene in Chapter 6 with the kids on the candy story is one of the best scenes I have ever read. It was perfection.
I also loved the sinister secret group looking to bring darkness to the world. It was just fun.
This is at its heart a horror story, and had moments of real tenseness. But, it is also really fun.
At times it reminded me of The Gunslinger and Lonesome Dove.
It is book one of a series and it felt that way as there were several open story-lines when the novel ended, but I am excited to keep reading about these characters.
The scene in Chapter 6 with the kids on the candy story is one of the best scenes I have ever read. It was perfection.
I also loved the sinister secret group looking to bring darkness to the world. It was just fun.
This is at its heart a horror story, and had moments of real tenseness. But, it is also really fun.
At times it reminded me of The Gunslinger and Lonesome Dove.
January 24, 2019
A solid read, and an entertaining story about monsters hunters in the old west. A 3.5, at least.
The feel of the story reminds me of Stephen King's novel Salem's Lot. It has a nice western twang to it, feeling like an honest cowboy story, but haunted by terrors from beyond. The characters are well-drawn, and the towns visited feel grounded and real. The action moves quickly, and the author deftly weaves between the feeling of expansive emptiness the hardscrabble setting presents and the sensation that something lurks beyond corners we don't yet see. Humble balances the moods of both western and horror to successfully merge the genres.
Unfortunately, a few other nagging doubts pull me down from a higher score here. The old west narrative employs a lot of folksy seeming similes that feel right but don't convey a lot of meaning. A group of men march to a funeral like 'ants with salt', and a creature has muscles 'the size of rocks'. Such phrases fit the theme, poetically, but often I just couldn't figure out what they literally meant, and it threw me out of the story's reverie.
The other drawback is that the plot is somewhat scattered. It starts with a mining town, then skips two towns over to a vampire hunt, where a villain swears revenge but never returns and everything moves back to the mining town. The plot weaves into the backstory of the characters, making this almost feel like a second book in a series of prolonged adventures. In some ways that works, it creates an illusion of a drama that sustains well beyond the pages, which is an aspect I like... but it felt a bit rough around the edges, and it leaned just a bit further towards that roughness than expansiveness.
It would be overwrought to focus on those negatives, however, because as I opened with, it's still an enjoyable bit of writing. The characters are sharp, the dusty trail palpable, the monsters fearsome, and the gunslingers heroic. If you read it just to sink into that feeling you can easily let your mind skim past the less polished elements and you'll find a book well worth your time.
The feel of the story reminds me of Stephen King's novel Salem's Lot. It has a nice western twang to it, feeling like an honest cowboy story, but haunted by terrors from beyond. The characters are well-drawn, and the towns visited feel grounded and real. The action moves quickly, and the author deftly weaves between the feeling of expansive emptiness the hardscrabble setting presents and the sensation that something lurks beyond corners we don't yet see. Humble balances the moods of both western and horror to successfully merge the genres.
Unfortunately, a few other nagging doubts pull me down from a higher score here. The old west narrative employs a lot of folksy seeming similes that feel right but don't convey a lot of meaning. A group of men march to a funeral like 'ants with salt', and a creature has muscles 'the size of rocks'. Such phrases fit the theme, poetically, but often I just couldn't figure out what they literally meant, and it threw me out of the story's reverie.
The other drawback is that the plot is somewhat scattered. It starts with a mining town, then skips two towns over to a vampire hunt, where a villain swears revenge but never returns and everything moves back to the mining town. The plot weaves into the backstory of the characters, making this almost feel like a second book in a series of prolonged adventures. In some ways that works, it creates an illusion of a drama that sustains well beyond the pages, which is an aspect I like... but it felt a bit rough around the edges, and it leaned just a bit further towards that roughness than expansiveness.
It would be overwrought to focus on those negatives, however, because as I opened with, it's still an enjoyable bit of writing. The characters are sharp, the dusty trail palpable, the monsters fearsome, and the gunslingers heroic. If you read it just to sink into that feeling you can easily let your mind skim past the less polished elements and you'll find a book well worth your time.
May 7, 2023
West Texas under a stranger moon
I had the tremendous fortune to read this book in the slender illumination of Texas moonlight falling through my hotel window in Brownwood during Howard Days, the annual celebration of the great pulp author Robert E Howard. Known for creating sword and sorcery, he also created what we would now call the weird western, and this book is a damn fine example of the genre. If you have the opportunity to read it in a similar fashion, I recommend doing so.
This is a book as much about faith and family as it is about monsters and the men that hunt them, and that is precisely what makes it so magnificent. To have the motivations and souls of these characters laid bare is a remarkable feat of writing. To do so in so few words and with such propulsive headlong momentum is something that seems divinely inspired.
There are many reviews explaining what happens to the characters in The Massacre at Yellow Hill. I hope this explains why you should read it.
I had the tremendous fortune to read this book in the slender illumination of Texas moonlight falling through my hotel window in Brownwood during Howard Days, the annual celebration of the great pulp author Robert E Howard. Known for creating sword and sorcery, he also created what we would now call the weird western, and this book is a damn fine example of the genre. If you have the opportunity to read it in a similar fashion, I recommend doing so.
This is a book as much about faith and family as it is about monsters and the men that hunt them, and that is precisely what makes it so magnificent. To have the motivations and souls of these characters laid bare is a remarkable feat of writing. To do so in so few words and with such propulsive headlong momentum is something that seems divinely inspired.
There are many reviews explaining what happens to the characters in The Massacre at Yellow Hill. I hope this explains why you should read it.
January 6, 2024
The first part really built up the suspense with George’s early death and then the interactions of the towns people.
The mine scene at the end of Part one really had a cliffhanger creature feature feel.
Part 2 went hard with the racist Karen right away lol. The intro to the vampire plague by showing a female enthralling a whole bar of men really juxtaposes the first part of the book.
Part 3 brings the two stories together and really ups the terrors that are going on in Yellow Hill. The interaction with the children and the way Annie looks at her town before leaving, hits a cord with everyone I’m sure.
The massacre happens late in the book, but every chapter leaves you wanting more. That ending ripped my heart out.
Sigurd and Hart both serve as such great villains, a vampire made about the death of his eternal bride and a rich bastard turned dark priest.
The mine scene at the end of Part one really had a cliffhanger creature feature feel.
Part 2 went hard with the racist Karen right away lol. The intro to the vampire plague by showing a female enthralling a whole bar of men really juxtaposes the first part of the book.
Part 3 brings the two stories together and really ups the terrors that are going on in Yellow Hill. The interaction with the children and the way Annie looks at her town before leaving, hits a cord with everyone I’m sure.
The massacre happens late in the book, but every chapter leaves you wanting more. That ending ripped my heart out.
Sigurd and Hart both serve as such great villains, a vampire made about the death of his eternal bride and a rich bastard turned dark priest.
July 25, 2023
“Tabitha threw her arms around her son. She held him so close, so close that no matter where the boy’s heart broke her arms would be there to catch every piece.”
How can such a scary, bloody Weird Western be such beautiful character driven novel about faith, hope, love and forgiveness.
Gilbert Ptolemy and his adopted son Carson are bounty hunters, committed to rid the world of vampires and other monsters.
The widowed Tabitha Miller is fighting her own battle against a monster of a man who may be conjuring evil to maintain his power in Yellow Hill TX.
Humble creates characters with heartbreaking relationships, while scattering gunfights and murders and gore throughout southwest Texas.
This is book one of a trilogy, and I already ordered Book 2, A Red Winter in the West.
July 30, 2023
I have the second book of this trilogy in my TBR but wanted to start from the beginning so I had to give this one a read first.
This is a fantastic mix of western, horror, and even some cosmic horror as the story unfolds. It is, at times, heart wrenching but goes from that to balls to the wall terrifying in short order.
The characters are gritty, as you would imagine in this environment, but fully fleshed out to give each one their own personality. This desert town of Yellow Hill is equally well thought out as you can almost taste the dust, feel the sweltering heat, and feel the desperation of the characters.
And the terrors that await are the things of nightmares, gloriously brutal and not overcome without suffering and pain. And with an ending left open to interpretation and wonder, this trilogy is going to be one hell of a great ride and I'm saddled up and ready to go!
I highly recommend this if you want a horrifying blend of western horror and cosmic horror.
This is a fantastic mix of western, horror, and even some cosmic horror as the story unfolds. It is, at times, heart wrenching but goes from that to balls to the wall terrifying in short order.
The characters are gritty, as you would imagine in this environment, but fully fleshed out to give each one their own personality. This desert town of Yellow Hill is equally well thought out as you can almost taste the dust, feel the sweltering heat, and feel the desperation of the characters.
And the terrors that await are the things of nightmares, gloriously brutal and not overcome without suffering and pain. And with an ending left open to interpretation and wonder, this trilogy is going to be one hell of a great ride and I'm saddled up and ready to go!
I highly recommend this if you want a horrifying blend of western horror and cosmic horror.
September 13, 2023
THIS AUTHOR IS REQUIRED READING FOR CIS HET WHITE MEN
Humble weaves a tight narrative following Tabitha Miller, a recent widow and her children, and Gilbert Ptolemy & Carson, a pair of paranormal bounty hunters as they work to stop an evil threat in Yellow Hill.
Westerns are generally not my thing, but Humble flips expectations on their head in ways I won’t get into due to spoilers. He is truly a master of the craft. The prose is rich and layered, the characters are full of heart, and the plot latches it’s rows of fangs into your throat and doesn’t let go.
The soul of this story will stick with you long after reading. I plan to pick up the sequel tomorrow and continue the ride.
Humble weaves a tight narrative following Tabitha Miller, a recent widow and her children, and Gilbert Ptolemy & Carson, a pair of paranormal bounty hunters as they work to stop an evil threat in Yellow Hill.
Westerns are generally not my thing, but Humble flips expectations on their head in ways I won’t get into due to spoilers. He is truly a master of the craft. The prose is rich and layered, the characters are full of heart, and the plot latches it’s rows of fangs into your throat and doesn’t let go.
The soul of this story will stick with you long after reading. I plan to pick up the sequel tomorrow and continue the ride.
March 30, 2018
The Massacre at Yellow Hill is a quick-paced get-to-the-point horror novel set in the old west. Horror and westerns rarely tread new ground yet C.S. Humble has brought the two of them together in an entertaining, and yes, terrifying manner. The author clearly trusts the reader to form their own opinions about the characters, as their actions define how they are perceived rather than long-winded narration. This leads to suspenseful sequences that are well-balanced by interesting characterizations that the reader feels invested in. While reading the novel I felt like I was a part of the world they inhabited and felt the same fears they did, whether they be supernatural or even financial. Humble has created a world that is fertile ground for many more horror tales, and I hope to revisit that world someday soon.
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