Hot Iron & Cold Blood - Anthology

I’ve been a fan of Death’s Head Press’ Weird West books from the first - ‘The Magpie Coffin’ was a pleasure to both read and review.

This anthology brings together some of their best authors, which is excellent for newcomers, as they then have other titles in the series to dive into!

As is usual for any collection, there’s stories here that both appealed and didn’t, but that’s subjective, and I’ve no doubt that everyone’s opinion will differ. However, the quality was consistently good, and the originality of every single tale shone out as bright as High Noon.

One particular thread that I found particularly pleasing was the amount of strong women and ‘minorities’. This isn‘t John Wayne’s West. Whether young society girls, Natives or ladies of the night, the sheer spine needed to survive in the old West is clear - and that’s before we even get into the supernatural. I loved that so many of their menfolk respected them too; all in difficult situations together, after all.

My favourite was ‘Rope and Limb’ by Jeff Strand, because I honestly did not see that twist coming, oh my gods! And Kenzie Jennings continues to be brilliant as always (‘Red Station’ is one of easily the best novels in this series).

If you want something unusual, with a heap of variety and stories told around a campfire that you’ve never heard the like - pick this up. Then go seek out your favourite authors, and tell them who sent you.