mikerickson reviewed Country under Heaven by Frederic S. Durbin
-
5 stars
When you have a favorite genre that you read frequently, some of the more general contours and expectations of that content sort of retread the same territory so often that the larger body of works you've read start to blend together over the long run. Then you come across something that really does something unique and new that you can't help but sit up and acknowledge that you actually in fact have not seen it all.
This was a spontaneous bookstore buy that I didn't recognize (wasn't until I finished it did I realize this book has been out for just about two months; it's basically brand new) and the back cover marketing blurb of "Louis L'Amour meets H.P. Lovecraft!" that originally had me roll my eyes... ended up being actually pretty goddamn accurate! This is a Western first and foremost with all the usual trappings you'd expect: beautiful-yet-unforgiving …
When you have a favorite genre that you read frequently, some of the more general contours and expectations of that content sort of retread the same territory so often that the larger body of works you've read start to blend together over the long run. Then you come across something that really does something unique and new that you can't help but sit up and acknowledge that you actually in fact have not seen it all.
This was a spontaneous bookstore buy that I didn't recognize (wasn't until I finished it did I realize this book has been out for just about two months; it's basically brand new) and the back cover marketing blurb of "Louis L'Amour meets H.P. Lovecraft!" that originally had me roll my eyes... ended up being actually pretty goddamn accurate! This is a Western first and foremost with all the usual trappings you'd expect: beautiful-yet-unforgiving landscapes, the hardscrabble and rugged individuals who make a life for themselves out there, and a foreboding sense of technology-induced change on the horizon. However every so often we catch a glimpse of something or other that looms underneath our understanding of reality. Not in a jarring way that sets a hard tone shift, but definitely in a way that you realize this isn't just a boilerplate western.
As for our protagonist, Ovid is just about the best-suited person to go through some grade A cosmic horror and come out the other end, maybe not unscathed, but at least intact. When presented with a sort of possession plotline (it's complicated) and some of the more unique depictions of the unknown I've ever read, he exhibits the proper amount of terror, but ultimately is just too down-to-earth to let it rattle him for long. This is the kind of guy who would experience horror beyond our comprehension, but rather than lose himself to insanity instead he'd just shake his head and say, "ah hell, well what can you do about it? Anyways..." Definitely a unique take on a lead character in this kind of situation.
All in all, a pleasant surprise and a satisfying blend of two of my favorite genres. I'm gonna keep an eye on this author in the future.