Curse of the Ancients

Son of Earp Series, Book 1

By: Chuck Buda

Narrated by: Jack Wallen Jr.

The 1870s. A peaceful town in Iowa territory. The townspeople dislike their new visitor. An Indian man. But they are about to find out that the color of his skin is the least of their worries.

A young man, James Johnson, illegitimate son of the legendary Wyatt Earp, dreams of adventure and following in his daddy's footsteps. James and his mentally disabled friend, Carson, are about to come face to face with an evil previously unimaginable in their little town. An evil they invited in.

All hell's about to break loose.

Supernatural forces are at work and the body count is rising.

Curse of the Ancients is the first novel in the Son of Earp series by Chuck Buda. It is approximately 57,000 words and contains adult language and scenes of horror. Listener discretion is strongly advised.

©2016 Chuck Buda (P)2016 Chuck Buda

Fun Western Horror Series

Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?

I would recommend this series to my friends. It is interesting in concept if they like the genre of horror or western. For Fans of the Johan Hex Comic books this would be appealing I would think.

What did you like best about this story?

I really liked the whole story. The final scene is probably my favorite though when one character is thinking about what is most important in life and why.

Which character – as performed by Jack Wallen, Jr. – was your favorite?

James. He is a 17 year old illegitimate son of Wyatt Earp. He dreams of adventures like that of his father and gets the chance to have one of his own and it turns out that reality is nothing like his dreams. He learns that becoming a man is much harder than strapping on a gun and going after someone. That actions have consequences and a man must face up to them.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The final show down between James and Crouching Bear. The conflicting emotions of James and the lack of emotions from his former friend.

Any additional comments?

“This audio book was given by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review via Audiobook Boom.”

Not what I expected, but still entertaining

This book was not quite what I expected. I wasn't expecting a "shifter" book, which I don't usually go for, but that being said, the book was still entertaining. What I enjoyed most was the friendship between the two boys. It was very sweet and its always nice to see a strong friendship where one is able to overlook the other's disabilities. I would probably read other books in this series because I enjoy the supernatural, Western, and thriller genres. I think its just the "shifter" aspect that wasn't my cup of tea. Everything else was good.

I listened to the Audible audio version of this book narrated by Jack Wallen Jr., and I thought he was fine, overall. At times he sounded a little robotic, but I was pleased that he didn't use high, screechy voices for his female characters (which is a big pet peeve of mine, and I find that a lot of male narrators do that for female characters).

I think this would be a perfect book for fans of "shifter" horror/thrillers.

Couldn't stop listening

I really enjoyed this book and look forward to listening to the rest of the series! I love supernatural tales, and Chuck Buda delivers a great one. First, I love the attention to detail Chuck gives to every scene. He literally paints a picture with his words. Chuck also gives us an in-depth look into each character, their hopes and dreams, and their inner demons. I was hooked from the first chapter.

I also really liked the narrator, Jack Wallen Jr. I don't know how he was able to do all those voices, and so distinctly! He made the story even more enjoyable.

I'm getting Haunted Gunslinger right now!

Fantastical journy back in time

Would you consider the audio edition of Curse of the Ancients to be better than the print version?

Although the Narrator brings the book to life it is the same story ,so what kind of question is that?

What about Jack Wallen, Jr.’s performance did you like?

Mr. Wallen has a magical voice that is a delight to hear. He is very good at narrating.He has a wealth of range and is a master at speaking well and clearly.There was never a question of who was speaking. He is very consistent with pitch and tone for each character.I have enjoyed many books that he has narrated. I rally like that he doesn't need soundtracks of ambient noise or music to make a story come to life. His voice is more than enough.

Any additional comments?

Curse of the Ancients : Son of Earp Series By Chuck Buda
Nov 5 2016
1870’s We follow the kindness act of two boys. James 17 the illegitimate child of Wyatt Earp,& Sarah Johnson a prostitute in the Iowa Territory Brothel Owned by Philler, and Carson 12 his slow-witted friend due to a childhood illness. Minnie was his mom Minnie who also worked at the Brothel.

The boys read about Wyatt’s escapades in the local news paper and would dream of being heroes and finding adventure. The boys would be sent outside for the night till the parties in the Brothel and bar died down. They were bar keeps during the day cleaning up both the bar and brothel waiting room. George the bouncer at the bar liked to spit his chew on the floor for the boys to clean up, George enjoyed making messes at the expenses of the boys.

The boys saved a lone Indian “Crouching bear” from the town drunk Wilson and a group of roughens. The boys fed Crouching Bear and in return, he taught the boys a sure fire way of hunting and they brought back the rabbit they caught to their mother’s. Then told the ladies about their adventures with Crouching bear and how he was cursed by his people for an unfortunate accident.

Crouching Bear had accidentally killed Laughing Crow, the middle son of the chief and a prankster, his last prank cost him his life during a raid on the white man. Due to this incident, Crouching bear was banished from the tribe and was cursed by the spirits and tribe.

Neither the boys or Crouching Bear could have known that their future were intertwined at such depths.

Mr Chuck Buda did a phenomenal job with this book, the story was riveting and the characters were well developed. This was the first of Mr. Buda’s work that I have read. Supernatural Westerns is not my usual read. But I enjoyed it and bought a few of his other books.

I hope this series continues!

When I start a fantasy or paranormal novel I always think: I hope it's not overdone! This is a paranormal shifter story in a historical western setting and I enjoyed it very much. The story is defenitely not overdone as the only supernatural element there is, is an Indian shifting into a bear because of a curse.

During this story I went to several levels of my gamut of emotions, with James, Carson and Chrouching Bear. The characters are developed amazingly and I can't wait to find out what happens to them next. The story also contains several dilemmas and you can see the dilemmas from more than one side. Knowing that James wants to go into his father's footsteps even though he's never met him, I'm sure he'll get there.

Jack Wallen did an exellent narration and was amazing with the voices. I guess that there isn't a voice he can't do. He made the characters come to life in a way that I couldn't put this story down and he was surprisingly dramatic when needed.

I hope this series continues in many books to come!

*This book was gifted to me in exchange for an honest review.

Curse of the Ancients

This was an ok read.Jack Wallen Jr is a fine narrator.A young teen,James, and his mentally disabled friend live in a whorehouse with their moms.They befriend an Indian and all hell breaks lose.Crouching bear is cursed.When he gets angry he turns into a bear...and kills people.James,a son of Wyatt Earp,is the only one that is brave enough to face the supernatural evil.I was given this book free by the author,narrator or publisher.

Good

I was given this free review copy audiobook at my request and have voluntarily left this review.

This was a good book - I loved the friendship between James and Carson, they were great together.

I wasn't quite expecting a shifter western story, but it was written well and even though it was like there was a mass conglomeration of different genres, the novel just sort of worked well.

The characters were well characterized and likeable.

It's all about the characters

This is a cool western story with a supernatural twist, but it is really about the characters. The 19th century setting allows for two different perspectives, from the whites and from Native Americans. As the story unfolds, the curse is revealed through multiple points of view. The narrator does a good job of using different voices for different characters. An enjoyable listen.

Crouching Bear

Chuck buda has done it again. Wyatt Earp stories had been told and than along comes his son James. This story has a little of everything, friendship, supernatural, sex, family, spirits and much more. One thing he mentioned several times was dungarees wow haven't heard that term an a long time. Wonder how many people will have to look up the meaning.
You will not be disappointed with this book. It leaves you wanting more. Waiting on a pins and needles for James Earp's next adventure.

Curse of the Ancients

This was a pretty good start to the series. There were sections of the story that kind of dragged on but it finished alright and I think I will be moving on to the next in the series soon.