Riders Where There Are No Roads

Riders of the Weird West

By: David Bain

Narrated by: Daniel Penz

Audiences had long asked author David Bain for more stories on Gentleman Jim "The Demon Duelist" Brodie and Dr. Darius Darke from the story "The Cowboys of Cthulhu". Well - here you be, pard! Riders Where There Are No Roads is the first full novel in the Riders of the Weird West series. There's roping, riding, an interdimensional badass, shootouts, demon cowboys, a dragon, a pickup that's really a horse (or is it the other way around?) and a mystical biker/cosmic marshal who might just be orchestrating it all!

©2006 - 2014 David Bain (P)2015 David Bain

Riders of the Weird West is one of my favorites

I absolutely loved RIDERS WHERE THERE ARE NO ROADS. This was such an awesome story. I would say it was even somewhat of a noir-ish weird western. David Bain is an exceptional author whose work really resonates with me. RIDERS grabbed me from the start and I didn't want it to end. I felt as if I was right there. It held my attention entirely. I definitely want to hear more.

I love the setting of this story and the characters were Amazing. All of them. I especially liked Rosarita Bandita. She was something else. I was glued to this audiobook and I'd highly recommend this one not only for the awesome writing but the killer narration.

Daniel Penz. All I can say is WOW. His performance was incredibly good. Every character had a distinct voice and persona and they were ALL excellent. If I had to choose one, I'd go back to Rosarita. I was blown away by how he nailed her accent and her character. He is a very talented voice actor. This was a fab author/reader win. Loved it.

"This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast."

You can't shy away from your resonsibilities

The story was great and the characters were really rich. I liked they gave really good back stories for each of them. The ending does set up the next adventure quite well. The only hard part for me was getting used to the volume difference in the voices of the narrator in the beginning. i ended up listening at a louder level so that I could make out the lower gravely voice of the MC.

Great fun!

Zane Gray meets H.P. Lovecraft -- and it works well! Looking forward to more stories of The Weird West from Mr. Bain!

Weird West with Solid Narration

“Riders where there are no roads” is the first book in the “Riders of the Weird West” series. The new series spawned from a prequel book entitled “The Cowboys of Cthulhu”. The book is written by David Bain and the audiobook edition is skillfully narrated by Daniel Penz; available on Audible. Let me say up front that both horror and paranormal genres are not my favorites, but that aside, I can provide some details on what I liked and what I would have suggested changed had I been a lover of Lovecraft. If you are searching for a western supernatural thriller with some procedural and noir aspects, you may find this audiobook one that fills that niche.

As with many westerns, the story opens with a man who is completely broken and recently hit rock bottom due to his many loses. He has lost his wife, he has battled alcohol, and he comes from a broken family. Because that was not enough punishment, he is a broken badge and has lost his compass in life. A character who simply rides the waves of life, and often does not go against the current. I liked that there was a fair amount of background details provided early in the audiobook as I had not listened to the prequel prior to this review. Having this information helped me to not play catch-up with the story. I enjoyed the subtle blending of fantasy-type creatures within the western theme and the added paranormal portion was a bit of a twist for me. The author did a decent job of bringing in some more modern technologies not often found in a western tale giving a slight steampunk feeling.

I quite liked many of the scenes and how they were verbally painted by the author as well as enhanced by the narrator. Overall there were a few memorable characters in the audiobook. However, I wanted to have more complex characters having both dimension and purpose. This story seemed to lack some of that for me. We had the overarching main goal, but I wanted to know more about the characters and why they acted in the way they did; what drove them. I also found the use of some unique weapons and tools used by the main character in reaching his goal welcomed. When I was done, I felt there needed to be more. More action, more purpose, more drive, more pain, etc. Maybe this will be coming in future books in the series or it is more in the style of Lovecraft style, but I wanted them here in this story as well.

I can say that the story was a bit slow getting started, but once it was moving, things progressed at a good pace. In places I found the story to be confusing and it was rather easy to get lost if you were not giving the material your full attention; which can be difficult with Audiobooks at times. As I had no real background information, apart from what was provided in this audiobook, some of the events felt like I was watching a Hana Barbara dream induced television program which often feel normal in a strange way. The series title fits it well when it is called “Riders of the weird west”. The story had plenty of demons, shadow-beasts (horse like creatures) along with some rather odd death events and experiences. For me, it needed more connection and cohesiveness along with sometimes of intense action and quiet times often found in storytelling. I like to listen to audiobooks and feel like I’m riding a rollercoaster with my emotions. Here in this tale it seems lacking.

The audiobook’s narration was professionally produced and recorded by Daniel Penz who wonderfully narrates the “Easytown Novels” series which I highly recommend. He has a gritty voice that helps add depth and life to the various characters in the story. There are some add audio effects in a few places, but I can say that they were not overly used. The narration was clean of any noticeable audio artifacts (swallows, page turns, etc.) and the voicing was crisp and clear. Even his ability to properly voice not only characters with accents but female characters as well always surprises me. Each character’s personality comes forward and feels alive. Even if you might not be a fan of this audiobook, I recommend you give his other narrations a try.

Parents and younger listeners, this audiobook contains many mature themes and subject matter that may not be something younger audiences would want to listen too. It contains vulgar language, drug use, broken families, crude humor and other components which may not be appropriate for less mature audiences.

In summary, I was hoping the story included more complex and deeper character development. At times the characters felt flat. However, I enjoyed many of the scenes and location which were rather descriptive and colorful keeping me interested along the way. The audiobook’s narration was solid, clear, and contained some grit that gave the main character purpose. If you are a fan of Lovecraft and like blending this in a western story, this may be an audiobook you would want to give a listen too.

Disclaimer: This audiobook was provided at no cost by the author, narrator and/or publisher in exchange for publishing a non-bias review

Exceptional Narrator

before reading this review I must disclose that I was given this book for free. for my unbiased and honest review.
The story was a little difficult to get into as well as follow . But once I was a ways into the book I couldn't put it down, I even went back and listened to parts a second time.
The narrator does a fabulous job with the different characters. the only possible complaint would be that he read a little slow because of the details put into each character.
I would highly recommend this book to anyone that like the X-files or Dr. Who

Riders of the Weird West

If you could sum up Riders Where There Are No Roads in three words, what would they be?

An engaging Weird West book. Mr. Penz's performance was amazing. All those characters with different voices! How does he do it

Which scene was your favorite?

love the setting of this story and the characters were Amazing. All of them. I especially liked Rosarita Bandita. She was something else. I was glued to this audiobook and I'd highly recommend this one not only for the awesome writing but the killer narration

Any additional comments?

This audiobook was provided by the author, narrator, or publisher at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review courtesy of Audiobook Blast

Interesting

I thought the story was interesting enough yet rather slow paced. I speed up the audible version to 1.5x. That helped me to stay with it. I loved the narrator and his use of multiple voices. I think that helped tremendously. I am giving this 4 stars for the original elements of the story and the exceptional narrator. Even if I struggled to finish it...that may just be me having trouble staying focused. I am going through that phase of reading about 5 or 6 books at once right now and trying not to start another before I finish the ones open. Happy to have finished this one deep down...I really can't explain why :/

Did Not Get Lassoed

Didn’t get it. Guys son is kidnapped into a alternate universe. Dad hooks up with a bizarre posse to find him on the other side. Problem is they spend most of their time telling each why they are stuck in the purgatory they find themselves. Not much action that grabbed my attention. Reader was pretty good but there are so many characters I was mid- way through book before I could sort them out. Did not particularly care for or root for any of them. Saw that this is the middle book of a trilogy. It felt like a bridge between those two books rather than one that stands on its own. Had the vibe of a graphic comic. Climactic battle came. Hero won without much trouble and in the end I, like them was glad to get out of the netherworld.

I'm ready for the next ones!

If you could sum up Riders Where There Are No Roads in three words, what would they be?

An engaging Weird West book. Mr. Penz's perfomance was amazing. All those characters with different voices! How does he do it?

What did you like best about this story?

I enjoyed the wonderful telling of this strange story.

What does Daniel Penz bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Each character has his or her own voice, and I could never do that if I were just reading it myself.

If you could rename Riders Where There Are No Roads, what would you call it?

"When the Riding gets Weird, the Weird Start Riding"

Any additional comments?

A great listen. I only wish it had lasted twice as long!

Not my genre, but still fun!

If you could sum up Riders Where There Are No Roads in three words, what would they be?

To be honest this isn't my regular genre, but I love westerns and wanted to delve into the world of the Weird.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Riders Where There Are No Roads?

The best part of the book is the narrator.

What does Daniel Penz bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

I have several fiction books and Daniel Penz gives everyone their own voice. A different voice for each character. That does not often happen and it makes the story easier to keep up with, if this genre is not your passion.