Sorrow Draw

By: Tim Brumbaugh

Narrated by: Justin Crunkleton

An Alternate History/Post-Apocalypse/Western genre fusion.

The American Civil War ended in 1863 when a comet struck North Africa, plunging the world into an environmental disaster that survivors call The Calamity. Eighteen years later, former Union soldier Cornelius Conny White turned to bounty hunting for a New England warlord. Survival in a post-apocalyptic United States is hard and cruel, and Conny can feel his humanity slowly ebbing away. When a job takes him and his partner, a Bedouin exile named Farhad, on a long journey through a desolate and dust-choked South, they find themselves in Sorrow Draw, a mysterious town in what used to be the state of Texas.

A violent clash between the former slave population and the ruthless Paluxy Boys gang, led by a tyrannical preacher named John Mothershed, threatens to pull Conny into the bloody fray. Haunted by the vile things he's done in the past, Conny must choose between losing what's left of his humanity or risking everything to find redemption and save his found family.

Sorrow Draw is a Post-Apocalyptic Alternate History Western novel that reimagines a past in which the American Civil War is interrupted by an apocalyptic extinction event. The few who survive must struggle through the hardships of navigating a now barren and empty world. It's a grimdark tale of sacrifice, honor, love, and the human will to endure.

©2024 Tim K Brumbaugh (P)2024 Tim K Brumbaugh

Dark, unique, and somehow familiar.

A nice mixture of likable and unlikable characters with well done backstories and motivations. I loved the real star of the story, the world setting. A post apocalypse world where a catastrophe abruptly ends the American civil war and most of organized society.

I really enjoyed the characters and the pacing of the book. I was pleasantly surprised by the diversity of the characters.

The setting feels like a mashup between the film Tombstone and Cormac McCarthy’s two novels Blood Meridian and The Road. Less bleak, but no less serious. I really enjoyed the setting and the uniqueness of it. As a civil war buff, the alternate history was a nice touch.

At first, I wasn't sure if I was going to like the narrator. It's all personal taste, but Justin Crunkleton’s voice and slower draw fit the story and grew on me. I ended up enjoying his narration of the book after the first chapter or so.

The narrator did a good job with bringing out some of the character's personalities.

A few times I could hear a mouse click at the end of the chapters, which was slightly immersion breaking, but not something that ruined the book for me.


I definitely recommend this book to anyone who enjoys a dark setting, post apocalypse, or western story. Or, anyone that's looking for something unique with a familiar feel to it.

I can't wait for the next installments of this series.

Timothy brumbaugh is the Mozart of telling stories so vivid you feel like you really know the characters in real life 👍👍

Sorrow Draw is by far the best book I've read in 20 years hands down ! Tim Brumbaugh is the Mozart of telling stories so vivid you feel like you really know the characters in real life. Right from the start Conny, Farhad, Nikki, and Crowkiller become the heroes of this tale and you get completely drawn in and invested in their journey to California and the possibilities of a better life. And you can't wait to see what's gonna happen next on their journey. It gets good really fast ! His character development is on another level like I have never seen before. I highly recommend this book to anyone looking for a good read Sorrow Draw delivers and then some 👍👍. This was just the book I needed to get me back into reading ! :) I absolutely can't wait for the second part to come out , and I can't wait to see what's next. 10 Stars ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐