# "Weird West" recommendations please **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [April 27, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520 "2009-04-27T17:13:24Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Dan\_Norder](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/4af34b/32.png) [@Dan\_Norder](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dan_Norder)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 5:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/1 "2009-04-27T17:13:24Z")
I’m looking for new examples of Weird West stories – fiction set in the Wild West with gunslingers, Indians, and so forth, but with some major genre twist. The differences can be from the more typical horror/supernatural, science fiction, mystery but also outright mythology, superhero or the like. A few examples: _The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr._; _Firefly_ (although Space Westerns probably don’t really qualify); _Tex Arcana_; _Generation Hex_; the _Deadlands_ role-playing game. Anyone have any favorites they’d like to recommend? The more obscure, old (I’m especially interested in the earliest examples) and just plain _weird_ it is, the better. Oh, and some info beyond just the title is welcome, but if there are any spoilers please put them in spoiler tags. ---
**Author:** ![Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/3d9bf3/32.png) [@Tapioca\_Dextrin](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Tapioca_Dextrin)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 5:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/2 "2009-04-27T17:25:32Z")
[Cowboys vs. Dinosaurs](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gwangi) and [Cowboys vs. Vampires](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/From_Dusk_Till_Dawn_3:_The_Hangman%27s_Daughter) are two movies that spring to mind. If you want something written, how about [Cowboys vs. Zeppelins](http://www.subterraneanpress.com/Merchant2/merchant.mv?Screen=PROD&Store_Code=SP&Product_Code=lansdale12)? Obscure and weird? How about [Six-gun Gorilla](http://www.hampsteadandnorreys.co.uk/wizard-sixgun-gorilla-18march1939-p-74.html)? ---
**Author:** ![Miller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/miller/32/481_2.png) [@Miller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Miller)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 5:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/3 "2009-04-27T17:34:10Z")
[Iron West](http://www.amazon.com/Iron-West-Doug-TenNapel/dp/1582406308), by Doug TenNapel, is pretty cool. It features cowboys fighting robots. ---
**Author:** ![Bridget\_Burke](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/b/7cd45c/32.png) [@Bridget\_Burke](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bridget_Burke)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 5:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/4 "2009-04-27T17:40:43Z")
Mark Frost, co-creator of _Hill Street Blues_ and _Twin Peaks_, wrote _The List of Seven_. In which young doctor A Conan Doyle investigates occult shenanigans & is drawn into eldrich events. He also assists a remarkable character who inspires his later literary work. A ripping yarn–set in England. In the sequel, _The Six Messiahs_, Doyle encounters the uncanny while on an American tour–mostly, Out West. I didn’t love this book as much as the previous one, but do wish a series had followed. Frost is now writing books about golf… ETA: S P Somtow’s _Moon Dance_ tells about werewolves in the Old West! Grim & Gory! ---
**Author:** ![Reno\_Nevada](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/r/6f9a4e/32.png) [@Reno\_Nevada](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Reno_Nevada)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/5 "2009-04-27T17:48:14Z")
\*Devil’s Tower \*and _Devil’s Engine_, by Mike Sumner, are very much like Deadlands in background. During the Civil War, magic started working again. A few people are very powerful. This does not contribute to society stability in the West. ---
**Author:** ![Odesio](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/odesio/32/20003_2.png) [@Odesio](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Odesio)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/6 "2009-04-27T18:00:03Z")
_Grim Prarie Tales_ starring James Earl Jones isn’t the greatest movie in the world but it fits the criteria. It’s about two folks on the prarie telling one another wild west tales of the macabre. Odesio ---
**Author:** ![BubbaDog](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bubbadog/32/333_2.png) [@BubbaDog](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/BubbaDog)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 6:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/7 "2009-04-27T18:02:08Z")
The \*\*Wild Wild West \*\* TV show from the late 60’s was a cross between secret agent and western themes. The movie with Will Smith was a very poor ripoff of it. ---
**Author:** ![AuntiePam](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/f19dbf/32.png) [@AuntiePam](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/AuntiePam)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 6:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/8 "2009-04-27T18:20:55Z")
_Dead in the West_ by Joe Lansdale is a fine little zombie western. Tim Lebbon has written a couple of weird western novellas that I liked a lot – _Pieces of Hate_ and _Dead Man’s Hand_. _Incident at Twenty Mile_ by Trevanian isn’t quite “weird”, but it has a psycho serial killer and it’s a good read. _The Flight of Michael McBride_ by Midori Snyder takes a long time to **get** to the west, but when it does, it rocks. It’s only slightly supernatural though. ---
**Author:** ![Labtrash](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/labtrash/32/528_2.png) [@Labtrash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Labtrash)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 6:25pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/9 "2009-04-27T18:25:02Z")
[Tremors 4: The Legend Begins](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0334541/) goes back to the Old West - with graboids! ---
**Author:** ![II\_Gyan\_II](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/bbe5ce/32.png) [@II\_Gyan\_II](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/II_Gyan_II)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 6:33pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/10 "2009-04-27T18:33:51Z")
[Dead Man](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112817/). ---
**Author:** ![Chronos](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/chronos/32/134_2.png) [@Chronos](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Chronos)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 9:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/11 "2009-04-27T21:26:29Z")
> [@](#): > > Mark Frost, co-creator of Hill Street Blues and Twin Peaks, wrote The List of Seven. In which young doctor A Conan Doyle investigates occult shenanigans & is drawn into eldrich events. He also assists a remarkable character who inspires his later literary work. A ripping yarn–set in England. While we’re at it, the first Sherlock Holmes story, _A Study in Scarlet_, was partly set in Utah. On a completely different note, there’s a short story (I think by LeGuin) called “Buffalo gals won’t you come out tonight”, that takes place mostly in the spirit world of the animals. ---
**Author:** ![Drunky\_Smurf](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/drunky_smurf/32/449_2.png) [@Drunky\_Smurf](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Drunky_Smurf)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 9:34pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/12 "2009-04-27T21:34:50Z")
> [@II\_Gyan\_II](#): > > [Dead Man](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0112817/). Seconded. ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/13 "2009-04-27T21:40:17Z")
Dead Man, as mentioned above, all time great masterpiece. Also: _[The Burrowers](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0445939/)_: astonishingly stylish and entertaining western horror film: cowboys versus monsters that come out of the ground at night. Lots of racism–the cowboys assume for the first half of the movie that “Burrowers” is the name of an Indian tribe. One of this year’s best straight-to-video indie films. _[The Valley of Gwangi](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0065163/)_: the best Cowboys-vs-Dinosaurs movie ever made. (Thanks to Cervaise, I think, for introducing me to this, uh, gem.) ---
**Author:** ![lissener](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/lissener/32/6139_2.png) [@lissener](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lissener)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 9:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/14 "2009-04-27T21:44:47Z")
Also, _[Sukiyaki Western Django](http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0906665/)_, one of last year’s most insanely entertaining movies, is a hyperviolent, surreal, Japanese Spaghetti Western. Includes a cameo of Quentin Tarantino talking in a thick Japanese accent. ---
**Author:** ![gytalf2000](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ac91a4/32.png) [@gytalf2000](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/gytalf2000)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 9:49pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/15 "2009-04-27T21:49:42Z")
H. P. Lovecraft’s “Cthulhu Mythos” meets the American Frontier: > **[Frontier Cthulhu: Ancient Horrors in the New World (Call of Cthulhu Fiction):...](https://www.amazon.com/Frontier-Cthulhu-Ancient-Horrors-Fiction/dp/1568822197)** > > Frontier Cthulhu: Ancient Horrors in the New World (Call of Cthulhu Fiction) \[William Jones, William Jones, Steven Gilberts, Lee Clark Zumpe\] on Amazon.com. \*FREE\* shipping on qualifying offers. Frontier Cthulhu: Ancient Horrors in the New World... Not all the stories are set in the West, but several are! ---
**Author:** ![Icerigger](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/icerigger/32/432_2.png) [@Icerigger](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Icerigger)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 10:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/16 "2009-04-27T22:58:57Z")
Maybe, Clint Eastwood’s **The Beguiled**. > **[Beguiled](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Beguiled)** > > Beguiled or The Beguiled can refer to: ---
**Author:** ![detop](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/bcef8e/32.png) [@detop](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/detop)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 11:13pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/17 "2009-04-27T23:13:59Z")
Brett Davis’ two paleontological SF novels _Bone Wars_ and its sequel _Two Tiny Claws_ would fit the bill. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 11:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/18 "2009-04-27T23:18:36Z")
_Mad Amos_ by Alan Dean Foster features the mountain man Mad Amos, mostly in the Old West. He encounters a lot of weirdness ( like a displaced Chinese dragon ), and knows an incredible amount of interesting lore. ---
**Author:** ![Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/bosda_di_chi_of_tricor/32/16845_2.png) [@Bosda\_Di\_Chi\_of\_Tricor](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Bosda_Di_Chi_of_Tricor)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 11:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/19 "2009-04-27T23:40:57Z")
Robert E. Howard, crator of Conan the Barbarian, wrote several Weird West stories, collected in _Trails In Darkness_. ---
**Author:** ![malkavia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/malkavia/32/5621_2.png) [@malkavia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/malkavia)\ **Post date:** [April 27, 2009, 11:44pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520/20 "2009-04-27T23:44:05Z")
What about The Dark Tower series? Particularly, The Gunslinger. [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/weird-west-recommendations-please/494520.md?page=2)