Review: The Widow's Son, by Ryan Williamson

[easyazon_link identifier="B08ZHQC124" locale="US" tag="upstreamreviews-20"]The Widow's Son[/easyazon_link] is an epic continent-sprawling weird west adventure. A federal agent with a mysterious background and a sharpshooting young widow team up to find her kidnapped child and prevent the end of the world. Along the way, the duo gain help from a steam mech-piloting Buffalo Soldier and a nun who has mastered the art of the blade. Traveling by horse, ship, steamboat, and zeppelin, this band of misfits faces off against vampires, zombies, demons, and the skin walker witch who wants to sacrifice the widow's son in an evil ritual and get vengeance on the world.

Deal alert: On the date of this review, The Widow's Son is only $0.99 on Kindle!

The story

Zarahemla Two Crows is a federal agent looking for a young settler widow's child, kidnapped by a Navajo skin walker. A major complication for Two Crows is that the widow insists on tagging along in the search, although her skill with a rifle comes in handy. In their search, the duo come across a unit of Buffalo Soldiers making camp at a small pueblo around an old Spanish mission. When they discover a vampire in their midst, Zarahemla, the widow, the soldiers and the town must work together to discover the monster.

In the aftermath of the  battle, they are joined by a cavalryman and young nun, an initiate of a holy order of vampire hunters. These four heroes journey to find the lost child by land, air and sea across the American Southwest, the bayous of Louisiana, the Gulf of Mexico and the jungles of the Yucatan battling (and at times enlisting the help of) horrible monsters as they go.

They discover that the abducted child is not the only one in danger, as the skin walker kidnapper embarks on a mission of genocide which the heroes must stop at all costs.

The characters

Zarahemla Two Crows' background is largely a mystery, but he is truly at home in the open country of the Wild West. Rumor has it he was raised by jackalopes. Two Crows is a strong-but-silent type who unflinchingly faces the most horrific and deadly foes that mankind has known, but blushes at the attention of a pretty girl. His sense of propriety, honor, and frankly, prudishness make him all the more loveable. More than that, his faith and optimism hold the group together even as the forces of evil do their best to tear them apart.

The widow Anne Henry is haunted by her past, wracked by guilt for many things in her life, allowing her youngest son to be taken not least among them. Her maternal instinct manifests as pure ruthlessness in tracking down her son and bringing his abductors to justice and enacting retribution for the evil she encounters along the way. In the push and pull between Zarahemla and Anne, a romance begins to bud, and you can't help but root for the two of them as Zarahemla's rigid sense of propriety and Anne's demons (metaphorical and literal) get in their way.

Isaiah Simmons is a cavalryman and Buffalo Soldier. In this case,  that means he pilots a steam-powered battle-mech across the deserts of the American Southwest. After his unit is decimated in a battle with the undead, Simmons opts to join the quest to find Anne's baby and save the world.

Magdalena is a knife-wielding Catholic nun, anxiously awaiting her initiation into an order of vampire hunters. When her initiation becomes delayed, she yearns to prove herself so that she can finally take her vows and become a true warrior of God. However, God might have other plans, and though her faith is strong, she will struggle to ascertain His will.

This is a group of characters who learn to work together and care about each other. Inevitably when one of them falters, another is there, if not to catch them, then to help them up off the ground.

The world

The Widow's Son takes place in a kitchen sink world of American Indian folklore, Christian and Christianized pagan mythology, and steam-punk Weird West machines that is a whole lot of fun. The year is 1867, two years after the American Civil War. Magic is still met with skepticism, but steam-powered battle mechs and zeppelin battleships are well known. The wilderness is full of monsters, from skin walkers to vampires to zombies to cannibal lizardmen. Angels and Demons will take the form of pagan gods and mystical creatures, and they actively intervene in the affairs of mortals.

Also, there is a spear that can be thrown as a lightning bolt. How cool is that?

The politics

I don't think there is anything that could be identified as Right or Left Politics in this book. The story is an explicitly Christian one. The importance of faith is emphasized time and again, and prayer works. Pagan gods exist as either angels in service of God or demons in the service of Hell.

Content warning

There is plenty of violence to go around here. Eyes and hearts get torn out, though the descriptions are not overly graphic. There is also a serious depiction of suicide. Williams also does not shy away from using profanity when it is in character. While this is Christian fiction, it is not for children.

Who is it for?

Anyone who loves action-packed weird westerns would absolutely love this novel. Honestly, I would recommend it to anyone who likes epic adventure fantasy in general.

Why read it?

Come for the epic battles with magic, monsters, and machines, stay for the comradery between likeable characters who genuinely care for one another.