'The Magpie Coffin' – Wile E. Young (Death's Head Press)

I don't know if it's an English thing, a generational thing or just a 'me thing' but I've never really been into Westerns. I read the first installment of 'Nunslinger', way back in December, last year, and I think that was the first time I've ever read a Western; I'll watch 'The Magnificent Seven' if it's on but I'm the kind of contrary guy that prefers to watch 'Battle Beyond the Stars' instead.

So what am I doing here, having just read 'The Magpie Coffin' and gearing myself up to tell you how great it was (sorry, spoiler...)? It's that Wile E. Young, that's who it is... I've enjoyed what I've read of his work and when I saw mention of a 'splatter Western', I knew I had to have it on my Kindle. And so I did.

It took me a little while to get round to reading 'The Magpie Coffin' (homeschooling during Lockdown is a nightmare for the likes of me, the girls are refusing to let me teach them maths now...) but when I finally did, I couldn't put it down until I'd finished it. 'The Magpie Coffin' is perhaps not a book to read on a full stomach but it is absolutely a book that you need to read if you like your Westerns full of splatter...

The year is 1875 and outlaw Salem Covington has spent the last twenty years collecting stories, possessions, and lives. Nicknamed "The Black Magpie" for his exploits during the war, Salem has carved a bloody trail across the western territories. Informed that his mentor, Comanche shaman Dead Bear, has been murdered. Salem vows vengeance on the perpetrators. Enlisting the help of an army scout and preserving the body of his mentor in a specially made coffin, he sets out in pursuit. But the choices of Salem's past that earned him the moniker "Black Magpie" are riding hard behind him and the only weapon that can kill him might not be as far away as he thinks.

So, where does a chap start with a book like 'The Magpie Coffin' when he only has a very limited knowledge of Westerns? 'The Magpie Coffin' is one mean bastard of a book that will take you places that you don't want to go, and see things that you'd rather not, but will tell you a story that you will fight to stay on top of but will not consider quitting on. It's just too good to put down. Salem Covington treads a dark path but his own code of honour drives the story with a passion and makes him a far more interesting person to follow than you'd think when you first meet him. Twitter tells me that there's at least one more adventure in the offing and that is just brilliant, Salem Covington is bigger than just one story and I'm looking forward to seeing who he kills next.

But back to this story. Drawing on that limited knowledge of Westerns (last time I'll mention it, maybe), the main theme of 'The Magpie Coffin' is revenge which is a totally 'Western thing'. Covington being the man he is, you'd think that this would be a fairly straightforward tale, a little too straightforward maybe... You'd be wrong, I was wrong. Covington can be killed and he can be (and is) regularly brought low by his own arrogance as much as his ability to trust the wrong person. This keeps the plot fresh and gives Wile E. Young ample excuse to bring Splatter Punk to the old West. And I'm not just talking about those explosive scenes where hot lead is flying and doing particularly detailed damage to bad guys (lets just say I have a new found gratitude for my slightly arthritic but mostly working kneecaps...) Young shows us how war can bring out the evil in man, then decides that isn't evil enough so proceeds to really go to town and show us some really messed up shit that made me think things like, 'what the hell?' and, 'did he really write that?' Oh he did, dear reader, he really did and what we end up with is a cross between the pulp serials of old and the SAW movies. I liked it, war is hell after all and there's more than one war being fought here.

What I also got a lot out of was the whole notion of frontiers with much of the action taking place right out on the borders between 'civilisation' and the wild. When you're out on the edges of the world, anything can happen and this is more of a thing in 'The Magpie Coffin' as the frontier stretches into the spiritual world as well. If a Western is about setting yourself against the boundaries of the map, this is doubly true of 'The Magpie Coffin' as Salem Covington sets himself against everything and his Gun is all the leverage that he needs.

And there's what I think is a little link to one of my favourite Brian Keene characters as well, just when I thought that 'The Magpie Coffin' couldn't give any more...

If you hadn't guesed already, I thought 'The Magpie Coffin' was a stunning read and one that you all need to go buy pretty much right now. Seriously, it may turn your stomach a little but that's a small price to pay for a great read. If Death's Head Press can maintain that standard then I think their 'Splatter Western' series could well be one to watch.