WILD
by Lincoln Crisler
Damnation Books
(March 2011, $12.50, 65 pages)


When I began reading Wild, I was surprised at the size of the novella: only 65 pages and divided into five parts that change between third-person narrative and a personal account from one of the main characters. I couldn’t remember what the genre was supposed to be, even though I was told in advance, so my first impression was that this tale was a murder mystery set in 1886 in El Paso, Texas.

Deputy Kearney recruits a man named Matthias Jacoby to investigate the disappearances of Colonel Albert Waters and his son. Jacoby has a reputation for solving cases that the lawmen can’t solve on their own. Not far into the plot, Jacoby invites Vargas, a doctor, to join him and Kearney on their trip. They also bring Black Tom Catch, an outlaw with special contacts, to ride with them.  Despite the flip-flopping point of view, which includes passages from “Journeys with Jacoby Published 1890, by Juan Vargas,” and the numerous characters, the storyline flows smoothly.

While Jacoby and his comrades seek suspects and information for what they believe is a kidnapping, they come across the remnants of a campfire. As they search the area, they “smelled their attackers” before they see them. I wondered at the nature of the attackers shambling after the group of riders; as I read further along, this western-mystery crossed into the horror genre. Crisler does a fantastic job of describing the action without relying on too much gore. (Too often lately, authors think lots of blood equivocates to horror.)

I am used to zombies being victims of a virus, but in this case, they are the result of a hechicero – a wizard who has made a pact with the Devil. Do not mistake these for simple voodoo zombies either; the more that Jacoby learns about the hechicero, the more he believes they are dealing with an Aztec priest who worships a dark god. However, Jacoby and company still can’t figure out why the Colonel and his son were taken.

What begins as a simple setting in the old west quickly turns into a complicated thriller. Wild is fast-paced without wasting time on poetic descriptions of the landscape and the author doesn’t burden the story with too many characters, which I appreciated immensely. Crisler does an amazing job balancing the elements of all the sub-genres in his work of fiction. By the end, you feel for every character and their respective fates.

I am not a fan of “alternative” zombie stories, but Wild won me over; I look forward to reading more by Lincoln Crisler.

-Ursula K. Raphael
Ursula K. Raphael is a graduate of the University of South Dakota with a B.A. in English & Sociology, and lives in Grand Rapids, MI, with her husband and son. She is currently writing short stories for horror anthologies, and mostly reviews science fiction, fantasy and horror books. You can contact her at Twitter or Facebook.