Wade, James

From reptiles in the swamp hunting prey, to reptilian men, cold and calculating, beasts feature in this disturbing novel. Best for readers who don’t mind brutal if the prose is beautiful.

Mixing classic Western tropes with current concerns, this literary historical has a contemporary edge. With its lyrical language and philosophical asides, it may appeal mostly to readers of Cormac McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses or Patrick deWitt’s The Sisters Brothers.