Wraiths of the Broken Land

by S. Craig Zahler
  • $29.95 Hardcover
    ISBN: 978-1-935738-35-0

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    for international rates

  • $15.95 Paperback
    ISBN: 978-1-935738-36-7

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A brutal and unflinching tale that takes many of its cues from both cinema and pulp horror, Wraiths of the Broken Land is like no Western you’ve ever seen or read. Desperate to reclaim two kidnapped sisters who were forced into prostitution, the Plugfords storm across the badlands and blast their way through Hell. This gritty, character-driven piece will have you by the throat from the very first page and drag you across sharp rocks for its unrelenting duration. Prepare yourself for a savage Western experience that combines elements of Horror, Noir and Asian ultra-violence.

You’ve been warned.

Zahler’s debut western novel, A Congregation of Jackals, was nominated for both The Peacemaker award by the Western Fictioneers and The Spur award by the Western Writers of America.

SOON TO BE MADE INTO A MAJOR MOTION PICTURE

Deadline broke the news that 20th Century Fox has struck a deal to have their creative team from The Martian–director Ridley Scott, screenwriter Drew Goddard, and producers Simon Kinberg, Michael Schaefer, and Aditya Sood–adapt Wraiths of the Broken Land into a feature film. The author and editors behind the book provide details at Yahoo Finance and Fangoria.

What They’re Saying About S. Craig Zahler

“Zahler’s a fabulous story teller whose style catapults his reader into the turn of the century West with a ferocious sense of authenticity.”
—Kurt Russell, star of Tombstone, Escape from New York, Dark Blue, and Death Proof

“If you’re looking for something similar to what you’ve read before, this ain’t it. If you want something comforting and predictable, this damn sure ain’t it.  But if you want something with storytelling guts and a weird point of view, an unforgettable voice, then you want what I want, and that is this.”
—Joe R. Lansdale author of Edge of Dark Water

“[C]ompulsively readable…. Fans of Zahler’s A Congregation of Jackals (2010) will be satisfied; think Quentin Tarantino’s Django Unchained. [C]lever mayhem … leads to a riveting climax.”
Booklist

“It would be utterly insufficient to say that Wraiths is the most diversified and expertly written western I’ve ever read. You’ll smell the stink, taste the blood, feel the grit, hear the screams, and blow the burned gunpowder right out of your nose. Zahler puts his reader into possession of the dim, grim era with the command of guys like Max Brand and Owen Wister, and unleashes an avalanche of action like a genetic cross between Peckinpah, Takashi Miike, and Abel Ferrara.”
—Edward Lee author of The Bighead and Gast

Wraiths always rings true, whether it’s visiting the depths of despair, the fury of violence, or the fragile ties that bind us together for good or ill. It’s a Western with heart and intelligence, always vivid, with characters you will detest or care about or both, powerfully written.”
—Jack Ketchum author of I’m Not Sam

Wraiths of the Broken Land is a classic Western that’s been twisted into the shape of a snarling monster, shot full of violence, anger, and pain, and dipped in horror.  [I]t will please fans of crime, horror, dark fantasy, and literary fiction alike. It’s a brutal and wonderfully gritty tale full of darkness and superb writing.”  —Gabino Iglesias, Out Of The Gutter Online

“Zahler does everything right with Wraiths of the Broken Land. The book pulls you under and never lets you up, the cruelty he dishes out throughout the novel – to both our heroes and villains – is vicious at best, and the ending is so powerful that it’s debatable as to who the victors really are in this bloodbath of a book.”—HorrorTalk