Drachman's book is a genre-bending page-turner. When I think about the laundry list of things that are in the book (gun slinging adventures, evil plots from all around the world, mythological creatures, a very manly woman (or is it a womanly man?), NYC in 1860s, J. P. Morgan and his love interests, the wild west, prison breaks, cowboys, outlaws, broadway shows...) I wonder how any of it came together to make any sense, but it all does. Drachman writes well, though the language sometimes borders on cliche, but not often enough to make me roll my eyes or stop reading. The narrator often addresses the reader and comments on the actual happenings of the story, which at times is perfectly done and at times it is a bit too much. The only time I found myself lost in a way I did not want to be lost was during the change of direction into the story of the town of Sidonia. Especially the beginning of this, for about 20 pages, I kept wondering "Where is this going?" but the writing and the story was captivating, so I was able to keep reading.
I'll be looking out for the continued adventures of Watt O'Hugh III. ( )

Ghosts has a big heart and will appeal to lovers of Western mash-ups. You’ve got mysticism. You’ve got zombies. You’ve got a fascist utopia. You’ve got time travel. You’ve got ghosts and gunfighters. You’ve got politics. But it’s carried off with a restrained quality that prevents the story from careening off the rails. Even the violence is restrained. The reluctant hero, Watt O’Hugh, tends to the laconic, and he relates his shootouts in matter-of-fact style. In fact, I would describe the predominant emotional tone of the novel as melancholic. In some ways, The Ghosts of Watt O’Hugh is a tragic romance. The reluctant hero has lost his one true love and spends much of the novel pining for her or seeking her out.

Numerous hanging threads are left to a sequel – Why is Watt aided (and his shot guided true) by a gang of ghosts? What are the plans of the supposedly good (questionably so) time-traveling master who helps him escape from jail? What exactly are the leaders of the utopia doing? How are they taking over cities and driving violence before them? How do they control the zombies (deadlings) they create? What exactly is the utopian leader’s purpose for creating these deadlings? How have they accessed so much mystical power? Watt finds himself just trying to survive his adventures against this mysterious backdrop—he trusts no one and gets few clear answers. Like Watt, I was also left wanting to understand the situation more clearly and was left unsure what to believe. Looks like a sequel might be needed to puzzle together the pieces.

I reckon 4 stars for lovers of Westerns, 3 stars for those who don’t cotton to the genre.
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Genre: Defies categorization!
Rating: 4.5 stars.

In The Ghosts of Watt O'Hugh, Steven S. Drachman effectively blends several different genres - fantasy, science fiction, tall tales, and American folklore (I'm sure I'm forgetting some) - and the result is a dazzling hallucination of a frontier adventure with an Alice in Wonderland vibe that defies categorization.

At its core, The Ghosts of Watt O'Hugh is a tale of unrealized love and the pursuit of one man to assuage heartache by reuniting with the woman he loves. It's an intense, poignant romp and Watt's dry, understated voice lends it an easy and natural humor. This is a wonderful tale filled with the unexpected. An excellent read that I couldn't put down!

~Vlad Vaslyn~
Author of Brachman's Underworld” ( )