I’ve stated time and again that describing new works using existing ones is lazy and reductive. But this book is impossible not to compare. So here we go. A western Shape of Water tale.
And if you’re thinking what? how? The west is dusty and arid and aquatic creatures need…well, aqua, then you’re absolutely right. It’s an undeniable fact and one the author inexplicably chooses not to address. At all. At no point during the 190 or so pages of this volume is it mentioned that the eponymous Charlie Fish, fished out and forced to live on land, needs or requires or might die without water. Go figure.
But then again, the author kind of gets away with that logistical snafu because the book is so good. I don’t even particularly like westerns and I can recognize the beauty within these pages, the easy-flowing, organic narrative style, the profoundly engaging characters, the almost-musicality of writing.
The story itself is very simple and straight-forward. In 1900 Galveston, Texas, a freshly cobbled-by-circumstance-together family (a widow, a lone man, two young orphan siblings–a seer and a gunslinger, and a sea creature) fights to survive a pair of scoundrels AND the most devastating natural disaster to hit US.
Their abode might not be high enough for the rising waters, but their moral ground is as elevated as K2, which in many ways doubles their work and the danger.
All in all, this book was an absolutely pleasure to read, one that went by quickly, delighting and entertaining throughout. Recommended. Thanks Netgalley.

this was such a fun concept for a Weird Western novel, Josh Rountree has a great voice within the pages and had great characters. I was hooked from the description and thought it worked as both a western and a supernatural story. I was glad I got to read this and thought it worked well. I can't wait to read more from the author.

"Decay had hold of the buildings. Nothing but splintered, whitewashed wood and a few bits of crumbling brick and stone that had been hauled in from God knows where. Rust pocked nearly every bit of metal—the creaking fence that surrounded the churchyard, the troughs at the livery, the work bell hanging at the mill. Dark mold climbed the walls and covered the roofs."

First, thank you for the opportunity to read this book and go on an adventure with these characters.
This book was a great story about loss, family/found family, perseverance, with a little magic. The characters are all interconnected in different ways and shows their paths lining up and the choices they make for one another.
We have a wide array of characters from your average human, to fish people, some smart witches, and a young sharpshooter.
I like the addition of real historical events which makes the story much more interesting. In this case, the Galveston hurricane of 1900.
It held my attention the entire way and I could not put it down so I could see what happened next. The ending was bittersweet but nonetheless a good ending to a good story.
Anyone who picks this one up will not regret it !

When Joe R Lansdale says 'You Need This', I say I have to take the advice, particularly if he is pointing to a Weird Western by an author I have not read before.
Floyd Betts is traveling to the small town he grew up in to give the preacher 10 dollars to bury his old man, his Aunt is too cheap and too nasty to pay the bill. Mid argument with the preacher he finds a pair of recently orphaned children and decides to rescue them. The family grows buy one more on the trip home to Galveston, this time is not another orphan but a man/fish/sea creature named Charlie Fish. But the rescue of Charlie results in two scoundrels becoming the found family enemy. Thrown in the worst natural disaster ever to hit Northern American and some of the best dialogue you get this side of True Grit (no doubt one of the author's favourite books, loving tributes are within).
I have no doubt this will be in my top five reads of the year (and I am saying this in January!), and I am now looking to get my hands on some of the authors short story collections.

The Legend of Charlie Fish is a cracking Western yarn that hooked me from the start. Whether or not it actually needs its eponymous gill-man to be a compelling tale was a question I asked throughout my time with this book – but that’s more of an aftereffect of how invested I became in the other characters that were the main focus of the story.

By recounting their past tales of loss and longing, Rountree effectively crafts deep characterizations for each of his cast members and makes you care for their plight, especially during the breathless final act as a colossal hurricane bears down on their Galveston locale.

I was thoroughly taken with this story, Rountree’s writing, and the unique island setting. Definitely add this to your TBRs.