i really enjoyed the western humor element, the characters were great and I really enjoyed reading this. I enjoyed the humor moments and hope there is more in this series.

This is a wild-west novella set at the end of the 19th Century with an addition of a supernatural twist. Somewhat graphic descriptive but along with a plentiful amount of colourful humours characters that was something I could live with. I enjoyed the story a great deal and it made me chuckle on a few occasions. Even though it is a short story (about 100 pages) it warps all ends up perfectly. Hopefully you will enjoy it too. If nothing else you may remember the dog and a particular meal it has.

A wild-west novella at the end of the 19th Century is only about 100 pages and is a delightful tale with a supernatural twist. People die and there are plenty of colourful characters.

Haji Outlaw (great example of nominative determinism with this tale!) utilizes razor sharp descriptions and dialogue. Some authors take hundred's one words to bring characters to life, not Haji;

"Sheriff Jackson was best described by his two main attributes - a bulging beer belly and low moral character"

William Tuck against Eddie Damon is the inevitable showdown and when it comes the result is satisfying. The main force of the story is Lilith a supernatural being who appears and disappears at will whilst always pulling strings in a particular direction.

For such a short book the end wraps things up perfectly. I enjoyed this story a great deal. If you read this you probably will to. If nothing else you may remember the dog and a particular meal it has.

Thank you Netgalley for my ARC.

A fun western tale full of the themes we know and love so much. Riding into town with the tumbleweed blowing before the horse. Saloons, Sheriff’s jail, A good hanging m, A whorehouse and gunslingers shooting it out.
Written with humour and over worked language that raises the piece above the mundane.
I believe the author is paying homage to the Wild West and the outlaw whose reputation went before them and drew ever increasing rewards on wanted posters; dead or alive.
The author however turns the narrative on its head by making it a darker story lightened by dark humour and focuses on the myths and false histories of the worst gunmen.
The story is about William P Tuck who is approached by some spirit in the form of an alluring woman to leave his reformed life living under an assumed name and seek out a notorious outlaw Eddie Damon. Someone who many claim rides again and even more believe they have gunned him down across the west.
Life is cheap but the focus is on the crass notion of the fasted gun and gangs riding and killing innocent citizens trying to make a living in small towns.
The author has many examples of the harsh realities of this frontier existence and an ever increasing body count of simpleton gunslingers too slow on the draw.
Some of the best lines are reserved for Lilith the female sprite who plagues Tuck and drives him on for the showdown duel to the death.
If you set aside one’s normal story reading for this allegorical and thought provoking account of the themes of the typical western yarn you will appreciate the effort author Haji Outlaw brings to this book. Taken in its entirety it is a clever idea well executed. It may not always work seamlessly but it stands the genre up and without poking fun at fans of the western brings nuance and reflection.

Mangelscarre, Nevada. In the town saloon, while an inebriated lady was "tickling the ivory with timing and grace", infamous gunslinger, Eddie Damon "...proceeded to kill every living soul in the saloon...Mangelscarre now changed completely." The year was 1895.

Droughton, Nevada's watering hole, Crosses Saloon, was run by William Cross, proprietor. William was an "ordinary-built" man "with a look of sourpuss". "A beautiful pig-tailed vixen...[wearing] Plain Jane attire" asked William Cross to kill a man. The sensuous Lilith wanted Eddie Damon dead. "You, William are the man I seek". You see, William Cross was really William Tuck, gunslinger...but...William had been on the path to righteousness.

In the "whiskey-madness" of saloons, tall tales spread like wildfire. Are William Tuck and Eddie Damon dead or alive? Whereabouts might they be found, if alive? The "supernatural" spitfire Lilith whispered in William's ear, Killing is always good for the soul".

In "Mangelscarre" by Haji Outlaw, two vaunted gunslingers travel through shoot'em up towns that contain the requisite saloon and brothel. Author Outlaw's humorous, western mystery is pure fun.

Thank you Haji Outlaw and Net Galley for the opportunity to read and review "Mangelscarre".