This came in for review the other day and I was delighted. I’ve seen both authors’ work a number of times over the year and always enjoy it, and this duo is I fully expected to provide me with an excellent weekend’s reading – and it did.
The Venerable Travels of Ling Fung walks a clever line between the Occident and the Orient in the old west, beginning with Ling Fung deploring the modern manners of his niece before discovering that she had put out flyers all over the area describing him as an assassin and offering his talents. Things go on from there to become still more interesting, and I thoroughly enjoyed all the stories of Ling Fung, and the peculiar events with which he became entangled. David does a very nice weird western at any time, and these are some of the best I’ve read.
Followed by Chin Song Ping and the Long Long Night by Laura Givens, whose stories I am also familiar with, and equally always enjoy.To my initial surprise this began in France in 1945, but I was reassured to find a page or so later than I was back in Wild Western territory and off on a wild ride into demons, dangerous mechanical creatures, mayhem, mystery and murder.
And to cap it all off, the presentation is excellent, the cover (By Laura Giverns too) both cleverly done and attractive, the layout good, and the print a decent size, neither over-large nor too small. The Editor, David Lee Summers has done his usual excellent job, and all in all, this is a nice piece of work. I’d recommend it to any reader who likes Weird Westerns – and to anyone who hasn’t met them yet, this is a great place to start.
