What are People Are Saying About Clark Reeper Tales?

The West just got wilder, January 19, 2009

By	Leo F. McElroy (Sacramento, CA USA)

This young author paints with vivid colors, a sly sense of humor, and a broad knowledge of history, particularly pertaining to the occult. His bounty hunter, Clark Reeper, and his 10-year-old adopted son, face a variety of mostly supernatural dangers that the most fabled real cowboys never dreamed of. He mixes fictional characters, folklore, and historic figures with a strong sense of understanding the significance of each. Most of all, this is a fast, vivid, and enjoyable read that never stops entertaining. It would make a great movie, except that it will take a whole series of movies to tell these stories adequately. I can hardly wait.


Clark Reeper Tales: Not your typical western fare..., December 26, 2008

By	J. Westcott (Canada)

I've never been a fan of most typical western novels. I admit that freely. Most are not to my liking. I'm not sure why, but I've always found the stories told in the western genre to be far too limited in scope, relegated mostly to tales of life on the plains, classic "good" vs. "bad" western archetypes (that I don't necessarily agree with) or vengeance tales.

Thankfully, Michael has taken the western genre to a new level. He combines the simple idea of a bounty hunter with some of the most imaginative story concepts of modern day, ranging from vampires and zombies to almost science fiction.

And that's what I love about the Clark Reeper Tales. The situations the lead character finds himself in will appeal to anyone with a sense of wonder and imagination. Expertly written by this young, up and coming author, the works display a sense of humor, a gift for descriptive writing and an interest in history that belies his young age. If this guy is THIS GOOD at THIS AGE, I can't wait to see how good he is in 15 years (he'll still be young even then, which astounds me).

It might not look as slick as a Stephen King novel but believe me when I say there's just as much talent between these covers. If you buy this series of short stories you'll be proud to say that you supported an up and coming author back when he was still a starving artist, and before he wrote a series of novels that were turned into blockbuster films. Take my word for it.

If you're looking for a reading experience that's both professionally done and yet off the beaten path that alternates between pulse pounding action, humor and the macabre, then The Clark Reeper Tales are for you!

Pure fun reading, March 8, 2009 By  M. D. Mendelson (Sacramento, CA USA) It has been a while since I have had such pure fun reading. Michael Panush, an able young tale spinner who many of us got to know first as a teller of biblical stories and fables, has put out his first book, "Clark Reeper Tales" a collection of offbeat and deliciously creepy stories of the Old West. Reeper is a bounty hunter whose quarry are the undead, creatures from elsewhere, intelligent hat-rack robots and other inhabitants of a west wilder than ever described before. I had the occasion to read some of Michael's first works of quirky science fiction - an endless Vietnam War, for one, where the ghosts and revenants of the dead fought on, and other stories constructed with lovely, surreally alien landscapes and people. In these he created an otherworldly detail and deep interior monologue that made his characters real, though wholly weird. The simple truth is that Michael has a knack for storytelling, for pacing and verbal imagery that foretells a long career as a fiction writer. I'm glad I had the chance to see his work at the beginning and I look forward to a lot more stories as he enters his writing career for real. "Clark Reeper Tales" is the work of a maturing young writer who can flesh out (only partially a pun) his characters and construct devilish stories to give them life and purpose. (Purpose, for instance, if you like Roswell, New Mexico in the 1870s with flying-saucer-mounted cattle rustlers and bounty hunter Reeper commissioned to keep the Aliens from taking humans back to their world as laboratory specimens.) There are a lot more stories hard to categorize, such as Edison wanting to electrocute an elephant to demonstrate the evil dangers of alternating current, or time travel from 1870 to 1970 New York from the wild west to the wild east side, from gangs of horse thieves to Manhattan gangbangers. Adding to the book are Jake Delaney's illustrations, among my favorites of these are one of Confederate Werewolves in New Orleans and an Indian riding a zombie horse. I hadn't seen Jake's drawings before, but he's another talent I look forward to seeing more of. As I said, Clark Reeper Tales are good fun to read and your chance to see the first published work of a talented young writer.

keep reading and enjoy the ride, February 28, 2009 By  Marianne Omalley (california) - This is an amazing, fast paced, adventure story with deep humor. Starkly original. Like Clark Reeper, you won't know exactly where you are headed next--but keep reading and enjoy the ride. You will travel around time and space, meeting a giant squid and a mechanical man and being slugged by Richard Nixon's secret servicemen. Reading this debut work by a young writer reminds us that literature changes every generation, but holds great power to entertain, captivate, and inspire us.

Very good, February 19, 2009 By  Meryl A. Shader "slath7" - This is a very good book. It is a combonation of sci-fi and western. Michael Panush is a good writer, but I thought the illastrations were only ok. This is a great book so is your thinking about geting it get it.

Amazing new author!, February 10, 2009 By  Glen Michel "glenano" (Sacramento, California USA) -     This is a quirky, fantasy futuristic tale (tales) written by an amazing new author. He is so young it is hard to believe he is this accomplished. Tongue in cheek sci-fi or "whatever" this is a fun read and I look forward to more.

Incredible debut novel, December 22, 2008 By  M. Wolf - The teenager author shows an incredible sense of history, combined with highly imaginative settings and places. He is worth reading, and letting your friends know that the Western genre is now exploring places never visited before.