THE GHOST DANCE JUDGEMENT by R.S. Belcher – Review

I received this book for free from the Author in exchange for an honest review. This does not affect my opinion of the book or the content of my review.

The Ghost Dance Judgement by R.S. Belcher
Series: Golgotha #4
Published by Falstaff Books on October 8 2020
Genres: Adult, Fantasy
Pages: 377
Format: Finished paperback
Source: Author
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The nitty-gritty: Another fabulous installment of R.S. Belcher’s weird western Golgotha series, The Ghost Dance Judgement reunites beloved characters and enemies alike, with plenty of action, magic, emotion and humor.

Her eyes were huge in the darkness; her hair had tumbled down around her shoulders. She carried as many scars along her flesh as he did, and in this moment, their scars flowed into one another. Mutt had never seen Maude look more beautiful. Maude’s heart, a heart that she could control, speed or slow as her will decreed, beat wildly of its own accord. She kissed him tenderly, slowly, like savoring the last of a sweet, perfect wine. Her body knew the clock of the spinning world, of the stars and planets, and she knew exactly how long they had. “We have less than an hour,” she said. “Hold me.” And he did.

Oh it’s good to be back in Golgotha! I read the third book in the series—The Queen of Swords—in 2017, but most of that story took place outside Golgotha. The last time I had the pleasure of spending time with these particular characters was in 2014’s The Shotgun Arcana, so you can see it’s been a long time coming. This is a series best read in order, so you should start with The Six-Gun Tarot first. I may have small spoilers from the first three books, but honestly I won’t be giving much away in this review, so there’s no harm in reading it if you aren’t caught up.

The year is 1872, and the small Nevada town of Golgotha is on the brink of a terrible battle. Native American tribes are slowly being pushed out by white settlers, and there is an ongoing clash between the two that only gets worse as time goes by. Jon Highfather is the town’s sheriff, and he has his work cut out for him trying to keep the peace. Things become worse when a group of strangers ride into town on a grim mission to awaken the slumbering monster known as the Greate Olde Wurm, who lies deep beneath Argent Mountain under Golgotha’s silver mine. At the same time, a powerful woman named Izusa is using dark magic to raise a deadly army of ghost warriors. When a local couple is attacked and their baby kidnapped, Jon must join forces with both friends and foes to save the baby and rescue Golgotha from impending doom.

One of the best things about this series are the characters, and I was so happy to see some old favorites from the previous books. The focus this time is on the relationships among them, including some romantic ones. I especially love the friendship between Jon and Mutt, who have been through a lot together over the years, and in this book they are really put through the wringer. But their friendship never wavers, no matter who tries to come between them, and I appreciate that the author didn’t try to inject unneeded drama between them. Then there is the secret relationship between Mayor Harry Pratt and James Ringo, an ultimately tragic relationship that cut to the core. Harry is Mormon and has two wives, but he’s secretly gay and in love with Ringo. Because he’s caught up in the political machinations of Golgotha, he’s betrayed Ringo and has no way to repair what he’s done. Finally, I was thrilled when Maude Stapleton and her daughter Constance make an appearance. Maude is one of the baddest badass women I’ve ever run across in fiction, and I just can’t get enough of her!

Belcher revisits some of the supernatural events from The Six Gun Tarot. Once again, Golgotha—and in fact, the entire world—is threatened by a monstrous creature known as the Wurm who lives under the local silver mine. There are some interesting connections between the Wurm and a few of the characters, including Jim Negrey, who we met in The Six Gun Tarot, a young man who possesses a mysterious jade eye that figures into the supernatural mysteries of Golgotha. He also includes various Native myths and legends, including those of Coyote and Snake, which not only added flavor to his tale, but acted as another way to add magical elements into the story. Perhaps my favorite magic, though, is Clay Turlough’s “bio-restorative formula,” a medicine with a secret ingredient that can bring the dead back to life.  

As for the real world, historical aspects of his tale, Belcher paints a grim picture of life in 1872, when killing and bloodshed between Indians and whites was commonplace. The Mormon settlers of Golgotha are furious that the local Paiute tribes are attacking their peaceful villages, but of course there is much more to the story than that. The author depicts the vicious, never ending cycle of violence between the two groups without taking sides. He also does some historical name dropping, too. The famous Allan Pinkerton, of Pinkerton Security fame, makes an appearance, and he also mentions Brigham Young, the founder of the Mormon faith, as well as Abraham Lincoln. Even the titular Ghost Dance has historical roots, and the leader of the movement, a Native American named Wodziwob, has a small but important role in the story. These story tidbits give The Ghost Dance Judgement a nice air of authenticity and also balance out the supernatural elements.

If I have any complaints, it’s that there is just too much going on in this story. Belcher’s world is big and rich and complex, and he certainly has a lot of stories to tell. The focus of The Ghost Dance Judgement was a little haphazard, but only in the sense that it seemed a bit crowded with so many characters and subplots. It felt sort of like a soap opera at times, and I’ll admit trying to keep up with everyone’s antics made my head spin on occasion. But Belcher’s impressive writing skills ultimately keep the story from getting out of control, and everything does work out in the end, I’m happy to report.

The author brings all his many parts together in a blazing finale, full of gunfights, dynamite, and ghost warriors. There were some hard deaths in this story, not going to lie, but there were also plenty of happy surprises. Belcher leaves a few things unresolved that will most likely lead into the next book in the series, and I’m thrilled to see the titles of the next two books (The Hanged Man and Slap Leather with the Devil) listed at the end of my paperback copy. Let’s hope that means he’s hard at work on book five!

Big thanks to the author for providing a review copy (paperback copy was purchased by the reviewer).

Review of The Six-Gun Tarot

Review of The Shotgun Arcana

Review of The Queen of Swords