Portlandtown: A Tale of the Oregon Wyldes by Rob DeBorde
Publication: St. Martin's Griffin (2012), Paperback, 384pp
Genres: Adult, Fantasy, Fiction, Historical Fantasy, Horror
Source: Library
Buy the Book • Goodreads

Welcome to Portlandtown, where no secret is safe---not even those buried beneath six feet of Oregon mud.

Joseph Wylde isn’t afraid of the past, but he knows some truths are better left unspoken. When his father-in-law’s grave-digging awakens more than just ghosts, Joseph invites him into their home hoping that a booming metropolis and two curious grandtwins will be enough to keep the former marshal out of trouble. Unfortunately, the old man’s past soon follows, unleashing a terrible storm on a city already knee deep in floodwaters. As the dead mysteriously begin to rise, the Wyldes must find the truth before an unspeakable evil can spread across the West and beyond.

Rob DeBorde's Portlandtown is a supernatural western, a fantastic blend of horror, magic, and zombies sure to excite even the most demanding genre fan. (from Goodreads)

I checked this book out from the library because it had two things:
1. zombies
2. fantasy/historical fiction/Western mash-up

It’s got a lot more than that, too, but those were the things that drew me to it– them, plus the cover.

It’s the first book in the series, and unfortunately it does that thing where ALL the characters, backstories, worldbuilding, and main conflict are set up all at once. There’s a LOT going on in this book, with the end result being that I don’t entirely understand wtf is going on. The story itself is fairly simple but the details surrounding it are confusing, especially since I assume the main plotline is going to continue onward in the next book if not the entire series. Continue reading »