My dystopian western novel, The Wanderer and the New West, appeared in the New Title Showcase at last month’s BookExpo America in New York City!
Can you find it on the shelf in the below photograph?
Dystopian Author and Tech Journalist
Tag: The Wanderer and the New West
The Wanderer and the New West took the award for Best Western Fiction in the 2018 National Indie Excellence Awards!
The recognition follows Kirkus Reviews naming my dystopian western novel as one of its best indie books of the month for April 2018.
The Wanderer and the New West reinvents the Western novel with a dystopian outlook on a possible America that fully protects the rights of armed citizens to stand their ground against mass shooters and motorcycle gangs.
The novel is on sale now in paperback and eBook at your favorite online retailer! For a limited time only, get the EPUB edition at Smashwords for 50% off ($2.50)! Just use the coupon code AM26J at checkout. Deal expires 8/2/18.
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If you like the novel, please help Adam spread the word by leaving a review on Goodreads or the store where you purchased his novel.
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The Wanderer hits another bullseye with a great review from Publishers Weekly, plus Kirkus Reviews features the novel as an Indie Book of the Month!
Thanks to everyone who has picked up a copy (digital or physical) of my new novel, The Wanderer and the New West. I continue to be blown away by the kind words and excitement I’m hearing from critics and new readers about my Dystopian Western.
Recently, the Wanderer tossed his hat into the ring for the BookLife Prize by Publishers Weekly. While winners won’t be announced for several months, all entrants receive a critical assessment from Publishers Weekly, and I’m happy to report that I just received an 8 out of 10!
Here’s my favorite line: “Bender’s prose and ability to weave poignancy and humor throughout the story elevates his novel above others in the genre.”
Meanwhile, Kirkus Reviews featured my novel in their magazine for a second time, this time in a list of the “Indie Books of the Month” for April! if you don’t subscribe, here’s the online list.
Oh, this was pretty cool. My book appeared in the Spring Books issue of The New York Review of Books. I swear I didn’t plan this at all, but the cover story was all about American gun culture.
Critics are great, but I really love hearing what readers think. It’s been awesome seeing all of your reviews on Goodreads and Amazon. Please keep them coming! I’m an indie author with a limited marketing budget, so this is really the best way to help me spread the word.
Don’t have a copy yet? Check out the official page for more details on where you can buy my novel.
Charity & Events
I’m always excited to support a good cause. I donated a signed copy of The Wanderer and the New West for the annual Writers for Hope auction during Sexual Assault Awareness Month in April. The auction is organized by Kelly Johnson and proceeds went to the Rape, Abuse and Incest National Network (RAINN).
Last weekend, I donated autographed copies of my three novels for a silent auction at the Delaware Valley Legacy Fund (DVLF) Heroes awards, started 11 years ago to honor individuals whose work and leadership advance the rights of the LGBT community.
Coming up, look out for the Wanderer at BookExpo 2018 in New York City from May 30 to June 1 as part of the New Title Showcase! Then, my novel will appear June 22-25 at the American Library Association 2018 conference.
1 CommentCall it Western redemption. With my critically acclaimed novel, The Wanderer and the New West, I wanted to modernize a classic genre that’s high on action and adventure, but which has largely been stuck in the Old West.
It occurred to me that the Wild West is all about lawlessness and the absence of government — the very opposite of the kind of dystopian fiction I’d written before about totalitarian governments. And yet, couldn’t that be a kind of dystopia, too? With American gun violence increasing and continued calls for reduced government, this seemed like a startlingly current subject.
But while my novel aims to reinvent the Western, it owes a lot to the classics. If you’re interested in exploring the genre, here are a few books that influenced mine.
The Shootist by Glendon Swarthout
A short but very sweet tale of an expert gunslinger who learns he has cancer and decides he wants to end things on his own terms. The vultures fly in to take advantage of him, but J.B. Books stays strong.
Gripping from start to finish — I read it in about a week! Great characterizations and exciting action. Look out for the rather surgical descriptions of what a bullet can do to the body!
This book really gave me confidence that the Western genre can be much more than Cowboys vs. Indians.
Valdez is Coming by Elmore Leonard
A gang of bandits beats up Roberto Valdez and leaves the constable for dead. But Valdez survives…and seeks bloody revenge!
I loved how compact and straightforward this Western was. It’s got everything you want from the genre — a character seeking justice, a power-mad cowboy, gun fights and chases through the desert.
My only complaint is that the love story is a bit thin and not so compelling. Overall, this is a blast and a good choice if you’re just getting into the genre.
Riders of the Purple Sage by Zane Grey
Riders, rustlers, gun fights and runaway cattle — it’s all here. A legendary gunslinger must save a fetching rancher from having to marry a Mormon elder against her will.
The duels are riveting and I love the awe with which characters revere the dangerous gunslinger, Lassiter (who happens to be the inspiration for the name of the gun that the Wanderer carries in my novel).
The book does drag a bit in the middle, but there’s no denying its status as a classic.
And now, a Dystopian Western!
The Wanderer and the New West reinvents the Western novel with a dystopian outlook on a possible America that fully protects the rights of armed citizens to stand their ground. Click the cover below to read a free sample!
In the near future, the government leaves it to the American people to protect their own communities from the threat of mass shooters and motorcycle gangs. When a marksman known as the Wanderer opens war against injustice in the state of Arizona, his violent actions attract the attention of journalist Rosa Veras, writer of a subversive blog about America’s return to the Wild West.
As Rosa tracks the movements of the Wanderer, she exposes the new American folk hero’s past sins and quest for redemption. But after making waves with a blog post connecting the nation’s top gun manufacturer with its most violent gang, the reporter finds her life in danger and the Wanderer at her door. Rosa realizes she must join forces with the vigilante gunman if she is to live long enough to tell his story.
Available now in paperback and eBook!
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Thanks to everyone who’s picked up The Wanderer and the New West, my dystopian western novel about a possible America that fully protects the rights of armed citizens to stand their ground. Here are a few updates on the novel since launch.
I wrote a guest blog post for Reedsy about creating the cover and interior layout with my collaborators Ben Mcleod and Mark Thomas. I worked hard to write my new novel, so when it came time to publish, I wanted to create a beautiful book that did the words justice.
Last month, I told you about the great review I received from Kirkus Reviews. Since then, Kirkus featured the starred review in their Feb. 15 issue! If you’re a subscriber, you can read the review on page 169 of Volume LXXXVI, No 4.
Look for my book listing in an upcoming issue of the New York Review of Books due out next month!
Want to try The Wanderer before you buy it? I’ve created a handy preview page for just this purpose!
All of my novels are now available to buy on Google Play and Google Books. Click here to see for yourself, though that Compendium Theory one isn’t me…
I joined Instagram! Follow me at @WatchAdam.
Finally, if you have read my new novel (or any of my other stories), please write a customer review. I’m an indie author and this will help me immensely in spreading the word. Please submit the review to Amazon, Goodreads or your favorite online retailer.
Thanks again for all your support!
Top image credit: Reedsy
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