Justin Allen's YEAR OF THE HORSE "Delivers the Ultimate Dose of Escapism"

Justin Allen's Year of the Horse draws more attention this week with an excellent review by Edie Adelstein of the Colorado Springs Independent: " The Western novel may be a relic in the modern book trade, but the genre isn't completely dead to young adults, thanks to Year of the Horse. Part Zane Gray, part L. Frank Baum, this read delivers the ultimate dose of escapism, from its fantastical, episodic nature to its dime-novel flavor. Leading us through rhythmically paced exploits is a willful, but pleasantly predictable, band of friends on a journey to reach Silver City and solve a mystery. Cowboy magic and landscapes with names like Hell Mouth color the fictive West while American folk legends — ghost riders and the Yankee Ichabod Crane — fuel the plot. Charming and full of heart, Year of the Horse provides quaint reading, that, although brand-new, feels like a secret discovery from the dusty back shelf of a library. — Edie Adelstein