“With his latest, Rountree puts his own unique spin on the legend of Frankenstein, channeling classic westerns mixed with Universal Monsters.”
Doctor, occultist, and—briefly—a widow, Catherine Coldbridge is one complicated woman.
During a Sioux attack in 1879, Private Frank Humble, Catherine’s husband, is killed. Grief consumes her to the point she uses her formidable occult skills to resurrect Frank. But during the ritual, Frank loses his soul, goes on a killing spree, then disappears.
Now, twenty-five years later, Catherine believes it’s time to make things right. She heads back to Texas with a pair of hired killers, aiming to put an end to Frank once and for all. But Frank has made a name for himself as the Unkillable Frank Lightning in a Wild West Show. Catherine and Frank are at an impasse, reaching one last chance for redemption. As time runs out, their final choices may result in considerable bloodshed.
Why we’re excited about this book:
When it comes to revisiting and twisting the tales of classic monsters, Josh Rountree is definitely up to the task. The author of The Legend of Charlie Fish, and the forthcoming Summer in the House of the Departed. Rountree’s short fiction has appeared in publications such as PseudoPod, Dark Moon Digest, Bourbon Penn, The Deadlands, and Grimdark, and is collected in Death Aesthetic and Fantastic Americana: Stories. With his latest, Rountree puts his own unique spin on the legend of Frankenstein, channeling classic westerns mixed with Universal Monsters. C. Robert Cargill (screenwriter, The Black Phone) says: “What begins as The Searchers meets Frankenstein ends as Unforgiven meets The Magicians. A dark, brooding meditation on both what we’ll do for love, and the callous indifference of the hardened souls of the early West.”, and Tim Powers (The Stress of Her Regard) says: “Once you start reading The Unkillable Frank Lightning, you just won’t be able to stop. Catherine Coldbridge and her companions and her Old West are endlessly fascinating.”
Why Josh is excited about this book:
“The Unkillable Frank Lightning is the latest of my Texas Monster stories, this one set near the turn of the century in a Wild West show. The book plays with the Frankenstein story, but with more black magic than science, and a whole lot of blood and gunplay. Death is after everyone, and nobody in this book is making it out unscathed.”
Releasing from Tachyon Publications 5 July 2025, The Unkillable Frank Lightning by Josh Rountree is available for pre-order now.
BOB PASTORELLA
