Dusk Mountain Blues by Deston J. Munden

The Caldwell family is an absolute trip! A family who is escaping a harsh regime on a backwoods planet. This is an awesome mashup of science fiction, mutant fun, superstitional lore, and tight family roots. Three generations of family (and many branches sticking out from all over the place) take part in an awesome power struggle for their chosen planet of C’Dar. They all have been bred with mutant abilities and are now being hunted down by new representatives of The Civilization. The Caldwells will have to defend themselves… defend their rights to be just left alone!

Here’s my list of things I loved about this one:

• Munden has a real gift for creating crazy/wack characters. Like in Tavern (which I also loved), these characters are gritty and magical, but at the same time real and full of conflict. I just stuck right by this family. So much fun. The patriarch, Drifter wanting to protect his family but at the same time willing to turn up the heat on any of his enemies. One of his sons, a bruiser names Appetite, you know why… people think he’s slow in mind and body, but his methodical care of his daughter is all consuming and full of love. And that special daughter, Kindle… she’s without a mother but that side of the family will give her an opportunity to help all on the planet.
• How can two books and two worlds be so different? A traditional fantasy setting in Tavern and now a distant planet in Dusk Mountain Blues. The key to both is the consistency in the clean worldbuilding. At no time did I feel that lag of time between scene enjoyment and context. Munden fills a world with societies and families and items of lore without bogging us down in pages and pages of needless description.
• One more thing: Each chapter shifts the POV between the family members to give the reader an inside look into each perspective. It works and it works well.
• This is great indie/ selfpub SFF. It needs to be read and word needs to be passed on!

Dusk Mountain Blues is the story of a family that been messed with too many times and will do anything to protect their way of life. Their life of salvage, moonshine, and guns… but it’s the world they love. Read it!