The Perdido Valley War
Aaron Cummins

I’d like to thank Aaron Cummins for providinig me a copy of his second novel at Howard Days last month. He told me the first linst: “One week after I came to the Perdido Valley, I found my brother’s bones.”

He had my attention.

If you like men’s adventure fiction, you’ll want to  give this short novel a try. It’s available in electronic and paper formats.

What’s it about, you ask?

I’m glad you asked.

Yiannis Papadopoulos and his brother Nikolas are veterans of the Great War (WWI) from Philadelphia. They’ve come home from the war and are sertting about to rebuild their lives. Then Nicky getsa  treasure map showing the location of a lost mine in the  (fictional) Perdido Valley of New Mexico.

For a while Nicky writes home every week. Then the letters start coming more and more infrequently.

Then they stop altogether.

So Yiannis heads west to find his brother.

What he finds is a small town called Grantsville that is a powder keg about to explode. There are two factions who claim the mine, plus a few other players who also claim it, even though no one has found it yet. Although, there have been people who have come out fo the desert with gold from time to time.

Yiannis quickly figures out that he isn’t welcome anywhere near Grantsville. He tries to assure everyone that he isn’t interested in finding the mine, just what happened to his brother. He suspects Nicky is dead. He only wants to find Nicky’s remains and take him home.

It isn’t going to be that easy.

And sometimes the best way to bring peace is to light the fuse that starts a war.

This book isn’t long. Only ninety-five pages. You could read it in one sitting.

And you should.

This is what men’s fiction should be. Tough, fast-paced, and fully engaging. Cummins writes with a strong character voice that grabs you by the front of your shirt, pulls you in, and doesn’t let go until the last page is turned.

I found The Perdido Valley War to be a breath of fresh air. With the glut of romantasy and cozy fantasy on the market, it is nice to find an old-fashioned men’s adventure story. No magic here. No aliens. Just the story of a man who does what he has to do.

Check it out.