In the West not all hats are black or white

Wowza. I love novels based in the weird west. I am a huge fan of Landsdale, who sort of revitalized the genre, and cherished my time playing Deadlands years ago. That was a great RPG, and noose jumpers is a mix of humor, action, and magic that you don’t get to see very often. In fact, you rarely get to see this quality of writing in ANY genre. The story is really great, and I enjoy flashbacks. Flashbacks can really enhance a tale if used properly, and here, there is no doubt that Cooley knows what he is doing.
The comradery of the outlaws reminds me a lot of how Billy the Kid felt about his pals in Young Guns. They are a tight unit and would go to hell and back for each other. Honestly, if this audio had pages I would call this a page turner, and I do not recommend increasing the speed at which you listen no matter how much you want to see things happen. You just have to sit back and enjoy the story as it unfolds.
One thing Cooley does extremely well is writing gunfight scenes. This is the part most writers choke on, but Cooley manages to give the fights a life of their own, and you will be right in the thick of battle with our not so black-hatted outlaws. Oh, Yeah, another thing is he has such a depth of character to each of his protagonists, and they actually manage to develop and grow in this book in such a satisfactory manner that you will be amazed at their three dimensional qualities.
I am somewhat on the fence with the cover. It does look like the cover for a Red Dead Redemption video game, and it does look cool. But I am not overly in love with it. I’d have preferred a L'Amour style cover. This one will do, as it does have a noose and the badge carries some significance to the tale.
Tell quick draws his way through this story like a rancher out for revenge against the man who stole the deed to his farm in a card game. Sincerely, he meshes right into the storyline with his voice and acting . . . . . er, voice acting. The story is quirky, and he plays it with a touch of whimsy when necessary, and with a hint of malice when called for, and he never misses what he is aiming at. I enjoyed him like a cowboy hitting a saloon after riding for three months on a cattle drive.
This book seems to be a set up for a series, and I really hope this is true since it is such a high quality creation from the words to the reading, but it could easily be read as a stand alone and happily so. I do enjoy trilogies, but I really like endings. I just hope the boys don’t go and get their bounties raised too high, or else they won’t be jumping any more nooses. Even though I did receive a promo code for this review it in no way influenced my considerations of the material, and in fact, inspired me to be more honest. In fact, getting a code generally makes me harsher as a reviewer as I am more often concerned what someone like Me will decide based on my review.

If this review helped, please press the YES below. Thank you immensely!!!

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Western meets fantasy... cool!

What did you love best about Noose Jumpers?

I really loved the idea behind their individual talents. The whole fact that belief enhances that talent is a really cool idea.

Who was your favorite character and why?

Sandy, even though he has one of the deadliest talents in the book, he does not use it to kill, most of the time.

Which scene was your favorite?

When Sandy saves the Coyote's son, when you have that sort of aim, even hopelessness doesn't stand a chance.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Even the best outlaws had help.

Any additional comments?

I received this book for free from the author, narrator, or publisher via audiobookboom for an unbiased review.

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Western Fantasy Fun

I'm not into Westerns in general, but this was a fun listen. The writing was high quality, and the story that unfolded was intricate and held my attention to the end.

The narrator was really enjoyable to listen to. He had different voices for all the characters and did a great job making them come to life in their own ways.

If you are on the fence about listening to this book, just do it. You'll enjoy it!

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Fun book. Good story. Misleading title.

What did you love best about Noose Jumpers?

I liked the diversity of the characters. Cooley has a way of making you relate to every character in the novel.

What did you like best about this story?

The suspense in figuring out what game was actually being played here.

What does Andrew Tell bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?

Andrew Tell is very good at distinguishing between many different characters. Having only heard him 8 other books of one series, there were a couple time where I was confused as a bit character in this novel was briefly in my mind the sentient ax from that series. It happened one other time too, but with the total number of characters in both series, it is amazing that there weren't more collisions..

Did you have an extreme reaction to this book? Did it make you laugh or cry?

I've heard people had avoided this book because it was a western. I'm not positive it is a western any more than Firefly is a western. I avoided it because I made assumptions about what "Noose Jumpers" meant and I was completely wrong. I ended up finishing this book before I completed Sue Grafton's long awaited "Y is for Yesterday" because Noose Jumpers drew me in deeper into its world.

Any additional comments?

A fun book with a good story. A book I read in spite of the title.

I'm glad I took a chance on "Noose Jumpers". With the book not initially taking off in sales as expected, Cooley once said "if you have come to trust my writing through my other books please give it a chance". I'm glad I did. My first impressions based upon the cover alone were pretty much all wrong.

The title and the short film seemed to place it firmly in the camp of novels with "Gods" popping in and out of the story with no real system of magic or limit to it. This is not that.

I also expected some super naturally twist where people were killed all the time by hanging and were teleported out of their executioners noose to be berated by some god and sent back again to give you the "noose jumping". This is also not that.

In fact the term Noose Jumpers is barely mentioned and never explained till the afterword - which in my opinion should have gone first. A one paragraph note explaining the title in the book blurb would have had me purchasing this book earlier (and not on sale).

Since it isn't in the story at all and is declared elsewhere by Cooley as an enticement to read the book, let me explain what a noose jumper is. (BTW I am super sensitive to spoilers and this does not qualify, imho, but this extra sentence gives you a chance to stop reading the review if you really really want to.) The title comes from the idea that just as a bungee jumper seeks thrills and dangers, there once was a breed of character in the old west that thought the thrill of running up a bounty and risking getting caught and hung. The greater the effort to grow your a legend and bounty, the greater the thrill of escaping the noose. It was nothing more than that. So much for guessing the entire plot of the book based upon the title!

The book tells is the story of three friends who hoped to grow their legends and some undisclosed (even to each other) help they found along the way. It's a fantasy wild west novel. There is a magic system involved. There's humor. There's high adventure.

I am tempted to compare the book to others even though I hate that method of writing reviews. Each person gets their own sense of a book and comparing any book to another risks misleading someone and it is unfair to the author. I will say that there are some elements of whimsy that you'd get a Terry Pratchett book just as there is the companionship you'd get from a Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman Dragonlance book. And perhaps there is some befuddlement you'd get from a Terry Brooks novel Magic Kingdom. Ah, yes, there's what I was looking for. There was a good bit of a Terry Brooks Landover series feel to the book to me. Funny how I picked all fantasy writers for comparison with a western..

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Should have been called a magical western

What did you love best about Noose Jumpers?

The unexpected depth of the world.

Which character – as performed by Andrew Tell – was your favorite?

The stranger.

Was there a moment in the book that particularly moved you?

The last gunfight.

Any additional comments?

Don't let the western bit fool you, if you like fantasy this is worth your time.

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A western meshed spirits, magic, & more!

Noose Jumpers
A Mythological Western, Volume 1
By: Trevor H. Cooley
Narrated by: Andrew Tell
A crazy ride with western characters that once were fans of a western-style Robin Hood. Unfortunately, their hero gets hung but they want to be legends! One of the guys gets a visit from a spirit, a helper, a guide to be a legend. It is an action adventure with supernatural, paranormal events and characters. Never boring.
With Andrew Tell as narrator, this part is excellent! When I saw who the narrator was I knew that part would be great

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Nice fantasy western

I don't usually go for westerns in my books, but the fantasy spin on it and knowing the author from the Bowl of Soul series gave Noose Jumpers the edge.

I really enjoyed this book, both it's characters and the mythology behind it.

Looking forward to the next chapter of the tale of the Red Star gang.

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An amazing twist on the western genre

Really good genre-twisting books only come along once in a great while. Noose Jumpers is one of those books. It injects the idea that in the old west, Gods that can interact with, and influence, humans. Three young gunslingers are trying to make a name for themselves, i,e. become legends. To aid in their quest, each has a demigod that follows them around and alters fate in the gunslinger's favor. This twist turns the genre on its head, and makes for a fantastic listen. I enjoyed every minute of it. It begs the question of what if magic were introduced to the Wild West? How would it affect the genre? It's a fascinating concept.

This is the first book in a proposed series. I can't wait for the next book.

Andrew tell did an amazing job narrating this title. The three main male characters were the same age and Mr. Tell skillfully created completely different voices for each of them. His skill at narration made the tale a true joy to listen to.

This audio book was gifted to me by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an unbiased review.

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A Cool Mash Up Of Fantasy And Western

I really like Trevor Cooley’s work, but I had read so many of his Bowl of Souls novels that I felt like he was running out of gas with the last couple of them. Then I found “Noose Jumpers.” Now I’m back to really loving Trevor Cooley’s work again. This fusion of supernatural fantasy and western was a well done, enjoyable read/listen. I am once again excited about Mr. Cooley’s work the way I was about the first five novels in his Bowl of Souls series. Now Mr. Cooley has two very different series he can write about. I can’t wait to see what other new things he comes up with in the future.

The story of “Noose Jumpers” revolves around three outlaws. Mr. Cooley quickly takes them from boys to men who are neither all good nor all bad. There criminal dealings eventually bring them into a conflict with a corrupt sheriff with supernatural abilities. I’m not big on westerns in general, but I found “Noose Jumpers” doesn’t require one to love westerns in order to love this novel.

Andrew Tell also returns to narrate this new series with the same skill and talent he drew upon in the Bowl of Souls novels. He is an excellent choice for the book. Finally, this audio book was provided by the narrator at no cost in exchange for an honest review, courtesy of Audio Book Boom.

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Amazing adventure that is not your typical western

I was skeptical at first because I have never been a fan of traditional westerns though I have appreciated western films and shows in the past. This book is a fantastic twist on an amazing adventure and I strongly encourage everyone to give it a chance even if you don't think you would like a western. Trust me, I can not wait for te next book in this series

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