The Magpie Coffin

Splatter Western, Book 1

By: Wile E. Young

Narrated by: Sean Duregger

The year is 1875 and outlaw Salem Covington has spent the last 20 years collecting stories, possessions, and lives. Nicknamed "The Black Magpie" for his exploits during the war, Salem has carved a bloody trail across the western territories. Informed that his mentor, Comanche shaman Dead Bear, has been murdered. Salem vows vengeance on the perpetrators. Enlisting the help of an army scout and preserving the body of his mentor in a specially made coffin, he sets out in pursuit. But the choices of Salem's past that earned him the moniker "Black Magpie" are riding hard behind him and the only weapon that can kill him might not be as far away as he thinks.

The Magpie Coffin is an unrelenting tale of revenge, with precise brutality and extreme violence.

©2020 Death's Head Press LLC (P)2023 Death's Head Press LLC

interesting concept

poor execution, narrator seemed to be trying too hard, switching voices sometimes at the wrong point. sometimes needlessly descriptive- not every mouth movement needs a sentence describing it.

Blood Meridian - minus all the tedious cerebral bullshit

Brutal, incisive and at times hilarious. Thoroughly enjoyable read - and how many different voices does this narrator have? Duregger contains multitudes. This is a great pallet cleanser between my other typical fare. Looking forward to checking out another

Not your typical western!

Great one from Death's Head Press. They're really on to something with their Splatter Westerns.
Salem Covington is a ruthless killer on a quest for revenge. I loved the supernatural aspect of the story; it adds a new dimension to the typical tropes of a western.
The performance was excellent. Great quality, and very well acted.
Great work overall. Highly recommended!

Splatter Western Book 1

I am a big fan of the Splatter Western line from Death’s Head Press so I was thrilled when I first heard the Splatter Western line would become available in audiobooks. I was even more excited when I heard THE MAGPIE COFFIN by Wile E. Young would be narrated by Sean Duregger which made revisiting this great read even more enjoyable. Looking forward to the rest of the Splatter Western line becoming available in audiobook format.🤠

I Can Hardly Wait for More

Wile E. Young paints a grim portrait of the postbellum American west, replete with magic and mystery. In this shadow permeated version of the wild west, the author spins a tale that fuses horror and fantasy with otherwise familiar tropes and western motifs.
It would be impossible to talk about The Magpie Coffin without first spending some time introducing the protagonist of this amazing Splatter Western. Salem Covington is a riveting character. One can think of him, in the simplest terms, as being equal parts Jonah Hex, a wild west incarnation of Dexter Morgan, and a little bit Elric of Melnibone--substituting a pistol for the sword, Stormbringer. A student of dark magic from various sources and cursed with the need to kill for the sake of his own damned soul, Mr. Covington is far from a heroic figure. There is a strained and rigid nobility to him, though. As with most antihero characters, he has a code of sorts that guides his actions.
Upon discovering that his old Comanche teacher, Dead Bear, has been murdered and that a white buffalo has been slaughtered by the same band of killers, Covington sets out on a quest to bring down everyone involved. Enlisting the assistance of one of the men associated with the killing, his pursuit of vengeance carries the reader through the Dakota Territory and into the Rocky Mountains of what would soon become Colorado.
Leaving a trail of bodies and tortured souls in his wake, Salem Covington chases quarry who might just be too dangerous for even The Black Magpie to overcome.
My only complaints with this book are present because I happen to be a South Dakota resident. North and South Dakota didn't become states until 1889, and Deadwood is nowhere near North Dakota, sitting approximately 130 miles South of the North Dakota border. But, considering how few people seem to recognize that North and South Dakota exist at all, it's not exactly a deal-breaker.
The narration by Sean Duregger for the audiobook is fantastic, capturing the grit and cruel nature of Salem Covington with a degree of authenticity that felt right. The narrative, being shared by Covington in first-person, making it simple to distinguish the voices of secondary characters without any trouble.