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Andy Monk
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The Burden of Souls (Hawker's Drift Book 1) Kindle Edition

by Andy Monk (Author) Format: Kindle Edition
4.4 out of 5 stars 42 ratings
Small Town, Dark Heart
An epic tale of the battle between good and evil in all its many guises.

A long way from anywhere, on a road going to nowhere, sits a town surrounded by a sea of grass and vast, turbulent skies. It’s seems a peaceable, prosperous little place in a world that is slowly falling apart, but below the surface dark forces are at work…

Amos has spent thirteen years drifting from town to town in search of his wife’s killers, taking gold and giving lead as his life reduced to nothing more than the pursuit of vengeance. Doing whatever dark work needed to be done in order to keep moving towards the horizon and the next rock the men he hunts may have slithered under. A broken man with a fast gun and a gift for seeing souls he arrives in the remote town of Hawker’s Drift expecting only to replenish his supplies and rest his head for a few days.

Instead, he meets Molly McCrea a hard-drinking, foul-mouthed young widow who has just buried the husband she never loved and wants nothing but to leave the strange little town of Hawker’s Drift. But her husband owed money to the town’s Mayor and he wants it back, one way or another. She finds herself increasingly drawn to the strange, brooding gunslinger who offers her the only chance of escape.

Both Amos and Molly are drawn into the web weaved through the lives of the town's inhabitants by its urbane and mysterious Mayor; a man prepared to make a deal for your heart's desire and, maybe, for your very soul.

Welcome to Hawker’s Drift, a town where nothing is quite as it seems.

A grand saga filled with colourful characters, dark secrets and broken lives that builds remorselessly to a shattering conclusion.
Hawker's Drift Book One.
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  1. Book 1 of 5
    Hawker's Drift
  2. Print length
    490 pages
  3. Language
    English
  4. Accessibility
    Learn more
  5. Publication date
    September 6, 2014
  6. File size
    1.3 MB
  7. Page Flip
    Enabled
  8. Word Wise
    Enabled
  9. Enhanced typesetting
    Enabled
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 See full series
There are 5 books in this series.

Product details

  • ASIN ‏ : ‎ B00NDZ4KIW
  • Accessibility ‏ : ‎ Learn more
  • Publication date ‏ : ‎ September 6, 2014
  • Language ‏ : ‎ English
  • File size ‏ : ‎ 1.3 MB
  • Screen Reader ‏ : ‎ Supported
  • Enhanced typesetting ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • X-Ray ‏ : ‎ Not Enabled
  • Word Wise ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Print length ‏ : ‎ 490 pages
  • Page Flip ‏ : ‎ Enabled
  • Book 1 of 5 ‏ : ‎ Hawker's Drift
  • Customer Reviews:
    4.4 out of 5 stars 42 ratings

About the author

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Andy Monk

Andy Monk

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Andy Monk is an independent writer of dark, speculative fiction, a professional daydreamer and inventor of worlds who lives in Suffolk in the UK

His mind, however, is usually to be found in various other fantastical places.

Andy always wanted to be either a writer or a professional footballer. As his fledgling footballing career was hampered by an inability to kick, head, pass or doing anything with the ball other than trip over it and faceplanting in the mud, he eventually decided to plump for the writing.

Though he is still more than capable of tripping up and faceplanting in the mud...

The majority of Andy's books are dark historical fantasies, focussing on vampires and the humans who find themselves drawn into their orbit. This world currently encompasses three separate series and three novellas, In the Absence of Light (primarily set in London between 1679 and 1737) is Andy's first published work. All works branded as In the Company of Shadows - currently Rumville (set in London in 1710) and The Night's Road (set in the Holy Roman Empire between1630-1631), and the novellas Precious Things (1837), The Burning and A House of the Dead (both 1630) - are all subsequent works, featuring both new and returning characters in the same universe.

Outside of his vampire universe, Andy has published the Hawker's Drift series, a fantasy saga chronicling the inhabitants of a remote town in the old American west and their interactions with the town's mayor, who may, or may not, be the Devil. Plus the standalone fantasy novels The Sorrowsmith and The House of Shells, which, while not forming a series, are both set in the same universe.

Customer reviews

4.4 out of 5 stars
42 global ratings

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Top reviews from the United States

  • Kindle Customer
    5.0 out of 5 stars Wonderful book full of enteresting characters that jumped off the ...
    Reviewed in the United States on October 27, 2015
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Wonderful book full of enteresting characters that jumped off the page. I could not put it down. It kept me guessing. A very unique approach to developing the characters. I've ordered the next book and can't wait to get it and see if I have figured out the plot. One of the best reads I have experienced in a long time.
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  • private
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hawker's Drift isn't what it seems to be
    Reviewed in the United States on July 14, 2016
    Format: Kindle
    I tend toward fantasy/dark fantasy/ speculative fiction which, at first, Hawker's Drift doesn't seem to be. I am not a Western or mystery genre reader, but what I like about Monk's writing is that you stop caring about the genre. You care about the characters and the stories he writes keep you turning the page because you want to know what happens to them and in the case of this book what the hell is going on.

    That is good writing.

    The saying a mystery wrapped in an enigma is how I'd explain Hawker's Drift without giving any spoilers. However, to lure someone into Hawker's Drift, I will give a brief description: The book starts with Amo "The Gunslinger" comes Hawker's Drift "a peaceable town." Through Amos's search to help a young widow find the horse, two mules, dynamite, and mining tools to pay her dead husband's debt, and a unique cast of characters, Monk draws you in to turn page after page to figure out where and what is the town called Hawker's Drift. Instead of becoming clear the mystery deepens.

    What I didn't like about Hawker's Drift: It will not trip up the average reader. They'll where I'd write there'll and they'd where I'd write and there'd other than that typos. Such is the bane of an indy author.
    2 people found this helpful
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  • Fran Stiles
    5.0 out of 5 stars Hawker's Drift Book 1 - Bring on Book 2
    Reviewed in the United States on October 21, 2014
    Format: Kindle
    The Burden of Souls - Hawker's Drift Book 1 -

    This is the second book I have read by Andy Monk. I have thoroughly enjoyed both books and am looking forward to reading my next. In The Burden of Souls the writer gives each chapter to a character, developing likeable and unlikeable characters both. These captivating characters keep you turning pages to see what happens next. You have the Gunslinger – Amos who is driven by a need for revenge and wanders into town looking for a man named Severn, only to get embroiled in saving the pretty widow from the brothel. Then there is Molly – the foul-mouthed, ill tempered widow who is forever saying things without a filter on, she kept me chuckling every time she opened her mouth. The antagonist is the Mayor an evil, oily character who pops up when you least expect him and is something akin to the Devil. These are just three of the several engrossing and interesting people in the book. A must read - If you enjoy writers like King and Koontz, then you will enjoy Monk. He writes very much like the young Steven King, gripping the reader in an intense drama and just when you think you have it all figured out, he throws that unexpected twist in. There is more to Amos than just vengeance for a lost wife – but you must read the book to find out what that is. All I can say is well played Andy, well played. You will be left wanting to read the next one. Which I most certainly will. I have become a fan.
    One person found this helpful
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  • WiLoveBooks
    5.0 out of 5 stars Intriguing story
    Reviewed in the United States on November 29, 2014
    Format: Kindle
    Intriguing story about a mysterious little town. The point of view switches between the different characters in the town such as the gunslinger, the widow, the songbird. We slowly learn about the characters and their backgrounds and they help us to get the big picture. This is the kind of story that, even though you're not quite sure what's happening, you can't help but want to read on. Plenty of little twists that assure you that even though you think you have things figured out, you have no idea. Excellent read. Reminded me of a Stephen King novel. I cannot wait to get my hands on the next book.
    One person found this helpful
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  • Ross Chapman
    2.0 out of 5 stars Lay off the innocent kids in making the point
    Reviewed in the United States on January 12, 2017
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    I stop reading when teen girls suffer. That's the personal preference of a father of two girls. Otherwise, things were a little slow and telegraphed.
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Top reviews from other countries

  • AmZ Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars The Wanderer, the Widow and the Nightingale
    Reviewed in France on November 30, 2016
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Genre : Horror/Weird in a Western setting with a strong but not overwhelming romance thread.

    A man long on the road in search of elusive vengeance finds himself drawn to stay longer than he intended to in the company of a recently widowed woman. She's not too bereaved, but her deceased husband seems to have left her with a very cumbersome debt to this isolated town's strange mayor.

    The place enjoys a prosperity greater than its location and assets would seem to favor but the protagonists (the wanderer, the widow and a recently arrived young pianist and singer who catches the mayor's eye) soon come to suspect or experience firsthand that those who don't comply with the man's whims and games may get treated to a much more sinister underside of reality.
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  • Kindle Customer
    4.0 out of 5 stars Wow, that was certainly different!
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on September 28, 2022
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Once again, Andy Monk slowly draws you into his stories, through brilliant characterisation and plot lines. Was this a wild west story or something else? Was it supernatural or science fantasy? Who knows. The characters themselves were all perfectly drawn but none were particularly likeable. I could sympathise with some and detest others but all were fascinating in themselves. The ending, or was it the beginning, was most unexpected and promises to lead towards an exciting series. Bring it on!
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  • Mr. S. P. Chambers
    1.0 out of 5 stars WTF???
    Reviewed in the United Kingdom on December 26, 2021
    Format: KindleVerified Purchase
    Started slow. Looked good on the choices Amazon gave me for something new to read. It slowly built - the characters became better know and the story took shape....and then finished in the worst place possible. Made no sense to me at all. If I have unwillingly signed on to a series of books - then forgive me - I was not aware of this. I thought this was a single book - which now seems impossible as it's the worst finish ever put to paper.
    Report

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