Shop DDWP site for deeper discounts on eBooks, paperbacks, hardcovers & exclusive merch.
The Westerners
In the West, even silence has a cost.
In the shadow of the Davis Mountains, fifteen-year-old Emory Cade’s quiet life is shattered when her brother vanishes as the Texas National Army is taking over the town. What begins as a desperate search for family leads Emory into a world of secrets buried beneath the desert stone — where soldiers guard a strange machine and rumors of something called Aether run like wildfire.
Drawn in by a woman who seems to know more than she says, Emory discovers that her bond with her brother is only the beginning of what ties her to the struggle. As reality begins to blur and the lines between truth and illusion bend, Emory must decide who she can trust — and how much of herself she’s willing to risk.
The Westerners is a story of family, survival, and the spark of rebellion in a land where silence is dangerous, and even the stars seem to hold their breath.
Praise for The Westerners:
"The characters just jump off the page!” — Amazon reviewer, 5★
“So real, I almost wonder if the author knows something we don’t!” — Amazon reviewer, 5★
"A story so compelling that it deserves a close examination!" — Amazon reviewer, 4★
This book contains adult language and violence. It is intended for mature readers
Shop DDWP site for deeper discounts on eBooks, paperbacks, hardcovers, & exclusive merch.
Book One: The Aether Gun – Ashes & Desire
Jake is no hero, but he’s got great taste in women who are.
The country has gone dark. Texas has broken away. But the war is only a distraction. As power players stake their claims, something older and far stranger is moving beneath the surface — something no one could prepare for. Lovers Jake and Lys are caught in the subterfuge. As cities and scoundrels topple, Jake barrels west, chasing answers into a world where past and future collide — and where the real war hasn't even begun.
West of Nowhere is the high velocity opening to a larger story: lean, volatile, and unfinished by design. This first book drops readers into a collapsing world and doesn't stop to explain everything — because judgment waits, and it will not be simple. The mystery deepens, the relationships evolve, and the true shape of the conflict only begins to reveal itself as the series unfolds — the prologue to an epic modern western with dystopian and post-apocalyptic edges.
For readers of Stephen King (The Dark Tower), Cormac McCarthy (No Country for Old Men/The Road), and for fans of The Last of Us. West of Nowhere is a story of momentum, obsession, and survival — where flirtation masks danger, encounters leave scars, and love and vengeance walk the same road.
Read next: The Westerners: An Aether Gun Story, the prequel novella that reveals a glimpse behind the mountain.
Published by Death Do We Party Press
West of Nowhere – Official Playlist
Every story has a sound. These songs are a journey that require a rolled-down window & highway mirage. Come along in this heart thumping & painstaking march west. Save on Spotify to enjoy the full playlist.
DUSTIN LEE is the author of West of Nowhere – Book One of The Aether Gun – Ashes & Desire, a post-apocalyptic sci-fi western.