The Wanderer and the New West


Fiction - Western
426 Pages
Reviewed on 12/27/2017
Buy on Amazon

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Author Biography

Adam Bender is an award-winning journalist and author of speculative fiction that explores modern-day societal fears with a mix of action and romance.

In addition to The Wanderer and the New West, Adam is the author of two dystopian sci-fi novels about government surveillance: We, The Watched and Divided We Fall. Adam adapted the first book into a screenplay and has written several short stories.

In his day job as a journalist, Adam has covered politics and technology for Communications Daily and Computerworld Australia. He has won multiple investigative reporting awards from the Society of Professional Journalists and the Specialized Information Publishers Association for his telecom and internet news coverage.

Despite how this all might appear, Adam is generally a rather modest and amiable fellow. He lives in Philadelphia with his wife Mallika, and he’d be happy to have a craft beer with you at the next Phillies game.

    Book Review

Reviewed by Grant Leishman for Readers' Favorite

The Wanderer and the New West by Adam Bender is a dystopian view of an America that many may well see as a path the country is already headed down. Federal rule has virtually ceased and all power lies with the states - no longer is it the United States of America. Even the individual states have virtually given up trying to rule and law is implemented at the behest of corporations, one of the greatest of these being the Breck Ammunition Company. Into this lawless environment strides the impressive Wanderer. Nobody knows who he is or where he came from, but his mission, it seems, is to protect the innocent and to fight injustice. With his trusty sidekick, Kid Hunter, the Wanderer joins forces with wannabe journalist, Rosa Veras, as they attempt to "clean up" the New West.

I came to this book expecting to be reading a Western, but was more than pleasantly surprised to discover this is so much more. Set some time in the future, in a world not too dissimilar to where we currently find ourselves, the values and importance of the free press and of morality shone through this story. The characters themselves, especially Kid Hunter and the Wanderer, are necessarily caricatures of the Old West's most famous gunslingers and fighters of injustice. I found myself incredibly caught up in Rosa and her group's fight to expose the evil and corruption inherent within the corporation, and to bring some justice to the State of Arizona. The story was reminiscent of the old Westerns I'd read as a child, without becoming overly soppy. The humour was genuine and some of the banter between the Kid and the Wanderer was truly inspired. I couldn't put this book down and read it quickly and easily. The Wanderer and the New West by Adam Bender is an excellent story - I highly recommend it.

Arya Fomonyuy

Adam Bender’s The Wanderer and the New West is a compelling dystopian novel that is modeled after a Wild West tale, only this time the reader is plunged into a unique society where community takes precedence over the government, where the “people” have a new sense of social justice and where they are determined to protect their communities. It is against this backdrop that a marksman sets out to uncover injustice in the Arizona community. He quickly grabs the attention of journalist and blogger, Rosa Veras. What Rosa uncovers about the vigilante could be interesting, as she quickly finds herself embroiled in a war, but she does not know how it started. Can she avoid the looming threat to her life?

The Wanderer and the New West is written in a great style and readers will enjoy the lyricism in the prose. The setting is absorbing, pulling in the reader like a captivating movie, and I couldn’t help getting the same feeling I get when I watch the series “Arrow.” It won’t be surprising if this story ends up on screen. The characters are well thought out and they have solid backgrounds that readers will enjoy. The Wanderer has a dark past, and has developed exceptional combat skills. Readers will be intrigued to discover why he finds and deals with injustice. The social commentaries are excellent and they allow the reader to form a clear picture of the world the characters inhabit. The novel is fast-paced and skillfully plotted, well-crafted to read like a thriller. Adam Bender has that rare gift of keeping readers interested in his characters throughout the story. I couldn’t stop reading, thanks to the narrative and the compelling characters.

Deepak Menon

The Wanderer and the New West by Adam Bender is a dystopian fiction thriller which explores the future consequences of decisions taken by greedy capitalistic governments and corporates today. The book begins with a vigilante wearing a Stetson, and with two handguns holstered around his waist, walking into a church and announcing that he is in search of a man, and believes him to be in the church. The congregation, including the priest, Father James, and the sheriff, Ben Martin, rises and objects. The vigilante remains unaffected. One young lad tries to run. He is followed out by the vigilante and shot to death. People realize that the stranger must have been the vigilante called the Wanderer, appearing out of nowhere in various places around the West, performing good deeds. The tale follows the Wanderer across the state with thrilling episodes of his heroic deeds. Along the way, a bounty hunter joins the Wanderer to constitute a team, and renames himself ‘Kid Hunter.’ They are joined by a memorable character, Rosa, a daring, fearless young journalist who writes only the truth on her own newsletter named The New West, when she enters the fray. Her articles soon have her running for her life, pursued by a dreaded gang of criminals called the Red Stripe Gang and Gerald Breck, the CEO of the country’s largest manufacturer and supplier of guns to criminals.

The action is continuous and horrific. Several very original protagonists, killings, chases, kidnapping, murder and terror follow each other through the entire story. The flow is steady and each stage of the plot merges seamlessly with the next. There are surprises and nail-biting suspense. The author has kept every futuristic scenario and the futuristic guns, armaments, and devices well within the realm of plausibility and has never strayed into fantasy. There are many threads which Adam Bender has woven well into a steady plot. The characters are well developed and strong, including the villain who exhibits noxious traits that one can instantly accept as real. There is some use of adult words. The cover of the book is attractive and I think there is much in the book that should be an eyeopener for the leaders of nations. The Wanderer and the New West is an open window, revealing vistas of the future and especially the dangerous paths poor and greed based politics are forcing mankind to follow. I rate this as a first class 5-star novel, particularly for the message it contains.

Rabia Tanveer

The Wanderer and the New West by Adam Bender is an action-packed Western novel that is set in a time and place called the New West. You can commit the crime, but you should be ready to pay the price for it as well. No one is responsible for you but yourself. It is set in an America where anyone can purchase guns and use them as they please. It is now up to the communities to protect themselves and safeguard their own people while the government does nothing to protect them.

In this time of chaos, a man named the Wanderer rises above everyone else to fight this injustice and give people back their rights. Soon he becomes a hero in the state of Arizona as he brutally delivers justice to the people who have destroyed the lives of others. His actions attract the attention of one Rosa Veras, who exposes the Wanderer’s true identity. Now, she is on the run for her life, along with the Wanderer. But can she trust such a violent man? Can she ever be safe from the powerful people who want her dead?

Brutally honest and scarily real, The Wanderer and the New West is a brilliant novel. Raw and gritty, this novel lays down the bare truth without sugar coating anything. This could be our future that may or may not have a Wanderer for us. This makes the character of the Wanderer more interesting and especially real because your imagination is willing him to be real. The dynamics between the Wanderer and Rosa were complicated and honest, and I especially loved their individual development. The writing flows smoothly so that the reader digests every word and becomes even more engrossed in the story. I simply loved it!

Edith Wairimu

In between a peaceful sermon, a tall man walks in. He is dressed in a leather jacket and his signature Stetson, but it is his Breck 17 and Lassiter six-shooter that stand out. With his gaze steady and his hands anchored on his hips, ready for action, he searches for the culprit. The Wanderer, as he is popularly known, searches for victims and punishes their offenders. Living in a new America dubbed the New West, citizens find themselves in a world ruled by guns, 'a man eat man' society where everyone is doing everything to survive in this lawless nation. In The Wanderer and the New West by Adam Bender, technology becomes a key factor and has a role in the filth that is plaguing the country. With evolving technology, unwanted publicity, a bounty hunter after him and constant victims to rescue, can The Wanderer handle it all?

The Wanderer and the New West by Adam Bender is an imaginative, action-filled story that builds a dystopian concept of America. The writer creates a suspenseful story that follows the journey of The Wanderer as he puts his life on the line for strangers who need his help. Bender creates vivid characters in the plot that will resonate with any reader. The heroic nature of the protagonist against the ruthlessness of the antagonist makes the story line stand out from other action books. More importantly, the author helped me visualize the impact of lawlessness on the media, technology and any nation as a whole. This book will prove to be a great read for any lover of fiction.

Bob Novak

Fascinating cinematic style novel, to an America that is riddled by Wild West influences while in contrast to the modern elements we enjoy in our smartbook/FB world: Twitter, Guns, Conflict, Hackers. Western clothes and dark beer.
You could relate to characters like the Wanderer and Rosa. This novel begs to be read in one sitting. You wouldn't hit the pause button on a Mad Max film, would you? Look for Bender to take you places you've never been to but still can remember.