Book Review: DEAD SCALP

by | Sep 27, 2025 | Book Reviews, Reviews, The Horror Review News | 0 comments

Dead Scalp
Jasper Bark
Crystal Lake Publishing (July 29, 2025)
Reviewed by Nora B. Peevy

Looking for your next splatterpunk western? Look no further. Jasper Bark has done it again with another Dead Scalp tale. The only rule in Dead Scalp is: Don’t cut your hair. And for good reason. You’re liable to be killed, if you do in a very inventive way. Dead Scalp is brutal, bloody, and harsh. It’s not a place for the faint of heart to dwell in and once you enter, you can never leave.

This book can be read as a standalone, which I appreciated. It was my first introduction to the wild splatterpunk west universe Bark has created and I ate up every second of it. The myth behind the town’s deadly curse is a wicked one. I won’t spoil it for you but being a lifelong reader of Indigenous literature and folk tales, I appreciated it greatly.

You’re in for a scary ride, if you pick up this story, so hold on to your hat and saddle up your horse. If you’re feeling brave, shave your mustache off and see what happens next, but I warn you, you’re not going to like it.

About Nora B. Peevy

Nora B. Peevy is a cat trapped in a human’s body. Please send help or tuna. She toils away for JournalStone and Trepidatio Publishing as a submissions reader, is a co-editor for Alien Sun Press, the newest reviewer for Hellnotes, and has been published by Eighth Tower Press, Weird Fiction Quarterly, and other places. Usually, you can find her on Facebook asking for help escaping from her human body or to get tuna. Tuna is nice. Cats like tuna.

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