Never underestimate the death count of a Western or a Fantasy story… this one is both.
Outlaw Blood starts with Clye's father on his deathbed, although we don't know that for sure until near the end of the book, and quickly moves through the deadly desert into a town square where a man hangs dead in a noose with birds picking out his slashed intestines.
Clye, the through-and-through outlaw of the dreaded Yeller gang, tries to pick himself up in a society that offers no second chances. He tries to get a hat, the symbol of a gentleman, and ends up having to use a black market trade just to earn his way into a chapel, where he meets a conniving “casino giant”.
At this point, Clye has already almost drawn his gun a handful of times, but fear not, because he hardly makes it a day as a bartender before shooting a man, albeit one that came looking for a fight with his fellow Yeller.
Clye tries to leave town but stumbles upon a robbery that he tries to stop in hopes of clearing his name. It's a real shocker when he gets beat up by an old Yeller friend and hauled off to jail by the lawmen of Jute.
In jail, he makes a deal to hunt down his last friend and trade a life for a life.
When he gets a posse together, they hunt his friend, Justin, down into the mines. They get into a sandstorm shootout that kills the bounty hunter tasked with ensuring Clye returns to Jute but trying to do the right thing, Clye returns with Justin. The sheriff begrudgingly clears his name… but only on paper.
When Justin breaks out of jail, tries to kill off Clye's sweet sidekick, and kidnaps Cly's mother, our protagonist is lured back into the outlaws' den. Though he and his mother have a tense relationship, he'd still hate to let her be killed among thieves. Nevertheless, that is exactly what happens.
Clye's newest friend leads him to the Sandwalker's land, a dark dust devil in the ground that sucks Clye into certain death. Although he loses everything there, the Sandwalker clears his heart of every wrong weighing him down. Clye manages to his feet and catches a glimpse of the Sandwalker disappearing into the distance.
He goes to the wolves’ den and kills his best friend for nothing. His mom is still dead and the people of Jute still see him as an outlaw.
Outside of town, Clye finds Jute being ransacked and jumps into action. He challenges the head of the gang and kills him using some epic sand powers and killer aim.
While they retreat for the night, the gang promises revenge.
The next day, the outlaws return, but not before Clye convinces some trigger-happy lawmen from the next town over to come help. They start an all-out battle of bloodshed that only Clye can stop.
With the battle won, the new head lawman makes a cryptic offer to help rebuild the town. Clye says a quick “no thanks” and fast-walks away from the snake-eyed lawman.
In our calm epilogue, Clye earns his title as a cowboy and goes back to town to purchase his license.
Instead of a license, they give him the rope.
That's right, despite being cleared and saving the town of Jute, the last we ever hear of Clye Galler is in the whispers of common folk watching him die.
