Rex Riders

Where The Old West Meets The Very Old West

Awards

Winner – Foreword Reviews – 2011 Juvenile Fiction – Book of the YearWinner

Independent Book Publishers Association, 2012 Benjamin Franklin Award
Cover design: Children’s/Young Adult

What People Are Saying

“REX RIDERS is a deft blend of action, humor, and wall-to-wall adventure in a truly original setting. Reading it was nothing short of pure joy, easily recapturing the fun I’d had when first discovering the John Carter of Mars books. And if that isn’t a cause for celebration for today’s pulp readers, I don’t know what is.”
— NY Journal of Books

“Everything about the story is startlingly original . . . As much a tale of cowboy adventure and exciting dinosaur encounters, the canvas of the narrative is huge – in one scene, the two central protagonists discuss the future of the Old West, and D’Alessandro’s speech about the changing world is reminiscent of Tolkien writing about the inevitable onslaught of the future on an idyllic rural way of living in Lord of the Rings.”The characters have an authenticity and depth that makes them believable and far from stereotypical: Carlson has skillfully presented the mythos of Old West values and honour though a 21st century lens, so that age, gender, ethnic or racial group does not constrain any character.”
— Dinosaur Society

“Who's the best audience for Rex Riders? It has reluctant reader written all over it, especially boys who don't want any soap opera with their stories. It's the book that should be sold at every rodeo across America. (Do bookstores set up at rodeos? If not, they should.) Carlson has written something that manages to be both straightforward and sensational; it's the best sort of blend of Americana and science fiction for the ten and up crowd.” “It all comes together in the sort of classic page-turning style that made westerns all the rage decades ago.”
— Guys Lit Wire

“Zeke’s adventure, played out in three acts, is what you might get if you threw The Valley of Gwangi, The Lost World and One Million Years B.C. in a blender with just a dash of Cowboys & Aliens. . . . Young sci-fi and dinosaur fans will almost certainly love it, and the book reminded me of many of the classic stop-motion dinosaur movies I spent countless afternoons watching when I was a kid.”
— Smithsonian Magazine

“Take a pinch of Aliens, a dash of dinosaurs and mix them with a Western main ingredient and you have the recipe for a rip-roaring good children’s read.”

— www.dinosaurnews.org

“Blindingly awesome… The American frontier. With dinosaurs!”
— io9

“REX RIDERS takes a childhood fascination with dinosaurs and delivers a hard-nosed, rip-roaring Western adventure through the dusty plains of Texas and beyond. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.”
— Strange Kids Club

“This ‘weird western’ inserts the prehistoric world of dinosaurs into the traditional setting of cattle roundups, rodeos, and stampedes, square dances and six-shooters… Readers will enjoy the lively action and adventure in the manner of King Kong and Jurassic Park.”
— VOYA

“I think Rex Riders is excellent. The book draws you into its pages with its vivid descriptions. I especially like how the author mixes dinosaurs with the Old West perfectly. He makes it seem so natural. I recommend this truly prehistoric book to anyone 12 and up. This book will have you dreaming about dinosaurs for weeks. I can't wait for the next book in this series to come out!” — Flamingnet reviewer age 12

If you or a family member has read and enjoyed REX RIDERS, please consider leaving a review on Amazon, Barnes & Noble or Apple Books.

A Word From Miss Jane About Foreword Reviews And The Ben Franklin Awards -

Since its inception in 1998, Foreword Reviews has never strayed from its mission to help booksellers and librarians discover great books from indie presses. It serves an avid audience that includes ABA IndieBound affiliated bookstores; the small press buying department at Barnes & Noble; the small press buyers at Costco; and librarian subscribers including public library districts in LA, San Francisco, New York, Dallas, Denver, Chicago, and Detroit.

The Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA) Benjamin Franklin Award program includes over fifty categories recognizing excellence in book editorial and design, and are regarded as one of the highest national honors for independent publishers. 

The awards are administered by the Independent Book Publishers Association (IBPA), with help from over 160 book publishing professionals including librarians, bookstore owners, reviewers, designers, publicity managers, and editors.

We are extremely proud that JP, Jim and Fabio were all recognized for their contributions to our first step into the world of publishing. And we are grateful for the help of our editor Stephen Vrattos and designer Mark Levine! We hope to bring you many more fine books in the years to come!