“This ends with Nate.”
A chilling note found on the body of the deputy mayor puts Nate Lee at the center of a dark conspiracy.
Triceratops Canyon descends into chaos as its citizens disappear at the hands of mysterious new foes.
As Nate, Emma, and Junior follow the clues, they’ll unearth terrible secrets about their home.
Their trust in each other, their alliances and their personal limits will be tested, as they are forced to confront a terrible question:
What is the cost of freedom?
The Silent War is the second book in the acclaimed fantasy Western series, Scales of the West.
Diego Balasquide’s The Silent War, the second installment in the Scales of the West series, deepens the saga in a world where frontier western grit collides with prehistoric danger.
The Silent War expands the Scales of the West universe with confidence. It shifts the central question from can humanity survive the Wildlands? to can humanity survive itself while living in the Wildlands?
Like its predecessor, The Silent War blends the iconography of wild west adventure with the thrill of dinosaurs and other primal beasts. What distinguishes this sequel is its sharper focus on political intrigue, factional conflict, and the pressures of myth-making in a community perched between reverence and fear.
Balasquide excels at atmosphere: dusty towns, wagon convoys, political corruption. Triceratops Canyon reads like a frontier town bursting with both promise and paranoia.
Unlike Book One (The Scales of West), where survival against beasts was more central, The Silent War positions intrigue as the greater predator.
The conflict between two factions obsessed with Nate’s destiny, reframes the protagonist not just as a caretaker of animals but as the contested centerpiece of human politics.
Nate himself, torn between compassion and fear, struggles with the responsibility his powers carry. Is he a savior, a monster, or a tool for political ends? He longs for normality but is repeatedly pushed into messianic expectations.
Emma‘s exhaustion and self-doubt collide with her relentless pragmatism.
Junior‘s breakdowns, failures of command, and flashes of violence make him more human than heroic.
Matsumoto is a villain but also a foil, a mirror in which Nate confronts the possibility of his own corruption.
Secondary figures (Erin, Evelyn, Billy, Will) enrich the texture by adding elements as betrayal, cowardice, excess zeal, or devotion.
Each action scene intensifies the question of trust… in Nate, in institutions, in friends.
However, sometimes it feels overstuffed as the sheer number of factions, betrayals, and plot developments can overwhelm and readers may occasionally lose track of shifting allegiances.
Balasquide’s prose is cinematic, structured like a screenplay, visually vivid, and tightly paced. The author balances action with quiet emotional beats while dialogue adopts a colloquial western rhythm, even when dinosaurs roar through the streets.
The Silent War merges perfectly the grit of western with survival horror, and political thriller.
Fans of Jurassic Park and Firefly will love this frontier tale where dinosaurs roam and loyalty is tested at every turn!
Readers who enjoy genre-blending epics with moral complexity, strong characters, and cinematic spectacle will devour The Silent War!
Keep in touch with the author:
@intothediegoverse (Instagram & TikTok)
Facebook: www.facebook.com/scalesofthewest
Don’t forget to get your merch! Shirts, hoodies, coffee mugs and more are available at dbalasquide.threadless.com.
A book and a cup of coffee 