It's only fitting that Emma Bull's new Western fantasy Territory starts off with a note of thanks to John M. Ford. Although he gets the nod officially for loaning Bull And Die in the West, the writing seems to be haunted by his ghost. Maybe it's just the clash of genres, which he handled to such sparkling and disconcerting effect in The Last Hot Time, maybe it's an undiagnosed effect of Minneapolis living, maybe it's an intentional homage (and maybe it's just me). The book rambles a bit, in no hurry to tell you who's a good guy and who's a baddie or who wants what, but it's a safe bet that Jesse Fox, the cute horse trainer who wears smoked-glass spectacles at night, and unconventional widow Mildred Benjamin will turn out well. Motives for anyone but the two main characters are satisfyingly murky, and the descriptions of the Western boom town are realistic without turning into Deadwood parody. Highlights include Wyatt Earp's encounters with a woman who, to quote the author, uses etiquette as a martial art; descriptions of Tombstone's thriving Chinese community; and a Doc Holliday who, as usual, steals every scene he's in.
If Territory were meant to be a standalone, I'd downgrade it a bit for its abrupt ending, but apparently Bull's working on a second volume. This version of the West is as rich and strange as the Borderlands, another of Bull's stomping grounds, and I look forward to seeing more of it and of these characters.
Subscribe to:
Post Comments (Atom)
6 comments:
Emma Bull is one of those writers I keep thinking I need to try, but then always forget when I'm in the bookstore.
While I'm thinking about it: Have you ever tried the Temeraire series, by Naomi Novik? It's rightly compared to Patrick O'Brien, who I know you like, and I've always thought you might like these books as well. I, frankly, love them. It's not a time period or a writing style I myself usually like, but a) I love Naomi's writing style anyway and b) these books sucked me in in a way I wasn't expecting.
I adored War for the Oaks, although these days I suspect it's kind of dated, but I would still recommend it. Falcon is okay, Bone Dancer pissed me off, Freedom and Necessity is improbable but pretty good, Finder is like Pixie Stix and whiskey.
I've never come across the Temeraire series, but there is this bookstore? Right up the street? And I spend half my paycheck there?...
In the States the first book is His Majesty's Dragon: http://tinyurl.com/64ezzc
Have I not told you about these books? I iz surprised! The film rights to the first three books (at least) were optioned by Peter Jackson. Yis, that one.
*drawling* Werl you know I don't read genre fiction, darling. It's all just so improbable, all ROCKET ships and bug-eyed MONSTERS and UNICORNS. Honestly, why bother? I'll just read some of Margaret Atwood's speculative novels. They're so edgy.
In other news, en garde! I challenge you to a duel! (Or are you sufficiently distracted by Die Balermaus?)
*cough*EmmaBullGeneWolfeNeilGaiman*coughcough*
Sorry, what were you saying?
And seriously, a virtual duel right now would be MAHvelous. Why is that not a Facebook application? Who cares about SCRABBLE when you could try to kill each other (virtually) with (virtual) broadswords or katanas? (Why yes, I DO want to live in Snow Crash, why do you ask?)
SHHHHHHH. I iz serios beezniss.
It's not a Facebook app because WoW already owns (a) that demographic, (b) all the virtual moneys, and (c) a distracting number of souls that were a drag on the market?
Post a Comment