The Bush League Critic

Intriguing. That's really all I've got after everything I'm about to say gets boiled down to its nitty-gritty.

A fantastical reimagining of the American West which draws its influence from steampunk, the American western tradition, and magical realism.

I admit it: I saw the words "steampunk" and "western" and my hopes immediately soared! But there was a disappointing lack of either of those two sub-genres (as I perceive them) to be found. I expected a little more grit and had to settle instead for "jaunty". Which for me, is not a fair trade at all.

Much Allegory Ensues

The Line: representing industry, ruthless capitalism and greed. The Gun: representing anarchy, chaos and lawlessness. These two factions are led by powerful deities who seduce and enslave men to wage their own private war against each other. The Red Republic: represents a godless, socialistic organization of men who oppose both of the other factions in an attempt to bring New World Order to fruition. The Hill Folk: represent the indigenous natives who watch their sacred lands become defiled by these other entities, yet are ultimately ground under the wheels of Expansion.

I'm all for allegory and subtext, but not when it comes at the expense of what could have been a really cool "Shootout at the OK Dirigible Corral" type scenario. How can you have an entity known as The Gun, and not have more shootouts?! I find myself - once again - in the strange position of liking how Gilman writes, but not really digging what Gilman writes about. I will admit that I liked The Half-Made World more than I did The Thunderer (his debut)... and as such, will probably read its companion volume whenever it's published. But at that point... I'm probably going to have to accept the fact that this author is just not my cup of tea.

Damn. I really wanted to love this book, too... but the author wouldn't let me.