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3.68 AVERAGE
3.68 AVERAGE
4.5 stars, actually
Harris has created an alternate Wild West where the USA is divided into different parts: Holy Russian Empire on the West Coast, Britannia on the East, and mostly Mexico and Canada in between.
We meet Gunnie Rose just as she's gearing up for a job: escorting a bunch of settlers by truck through a slightly more lawless part of the West with her gunslinger crew.
It doesn't go well.
And once she picks herself up from that experience, a couple of Russian Grigoris (or magic users) appear at her cabin to hire her to escort them on a trip to find another Russian: Oleg Karkarov, who is mixed up with the Tsar and other things that may or may not be connected to Gunnie Rose herself.
This is a Western. Oh, there's a bit of magic thrown in there, but guns reign supreme. Gunnie Rose herself is tough as nails in a practical, pick yourself up off the ground and keep going, kind of way. And also "has standards" when it comes to her gunnie protection services that means she's loyal to a fault for the clients.
She also doesn't like being touched, is happy alone, and is as cranky as an 88 year old grandma about fuss, bother, and people dithering on. As Gunnie Rose and the two grigori cross the desert, more and more bodies pile up.
I loved Gunnie Rose's no-nonsense voice. But there are somewhat awkward parts like some pretty important secrets Harris somewhat artificially keeps from the reader and some handy coincidences that help out Gunnie from time to time. They didn't bother me. I will definitely be following along with her on other adventures.
Harris has created an alternate Wild West where the USA is divided into different parts: Holy Russian Empire on the West Coast, Britannia on the East, and mostly Mexico and Canada in between.
We meet Gunnie Rose just as she's gearing up for a job: escorting a bunch of settlers by truck through a slightly more lawless part of the West with her gunslinger crew.
It doesn't go well.
And once she picks herself up from that experience, a couple of Russian Grigoris (or magic users) appear at her cabin to hire her to escort them on a trip to find another Russian: Oleg Karkarov, who is mixed up with the Tsar and other things that may or may not be connected to Gunnie Rose herself.
This is a Western. Oh, there's a bit of magic thrown in there, but guns reign supreme. Gunnie Rose herself is tough as nails in a practical, pick yourself up off the ground and keep going, kind of way. And also "has standards" when it comes to her gunnie protection services that means she's loyal to a fault for the clients.
She also doesn't like being touched, is happy alone, and is as cranky as an 88 year old grandma about fuss, bother, and people dithering on. As Gunnie Rose and the two grigori cross the desert, more and more bodies pile up.
I loved Gunnie Rose's no-nonsense voice. But there are somewhat awkward parts like some pretty important secrets Harris somewhat artificially keeps from the reader and some handy coincidences that help out Gunnie from time to time. They didn't bother me. I will definitely be following along with her on other adventures.
I read this for a book club, and to be honest, it would not have been a book I’d normally pick up and read from the description. And the cover did not catch my eye. But wow! I loved the story and was totally drawn in by the total twist in history and the addition of magic. Will definitely be reading the sequel! It’s sitting on my bookshelf!
Took a while to warm up to the characters, but I think I liked it all by the end.
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Plot
This was an interesting story and I enjoyed the world building. It was just a little bit slow for me, which I think might be partly because of Lizabeth’s somewhat detached tone.
adventurous
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
No
adventurous
lighthearted
mysterious
tense
fast-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
Content Warnings
Moderate: Rape, Violence
Some time ago, I first tried this book in print but didn't make it past the first chapter. However I have a good history with Harris' books, so I decided to give the audio version a try. That proved to be an inspired idea. I was quickly absorbed into the story.
Harris uses the American mythology of the Wild West in this alternative timeline story. Instead of the usual “Manifest Destiny,“ this is a USA that has been torn apart by historical events. Our protagonist, Lizbeth Rose, hails from Texoma and makes her living guarding people who are traveling between the various new states, preventing robbery, rape, murder and kidnapping as best she can. Harris provides some interesting twists on the iconic gunslinger of the Old West. For one, our fearsome gunnie is a woman. Lizbeth is taciturn, as all good Western heroes are, and she has professional standards, but she is understandably money motivated. After all, a girl's gotta eat and buy ammo. The book opens with Lizbeth's crew getting killed, leaving her to become the lone gun(wo)man of legend.
In 2025, the significance of a California that is ruled by the Russian royal family, who escaped the Russian Revolution, gains an odd flavour. Lizbeth is hired by two Gregoris, wizards from that kingdom, on assignment to find a man whose bloodline is important to the survival of their Tsar. It becomes obvious that not everyone in the kingdom share their aims and Gunnie Rose has her hands full. Especially since her two charges are overly confident in their magical abilities but forget that people skills are necessary too. Lizbeth gets some satisfaction out of being proven right on a number of occasions. I would too.
Harris works her usual magic, creating unique and interesting characters, some with murky motivations. Even Lizbeth, who prides herself on her directness, isn't always honest with herself about her own reasoning. I also found her reworking of the historical context to be fascinating and I enjoyed exploring this alternate reality. Being Charlaine Harris, I suspected there'd be a paranormal angle, so the magic of the Gregoris fulfilled my expectations. Lizbeth reminded me strongly of Harris' Sookie Stackhouse character in that she is a mortal woman with a rare talent who ends up working with a man who is stronger in magic, but who benefits from her analytical skill and knowledge of human behaviour. Elie is very much the Eric to Lizbeth's Sookie. Both Lizbeth and Sookie end up performing a lot of the social and emotional work for the men folk in their ventures.
While I may have had some difficulty getting into this first Gunnie Rose book, I am excited to continue with the series. The ending of this novel leaves things wide open for further adventures in Texoma.
Harris uses the American mythology of the Wild West in this alternative timeline story. Instead of the usual “Manifest Destiny,“ this is a USA that has been torn apart by historical events. Our protagonist, Lizbeth Rose, hails from Texoma and makes her living guarding people who are traveling between the various new states, preventing robbery, rape, murder and kidnapping as best she can. Harris provides some interesting twists on the iconic gunslinger of the Old West. For one, our fearsome gunnie is a woman. Lizbeth is taciturn, as all good Western heroes are, and she has professional standards, but she is understandably money motivated. After all, a girl's gotta eat and buy ammo. The book opens with Lizbeth's crew getting killed, leaving her to become the lone gun(wo)man of legend.
In 2025, the significance of a California that is ruled by the Russian royal family, who escaped the Russian Revolution, gains an odd flavour. Lizbeth is hired by two Gregoris, wizards from that kingdom, on assignment to find a man whose bloodline is important to the survival of their Tsar. It becomes obvious that not everyone in the kingdom share their aims and Gunnie Rose has her hands full. Especially since her two charges are overly confident in their magical abilities but forget that people skills are necessary too. Lizbeth gets some satisfaction out of being proven right on a number of occasions. I would too.
Harris works her usual magic, creating unique and interesting characters, some with murky motivations. Even Lizbeth, who prides herself on her directness, isn't always honest with herself about her own reasoning. I also found her reworking of the historical context to be fascinating and I enjoyed exploring this alternate reality. Being Charlaine Harris, I suspected there'd be a paranormal angle, so the magic of the Gregoris fulfilled my expectations. Lizbeth reminded me strongly of Harris' Sookie Stackhouse character in that she is a mortal woman with a rare talent who ends up working with a man who is stronger in magic, but who benefits from her analytical skill and knowledge of human behaviour. Elie is very much the Eric to Lizbeth's Sookie. Both Lizbeth and Sookie end up performing a lot of the social and emotional work for the men folk in their ventures.
While I may have had some difficulty getting into this first Gunnie Rose book, I am excited to continue with the series. The ending of this novel leaves things wide open for further adventures in Texoma.
Este libro me ha entretenido, aunque creo que no es para nada a lo que estoy costumbrada a leer (por la ambientación) y precisamente por eso no me ha llamado mucho la atención.
Sí que ha habido un par de plot twist que no me esperaba para nada, pero a pesar de eso no es una historia que me interese demasiado como para seguir con la trilogía.
Sí que ha habido un par de plot twist que no me esperaba para nada, pero a pesar de eso no es una historia que me interese demasiado como para seguir con la trilogía.
Enjoyable, quick read from Harris. Looking forward to more stories in this vein.