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capgambit's review against another edition
3.0
Overall this was a decent read. I wasn't sure what to expect not having read any of DJ Butlers works. Some parts were very good, even comical. I loved how Porter Rockwell was written. I also really enjoyed how Sam Clemens was portrayed. At first, it was a little hard to wrap my head around the subtle changes in historical figures but I was eventually able to get past it. I did have a hard time following some of the action and it seemed to me that there were pieces missing. Perhaps it was just me that was missing pieces. Also, these people must be made of some tough stuff to take the abuse (gunshots, stabbings, brutal beatdowns) and yet still be able to continue on.
lorialdenholuta's review against another edition
2.0
I continued with Volume 2 of this series out of sheer curiosity to see if the storyline would improve or collapse under its sheer weight. The first 2/3's of the book were as confusing as the previous book - the last 1/3, finally, the plot hit its stride and was quite an enjoyable rollercoaster.
The characters, while definitely unique and detailed, are problematic. I couldn't make myself accept already-famous real life characters re-tooled into these guys. It just didn't work on a level I could roll with.
Bizarrely, I will keep reading the series. It's like watching a really big, impressive fancy train in a slow motion wreck.
The characters, while definitely unique and detailed, are problematic. I couldn't make myself accept already-famous real life characters re-tooled into these guys. It just didn't work on a level I could roll with.
Bizarrely, I will keep reading the series. It's like watching a really big, impressive fancy train in a slow motion wreck.
katiereads42's review against another edition
4.0
Overall I liked it. A lot of characters and stuff to figure out in the beginning. Great job at tying things up at the end except I want to know what happened with Poe.
tukuvwi's review against another edition
4.0
Steampunk meets the Mormons.
Orson Pratt as mad scientist. Eliza R. Snow as secret agent. Brigham Young as his leonine self. And the usual assortment of airships, phlogiston guns, clockwork cavalry, ultrasonic remote-controlled Seth beasts, intrigue and action.
This book is self-published, so there are a lot of typos and infelicities (there's a contract with a publisher, and minor revisions are underway) but what a ride!
Orson Pratt as mad scientist. Eliza R. Snow as secret agent. Brigham Young as his leonine self. And the usual assortment of airships, phlogiston guns, clockwork cavalry, ultrasonic remote-controlled Seth beasts, intrigue and action.
This book is self-published, so there are a lot of typos and infelicities (there's a contract with a publisher, and minor revisions are underway) but what a ride!
publius's review against another edition
4.0
If there were a genre for a book that includes the Old West, an alternate American history, a rebel Mormon kingdom, a slave-free Confederacy, more than a bit of steam punk, fantasy, and an all star cast of historical-larger-than-life-and-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction characters, I don't know what it would be called, but City of the Saints by D.J. Butler has invented it.
And did I mention that it was explosive, fast, and action packed?
On the eve of the American Civil War, the Kingdom of Deseret is the destination for for diplomats, spies, and explorers, Pinkertons, criminals, and mountain men as agents of Queen Victoria, the United States, the Confederacy, and Mexico converge on Salt Lake City. War is imminent, and each is seeking an edge.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened City of the Saints. I met Dave Butler at Salt Lake Comic Con in 2013, and then ran into him again at Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE)earlier this year. The first time I met Butler, he had been on a panel discussing themes in Lord of the Rings. Then, at LTUE he started off a panel on folklore in modern fiction by informing the other panelists that he was in the mood for a good debate...which it was.
I couldn't help but like Butler's style, and I opened his book that night, not sure what to expect, but with promises from Butler that I would enjoy it.
And Butler did not oversell. From the first pages, City of the Saints is fast paced, with a swirling and full cast of colorful action figures. Pulling a whose who of the mid-nineteenth into the ranks of his characters, Butler cleverly saves himself time in character development by leveraging the very real lives of some of the most vibrant characters of the time. From Captain Richard Burton to Edgar Alan Poe, Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) to Porter Rockwell, Butler weaves in nods to American history, western lore, and Mormon heroes, villains and misfits, including Eliza R. Snow, John D. Lee, Brigham Young, and John Moses Browning, whose guns are among the most famous, even today.
This isn't to say that Butler doesn't develop his characters. In fact, Butler does very well building a large cast, multiple protagonists, streaming the plot lines together, and building on the relationships each has with others. For any novelist, its a feat. For a first time novelist, it's most impressive.
And despite the setting in the early Mormon west, this is not a "Mormon" book. Quite the contrary. Featuring swearing Irish, mad scientists, and an almost endless supply of thuggish Pinkertons, it's a mix that defies a simple description, niche, or market, but is well-written, engaging, and, surprisingly, self-published.
Yeah, I know. Self-published. I don't get it. Well written, a romp to read, and thoroughly and carefully conceived: I guarantee I'll be reading another Butler book soon.
And did I mention that it was explosive, fast, and action packed?
On the eve of the American Civil War, the Kingdom of Deseret is the destination for for diplomats, spies, and explorers, Pinkertons, criminals, and mountain men as agents of Queen Victoria, the United States, the Confederacy, and Mexico converge on Salt Lake City. War is imminent, and each is seeking an edge.
I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened City of the Saints. I met Dave Butler at Salt Lake Comic Con in 2013, and then ran into him again at Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE)earlier this year. The first time I met Butler, he had been on a panel discussing themes in Lord of the Rings. Then, at LTUE he started off a panel on folklore in modern fiction by informing the other panelists that he was in the mood for a good debate...which it was.
I couldn't help but like Butler's style, and I opened his book that night, not sure what to expect, but with promises from Butler that I would enjoy it.
And Butler did not oversell. From the first pages, City of the Saints is fast paced, with a swirling and full cast of colorful action figures. Pulling a whose who of the mid-nineteenth into the ranks of his characters, Butler cleverly saves himself time in character development by leveraging the very real lives of some of the most vibrant characters of the time. From Captain Richard Burton to Edgar Alan Poe, Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) to Porter Rockwell, Butler weaves in nods to American history, western lore, and Mormon heroes, villains and misfits, including Eliza R. Snow, John D. Lee, Brigham Young, and John Moses Browning, whose guns are among the most famous, even today.
This isn't to say that Butler doesn't develop his characters. In fact, Butler does very well building a large cast, multiple protagonists, streaming the plot lines together, and building on the relationships each has with others. For any novelist, its a feat. For a first time novelist, it's most impressive.
And despite the setting in the early Mormon west, this is not a "Mormon" book. Quite the contrary. Featuring swearing Irish, mad scientists, and an almost endless supply of thuggish Pinkertons, it's a mix that defies a simple description, niche, or market, but is well-written, engaging, and, surprisingly, self-published.
Yeah, I know. Self-published. I don't get it. Well written, a romp to read, and thoroughly and carefully conceived: I guarantee I'll be reading another Butler book soon.
arutha2321's review against another edition
4.0
Great steampunk action romp full of historical characters set into the Mormon Kingdom of Deseret. Characters were nicely fleshed-out, and I quickly found my favorites (dwarf Jed Coltrane and Irish hitman Tam O'Shaughnessy were top).
My only criticism would be that for people unfamiliar with Mormon history many connections fall flat. For me it took several hours of self-study on Wiki and TV documents to get familiar with about 15 names author threw at me in first 2-3 chapters and expected me to know who they were.
All in all, very enjoyable read.
My only criticism would be that for people unfamiliar with Mormon history many connections fall flat. For me it took several hours of self-study on Wiki and TV documents to get familiar with about 15 names author threw at me in first 2-3 chapters and expected me to know who they were.
All in all, very enjoyable read.
laurafigueiredo's review against another edition
2.0
When I started reading this book, I inmediately thought of Cat Rambo's Altered America, because the setting is pretty much the same - and that was a disappointing fact.
Too "Wild Wild West" for my taste.
Also all the characters make turns to narrate their portion of the story, and jumping from one to another one in each chapter made me feel a bity dizzy.
But I must say that the author managed to provide a crystal clear characterization of each character, which helped a lot, so overall it was not a hard-to-follow kind of story.
By the way this is an action packed book.
Actually one of those stories which begin at a rather slow pace, but things start to happen fast and faster, until the very end when they get completely crazy. So the last chapters were so hard to believe that I kept frowning while I read them.
I think the author meant to hook the reader, but in my case it backfired.
So.
Not a bad book, just not the kind of book I like.
That's why the 2-stars rating ("it's ok") and not more (3 as "liked it").
Too "Wild Wild West" for my taste.
Also all the characters make turns to narrate their portion of the story, and jumping from one to another one in each chapter made me feel a bity dizzy.
But I must say that the author managed to provide a crystal clear characterization of each character, which helped a lot, so overall it was not a hard-to-follow kind of story.
By the way this is an action packed book.
Actually one of those stories which begin at a rather slow pace, but things start to happen fast and faster, until the very end when they get completely crazy. So the last chapters were so hard to believe that I kept frowning while I read them.
I think the author meant to hook the reader, but in my case it backfired.
So.
Not a bad book, just not the kind of book I like.
That's why the 2-stars rating ("it's ok") and not more (3 as "liked it").
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