Reviews

No Land For Heroes by Cal Black

smcarriere's review

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adventurous fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? Character
  • Strong character development? It's complicated
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.25

Before I get into this review, I should note that I know the author personally.
Right, onwards then.
I really liked this book. I was worried I wouldn’t, as, though it is a fantasy, Westerns are well out of my wheelhouse. But I really enjoyed it.
I do feel a bit like the main love subplot was a little unearned by the characters, but then, I’m not huge on romance, so for all I knew it might be incredibly romantic. Still, Gilbert annoyed the hell out of me, and I feel like he should have had to work harder to earn his redemption and Millie’s love. That’s just me.
I also think that the motive for the big bad behind it all was a little flimsy, but I suppose people have been brought low for far more stupid reasons in real life, so there’s that.
All told, however, this was a great story that had me abandoning my Sunday chores in order to finish. Lots of action, and some great character scenes made this well worth picking up.

kieshab84's review

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3.0

I just... random characters that were mentioned had no real point. The information given to them could have been left out as it made no difference to the plot. Yes, this is about diamond. Jeb was a bit interesting but he went by the wayside at the end.

Why was Millie's backstory so cluttered? She done everything it seems. What actually was her relationship with her former commander?

Was the marriage really necessary? The kids would have been safe without it.

Why were the elves thinly veiled Native Americans?

This book has potential it didn't live up to.

caitcoy's review against another edition

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4.0

No Land for Heroes is an adventurous fantasy western that follows Millie Berry, an albino elf who's made a new name and place for herself as a Sheriff's Deputy in the small town of Scorched Bluffs. While she's gathered a family of friends in town, it's hard to keep food on the table and protect those that she loves without resorting to a bit of less than legal behavior. When the attempt to snag some ammunition from a train at a nearby town goes south, Millie draws the attention of the last person she ever wanted to see or hear about again: Frederic Rousseau, a well-loved hero of the Amelior Civil War whose secrets only Millie knows. She had hoped to keep out of his sight forever but now to protect her family and her town, Millie will have to face her past.

No Land for Heroes is one of those stories that I can recognize as not necessarily being perfect but being such an engaging, adventurous time that I had a hard time putting it down once I picked it up. I'm rarely a fan of westerns but somehow sprinkling in some magic and dragons always changes that and I've found that I really enjoy this sub-genre so I'm not surprised that this ended up working well for me.

Even though this didn't involve space ships, the opening of No Land for Heroes reminded me so strongly of Firefly and in particular, The Train Job. I really loved getting to see the friendship and the banter between Millie and her friend Sheriff Ryan Collins as well as some of the other side characters that make up the found family that Millie surrounded herself with.

Millie herself is quite a prickly, morally grey character and she shows absolutely no hesitation in eliminating threats to her family. It's clear from the beginning that Millie is dealing with PTSD and a violent past that lead her to respond defensively in most situations. I think she's one of those characters that might not work as well for some readers because she's very hesitant to trust outside of her family and quick to take action, even if that's not entirely legal or moral. But I felt like Cal Black really made me identify with Millie and root for her even in those situations. I liked that she was also a mom who did everything she could to protect her girls and give them a better life than she'd had.

And while the romantic elements might not be for everyone because the love interest is on the arrogant, snarky side and enjoys pushing buttons, I found myself really enjoying it and wanting them to succeed together.

The place where No Land for Heroes works less well for me and the reason that I can't quite give it 5 stars is the setting/world-building. This story feels much more in the western half of the sub-genre, for all that it still has dragons and magic and fantasy races. The elves are clearly modeled on indigenous societies in the west and I honestly wish they'd had a bit less of that influence and more of their own culture instead of having moccasins and tomahawks and some of these recognizable elements. I'm hoping the sequel will maybe expand on the religions that are mentioned in the series as well and make them more of their own thing because there were elements that I really liked but again, it felt a little too familiar for my preferences.

Overall, I really enjoyed No Land for Heroes. On a character/banter level, it was exactly what I was hoping for and I'm really curious to see where Cal Black takes the worldbuilding and the characters in the future. This was an excellent debut and if you're at all interested in the blending of fantasy and westerns, I'd highly recommend it!

bookish_satty's review against another edition

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adventurous mysterious tense fast-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes

4.5

Awesome action packed story from start to finish. I really loved all the characters and their interactions with each other. The plot was engaging and well fleshed out. The pacing was consistent and quite fast which succeeded in keeping my attention fixed on the pages. I loved the world which was a shocker for me because I generally don't like western fantasy but the addition of dragons was genius in my opinion. It really elevated the novel from the rest of it's peers.
The last 20% of the book was fantastic and I'm definitely going to be reading the next installment as soon as possible. 

kayshiddenshelf's review

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adventurous dark emotional funny hopeful mysterious reflective sad tense medium-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? It's complicated

4.5

4.5/5 Stars
 
 I received a physical copy from the author in exchange for an honest review.

An enthralling action-packed story where things aren’t always what they seem. No Land for Heroes is book one in the Legends &Legacies series a self-published Gaslamp & Western Fantasy. 

I want to start this off with some background. No Land for Heroes had been on my TBR for some time, but I was hesitant to pick it up due to the western fantasy genre setting. This was due to my own upbringing of watching old western movies on repeat while visiting family. The tropes and setting were just things I had “seen enough of”. However, I’d never tried reading a blending of the genre with fantasy, and I was determined to pick it up when the mood struck. 

Well, the mood struck, and I dove right in with the physical copy and the audiobook for an immersion read. Before I knew it, No Land for Heroes had pulled me in for a wild ride I won’t soon forget. 

The standout aspect for me was the cast of characters. The story follows multiple POVs and centres around Deputy Mildred Berry, also known as Millie. When Millie attempts to rob a train of ammunition to protect her town, it doesn’t go quite as planned and she quickly realizes the stolen goods belong to a man she’s spent years hiding from. 

Millie, an albino elf and mother of two, quickly shot up my list of “Epic Mothers in Fantasy”! She is right up there with Misaki from The Sword of Kaigen by ML Wang and Orka from the Bloodsworn Saga by John Gwynne. She has a violent past, is harsh and blunt, but would do anything for those she loves. The complexity to her character and her relationships was just spectacular. 

I was also impressed with how much care went into the characters throughout the story. It’s evident that Cal Black’s character work was thoughtful and purposeful, creating genuine characters even among the side cast. There are plenty of memorable characters with their own distinct personalities and struggles, and even some animal companions. 

Let’s talk about the world and genres because that was the surprising part for me. The world has plenty of familiar Gaslamp and Western aspects but seamlessly blends in Fantasy. Showcasing magic, dragons, basilisks, shifters, orcs, elves, and a variety of other races and creatures. Though this is set in the wild west, I often forgot about the western setting due to all the fantasy elements blended in. It all works naturally together, which made it easy for me to get lost in. 

The action and suspense also kept a medium pacing with a whirlwind towards the end. There was always something happening, and the high stakes combined with shorter chapters made this a quick read. In addition, there was also a romantic subplot that added a nice touch to the character work and helped to balance the darker tones of the main plot.  

As mentioned, I had listened to the audiobook along with reading the physical copy and the narrator Carol Abney gave a great performance. 

Finally, the author explores multiple themes in this. Including found family, the bonds of blood family, PTSD, prejudice, the impacts of war, slavery, redemption, and healing. 

I look forward to continuing the series to see what adventures our characters get into next. I’d highly recommend picking up No Land for Heroes for any fantasy reader out there. 

 

redantisocial's review against another edition

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5.0

I picked this up as part of #SPFBO8 and wow. Where to start.

First, it's a Fantasy Western, which I didn't know I needed more of in my life, but after reading No Land for Heroes, I definitely do. It definitely leans more into the Western side as far as the story composition goes, even with a strong presence of Elves and Orcs (and Dragons too!) and I think that serves this story and it's characters well.

The plot is strong and engaging, full of heists, con jobs, and scams aplenty, and everything doesn't always go to plan, and some of the saves (and failures) are glorious!

Speaking of characters, the cast is large enough that I expected it to be hard to keep track of the everyone, or that some of them would feel flat, but each one is fully realized and memorable.

The protagonist, Millie, is incredibly likeable, and relatable, and I'm a huge fan of how she's juuuuust on the light side of morally grey, making choices with weight and consequences that are believable and understandable.

The world is well-realized and rich with different peoples who are good and not so good to each other, and Cal Black's descriptions of places make me want to visit some of the places and experience some of the vistas in the story.

Now the indie bits:
The writing and editing is top notch. Nothing in the prose made me stumble or scratch my head, and the style is consistent and enjoyable throughout.
The pacing is quick, at points breathakingly so, and the action scenes are clear and engaging.
The cover is great. It's clean and readable, fits the style, and is well executed.

I can't wait to read what comes next from Cal Black! (especially if it's a sequel to this!)

rachels_creative_username's review

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adventurous funny hopeful
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? Yes
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5

This was so much fun. I can’t wait to read the next book (and even picked up a copy before finishing this one).

keandrews95's review

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5.0

This was a blast to read. I think I really like western fantasies even though I haven't read many of them. I really liked Black's narrative style and the creativity of the world. I was promised dragons, and I got dragons alongside cute but deadly fire salamanders. This book was full of a lot of great characters that it was hard to choose. A woman-run town and heist crew, yes please. Sweetpea, Millie, and Hal were some of my favorites. What I liked most about this book is that not every character is what they seem, not wholly good or bad--except for the handful that are unlikeable. Jeb surprised me, and I was rooting for him and Diamond even though his family does questionable things. Gil was just...so smackable. Didn't hate him, but I wanted to smack him so much. Rushed romances aren't my favorite thing, but I know Millie and Gil's marriage was more for legal reasons than pure love, so I'm interested to see how that becomes a problem for them/develops in the second book. I felt the pacing of the story was good, although the ending I felt could have been drawn out a bit more, and I actually wanted some closing chapters for Jeb and his family to kind of wrap everything up. I'm excited for the second one! 4.5/5 rounded up.

szeththeassassin's review

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4.0

Please read my review at the following link:

https://escapistbookcompany.com/2023/02/15/review-no-land-for-heroes-legends-and-legacies-1-by-cal-black/

Thank you for taking the time to read my review!! As always. happy reading and Stay Great!!

joelee__'s review

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adventurous emotional sad tense medium-paced
  • Plot- or character-driven? A mix
  • Strong character development? Yes
  • Loveable characters? It's complicated
  • Diverse cast of characters? Yes
  • Flaws of characters a main focus? Yes

4.5