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shawniebooks's review
3.0
3.5 but not a 4. I'll save my comments for the VF meetup next week. :) I do enjoy Westerns, especially Fantasy Westerns.
wildmedium's review
4.0
Good, solid start to an interesting series, and an interesting take on westerns and science fiction as a whole. I'm surprised this genre hasn't been picked up before.
emoryp's review against another edition
5.0
Really interesting characters and world; a bit anti-climatic and has some unnecessary typos.
Also, the author decided to use some old western dialect but doesn't really commit to it so it's a little weird.
Also, the author decided to use some old western dialect but doesn't really commit to it so it's a little weird.
jesslynh's review
5.0
UPDATE 1/17/2017: Just as good the 2nd time around. Off to #2!
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I loved this book. The determined tone, the dusty west, magic---everything. I am so looking forward to future installments and have added this series to my auto-buy list.
It's such a shame the publishers didn't release it on audio.
ORIGINAL REVIEW: I loved this book. The determined tone, the dusty west, magic---everything. I am so looking forward to future installments and have added this series to my auto-buy list.
It's such a shame the publishers didn't release it on audio.
vorsoisson's review
4.0
Beautifully crafted. Gilman has always been good at weaving interesting political subplots throughout her books, and the way that she portrays the various cultures trying to share territory in this novel is really nicely done. Every character we come across is a fully-fleshed person, with their own motivations and complications. Though I might recommend waiting until the next book is out to read this, as I am left with questions unanswered and a need to know what happens next.
el_reads17's review
4.0
3.75 stars
Silver on the Road is a unique coming of age story in a mythical and magic infused western setting. It is beautifully written and an enjoyable read despite a disappointing finish. The setting is my favourite part- it is a blend of native myths, magic, and folklore. I also like Isobel. She starts out as a naive girl with responsibilities larger than herself and slowly learns to grow into her role. The overall pace of the book is slow but it works well in this case as whole story is a meandering journey.
An issue with this book is that most of the action happens off the page. This holds true for even the final confrontation which left me feeling that there wasn't a proper resolution. The last quarter of the book also lacked focus. Characters like Graciendo were introduced after build-up and nothing came out of it. I was also annoyed by the last minute addition of the Spanish friars.
Overall, Silver on the Road is a good read. There's also lots of room for the series to grow. I'll be picking up book 2!
Silver on the Road is a unique coming of age story in a mythical and magic infused western setting. It is beautifully written and an enjoyable read despite a disappointing finish. The setting is my favourite part- it is a blend of native myths, magic, and folklore. I also like Isobel. She starts out as a naive girl with responsibilities larger than herself and slowly learns to grow into her role. The overall pace of the book is slow but it works well in this case as whole story is a meandering journey.
An issue with this book is that most of the action happens off the page. This holds true for even the final confrontation which left me feeling that there wasn't a proper resolution. The last quarter of the book also lacked focus. Characters like Graciendo were introduced after build-up and nothing came out of it. I was also annoyed by the last minute addition of the Spanish friars.
Overall, Silver on the Road is a good read. There's also lots of room for the series to grow. I'll be picking up book 2!
suzemo's review
5.0
I adored this book.
I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book - it sounded good on paper, alternate history of the old "West"/expansionist (pre Industrial, at least) American times, female protag, interesting characters. That's not always enough, but it was on sale, so why not? It turned out this book was so much more.
The story is largely set in the "middle" of America. Spain and the Catholic Church has pretty solidly kept where the Western end of the US is (known as the Spanish Protectorate it covers areas like California, etc.), the "civilized" US has a western border of the Mississippi, and in the middle, there's the Territory.
The Territory is ruled by The Devil, but whether he's the actual Satanesque figure of JudeoChristian mythology or whether he's a man with a lot of magic who has been branded that by others is a mystery (at least it was to me). The Devil makes a bargain with Isobel, the 16 year old protag in the story; she's free as of her 16th birthday, and she strikes a Bargain to become the Devil's Left Hand, not entirely sure what it is she's getting herself into. The Devil makes another Bargain with Gabriel, a weathered man wise in the ways of the Road and the Territory to teach Isobel to be a Rider. We're not sure exactly what's going on with Gabriel, but I feel like he was fantastically written. They run into misadventures (magic, magical creatures) on the road and have to solve a larger, darker mystery.
It's a slow novel, this is about the characters and the journey; this is a wonderful world building novel, not quite like others I've read. It is not florid or overly written, to the point where I'm dying to know more about some of the people and characters, and even the magic systems and lands. I am 100% on board with snapping up anything this author writes, particularly in this series.
Oh and bonus points for, I'm thrilled to be spared that god-awful trope.
I wasn't sure how I would feel about this book - it sounded good on paper, alternate history of the old "West"/expansionist (pre Industrial, at least) American times, female protag, interesting characters. That's not always enough, but it was on sale, so why not? It turned out this book was so much more.
The story is largely set in the "middle" of America. Spain and the Catholic Church has pretty solidly kept where the Western end of the US is (known as the Spanish Protectorate it covers areas like California, etc.), the "civilized" US has a western border of the Mississippi, and in the middle, there's the Territory.
The Territory is ruled by The Devil, but whether he's the actual Satanesque figure of JudeoChristian mythology or whether he's a man with a lot of magic who has been branded that by others is a mystery (at least it was to me). The Devil makes a bargain with Isobel, the 16 year old protag in the story; she's free as of her 16th birthday, and she strikes a Bargain to become the Devil's Left Hand, not entirely sure what it is she's getting herself into. The Devil makes another Bargain with Gabriel, a weathered man wise in the ways of the Road and the Territory to teach Isobel to be a Rider. We're not sure exactly what's going on with Gabriel, but I feel like he was fantastically written. They run into misadventures (magic, magical creatures) on the road and have to solve a larger, darker mystery.
It's a slow novel, this is about the characters and the journey; this is a wonderful world building novel, not quite like others I've read. It is not florid or overly written, to the point where I'm dying to know more about some of the people and characters, and even the magic systems and lands. I am 100% on board with snapping up anything this author writes, particularly in this series.
Oh and bonus points for
Spoiler
no romantic shenanigans between Iz and Gabrielkblevz's review
5.0
I really enjoyed this book that I purchased on a whim. It's a a little coming of age story, a little fantasy, a little YA, a little alternative history, and a lot of fun. Izzy reaches adulthood and has to make big decisions about her future. So, of course, she wants to work for the Devil. I'm looking forward to the next one in this series!
wildfaeriecaps's review
4.0
Wow! I enjoyed the hell out of this book! I can't wait to read the next one. I love the setting and I'm so excited to see where the road takes Iz.
fantasyfunk's review
2.0
I actually think this book would have worked wonderfully as a prequel novella introducing the world/characters before a meatier novel came out. It just should have been 100 pages shorter. So much wandering and nothing much happening. Even the big parts of the plot really seem to happen without the main character there. She hears or stumbles upon them after the fact which I think really steal the weight from them. Bad things are happening and we should be worried! But I just wasn't.
The ending finally had some action. A little too little too late for me but I think it did at least bump it up to 2 stars instead of just one. I was also a touch annoyed at the lack of real resolution to the ending. Felt a bit too much like a season finale of a tv show where they want to leave you hooked all summer.
It's gotten great reviews so I will freely admit that it might just not have worked for me.
The ending finally had some action. A little too little too late for me but I think it did at least bump it up to 2 stars instead of just one. I was also a touch annoyed at the lack of real resolution to the ending. Felt a bit too much like a season finale of a tv show where they want to leave you hooked all summer.
It's gotten great reviews so I will freely admit that it might just not have worked for me.