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A review by suzemo
Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman
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