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A review by colossal
Silver on the Road by Laura Anne Gilman
3.0
Wonderful world-building with an interesting heroine growing into the position that she's been given.
In this world, an alternate American west, the Devil has claimed a Territory encompassing the midwest of North America, and all within it must hold to his Agreement or their own Bargains. It's not clear that this is the biblical Devil, but the analogy fits and he doesn't seem to mind the name. Isobel was brought up in the Devil's house and after her sixteenth birthday she makes a Bargain with him to help him with his business and he in turn makes her the Devil's Left Hand and sends her on her way with an experienced Rider to teach her the ropes.
From there we get the slow unfolding of life on the road in the Devil's Territory and Izzy begins to explore what's needed of her as she encounters the various supernatural and human denizens of the country. She's traveling with Gabriel, an experienced Rider, who has plenty of mysteries of his own which don't get explored fully here.
After a promising start this story becomes mind-bendingly slow and never quite unfolds to anything particularly satisfying. There's something bad happening in the part of the Territory that Isobel is visiting, but her small group is mostly just chasing it down rather than actually encountering it. There's no resolution here, just the winning of a minor battle.
Too long for what it is, but it works as the first part of a promising story. In terms of rating the quality of writing and world-building wants 4 stars, but in terms of being a novel this is only the first half or third of something much bigger and this one does not come to any satisfying conclusion, or even a good stopping point.
In this world, an alternate American west, the Devil has claimed a Territory encompassing the midwest of North America, and all within it must hold to his Agreement or their own Bargains. It's not clear that this is the biblical Devil, but the analogy fits and he doesn't seem to mind the name. Isobel was brought up in the Devil's house and after her sixteenth birthday she makes a Bargain with him to help him with his business and he in turn makes her the Devil's Left Hand and sends her on her way with an experienced Rider to teach her the ropes.
From there we get the slow unfolding of life on the road in the Devil's Territory and Izzy begins to explore what's needed of her as she encounters the various supernatural and human denizens of the country. She's traveling with Gabriel, an experienced Rider, who has plenty of mysteries of his own which don't get explored fully here.
After a promising start this story becomes mind-bendingly slow and never quite unfolds to anything particularly satisfying. There's something bad happening in the part of the Territory that Isobel is visiting, but her small group is mostly just chasing it down rather than actually encountering it. There's no resolution here, just the winning of a minor battle.
Too long for what it is, but it works as the first part of a promising story. In terms of rating the quality of writing and world-building wants 4 stars, but in terms of being a novel this is only the first half or third of something much bigger and this one does not come to any satisfying conclusion, or even a good stopping point.