Take a photo of a barcode or cover
A review by lykkes_laeserier
Newbird by Tyler David Rigdon
3.0
Not an alternate history as much as an alternate addition to history, “Newbird” by Tyler Rigdon has a lot of potential to spin a new yarn about the exploration and settlement of the American West. It follows two different timelines, one in 1599 and the other in 1836, and is largely a story about colonists and the colonized, seekers of power and wealth and those simply wanting to live their lives.
The story itself is interesting and well-imagined. The author, however, clearly has a lot of insight into early American history and a burning desire to impart as much of it as possible, which rather hampers the narrative. Long sections of exposition describing historical events and timelines often span several chapters at a time and overwhelm the actual story with a lot of unnecessary information where a short summary would have sufficed. This on top of a robust number of notes giving further information.
I understand that the novel is self-published, which probably explains why the long sections of history have been included in the novel. I can’t help but feel that the book would have benefited from the input of a good editor who would have helped the author focus more of his energy on the story and less on the history lessons. As it is, the book has a lot of potential but never really fulfills it, in my opinion.
The story itself is interesting and well-imagined. The author, however, clearly has a lot of insight into early American history and a burning desire to impart as much of it as possible, which rather hampers the narrative. Long sections of exposition describing historical events and timelines often span several chapters at a time and overwhelm the actual story with a lot of unnecessary information where a short summary would have sufficed. This on top of a robust number of notes giving further information.
I understand that the novel is self-published, which probably explains why the long sections of history have been included in the novel. I can’t help but feel that the book would have benefited from the input of a good editor who would have helped the author focus more of his energy on the story and less on the history lessons. As it is, the book has a lot of potential but never really fulfills it, in my opinion.