Caleb is a travelling law man, following his patrol route
through towns in the west; and he’s not too happy about it. But there’s not
much place for him in the east, not after the war when most of his power was
burned out of him, his old skill reduced to a fraction of what he was. Now
almost an embarrassment, he is shunted off to the edge of the country.
But things are not peaceful on the outskirts, tensions
are rising between the Cheyenne and the local town, there’s a rash of children
with strangely weakened magic, towns being destroyed an a local land owner
almost ruling the town. Something is up and it’s Caleb’s job to find out what.
I’m rapidly developing a love for paranormal westerns –
which is odd, because I Ioathe westerns generally – but if they keep being this
good then I’m hooked.
The world building of this book is fascinating and
incredibly different. This isn’t a world where some people have magic – this is
a world where everyone has magic. Everyone has powers within them and those
powers in turn are used near constantly to power the world around them. From
the arcane mechanical horses, to electric fences to basic smithing and most
certainly in war. The way the arcane ability is integrated into just about
every aspect of society is fascinating and really smoothly done – creating a world
that is so very like our own but with this constant thread of difference that
twists everything. It’s an excellent, rich, fun world that I just desperately
want to explore more. Especially since the world building was excellently
written with all the information we need to be fully immersed but no long, dry
explanations and lectures to tell us exactly how it works. I can see the
framework of it but desperately want to know more – but it was and it’s going
to be given in increments – after all, if everyone in society knows how to use
magic, why would we need lectures on how to use that magic? It would be like
random characters deciding to lecture us on how to read.
Also, some magic users have familiars. And Caleb has a jackalope and he’s cute and funny and I love the addition to the world, he lightens things without being ridiculous, is amusing without being slapstick and fits into the world rather than being an odd add-on
This is all really helped by a wonderful writing style.
Detailed and evocative when necessary – such as Caleb’s reminiscing of the war
– with some excellently written action scenes (with magic and some really novel
uses of that power and integrating it with the weapons of the time) that cross
the line into amazingly epic at times. The pacing is perfect, that balance
between development and action, between moving the story forwards while
preserving the mystery really works.
Then we have those people who have, either from birth or
with an accident with their magic, been drained of their ability. They’re
burned out and nulled and, in a society where everyone else does have magic,
they’re considered disabled. Now, we do have a bad record in fiction of
marginalised issues being appropriated poorly for fiction, but this is an
excellent example of it being done. If magical ability is considered the
default state of humanity, if the majority of jobs regularly use magical
ability then those without magical ability are very much disabled and
disenfranchised. The way they are regarded by the other characters is an
extremely good representation of how the disabled are treated in general –
pitied, a kind of fawning, horrified pity mixed with a cautionary tale (since
it could happen to them as well), but at the same time condescended too and
assumed to be lesser and weaker – there’s an inherent superiority assumed by
anyone with magic over them. Caleb also talks about the lack of opportunities
for them, of the magic-less being forced to become homeless beggars and
everyone assumes they cannot work. The blacksmith in the town has no magic, but
with simple accommodations he does apparently good work – yet people still
hesitate to rely on, assuming that his in-world disability means he cannot do
his job properly.
Then there’s Caleb himself, injured in the war and having
his own incredible magical talent reduced to a fraction he once had. His
adaptation to his reduced state, his anger, shame and almost mourning as well
as the pity of others all come together in an excellent portrayal of transition
and conflict.
The plot itself probably isn’t all that original – in
that we have the Wild West with the insidious wealthy land owner doing
insidious things to insidiously get his hands on more wealth. But the elements
of the story are wonderfully blended with this excellent world which brings
originality to it – it may be a similar story but the background is so original
as to highlight whole new aspects and bring the whole plot a new dimension.
This is coupled with some fascinating characters, especially Caleb, and the
excellent writing to carry it on.
There are a number of POC in the book, including minor
characters in town, but not many I would consider major main characters – but then,
other than Caleb himself I don’t think this book has major main characters,
albeit it has significant minor characters. One of the primary conflicts in the
book is between white settlers and Native Americans – which means we have a lot
of historical racism portrayed, but also Caleb and several other character’s
distaste (without the rather “modernising” of the good guys to make them immune
to the prejudices and attitudes of the time. They all consider the Native
Americans to be mysterious and alien but are repelled by the contempt shown by
others in the town).
We have a difficulty of a trope meeting the world itself.
It is a prevailing trope that Native Americans how mysterious woo-woo and are
there to be sages with magical zing to serve White characters. And the Native
Americans here have mysterious woo-woo… but then everyone has woo-woo, that’s
the point of the world. The Native Americans have very mysterious different
woo-woo, but the sense is that different cultures do have very different
woo-woo, but, ultimately, everyone is woo-woo enabled, not just the Native
Americans. In turn, the Native American shaman does use that woo-woo to help
Caleb which feels like a trope – but switch the angle and he’s using that
woo-woo to help Caleb and use him as an agent to fight the bad guy who is
threatening the Native Americans themselves.
So while in many ways it seems to follow the trope, there’s
more involved to it – it more runs parallel with the trope but never meets it
because of the nature of the world, the magic system and the ultimate end goal
of the characters all kind of derail it. It runs at the trope then veers off at
the last second. It’s also interesting how the presence of actual woo-woo makes
for an adjusted world in terms of power levels and the conflict and treaties
between the US government and the Native American tribes – because the Native
Americans how power that is fearsome and scary, it changes the power balance
somewhat; the ramifications of this special woo-woo have been built into the
world.
Sadly, there were no GBLT characters. There were several
women, again not in what I would consider major roles but, equally as I said
above, this is a predominantly a one man book. The women we have are all
determined and powerful, brave, resourceful and skilled and able which is good
to see – but they’re also borderline spunky in more than few places and that
determined self-sacrifice/suicidal foolishness leads to rescuing being needed. When
rescued they don’t hide in a corner, but get up and fight and there’s at least
one instance of Caleb being rescued by a woman himself. But there is a
difference between Caleb being rescued because he was ambushed, and a woman
being rescued because she
decided to run off and sacrifice herself while relying on the bad guy’s good
will to actually achieve anything.
In all, I loved this book – there were things that could
be improved, but I have hope that they will be if the series is continued. The
world is amazing, the main character is fascinating and the story runs along
and drags me with it, well and truly hooked. This is one of those books that
actually makes a whole genre look appealing – and one where I felt truly sad
that it was over – I can’t wait for book 2.
