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Book Review
Aug. 16th, 2019 11:00 amSilver on the Road
by Laura Anne Gilman
Silver on the Road is the first in a trilogy set in an alternate version of the 19th century American West. Here, the continent is split into three sections - the US has the portion up to the Mississippi river, the west coast up to the Rockies is under Spanish Rule, and the middle portion is called The Devil's Territory and is under the protection/control of a clearly supernatural man referred to as the devil (he's much more the devil found in folklore than the biblical Satan). In the Territory, magic works and various supernatural creatures can be found. At 16, Isobel, raised in the devil's household, makes the choice to work for the devil as his Left Hand. she soon finds herself riding out through the Territory with Gabriel, an experienced rider who has agreed to be her guide and mentor. While on the road they encounter a mysterious and deadly threat to the Territory.
I found this book very enjoyable. The setting was fascinating and the world-building was great in that Gilman let the plot drive things so that things were revealed slowly and naturally without any info-dumps or overlong descriptions. Despite the high stakes of the threat, the pace was a little on the slower and more contemplative side, giving as much weight and attention to Isobel's growing understanding of herself and the Territory and her developing confidence in her own judgment and abilities as it did to the pursuit of the threat. I also loved the growth of Isobel and Gabriel's relationship, especially the fact that it is a deep friendship rather than a romance.
by Laura Anne Gilman
Silver on the Road is the first in a trilogy set in an alternate version of the 19th century American West. Here, the continent is split into three sections - the US has the portion up to the Mississippi river, the west coast up to the Rockies is under Spanish Rule, and the middle portion is called The Devil's Territory and is under the protection/control of a clearly supernatural man referred to as the devil (he's much more the devil found in folklore than the biblical Satan). In the Territory, magic works and various supernatural creatures can be found. At 16, Isobel, raised in the devil's household, makes the choice to work for the devil as his Left Hand. she soon finds herself riding out through the Territory with Gabriel, an experienced rider who has agreed to be her guide and mentor. While on the road they encounter a mysterious and deadly threat to the Territory.
I found this book very enjoyable. The setting was fascinating and the world-building was great in that Gilman let the plot drive things so that things were revealed slowly and naturally without any info-dumps or overlong descriptions. Despite the high stakes of the threat, the pace was a little on the slower and more contemplative side, giving as much weight and attention to Isobel's growing understanding of herself and the Territory and her developing confidence in her own judgment and abilities as it did to the pursuit of the threat. I also loved the growth of Isobel and Gabriel's relationship, especially the fact that it is a deep friendship rather than a romance.
