2011;
270 pages. New Author? : Yes. Genre : Western; Steampunk. Overall Rating : 6*/10.
What’s
gotten into some people in the sleepy town of Socorro? Well actually, it’s an artificial
“intelligence” composed of thousands of tiny “nanites” that have been traversing
the galaxy and studying sentient beings.
Its collective name is Legion and it likes to take up residence in a host’s mind from whence it can observe the subject’s mental processes, supply
information (think
Google glasses), and make persuasive suggestions to the subject as
to the best course of action to take.
Legion finds us fascinating, but can’t help but meddle in human affairs
in order increase the odds that we’ll survive as a species. Alas, the best laid plans of mice and nanites
go oft awry.
What’s To Like...
The
Amazon blurb calls Owl Dance a Weird Western
Steampunk novel, and I’m kewl
with that. It takes a bit – 20% or so -
for the Steampunk phase to kick in, but it’s worth the wait. The setting – 1870’s in the American
Southwest (primarily
in the New Mexico Territory) –
is a pleasant change of pace. David Lee
Summers renders all the American locations in a believable fashion, while
avoiding excessive minutiae that would distract from the story.
There
are two main protagonists – one Hispanic (Ramon); the other Persian (Fatemeh)
and it’s nice to have non-Eurocentric heroes.
The supporting cast has a bunch of interesting secondary people to meet,
among them Professor Maravilla, General Gorloff, Billy McCarty, and last but
not least, the Russian chemist Mendeleev.
To boot, Newhall, California gets some ink, which is one of my old hometowns, and yes, it really does have an old refinery right at the
edge of town.
I liked the clever twist on the Biblical ‘Legion’. There is some violence (soldiers getting blown up by bombs), a single
cuss word, and a romance leading to adult situations. But none of this is enough to not call it a
YA novel.
Kewlest New Word. . .
Curandera (n.)
: a healer who uses folk
remedies. (Spanish)
Excerpts...
Ramon looked up
and saw Fatemeh as she stepped from the rock enclosure. She wore a clean, modest black dress, but it
clung to her skin because of the moisture.
Her feminine curves were very apparent.
Ramon watched, mesmerized as she stepped over and sat down next to him.
“You should close
your mouth,” she said. “There are
mosquitoes.” (loc. 610)
“It is a country
of cowboys and loose cannons who have no respect for intellectual pursuits. The country has been around for a century and
I cannot name one decent university or important literary work that has come
from there.”
“I have heard
some critics speak highly of a novel called Moby
Dick,” ventured the general.
The scientist
waved his hand as though subjected to a bad smell. “A long-winded book about a madman hunting a
whale? It has no value. Poe showed some promise, but he was obviously
influenced by the French.” (loc.
2648)
Kindle Details...
The Kindle version of Owl Dance is no longer offered at Amazon. The paperback version is available for $10.41. David Lee Summers has another dozen or so
books available at Amazon, in assorted genres.
Most (but
not all) are available for the Kindle, and range in price from free
to $4.99. Some of these are short stories; some are
full-length novels.
“Good citizens maintain the status quo. It’s the outlaws and the dreamers who change
the world.” (loc.
5735)
There are weaknesses. The storytelling is disjointed, and I felt
like the author started each new chapter with no idea where he was going to
take it. The inherent result is a lot of
stuff – characters, scenes, side plots, etc. – that is just unnecessary. Some examples – the pirates, the submarine,
the occasional Baha’i preachiness, and even the titular owls. Do any of these contribute to the main
storyline – the Russian invasion? Ditto
for a slew of characters that trot into the story, get named and developed,
then exit never to be heard from again.
There are also some WTF’s.
Apparently the whole invasion force, plus food and supplies, plus bombs
and ammunition; can be brought across from western Russia on just two dirigibles. Wow.
There’s also Fatemeh’s fabulous powers of persuasion – convincing
outlaws, pirates, and bounty hunters to instantly change sides.
The climax - the demise of the airships - is . . .well. . .
anticlimactic. I was expecting an
exciting fight scene, with the proviso that firearms could not be used (the
airship will go boom); instead there was a bad case of rigor mortis. Loose ends remain. Bishop Ramirez & Randolph Dalton are
swept aside with a “they better not try anything”; the problem of Legion isn’t
even addressed; and the Russian ground troops are still out there. Lastly, the pirates who just saved the USA are to be deported? Wow again.
This
is another one of those “it cooda been so much better” books that
cries out for a serious rewrite. For instance, have
our heroes win the airships on their own resources, maybe work an owl playing a
crucial role. Legion needs to be
defeated, or at least neutralized.
Switch the final battle site to the West Coast; that’s the land the Russians
were trying to reclaim in the first place.
Scrap the Baha’i blurbs, they don’t contribute anything. Dump Dalton/Ramirez and the Pirates/Submarine
too; neither thread is needed. Better
yet, save them for a sequel.
For all that, the Owl Dance still held my interest. I think David Lee Summers' writing style is strong enough to overcome the storytelling issues. But just barely.
6 Stars. Add ½-star if
you happen to be Baha’i. Subtract ½-star if you happen to be Catholic.
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