Upcoming: RED WATERS RISING by Laura Anne Gilman (Saga Press)

November 25, 2017 Civilian Reader Upcoming Devil's West, Fantasy, Laura Anne Gilman, Red Waters Rising, Saga Press, Wild West

GilmanLA-DW3-RedWatersRisingUS Next year, Saga Press is due to publish the final novel in Laura Anne Gilman’s Devil’s West trilogy, Red Waters Rising. This is a trilogy that has been on my radar for some time, and I really should get around to reading it soon.

In the last novel of The Devil’s West trilogy, Isobel, the Devil’s Left Hand, and Gabriel ride through the magical land of the Territory to root out evil by the way of mad magicians, ghosts, and twisted animal spirits.

As Isobel and Gabriel travel to the southern edge of the Territory, they arrive in the free city of Red Stick. Tensions are running high as the homesteading population grows, crowding the native lands, and suspicions rise across the river from an American fort.

But there is a sickness running through Red Stick and Isobel begins to find her authority challenged. She’ll be abandoned, betrayed, and forced to stand her ground as the Devil’s left hand in this thrilling conclusion to The Devil’s West Trilogy.

The first two novels of the trilogy are available now: Silver on the Road and The Cold Eye. (Books 1 and 2 are also available in the UK.)

GilmanLA-DevilsWestUS2017

Also on CR: Interview with Laura Anne Gilman (2013)

Follow the Author: Website, Goodreads, Twitter

The Sixth Gun, Vol.3 – “Bound” & Vol.4 – “A Town Call Penance” (Oni Press)

May 19, 2013 Civilian Reader Uncategorized A Town Called Penance, Bill Crabtree, Bound, Brian Hurtt, Cullen Bunn, Magic, Must Read, Oni Press, Sixth Gun, Supernatural, Tyler Crook, Undead, Urban Fantasy, Volume 3, Volume 4, Weird West, Wild West

Volume Three. Still awesome.

Writer: Cullen Bunn | Artist: Brian Hurtt (#12-13, 15-17) & Tyler Crook (#14, #23) | Colors: Bill Crabtree

Traveling by secret railroad, Becky and Drake accompany an order of mysterious monks on a quest to bury General Hume’s body on holy ground. But malevolent forces spurred by a sinister necromancer stage a terrifying attack on the train. Drake vanishes without a trace. Alone, Becky continues her journey to a secluded mountain fortress where she discovers how deeply her fate is entwined with that of The Sixth Gun. Meanwhile, Gord revisits a haunted mansion from his past hoping to discover a means to destroy the Six, but the ghosts he stirs have no intention of letting his quest continue.

Vol.3 Collects: The Sixth Gun #12-17
Vol.4 Collects: The Sixth Gun #18-23

Ah, The Sixth Gun. Without a doubt, this is one of my favourite comics series. It blends Wild Western adventure with some supernatural shenanigans. There’s action, humour, spooky stuff, and a plot that will hook you from the very start. I loved both of these books.

In “Bound”, Drake, Becky and the fellas from the Sword of Abraham are taking the Six and the body of the dead evil general, via train… somewhere safer. Naturally, nothing can go smoothly, as a necromancer raises an undead posse to retrieve the guns and the body of Evil General Hume (he’s someone you just have to always include the “Evil” when you mention him…). We’re introduced to Asher Cobb – a big, fuck-off mummy. Sent by the same necromancer to retrieve the evil body, while the surprisingly-spritely undead posse take care of the living. However, Cobb has a history with Drake… We get his story in #14 – a really cool extra.

The story then moves forward a few days, as Gord heads home to collect the books on the Six from his former owner, who was in league with the Evil General. This was a nice diversion, and added a lot more to the whole spooky-supernatural side of the story. Not that the, you know, mummies, undead and magic guns weren’t already pretty obviously in the Weird Stuff arena…

With Drake missing, Becky is taken to the Sword of Abraham’s keep, and told she can never leave. But, an old friend is at hand to help, and she learns more of the power of the Sixth Gun.

In “A Town Called Penance”, we re-join Drake after his short-lived disappearance from the train assault. He’s been captured by the Knights of Solomon, who he joined after the war – they are also the enemies of the Sword of Abraham, before attempting (unsuccessfully) to prevent her from going to Drake’s aid. The Knights of Solomon want Drake back working with them. As well as the Six, of course. Becky comes to rescue him, but there’s something not right with the town called Penance…

As with the previous two books, I zipped through these two books, unable to put them down. The story is gripping, fast-paced, and very well written. And the artwork is great, too – atmospheric, consistent and just all-round excellent. I particularly loved the “silent” chapter – Becky’s near an explosion, and bursts her eardrums. Then she goes on a bit of a rampage through the underground lair of the Knights of Solomon. She’s joined by Drake. They kill a LOT of people…

There is a really interesting revelation at the end of chapter five in this second book. It bodes very well for the future, so I will definitely be coming back for more of this series. Final chapter of Volume 4 features Kirby Hale, who we first briefly met in Volume 2, when he seduced Becky. We’re caught up on his story, and there’s a really nice parallel between his new trajectory and Drake’s in issue #1. A nice bit of writing, I thought.

Both of these books expand and build on the series superbly. We get more character development and also more world-building. I can’t recommend The Sixth Gun highly enough. Love this series. An absolute must read series for fans of comics, Westerns, and speculative/genre fiction of all stripes. Superb.

Sixth Gun, Vol.2 – “Crossroads” (Oni Press)

April 7, 2013 Civilian Reader Comics, Review Bill Crabtree, Brian Hurtt, Crossroads, Cullen Bunn, Cults, Graphic Novel, Horror, Oni Press, Sixth Gun, Supernatural, Volume 2, Wild West

Writer: Cullen Bunn | Artist: Brian Hurtt | Colors: Bill Crabtree

In the aftermath of the tragic battle of the Maw, Drake and company hide in the sprawling city of New Orleans. But as they plot their next move, they find themselves embroiled in another harrowing adventure. Unexpected threats, new enemies, and a host of strange spirits are already aligning against them.

Collects: Sixth Gun #7-11

This is just a really quick review – it’s actually been a while since I read this (and have since blitzed through the next two), but I wanted to mention it on the blog. The Sixth Gun is one of my favourite series, hands down. This makes it very tricky to review. So much of my enjoyment comes from the surprises and unexpected directions the story takes, as well as the excellent dialogue, plotting and artwork. Needless to say, if you like supernatural tales in a Wild West and 19th-Century American setting, then The Sixth Gun is a must-read.

“Crossroads” gives us an expansion on the already-awesome supernatural elements introduced in Volume 1 – this time, we get some voodoo and Southern weirdness, which I always like to read about. There are swamps and strange Haitian-inspired beasties, as Drake attempts to find a way to rid himself of the pistols (he has collected a four of them, from the cold, dead hands of their previous owners). Adding to Drake’s impatience (and Becky’s, as she owns one of the Six as well), evil forces will forever be drawn to the Six, and with only the chance of passing them on from a dead (wo)man’s hand, things are going to get very dangerous for them.

We meet a new face, a potentially a recurring character: a smooth-talker who Becky maybe takes a shine to. He has an ulterior motive, however, and he quickly becomes involved in the hunt for the Six.

I really love that Bunn & Co. are deepening and expanding the series mythology. The Sixth Gun is a great series, and “Crossroads” does exactly what a second volume is meant to do: it builds very nicely on what has come before, and lays down the foundation for yet more action and dark adventure to come.

Excellent and highly recommended.