I have had a few ocassions to speak with her on Facebook, and she has always struck me as a warm, friendly and very smart writer with absolute tons of personality, so when I acquired some Amazon vouchers recently from my Dooyoo reviews, I decided to buy her book. What can I say?
Steampunk isn't really my genre, yet it has always intrigued me. Likewise my opinion of Weird Westerns, as they are known, has always been a little mixed - some are great, others really not so.
This though, well it was lots of fun!
I read an article a couple of days ago that suggested that female characters in genre fiction were very hard to write without them becoming cliche, and cited Trinity from the Matrix as an example. Writers should avoid, the article said, from utilizing female characters solely as fodder for male fantasy, or in giving them very little to do after setting them up as a strong protagonist. Chantal Noordeloos manages the blend perfectly here - giving us Coyote, a strong, independent woman, living in a man's world at the time of the Wild West , but still able to hold her own!
I hope that I never end up using my female characters unwisely, and that I can avoid falling into some of the traps this article discussed, (I can't find the article now, which is a shame as I'd like to share the link!) but I know that if I can follow the examples, and/or in the footsteps, of such writers as Chantal Noordeloos and Susan Simone, whom I mentioned yesterday, that I might just stand a chance of doing them some justice.
Thing is, I actually have a couple of strong female characters in my work-in-progress! It will be interesting to see what I can come up with for them. Hopefully, I will do them proud.
Here is my review and thoughts on Coyote: The Outlander, as featured on Amazon.
Although this doesn't quite make my 1001 List yet, I have every confidence that, with future installments, my love for this series is simply going to grow and grow!
"Every so often in my reading experience I come across something that
simply blows me away, and I am very happy to report that Coyote:The
Outlander is a prime example!Set in an alternative Wild West where rips in space and time allow aliens to cross over, where bicycles and carriages both are run on steam and where robotic servants are the norm, this is a clever and engaging combination of steampunk and weird western that pulls you deep into its grasp and refuses to let go.
Enter Coyote; a bounty hunter who travels with her negro companion and partner and who earns her keep tracking down these aliens whenever they begin to cross the laws of the land.
An assignment to take out a child-eating alien, attempting to blend in with society so he can go unnoticed,
Coyote is a brilliantly conceived creation with whom I have no doubt readers will fall in love with almost straight away. It is so unusual to find such a believable and strong female character that has been done so well, and Chantal Noordelos simply excels here with her writing which impressed me on every single level. Everything about this short novella is simply amazing and if Mrs.Noordelos doesn't write more of Coyote's adventures and soon, it will be a travesty, a total crime.
One aspect I especially enjoyed was the interactive aspect: at certain points in the story, readers are given a code which unlocks extra content on a special website devoted to the novel. This adds another dimension to the reading experience and is both a unique and a very clever touch that works well to draw you in further into the story!
I simply cannot say enough good things about this book! It is my first experience of Mrs. Noordelos' work, but one thing is for certain it will not be the last!
If I could give this 6 stars, I would. As it is, this gets my highest recommendation if you are looking for something entirely different and original to read.
Just one thing: can we have a longer installment next time please, because though I thoroughly enjoyed this little taster of Coyote's world, it left me wanting more!"
takes her into the path of an old adversary with whom she has crossed before, but it also takes her back into her own past and the secrets that lie within."
1 comment:
thank you so much for this! <3
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