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The Conestoga Gate
The Land of the Free is dumping them. Denzel Woods, his family, the whole housing complex, are being dumped through the New-Texas Gate. They aren't calling it that. It's Encouraged Immigration. They give you a voucher that will almost buy one of the Conestoga Wagons. In exchange you give up your rights as a citizen of the United States of America.
If you don't take the voucher they bust you for Felony Jaywalking and you go through the Gate with nothing but an orange jumpsuit. The for-profit prisons on the other side of the gates don't have to follow any of the rules protecting the rights of prisoners, because they are not in the United States. They are owned by states, and administered by those states, but they aren't part of the states. The chance of dying is high, and if you do survive your sentence, you'd better hope you have a job waiting because vagrancy on New-Texas is a felony.
Denzel is a member of a local street gang called the Complex Gentlemen, and the Complex Gentlemen have a job for him. Denzel is underage and careful so he doesn't have a record. So the Complex Gentlemen want Denzel and the other wagons from Building Three to smuggle unlicensed chips through the Gate. Also drugs and other things. In exchange they will fix the fabber units that each wagon carries.
Once through the gate Denzel will have to balance his duty to the Complex Gentlemen against his duty to his family and the Building Three Wagon Train.
While the city kid from the tough part of Dallas learns to be a scout, hunter, and leader.
Denzel's whole life has been growing up hard and it's about to get harder. For him and just about everyone else going through the Conestoga Gate.
If you don't take the voucher they bust you for Felony Jaywalking and you go through the Gate with nothing but an orange jumpsuit. The for-profit prisons on the other side of the gates don't have to follow any of the rules protecting the rights of prisoners, because they are not in the United States. They are owned by states, and administered by those states, but they aren't part of the states. The chance of dying is high, and if you do survive your sentence, you'd better hope you have a job waiting because vagrancy on New-Texas is a felony.
Denzel is a member of a local street gang called the Complex Gentlemen, and the Complex Gentlemen have a job for him. Denzel is underage and careful so he doesn't have a record. So the Complex Gentlemen want Denzel and the other wagons from Building Three to smuggle unlicensed chips through the Gate. Also drugs and other things. In exchange they will fix the fabber units that each wagon carries.
Once through the gate Denzel will have to balance his duty to the Complex Gentlemen against his duty to his family and the Building Three Wagon Train.
While the city kid from the tough part of Dallas learns to be a scout, hunter, and leader.
Denzel's whole life has been growing up hard and it's about to get harder. For him and just about everyone else going through the Conestoga Gate.
369 pages, Paperback
Published November 21, 2024
40 people are currently reading
2 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews
December 20, 2024
Gorge Huff has invented an interesting world to explore. The characters are also like real people but lack much character growth. That lack is easy to ignore as the story rolls along with events, adventure and new places to see and explore. I enjoyed the book and I am looking forward to the next of what seems to be a new series. I also noticed that the author is a poor predictor of who would win the 2024 election. My advice is to leave such politics out of books like this and make your political villains like a certain senator referenced in the book be one who has a less obvious Texas political ancestry. The current politics is of such a nature I do not want to be reminded of it when I am reading for pleasure.
December 17, 2024
New Take
New take on old story. It reminded me of the ending of a Robert Heinlein book.
Great story, can’t wait for the sequel. Oh, and the teaser for the next book reminded me of an Andre Norton book. Boy, that’s two great authors. I guess Mr Huff is fast on the way to joining them in my esteem.
New take on old story. It reminded me of the ending of a Robert Heinlein book.
Great story, can’t wait for the sequel. Oh, and the teaser for the next book reminded me of an Andre Norton book. Boy, that’s two great authors. I guess Mr Huff is fast on the way to joining them in my esteem.
January 30, 2025
New Worlds Through Gates
This has some of the attractions as the 1632 series, people shoved from familiar society and technology and having to cope. But this is hydrogen electric technology, incompetent manufacturing, and dishonest business. Plus a corporation planning a fascist takeover. I’m looking forward to the sequels.
This has some of the attractions as the 1632 series, people shoved from familiar society and technology and having to cope. But this is hydrogen electric technology, incompetent manufacturing, and dishonest business. Plus a corporation planning a fascist takeover. I’m looking forward to the sequels.
November 23, 2024
A very interesting multiverse story.
A very well told story that looks at what can go wrong with opening up alternate worlds to exploitation. The ending sets up a whole new complication to the story which could go in entirely new directions.
A very well told story that looks at what can go wrong with opening up alternate worlds to exploitation. The ending sets up a whole new complication to the story which could go in entirely new directions.
December 7, 2024
What to do with the people you wrote off
Send to an alternate earth, and exploit them not noticing people have their own ideas of what theY want. From the other side what do we want?
Send to an alternate earth, and exploit them not noticing people have their own ideas of what theY want. From the other side what do we want?
May 25, 2025
An excellent anodyne for doomscrolling
An optimistic take on the near future.
Good characters, adequately developed.
Plot was complex enough to keep me from putting this book down.
Huff tells a good tale well.
An optimistic take on the near future.
Good characters, adequately developed.
Plot was complex enough to keep me from putting this book down.
Huff tells a good tale well.
December 9, 2024
It's a new world
Denzel is a Complex Gentleman. He works for the mob. They are ordered to leave thru a gate to a new world. The old world is too crowded.
Denzel is a Complex Gentleman. He works for the mob. They are ordered to leave thru a gate to a new world. The old world is too crowded.
March 2, 2025
Good book & interesting characters
Displaying 1 - 8 of 8 reviews