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Once Upon a Time at the End of the World
Meet the android with no name. Seventy years ago, he was freed: his permission chip was removed and a gun placed in his hand. He was sent to fight for his country.
It was the war that ended the world.
Now, America is a wasteland. Wild towns have emerged across the frontier, lawless places filled with drunks and opportunists. The android rides from town to town, collecting warrants and seeking justice. Life is violent and meaningless—full of blood, whiskey, and dust.
When he meets Sierra—a fiery southerner with a chip on her shoulder—they embark on an unlikely journey, a dangerous search for vengeance.
It was the war that ended the world.
Now, America is a wasteland. Wild towns have emerged across the frontier, lawless places filled with drunks and opportunists. The android rides from town to town, collecting warrants and seeking justice. Life is violent and meaningless—full of blood, whiskey, and dust.
When he meets Sierra—a fiery southerner with a chip on her shoulder—they embark on an unlikely journey, a dangerous search for vengeance.
73 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 4, 2014
1 person is currently reading
17 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
October 5, 2014
Full disclosure - I know Elliot a bit from KBoards and Goodreads. I'd first heard about his idea to write a post-apocalyptic western with a gruff android at the forefront sometime ago, and had been salivating to read it ever since. I received a free copy of his latest through his newsletter. He's currently giving away Part I (this novella), and will be giving away Part II, as well, in the coming months. It would behoove you to sign up for his newsletter at http://selliotbrandis.com ASAP.
All that said, I'd like to think that my familiarity with Elliot did not cause me to inflate my perceptions of how much I enjoyed Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World or prompt me to approach it with any undue bias.
The simple fact of the matter is, I freaking loved it. I loved the idea as soon as he told me about it, and after reading it, I love it even more.
The execution is terrific and his handling of the android in a western setting is adroit and even-handed. I was really thrilled with how well the high-tech science fiction aspect of his central character worked in the forsaken, dying Earth environment. This is a classical western story with some nifty, much-welcomed twists.
Once Upon A Time... is also a richly dark world. The author clues us in on the world's future-history, teasing out the information without sacrificing the story's quick pacing or bogging us down with overly long, dry lessons of background details. There was a war, and nukes and antimatter bombs decimated the world. Androids were enlisted into the military to fight the war on behalf of the humans, taking US drone policy to the next level. It's a smart way of bridging the two seemingly disparate genres of science fiction and western, but Brandis makes it work. Think of it as an old Eastwood spaghetti western flick by way of Firefly, but without the quirky humor or space travel.
In fact, there's not much to laugh at in Elliot's latest dystopian, with so much of the world bombed back into the hardscrabble living of two hundred-plus years past. Humanity has been stripped raw, and it seems like there's only two class of people left to fend for themselves: victims and potential victims. It's a stark, grim read, with a cast as dangerous as the desolate desert they inhabit.
While I can't help but think there's a good deal owed to Eastwood and Sergio Leone in terms of inspiration, there's also some pure Peckinpah at play here. This is The Wild Bunch by way of The Android With No Name. It's a bloody affair, right from the opening pages, where the android teaches an explicit lesson to an unlucky drunk on the difference between robots and androids. The scene is chillingly effective, and Elliot gets off to a fine start with his crazy genre hybrid.
Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World is the first in a four-part series of novellas, with the second due in December. Like I said earlier, do yourself a favor and sign-up for his newsletter. Not only will you get the first two parts of his post-apocalyptic western for free, but you'll also get to stay up to date on somebody that I believe is going to be a huge up-and-comer in the indie sci-fi/speculative fiction corner. Conversely, you can also buy the individual parts of this serial as they release, which is also a terrific way of supporting this author. Either way, S. Elliot Brandis is one to watch out for.
All that said, I'd like to think that my familiarity with Elliot did not cause me to inflate my perceptions of how much I enjoyed Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World or prompt me to approach it with any undue bias.
The simple fact of the matter is, I freaking loved it. I loved the idea as soon as he told me about it, and after reading it, I love it even more.
The execution is terrific and his handling of the android in a western setting is adroit and even-handed. I was really thrilled with how well the high-tech science fiction aspect of his central character worked in the forsaken, dying Earth environment. This is a classical western story with some nifty, much-welcomed twists.
Once Upon A Time... is also a richly dark world. The author clues us in on the world's future-history, teasing out the information without sacrificing the story's quick pacing or bogging us down with overly long, dry lessons of background details. There was a war, and nukes and antimatter bombs decimated the world. Androids were enlisted into the military to fight the war on behalf of the humans, taking US drone policy to the next level. It's a smart way of bridging the two seemingly disparate genres of science fiction and western, but Brandis makes it work. Think of it as an old Eastwood spaghetti western flick by way of Firefly, but without the quirky humor or space travel.
In fact, there's not much to laugh at in Elliot's latest dystopian, with so much of the world bombed back into the hardscrabble living of two hundred-plus years past. Humanity has been stripped raw, and it seems like there's only two class of people left to fend for themselves: victims and potential victims. It's a stark, grim read, with a cast as dangerous as the desolate desert they inhabit.
While I can't help but think there's a good deal owed to Eastwood and Sergio Leone in terms of inspiration, there's also some pure Peckinpah at play here. This is The Wild Bunch by way of The Android With No Name. It's a bloody affair, right from the opening pages, where the android teaches an explicit lesson to an unlucky drunk on the difference between robots and androids. The scene is chillingly effective, and Elliot gets off to a fine start with his crazy genre hybrid.
Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World is the first in a four-part series of novellas, with the second due in December. Like I said earlier, do yourself a favor and sign-up for his newsletter. Not only will you get the first two parts of his post-apocalyptic western for free, but you'll also get to stay up to date on somebody that I believe is going to be a huge up-and-comer in the indie sci-fi/speculative fiction corner. Conversely, you can also buy the individual parts of this serial as they release, which is also a terrific way of supporting this author. Either way, S. Elliot Brandis is one to watch out for.
June 17, 2017
This book was very interesting, an unusual story but good.
I liked the western theme with an android as the main character. He reminds me of Roland from the Dark Towers. Sierra has spirit, I like her. Keep up the good work, can't wait for the next story. I definitely recommend that you read this book.
I liked the western theme with an android as the main character. He reminds me of Roland from the Dark Towers. Sierra has spirit, I like her. Keep up the good work, can't wait for the next story. I definitely recommend that you read this book.
January 13, 2019
Good short story makes you want more.
Only reason for four stars was it felt like it was part of a novel and not a true short story.good though
Only reason for four stars was it felt like it was part of a novel and not a true short story.good though
October 16, 2014
Once Upon A Time At The End Of The World is the first volume of a four-part serial set in a dystopian United States at some point in the not-too-distant future. An android with no name travels a world very reminiscent of Spaghetti Westerns killing wanted men and neglecting to collect the bounty - androids in this world aren't looked on kindly, and can't accept money in exchange for violence. Enter Sierra, a feisty young woman sold into sex work after seeing her family murdered and home burned to the ground by Very Bad Men. Seeing a chance at a new life, Sierra convinces the android to take her on as a partner.
This is a grim and nasty beginning to a story I'm pretty sure is only going to get nastier. Which is great. THIS is a Western. It's a gritty, hard, mean world with great pace, nicely balancing action and gore with character and story. It's more western than sci-fi, which is a testament to how nicely the science fiction elements are integrated. And in a genre where most of our favourite references are films, the choice to write this book in third person present tense is kind of brilliant. It reads a little like a screenplay, hitting us with vivid visuals and allowing the characters to reveal their nature through dialogue and action.
It's a quick and easy read, and it's nice to see that, although this is a world predictably hard on women, the women are given a voice through Sierra (who has such a large part I'd be happy to call her the second protagonist).
Bring on volume two!
This is a grim and nasty beginning to a story I'm pretty sure is only going to get nastier. Which is great. THIS is a Western. It's a gritty, hard, mean world with great pace, nicely balancing action and gore with character and story. It's more western than sci-fi, which is a testament to how nicely the science fiction elements are integrated. And in a genre where most of our favourite references are films, the choice to write this book in third person present tense is kind of brilliant. It reads a little like a screenplay, hitting us with vivid visuals and allowing the characters to reveal their nature through dialogue and action.
It's a quick and easy read, and it's nice to see that, although this is a world predictably hard on women, the women are given a voice through Sierra (who has such a large part I'd be happy to call her the second protagonist).
Bring on volume two!
October 11, 2016
Great concept and execution
I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading part 2. The story hooked me right from the beginning and never let go. I had just read a story by Brandis in The Doomsday Chronicles anthology, and I enjoyed it so much that I immediately looked him up and wound up reading this book. The review by Michael Hicks tells you everything you need to know and is much better written than anything I could do. I'll just add that I have no connection with either of them and I was really surprised that more people haven't found and appreciated this book yet. So many of the stories I've tried through Kindle Unlimited turn out to be poorly written, but this is one I'd pay money for. The only caveat I'll offer is that this is only part 1 and so far I haven't managed to find part 2 yet.
I really enjoyed this and am looking forward to reading part 2. The story hooked me right from the beginning and never let go. I had just read a story by Brandis in The Doomsday Chronicles anthology, and I enjoyed it so much that I immediately looked him up and wound up reading this book. The review by Michael Hicks tells you everything you need to know and is much better written than anything I could do. I'll just add that I have no connection with either of them and I was really surprised that more people haven't found and appreciated this book yet. So many of the stories I've tried through Kindle Unlimited turn out to be poorly written, but this is one I'd pay money for. The only caveat I'll offer is that this is only part 1 and so far I haven't managed to find part 2 yet.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews