SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion
Recommendations and Lost Books
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Looking for Western (as in Wild West) Fantasy Books
If you want guns+fantasy read Larry CorreiaMonster Hunter International
It's like a high budget B movie, with fun gun toting action. The main character was a 3 gun competitor, and the tagline on the cover of the second book is by gunworld.
Hard Magic
It's a post WWI trilogy, with a more superpower style magic system, where basically everyone uses guns sometimes lots of them.
Don't think I've ever seen the acronym PNR before, so I can't tell you if these have it or not. Sorry!Both of these were very dark and violent, but their magic and technology systems were fasinating: A Book of Tongues by Gemma Files and The Etched City by KJ Bishop.
A Brother's Price by Wen Spencer
I don't think gun fighting is a big deal, but this world felt like a western to me.
Territory by Emma Bull
is a genuine western fantasy, with characters you've heard of!Jacks, PNR= paranormal romance.
I'm pretty sure I've read a Doctor Who novel set in the West, but you asked for fantasy...
Check out Sarah Canary by Karen Joy Fowler
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I know authors aren't supposed to talk about their own books here but I can't help it, this is exactly the sort of project I'm working on right now, a high fantasy series set in a world inspired by the Old West (but very much not our world.) The first book is still at least a few months away from being released, looking at later this fall.A Brother's Price and Territory look really good.
And I will go sit in the corner now. *bad Kyra*
I’m not sure if this is exactly what you had in mind, but it’s the first thing I thought of when I saw your subject heading…Old Nathan by David Drake is a fantasy anthology with a country-western type theme. I remember quite vividly that the first story was essentially about a bullfight, although I suppose that’s oversimplifying a little. I don’t remember any gunslinging, though. The anthology has 5 stories in it, but they all focus on the same main character and take place in chronological order, so they all kind of flow together and tell a larger story.
I only rated it 3 stars, but I don’t normally care for country-western themes and I’m not a big fan of anthologies, so it’s probably more surprising that I didn’t rate it lower. I read it late last year and I actually remember it rather fondly because of how unique it was compared to other things I had read. I also found that the stories got a little more interesting as the book progressed. The book is written with the country-western dialogue spelled out, which may or may not drive you crazy depending on whether or not you like that sort of thing. I found it to be very vividly written -- each time I put the book down, I swear I was hearing my own thoughts in my head in the same dialect as the characters for an hour or so. I can still hear it in my head when I think about it.
The e-book is available for free at the Baen Free Library. https://www.baenebooks.com/c-1-free-l...
ETA: Actually, now that I think about it, I guess this is really just "country" since it's set in Tennessee. Not exactly Western.
Six-Gun Tarot is the first one that came to mind.If you search for "weird west" you'll find dozens of books.
There's a former webcomic called High Moon, that I think you can buy in collected form now. I recall it being pretty good, but I read it 6-7 years ago.
Alan Dean Foster has a couple stories set in the West in his collections With Friends Like These... and ...Who Needs Enemies?, and also his novel Mad Amos.
Wolf In Shadow by David Gemmell - first of a series about Jon Shannow might fit
a brothers price. .. that's a good title. I'm lookin in to that
Julia wrote: Jacks, PNR= paranormal romance."Ah, thanks!
Thought of another few of Wild West SF: Six-Gun Snow White by Cathrynne Valente and China Mieville's Iron Council and Railsea. Both authors write in a style that I'd call speculative fiction more than genre fantasy or scifi, but their books are amazing.
Aaron wrote: "If you want guns+fantasy read Larry CorreiaMonster Hunter International
It's like a high budget B movie, with fun gun toting action. The main character was a 3 gu..."
Thanks Aaron- I will take a look.
Jacks wrote: "Don't think I've ever seen the acronym PNR before, so I can't tell you if these have it or not. Sorry!Both of these were very dark and violent, but their magic and technology systems were fasina..."
thanks for your note, Jacks.... (as mentioned above) PNR, is paranormal romance (eg: a fairy and vampire fall in love and much hotness ensues)
Julia wrote: I don't think gun fighting is a big deal, but this world felt like a western to me...."thanks Julia- "Territory" looks promising.
Kyra wrote: "I know authors aren't supposed to talk about their own books here but I can't help it, this is exactly the sort of project I'm working on right now, a high fantasy series set in a world inspired by..."Best o' luck with your craft, Kyra.
Armand wrote: "Best o' luck with your craft, Kyra."thank you :) I hope you're finding some books you'll enjoy!
Yesterday, I bought One Night in Sixes. It's just released and I haven't started reading it yet, but it's a western fantasy, so should be right up your dusty Old-West alley.
The Complete Chronicles of the Jerusalem Man - it's a post-apocalyptic Western trilogy with supernatural elements. Whether you call it fantasy, SF, science fantasy, or whatever, I'm not sure. No elves or dwarves, although there are intelligent non-humans.
Red Country by Joe Abercrombie is a good mix of Western in a fantasy setting
Jonathan wrote: "This thread confuses me. Westerns and Fantasy, to me, are mutually exclusive genres with pretty much nothing in common. The few exceptions with some crossover are represented above.The question i..."
I think the two genres are perfectly suited to each other. You have a setting and mythos that lends itself to a legendary feeling, your wandering hero (knight/wizard/bounty hunter/gunslinger/Aragon-type mysterious wanderer, etc - I'm fond of the bounty hunter/gunslinger/wizard character myself), a vast, mysterious land (the west, or whatever the fantasy-world stand-in is) to explore, battles between good and evil; you can have your indigenous peoples be human or fantasy races, you can also have fantasy creatures if you want them in this unexplored frontier world.
A few different ways these are combined are in some of the Dark Tower books by Stephen King (I think The Gunslinger and Wizard and Glass are the most fantasy-western of the series, am told Wolves of the Callais also pretty straight-up fantasy western); The Lonesome Gods which Don mentioned; and of course the movie High Plains Drifter with Clint Eastwood. These all give a good sense, in different ways, of how westerns and the fantastical meld together very well.
Don wrote: "lonesome gods by louis l'amore."This one was also really good.
Tasula wrote: "The Six-Gun TarotThe Native Star
The Dead of Winter really good
The Hunter
Hope this helps."
Thanks for this list Tasula! Six Gun Tarot is a cool title. And hey- you are one of my GR friends! Cool! : )
YouKneeK wrote: "I’m not sure if this is exactly what you had in mind, but it’s the first thing I thought of when I saw your subject heading…Old Nathan by David Drake is a fantasy ant..."
Thanks for your note- I will take a look!
"I'm pretty sure I've read a Doctor Who novel set in the West, but you asked for fantasy..."Quoting myself, but I found the title: it's Doctor Who: Peacemaker. I've read it and liked it. It's #10 and Martha.
Trike wrote: "Alan Dean Foster has a couple stories set in the West in his collections With Friends Like These... and ...Who Needs Enemies?, and also his novel Mad Amos."I'm quite fond of these two story anthologies, especially the first one, which includes a story about a musical forest, that, as a musician, particularly gets to me.
Future War.American tank, crewed by at least one native American soldier that's hit or has a near miss by an atomic/nuclear weapon and is hurled back in time to the wild west.
The native American sides with his ancestors against the invading white man and manages to form the tribes into an organised army thus changing the future and stopping the war that would cause his arrival in the old west.
PARADOX!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ARRRRRRRRGGGGGGGGGGGHH!!!!!!!!!!!
If anyone recognises this story/plot I would be glad to hear from you, I think It's from the late seventies early eighties, that's when I read it anyhow, whether it was published then I don't know.
Many thanks in advance.
There is a very long series future apocalyptic with lots of gun fighting by James Axler called Deathlands 125 book in series. As close as I can get to what your looking for
Ok, thanks for reply but that's not it. Thanks again.
Simon wrote: "Ok, thanks for reply but that's not it. Thanks again."
Pretty sure she wasn't replying to you but the OP.
I recommend the books of PMF Johnson, his Drifter Mage series is quite clever and creative, and very old west in feel.My book Snowberry's Veil was an attempt to write a Louis L'Amour-inspired fantasy story. I think it turned out quite well.
Simon, you might have more luck if you open a thread in this same folder that is specific to your question.
I writing one now. Can you hang on a few months?
Scott wrote: "I writing one now. Can you hang on a few months?"Plus a week for proofreading?
Zing!
Trike wrote: "Scott wrote: "I writing one now. Can you hang on a few months?"Plus a week for proofreading?
Zing!"
Proofreading? What's that?
It's the difference between your work looking professional when it's published, and looking like you didn't care.
Margaret wrote: "It's the difference between your work looking professional when it's published, and looking like you didn't care."Note to self: Always write in facetious font when trying to be funny.
Margaret wrote: "It's the difference between your work looking professional when it's published, and looking like you didn't care."Kinda think he was kidding.
Throw your highlighter in the air like you just don't care! Whoop whoop!
Trike wrote: "Throw your highlighter in the air like you just don't care! Whoop whoop!..."Lol!
If anyone's still looking for wild west fantasy, here are a few more suggestions:
Also search for "Whiskey and Wheelguns"
And also check out the Weird Westerns group https://www.goodreads.com/group/show/...
Sarah Anne wrote: "Simon, you might have more luck if you open a thread in this same folder that is specific to your question."Sorry Sarah Anne, don't really know what I'm doing, bit of a Luddite when it comes to stuff like this.
Haven't seen anyone mention Matt Resnick's Weird West tales. They are steampunk as well as as having a strong fantasy theme running through them, supposed native american magic.Versions of real life characters Doc Holiday, Wyatt Earp, Thomas Edison, Theodore Roosevelt and Billy the Kid all appear in the various novels.
SciFi and Fantasy Book Club
Books mentioned in this topic
Bloodrush (other topics)Dead Iron (other topics)
Silver on the Road (other topics)
Walk on Earth a Stranger (other topics)
Thirteenth Child (other topics)
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Authors mentioned in this topic
Devon Monk (other topics)Devon Monk (other topics)
P.M.F. Johnson (other topics)
David Drake (other topics)
P.M.F. Johnson (other topics)
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I would ideally love to find a book that's a cross between Stephen King's "Gunslinger", High Noon, Lord of the Rings, and- I don't know- maybe Conan. With just a hint of the Dresden files thrown in there.
Thanks in advance for any suggestions!
Also, I'm not much of a fan of PNR romance, but feel free to leave romance suggestions if you like. Maybe someone else will be interested - Armand