Friday, 20 March 2015

Coyote the Outlander by Chantal Noordeloos




Set in the Wild West it is clear that Coyote is a bounty hunter with a difference, not just her gender but what she hunts.  Its wild west meets steampunkish sci-fi; not a genre I have ever been enticed into reading but this was by an author I love (her horror is exquisite) and I had to give it a whirl!

Coyote is a great stereo type that does not shy away from that fact, she is a beautiful yet tough woman who goes out of her way to be so. She cannot shake her beauty though, even the “stuff” that shines from the inside as her kind heart and morals clearly get her into more trouble than her physical appearance. CN does well to bring this beauty to life without being cliché.

When Coyote is commissioned to hunt down a baby killer her search takes her into baddie territory in the shape of a gorgeous hunk called Westwood, but clearly the story remembered by Coyote is not a true memory as many try to guide her the right way into seeing the truth.

Sparks fly whenever they meet and CN does well to portray the tension (some of it highly sexual!) and hatred felt by Coyote without giving the plot twist away until the end when explosions of all sorts occur.

Some great banter and snippets of truth pass between her and partner, Caesar. CN makes use of every comedic moment possible giving little grins to outright snort and laughs. She is also subtle in her portrayal of sexism and racism. It’s not overt but just enough to annoy and niggle, not the writing but the subject, very clever.

Loved the little added bonus contents; music, stories etc throughout the book (the second screen experience) giving little physical glimpses into Coyote’s world.

Lots of new critters were introduced, love me some “monster” creation and some amazing groups of people.

Ming’s Emporium;  what a hoot I do hope this features more heavily in sequel books as it’s a character and place I would love to know more about.

Revelations abound at the end leaving a nice cliff hanger to the next instalment. Impressive start to what could be an amazing series, crack on CN, whip crack away on!


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