Book Review of The Buntline Special (Weird West Tales #1), by Mike Resnick

The Buntline SpecialI borrowed The Buntline Special, by Mike Resnick, from my local library.

Description from Goodreads:
Welcome to a West like you’ve never seen before, where electric lights shine down on the streets of Tombstone, while horseless stagecoaches carry passengers to and fro, and where death is no obstacle to The Thing That Was Once Johnny Ringo. Think you know the story of the O.K. Corral? Think again, as five-time Hugo winner Mike Resnick takes on his first steampunk western tale, and the West will never be the same.

Review:
Ermahgerd, was that book ever dull. I mean boring to the boringth degree! The writing is fine, if stark, but simply nothing happens. It’s all talk, talk, talk—let me describe these anachronistic inventions to you, invitations to drinks and meals, greetings, threats and ‘I’m not afraid to die’ or ‘I’m already dying’ quips—talk, talk, talk and very little actual doing, even less actual narrative and/or development. I suppose Resnick figured we all know who Earp, Holliday and Ringo are so no need to develop their character. And the poor women, they aren’t even alive if you judge by their characterization, just faceless whores that range from wholly human, half-human or not human. But they’re all pretty interchangeably unimportant. Ugh. My library has two more of this series, but I won’t be bothering with them.

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