the alternate history here looks great in the glimpses we get - a maybe contemporary america in a different timeline altogether where Jamaica is a power, the founding fathers are often mentioned (right up to Clinton) but it looks like the British Empire is still in place, though ununited states still fight for dominence at their borders, and the vast american west is powerful indian country. but this trip of a man and a child across some of the roughest country in search of a new home, pursued by stories, old westerns, Pilkertons, and steammen, doesn't seem like it cracks even the surface it skates over - it's the vivid and intriguing altHistory background i want to see more of, not the principals here, and the little teases of what the setup might offer that sprinkle the novella (in itself a stock journey, followed by a confrontation of steampunk vs solarpunk in the trenches) is not really equipped to get me there, which renders the novella in itself a kind of flat surface that's obscuring the real strengths of this world. so call me when the novel's done. ( )

This is the story of Jamaican agent Desmond Coke and a young boy, Lij Tafari on the run. Coke wants Lij to have a normal life, but because of who he is, that seems improbable, as there are many seeking his capture for reasons that are dribbled out over the short course of the book. The book suffers from trying to do too many things in too short a number of pages (146): the unUnited States are a bunch of warring territories with differing politics, steampunk devices and technology abound, a Pinkerton detective working for an unknown party, etc. A mile wide, but only an inch deep, Broaddus should expand this novella into a full length novel to provide a more enriching experience for his readers. ( )

My number one complaint for this book is that it is too damn short. It drops you into the action, does an excellent job catching you up without boring you to tears, then ends as soon as a major plot point is over. Hello, I need a full 75,000 word novel of this. I feel that if I am going to whine about a book that is too long (there is nothing wrong with cutting your novella off at a novella length and not falsely attempting to fluff into something bigger - please remember that authors), I should be allowed to whine about a book being too short, so there you have it.

Second whine: there are no bison (or buffalo), and no buffalo soldiers. It didn't particularly need them, but I sort of went in expecting something along those lines...

Now, to the good. The world building is spectacular. Absolutely spectacular. I hope the author writes master classes on world-building because I want to take them one day. There is a great mix of steampunk and solarpunk set in an alternative universe in which the forward march of the United States never made it all the way west, or even to independence yet, as of the time of the book. The west is still held by the indigenous people and the territories and political shiftings of the continent are extremely interesting. Manifest Destiny was properly curbed and mostly crushed, although Albion (the British Empire, I am assuming) is still rattling its saber and prowling the shadows. The book is a sort of western, anti-colonial, spy action-thriller all in one. The politics and world-building work well together to complete a truly gorgeous, believable story.

The characters are well-rendered. The author wrote a child who felt and acted like a child. (Making nine-year-olds act either like toddlers or precocious 19 year-olds is a real pet peeve of mine.)

Mostly, just read this. No, really. Read this. It's just too damn short.

( )

I really liked the world building of this novella. It was an interesting re-imagining of 19th century North America. The characters have great potential, although the length of this story did not leave room to really get to know them in depth. The story was really good and left me wanting more. ( )

This review and others posted over at my blog.

Guys, I can’t think of how to blurb this book without giving a ton of stuff away, but it is friggen awesome! It combines alternate history with steampunk and sharpshooters and sorta telekinetic/psychic people who have been created by the government and oh my gourd why haven’t I seen more people talking about this novella?!

Desmond is compelling and stubborn and badass and I can’t wait to learn more about him. Originally hailing from Jamaica, he seems like a sort of government agent/super spy, yet also viewed as an outsider among his people. The short story is rich with folktales and legends from not only Desmond’s childhood, but other characters as well, (who doesn’t love stories within stories?) and I enjoyed whenever Desmond would slip into his native dialect.

Lij is a bit of a mystery and it’s best he stays that way until you read the book. There are a few strong female characters here too, one being the assassin dogging Desmond’s heels. There’s more to her than meets the eye and all I’ll say on it is that she makes a rather compelling villain, especially when you get to the very end.

I’m eager to know more about the world Desmond’s living in. I’m absolute rubbish at American history (much to Sweetbeeps’s dismay), so I can’t tell just how much has changed. But there seems to be the United States and Canada, but also Tejas (boy, the commentary on that territory is incredibly relevant) as well as the land of the Five Civilized Tribes. There’s Albion as well and I’m totally not clear on where they are, but that’s ok, because the story was so great I didn’t worry about it. Jamaica is also a leading power in technology at this time. There’s Pinkerton’s too! Not sure if their mission is similar to the historical ones or not, and I really don’t care. But, if you’re big on alternate history, all of this stuff will probably interest you even more.

I don’t know what else to say without getting into too many details. The characters are intriguing, the plot is steady, there are some politics and history, plus most of the main characters are POC (own voices, too). Also, steampunk elements like large, man-operated robots, people who have some of their appendages replaced with weapons and machine parts and really cool guns! If you ask me, that’s more than enough reasons to check out Buffalo Soldier! ( )