The Doctor and the Kid

Weird West Tales #2

by Mike Resnick

Welcome to a West like you've never seen before! With the O. K. Corral and the battle with the thing that used to be Johnny Ringo behind him, the consumptive Doc Holliday makes his way to Deadwood, Colorado. But when a gambling loss drains his bankroll, Doc aims for quick cash as a bounty hunter. The biggest reward? Young, 20-year-old desperado known as Billy the Kid. With a steampunk twist on these classic characters, nothing can be as simple as it seems.

Genres: Steampunk, Westerns, Fantasy, Science Fiction, Alternate History, Weird West, Fiction

323 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 2011

About the author

Michael "Mike" Diamond Resnick, better known by his published name Mike Resnick, was a popular and prolific American science fiction author. He is, according to Locus, the all-time leading award winner, living or dead, for short science fiction. He was the winner of five Hugos, a Nebula, and other major awards in the United States, France, Spain, Japan, Croatia and Poland. and has been short-listed for major awards in England, Italy and Australia. He was the author of 68 novels, over 250 stories, and 2 screenplays, and was the editor of 41 anthologies. His work has been translated into 25 languages. He was the Guest of Honor at the 2012 Worldcon and can be found online as @ResnickMike on Twitter or at www.mikeresnick.com.

Reviews

[The Shayne-Train · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great Western staticpunk book in what looks to be a great series.

The ever entertaining and fascinating Doc Holliday still can't just live a quiet life, or die a quiet death, as it were. Wrapped up again in government intrigue, Indian shamanistic magic, and classic Western gun battles, we follow his adventures in the alt-history West where Tom Edison attempts to make Manifest Destiny a reality for the fledgling nation of America.

There is some more of the great name-dropping. Edison, Buntline, Earp, and Wilde all make appearances. But the show is stolen by none other than Billy the Kid.

If this keeps up, I may have a new favorite series.

[Lauren Stoolfire · Rating 4 out of 5]

I'm not going in the right order for these, but I still had a lot of fun with The Doctor and the Kid (Weird West Tales #2) by Mike Resnick. I love seeing how all of these real life figures fit into this steampunk tale. I appreciate that the author includes a short biography of them as well.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

Now I will temper this review by saying that this is only the second of Mike Resnick's books I have read (go on I bet if after I post this I check I will find others. That said those books I do not remember and that is my defence).

This is the second on the Weird West series - now I picked this series up thinking that they were related to other stories of a similar style - after all along with the associated role playing games of the 90s there seemed to be quite a number of them out there - and just as quickly they were not.

However I was wrong - this appears to be a stand-a-lone series and to be honest I think it is better off for it. Without giving away the story - at least no more than what is presented in the promotional words - you have a tale using historical figures and locations in a fantastical storyline. I have to admit I know next to nothing of this and I guess once I have completed the books I should really go out and check. However there are a number of appendix to each book which do set the historical events straight.

So what do I think - I think it was far more fun that I was expecting and that is always a pleasant surprise as the action was well paced the ideas entertaining and the dialogue suitable snappy. If I needed a reason to carry on reading the series this would certainly add to it. I can see why many reviewers of Mike Resnick state that is much underrated and appreciated and I can see why

[Jason Pettus · Rating 4 out of 5]

(Reprinted from the Chicago Center for Literature and Photography [cclapcenter.com]. I am the original author of this essay, as well as the owner of CCLaP; it is not being reprinted illegally.)

Although it's the second book in the series, this is my first experience with Mike Resnick's "Weird West" novels, in which the tropes of steampunk are exported to the cowboys and saloons of the American frontier; and I have to say, for being a deliberate B-level quickie genre tale, this was much better than the usual kind of books on this level I receive, and I find it no surprise now that Resnick will be the main Guest Of Honor at this coming summer's Worldcon in Chicago. (CCLaP will be there! Will you?) The story of a fictitious showdown between the real Doc Holliday and Billy the Kid, in a slightly fantastical America where Native Americans like Geronimo can perform literal magic, and Thomas Edison has been hired by the government to combat them using futuristic electrical devices, Resnick takes great joy in the genre practice of piling together famous coincidences, gleefully dropping a touring Oscar Wilde into a random scene and an indignant Susan B. Anthony in another, while using the famed tight-lipped wit of the real Holliday to great effect within a fast-paced, action-oriented storyline; and for steampunk fans craving gadgets, this book won't let you down either, an admittedly pretty silly story but that delivers in spades all the things we fanboys are looking for. It's no mindblower, but is at least a solidly crafted and always delightful Western take on a genre so usually steeped in the trappings of big cities like London or New York, and it comes strongly recommended specifically to all my fellow steampunk fans.

Out of 10: 8.5, or 9.0 for steampunk fans

[Maria · Rating 4 out of 5]

I reviewed this for Night Owl Reviews - 4.5 Star Rating


With the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral behind him, Doc Holiday has moved to Deadwood, Colorado where it's supposed to be easier for him to live his remaining days while suffering from consumption. Unfortunately, he didn't plan on a night of drunken card playing leading to him losing all of his money at the gaming tables. He'll have to make some money, and do it quickly, in order to live what remains of his life in comfort.

Considering his options, Doc settles on using his shooting skills to become a bounty hunter. The biggest reward being offered is for the death of a young desperado known as Billy the Kid. Only Billy the Kid is obviously being protected by some powerful magic, he's beaten incredible odds. Doc is going to need help if he's going to take down the Kid. With magical help from Geronimo and scientific help from Thomas Edison, will Doc win the day? Or will he discover that nothing is ever as easy as it looks?

"The Doctor and the Kid" by Mike Resnick is the fun, action packed sequel to his steampunk western, "The Buntline Special". Once again, Doc Holiday, Thomas Edison, Ned Buntline and Geronimo are key players in the fight between magic and science, though this time they unexpectedly seem to find themselves on the same side. Mr. Resnick continues the world building he began in "The Buntline Special" and introduces new secondary characters, whose place in the history of the American West has already been established. The United States as a country is still stuck on the eastern side of the Mississippi River due to the magic of the Indian medicine men.

It's 1862 and Doc Holiday and Big Nosed Kate have moved to Deadwood, Colorado, where Doc plans to live the few remaining years of his life in comfort. But, one night, when he's a little too drunk, Doc accidentally loses all of the money he saved to pay for his stay in a sanatorium when he gets too sick to stay with Kate. Now desperate to make a large amount of money quickly, the only thing he knows he can still do is out gun most men. Finding out the largest bounty is for William Bonny, or Billy the Kid as he's come to be known, puts Doc back on the road to the Southwest, where he plans to ask a few friends for some help in cashing in. Only, he can't keep his opinions to himself and ends up alienating most of his "friends". Now, down to Thomas Edison, Ned Buntline and Geronimo, who's made a side deal guaranteeing Doc a fair chance at killing the Kid, Doc is going to face his toughest enemy to date. Will he be able to pull this off and earn what he needs in order to live the remaining years of his life in comfort?

I liked how Mr. Resnick continued developing his fictional world in this book, Doc Holiday may be a drunk, a card shark and a killer, but he's also a likeable man who's slowly dying from consumption, a disease for which there was no cure in his lifetime. The secondary characters, Thomas Edison and Ned Buntline, played a larger part of this story and were men who were ahead of their time. While they were smart men, they were also down to earth and easily made friends with whoever they met and found interesting.

William Bonny, or Billy the Kid, was just that, a young man around twenty who was likeable until he lost his temper or until he perceived a threat to his life. Then he became what he really was, an extremely fast and accurate shootist, destined for a short life. The two most powerful Indian medicine men, Geronimo and Hook-Nose, are enemies this time around because of their different agendas. Each chooses a gunfighter to protect in an attempt to get their way, with Geronimo backing Doc while Hook-Nose backed Billy. Neither medicine man ever thought Thomas Edison and his science would find something to defeat their magic.

As Thomas Edison and Ned Buntline work to give Doc the advantage, Doc and Billy become friends. Once again Doc finds himself in the situation of liking the man he needs to kill to earn the money he needs for his life. But is killing Billy the only way he can get the money he needs? And will the temporary truce Doc and Billy have agreed to work? You'll have to read "The Doctor and the Kid" to find out. I really enjoyed reading this installment and I'm already looking forward to seeing what further adventures Mr. Resnick dreams up for Doc Holiday, Thomas Edison and Ned Buntline next.

[Tarl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Resnick continues to tell a wonderful story about Doc Holliday and his adventures in a alternative history/steampunk world.

This book is much the same of what the reader will have come to expect having read he first book in the series. There are a few changes, which keep the story fresh and interesting which is a good thing. A few side characters get introduced, one of which plays a major role in the story and I have to say, Resnick shocked me with how things turned out. The West was often a brutal place, and Resnick often seems to often take the safer route with his work, but not in this regard.

He also introduces a new antagonist in Billy the Kid, which he did a fairly good job of portraying the ego and attitude of someone so young that has gained as much notoriety as the Kid did. He also did a good job showing how similar he Kid and Doc were in certain manners as well as their differences. It helped to show Doc's moral code vs other gunfighter and expand him as a character.

The only thing at didn't really sit well with me was near the end of the story. There is an event where a LOT of magic gets tossed around, and it came across as very hokey to me. Resnick does a good job keeping a lot of his story grounded in reality, but as soon as magic comes out to play in a big way, the story loses a lot of that validity and seems more fantastical than believable.

Still, in the end, this was a good novel and I really enjoyed it. Resnick has crafted an amazing alternative history and I personally look forward to delving into it again.

[David · Rating 3 out of 5]

Once again, Resnick writes an interesting alternate reality western (i.e. Steampunk) with Doc Holliday at the center of the story, aided by the inventor, Thomas Edison and Ned Buntline. This time, Doc, having gambled away his savings that were intended to secure his care in a sanitarium, now considers going after the famed outlaw, Billy the Kid, for no other purpose but to gain the bounty of $10,000. A problem arises, however, for Billy is under the protection of an Indian medicine man and Doc can't just up and shoot him.

Resnick's version of Doc Holliday is pretty much on the mark from the historical renderings I've read. Personally, I have to suspend my disbelief to accept that Doc would ever use any of the gizmos that Edison and Buntline come up with.

Still, this is an entertaining series-- but I hated the manner in which Resnick set the hook for the next novel-- giving us a clue about what's to come. It was just a lame ending for a book. Might have worked well for a television program-- but not for a book.

[Kate · Rating 2 out of 5]

I liked the setting, although I didn't particularly care for the characters. Sort of an alternate history Wild West with a mad scientist by the name of Thomas Alva Edison who builds all kinds of crazy contraptions, inventions, and weapons as well as Native Americans who control magic (and have kept the US from expanding past the Mississippi). Fun, although a complete guilty pleasure.

One thing that I found slightly annoying is that the series is listed (on the back cover) as being steampunk. I think this is a misnomer, as all the inventions, vehicles, and weapons that are invented are clearly stated as being powered by electricity. There is a lack of steam power, gears, cogs, or dirigibles.

[Dan Smyth · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not much to this. Was mildly entertaining at times. Main character does little of note, except for talking, gambling, and drinking. A step down from the previous novel. Nothing "weird" about this version of the "west" other than the random inventions of a secondary character and some magical Indians. Wish there was so much more.

[Jimm Wetherbee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Resnick has followed up the entertaining The Buntline Special with an even more polished take on a Old West yarn. This is the story of how Doc Holliday gunned down Billy the Kid. What, you declare, Pat Garrett was responsible the Kids' early, but well deserved, demise. Just remember, this is an alternative history. Medicine men, such as Geronimo and Hook Nose have prevented the United States from expanding beyond the Mississippi with the use of magic. Besides, Resnick's Holliday is far more engaging than our Pat Garrent. Resinick is just doing what the old dime novelists did, create an Old West that was better than the real thing.

The background of the tale is that the confederation of medicine men that have been holding the United States at bay is starting to show some wear. For reasons Resnick never explains, the Indian tribes start to settle old grievances that they have had with each other rather concentrating on their common foe. They have also started to act independently in their struggle against the white-eyes. Hook Nose has taken it into his head to protect Billy the Kid, if for no other reason but because the Kid is an unwitting fifth column. The Comanche medicine man, White Eagle, is protecting a rail station because the land under it is claimed by both Apache and Comanche and is sacred to the Apache. Geronimo wants the station gone, but doesn't know who is actually protecting it and is willing to trade with Holliday. Holliday will be protected while he tries to kill Billy the Kid, if Holliday (along with Edison and Buntline) can get rid of rail station. Why would Holliday want to kill Billy the Kid? Because he is flat broke. Interesting how a simple premise can really complicate things, huh?

Fortunately, Resnick pares down a lot in the telling. Magic moves the story along without taking it over. There are no vampire bats or zombies or such to deal with. Resnick has also reduced the number of characters he has to deal with. Most of the ones we knew from The Buntline Special are either dead or are no longer one speaking terms with Holliday. Resnick does introduce us early on to Susan B. Anthony and Oscar Wilde and then drops them. One suspect that he may have wanted Anthony to take the role of a later character, but that very independent Anthony would have nothing of it. The sad thing here is, that Resnick reduces that crusader for Woman's Suffrage to a mere prude. It would have absolutely delicious to see more of Wilde, save for the fact that it would hard to believe that Wilde's wit would have been bested by Holliday. As we already learned from The Buntline Special, it is Holliday's air of gallow's humor that keeps the reader turning page after page. Holliday has to get the best lines.

Still, that wit has to play off of someone. Edison and Buntline aren't up to the task. They are far to optimistic. Resnick resolves this problem with a bounty hunter. Not only is this bounty hunter going after the same quarry as Holliday, but is also a woman. Charlotte Branson is not only clever and has a certain affection for Holliday, but like Holliday is familiar with a life unmoored. The Kid killed her husband.

It wouldn't be giving anything away to say that Billy the Kid is gunned down. There are some things that happen in every alternative history. Who goes down in history (this or any other) as having dispatched the Kid is another matter. It should also be of no surprise that Edison and Buntline make some progress in learning how to counteract the magic that has been hampering west-ward expansion. Progress is progress, after all, and stories have to go somewhere. Take The Doctor and the Kid for what it is, a light romp with the grim reaper. When you are done—and that will be all too soon—you will be looking forward to the next installment.

[Donald Armfield · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was better than the first one.
Resnick returns us to his brass decorative western front and Doc Holliday's empty pockets. Two unexpected twist and a battle between the magical Indians.
A gun blazing sequel and I'm off to the next one.

[Graham Bradley · Rating 5 out of 5]

Heck of a book. I really like this series, Resnick knows what he's doing.

[Justin · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another great gritty steampunk western and gem of a read. Continuing from where the Buntline Special left off, this book was just as good as the book before it. Doc Holliday is again his witty, wise and ruthless self, ready to do what he has to in preparation for his death. It's his character that really sells me and really made the book enjoyable.

The steampunk elements do take a bit of reading to understand but once Doc Holliday gets it I got it and hoped the inventions Edison and Buntline made would work. I found Billy the Kid to be very immature just as I imagined he really was. I found all the characters and the plot quite enjoyable. The settings went back and forth but Tombstone was never far behind.

I really enjoyed this book for everything it portrayed and all the wild action packed moments it had. Another one of my favorite books and I ride into the third book in the series having been pleased with the second.
5 bullets!

[Julie Bozza · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this, though it wasn't *quite* as much fun as the first volume. There were some interesting twists and turns in the plot, and Resnick's Doc Holliday continues to be surprisingly endearing (despite an appendix including Bat Masterson's description of Doc's "mean disposition"). I enjoyed Resnick's original character Charlotte Branson, but was disappointed that Oscar Wilde (who was indeed on a lecture tour in Leadville at the time) was only awarded a walk-on cameo role in the opening chapters. I would have loved him to be more intrinsic to the ongoing plot! Wouldn't that have been a joy to read?

Anyway, this is all great fun, and I feel quite recklessly emboldened in telling my own tale about Doc, Wyatt, and Johnny Ringo.

[Tammie Painter · Rating 3 out of 5]

In my opinion, you can't go wrong with Doc Holliday and I was immediately wrapped up in this book. Set in a steampunk version of the wild west, Doc loses all his money and decides to go after Billy the Kid. Unfortunately, about halfway through, the book just felt repetitive and the story started slogging along. If you like the genre, it's probably worth a read.

[Racheal Paquette · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another great entry into the Weird West Series! Love love how this story follows Doc Holiday and the crazy, awesome cast of characters he runs into! Can't wait to read the next one! A hit for fans of Steampunk, Westerns with a mix of the supernatural ;)

[Jesse · Rating 3 out of 5]

Pretty easy to figure out plot line. Still, a quick and fun diversion.

[Groucho42 · Rating 1 out of 5]

The first was ok, but compared to this it's great. Doc Holliday's speech is just too trite and stereotyped to put up with, so I couldn't get far into this one.

[Guillaume · Rating 4 out of 5]

Meilleur que le précédent, avec plusieurs intrigues en paralléles autour d'un fil rouge.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

#2 in Resnick’s series of steampunk Westerns.

[Lynn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Today’s post is on The Doctor and The Kid by Mike Resnisk. It is the second in his Weird West Tales series and is 322 pages long including appendixes with more information about the real life people and events. The cover has Doc Holliday with a cool Steampunk gun and a large wolf behind him. The intended reader is someone who loves Resnick, likes Steampunk, or just well written stories. As it the second book in a series you should read the first one just so you know what is going on. There is some language, talk of sex, and a good amount of violence in this book; young adult and up. The story is told from third person close of Doc Holliday. There Be Spoilers Ahead.



From the back of the book- The time is 1882. With the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and the battle with the thing that used to be Johnny Ringo behind him, the consumptive Doc Holliday makes his way to Leadville, Colorado, with Kate Elder, where he plans to spend the rest of his brief life, finally moving in to the luxurious facility that specialized in his disease.
But one night he gets a little too drunk- hardly a novelty for him- and loses everything he has at the gaming table. Doc realizes that he needs to replenish his bankroll, and quickly, so that he can live out his days in comfort under medical care. He considers his options and hits upon the one most likely to produce income in a hurry. He’ll use his skill as a shootist and turn bounty hunter.
The biggest reward is for the death of the young, twenty-year-old desperado known as Billy the Kid. It’s clear from the odds that Kid has faced and beaten, his miraculous escape from prison, and his friendship with the Southern Cheyenne, that he is protected by some powerful magic. Doc enlists the aid of both the magic of Geronimo and the science of Thomas Edison, and he goes out after his quarry. He will hunt the Kid down, and either kill him and claim the reward or die in the process and at least end his own suffering.
But as he is soon to find, nothing is as easy as it looks.



Review- This is just another wonderful piece by Resnick with interesting plot, expanding character development, and Steampunk goodness. Doc Holliday is still himself from the first book and I loved it. There is magic, great dialog, and exciting action. I want to know now if Billy the Kid was as much as a punk that Resnick makes him out to be. Resnick has made me interested in Wild West history something that I was not really interested in before. Maybe that is just the nature of good books to make you want to read more and be interested in things that you were not before. Resnick is in general a very strong writer but his dialog is hard to beat. So much about the characters is given to the reader in the conversations that they have. If for some reason that you still have not read Resnick and you read my blog/reviews you really need to read him. Resnick is one of the most talented genre writers of our time.



I give this book a Five out of Five stars. I get nothing for my review and I was given this book as a gift.

[Johnny · Rating 4 out of 5]

When a Hugo-winning science-fiction writer decides to revisit the legends of the Wild West, you have to figure it’s going to be strange. Mike Resnick calls his work a “weird western,” but it has elements of steampunk (or, perhaps, it should be called electricalpunk since Tom Edison plays such an important role) combined with the supernatural elements. In The Doctor and the Kid, Doc Holliday is dying of tuberculosis (“consumption” as it was called back then) and ends up short of a lot of cash with regard to securing his dying days. How do you suppose a gambler ends up short of cash? Well, like a lot of things in this book, it’s rather humorous getting to that point.

Once the Doc reaches that point, he decides to do something unheard of for him—he becomes a bounty hunter. And, of course, he goes after the most famous “kid” in western legend. Of course, this would be just another western story if it was simply about events leading up to an inevitable shoot-out. Of course, nothing is ever quite what it seems with Resnick. In this case, there is a magical situation which has to be overcome before the Doc and the Kid can actually have that fatal shootout.

And, of course, we get to see our old “friend” Geronimo. But if you read the first of the weird westerns penned by Resnick, you already know that Geronimo only works “quid pro quo.” This particular “quid pro quo” is a fascinating problem. How does one destroy something that is (magically) indestructible? Well, if one is assuming that technology potentially trumps magic, you know that Doc will have to reconnect with Tom Edison and Ned Buntline. And, naturally, that brings a number of humorous situations, many associated with Ned’s robotic invention, the metallic saloon girls.

The Doctor and the Kid has magical elements, but it is more about trying to solve the problem caused by the magic. In so doing, Buntline and Edison go through interesting stages of experimentation. That is, Resnick keeps one interested with a variety of wild suggestions and keeps one guessing as to which will be successful and how. Add to this successful recipe a romantic entanglement for the good doctor, an amusing Mexican stand-off with the Kid, and a hint of philosophical perspective on Doc Holliday’s prospective demise.

[Joe Santoro · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is book 2 of the poorly titled 'Weird West Tales'. After the first book was an alternate version of the OK Corral story, here Resnick takes his newly built world forward, with Doc Holliday as the main character. Doc has moved to Leadville, CO to prepare to die in a Santarium there, when he drinks even more than usual and makes a dumb poker mistake that causes him to lose his entire bank roll.

With failing health and only $200 to his name, Doc decides to turn Bounty Hunter.. the biggest bounty he can find... Billy the Kid. While there, he finds a woman Hunter that's after the same bounty to avenge her husband. Oh, and a rival to Geronimo has cast a spell of protection of the kid (since he hates 'white eyes' and Billy kills them) so Doc has to cut a deal with the Apache to get him use his magic to counter it.

This one is much more 'fiction' than the first, though there's a fun scene at the end that sorta brings it back to the 'real' world a bit. As with the first book, if you're a Doc Holliday fan (as he's played in Tombstone by Val Kilmer), then you'll love this book. There's fun steam punk moments with Doc's buddy Thomas Edison, and crazy magic by Gernimo. There's nothing deep or symbolic her, just a fun western romp that's just historical enough to make it feel comfortable.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy steampunk. Not sure why, just do. This book is the second Weird West book by Mike Resnick. It imagines an alternative history where the USA is stopped at the Mississippi River by the combined magic of Geronimo and Hook Nose. A few settlements are allowed west, like Tombstone where live Doc Holliday, Thomas Edison, Ned Buntline and a host of others whose names are part of our wild west mythos. Edison and Buntline are charged by the US government to find a way to defeat the war chiefs/shamans magic.
Enter Billy the Kid who is protected by Hook Nose's magic and cannot be killed. Doc Holliday and crew are charged by Geronimo to break the protection. The book is a fun, quick read and i am looking forward to a third installment.

[Troy Taylor · Rating 3 out of 5]

This ain't yer grandpappy's Doc Holiday, fer sure. And it ain't the motion picture versions either. "Tombstone" was neither this gritty nor fantastic.

But it's fun. This is a quick, fun read. I zipped through this in just a couple of sittings. It's full of action and humor in a wild west with steampunk marvels and native American supernatural powers.

It was a delight to read how Billy the Kid and Doc crossed paths in an alternate reality. Of course, those aren't the only historical persons to mix it up in their mischief. In fact, not everyone is what they seem -- but to say more would be to spoil the reveal.

But more than an exercise in "what if," Resnick delivers a kicker of a story with a humdinger of a conclusion.

[Sarah · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Doctor and the Kid was a book I picked up not expecting to enjoy and I ended up finishing within one day. It’s a steampunk adventure through the fabled Wild West. Resnick did a wonderful job humanizing his famous characters. While some of the action can get a bit over-the-top and the ending is a bit too neat and predictable for my taste, the rest of the book makes up for it. While I plan on reading the first book in the series to give me more of a well-rounded approach to The Doctor and the Kid, it also stands alone on it’s own merit.


Read my full review here:

http://bookwormblues.blogspot.com/201...

[Cal Bowen · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is by and large a better story - the first book was enjoyable, but not great - this second outing was a much better tale, maybe because I did not know as much about Billy the Kid and so I had no prejudice towards the tale - either way, this was another great romp through a fiction Old Western tale where magic prevents the US from expanding and the unlikely hero within 'Doc' Holiday may just be the answer we all need - I am already aching to read the next in this series and this has been so far one the better better forays in the alternate magical western fantasy that I have come across as of late - 5 big stars!

[Meran · Rating 4 out of 5]

Like its predessor, The Buntline Special, this sequel is a Steampunk Western, featuring Doc Holliday, Tom Edison, Ned Buntline, and many "new" characters to continue the story. There are more shoot outs, more killings, more Indian magic, more devices; all fun, lightweight reading, in this alternate universe where maybe the outcomes of some of the shoot outs ended differently than in our own.

The author has several appendices about the true history of the characters displayed in the storyline. One even has all the books he used as sources, in case you'd like to read more on the topic.

[Ellen · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you like your western history straightforward and factual than this book is definitely not for you. But, if you are willing to suspend your beliefs and let your imagination take a rocketing stage coach ride, then this book is for you. No vampire Bat Masterson this time, but the native American magic making medicine men are back, stirring up trouble along with Billy the Kid who can't be killed, and of course Ned Buntline and Tom Edison creating lots of wild inventions. Now I have to go out and get the next book in this fun, funky, steam punky western saga!!!!!

[Mary · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a quick and easy read.
I really loved the old Wild Wild West show and this really reminded me of that show.
The main Characters are ones that most people have at least heard about and know a little about. Doc Holiday, Thomas Edison etc and were depicted in such a way that you can hear Doc's southern Drawl.

I'm looking forward to reading the Buntline Special which was the 1st Weird West Tale.