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Guns of Seneca 6 #1
Guns of Seneca 6
The Rise of the Old West, Again
On a distant planet, at the farthest reaches of the universe, the Old West has risen again. Outlaws, Gunslingers, Murderous GangsWhen an intergalactic lawman crash lands near the small settlement of Seneca 6, he's carrying more than a badge. Now, the most bloodthirsty group of killers in the galaxy is coming, and their bringing a weapon of devastating alien power. Little do they know, the Guns of Seneca 6 are ready to blaze!
On a distant planet, at the farthest reaches of the universe, the Old West has risen again. Outlaws, Gunslingers, Murderous GangsWhen an intergalactic lawman crash lands near the small settlement of Seneca 6, he's carrying more than a badge. Now, the most bloodthirsty group of killers in the galaxy is coming, and their bringing a weapon of devastating alien power. Little do they know, the Guns of Seneca 6 are ready to blaze!
264 pages, Kindle Edition
First published October 24, 2011
31 people are currently reading
424 people want to read
About the author
Bernard Schaffer
87 books282 followersBernard Schaffer is an author from the Philadelphia area.
His acclaimed Santero and Rein Thriller series features Carrie Santero and her mentor, the troubled Jacob Rein. The Thief of All Light, An Unsettled Grave, and Blood Angel, are available from Kensington Books.
His western trilogy debuted in 2021 as part of the Ralph Compton imprint with Berkley Books. All three titles, Face of a Snake, Snake's Fury, and Hell Snake, were selected as Walmart paperback exclusives.
His acclaimed Santero and Rein Thriller series features Carrie Santero and her mentor, the troubled Jacob Rein. The Thief of All Light, An Unsettled Grave, and Blood Angel, are available from Kensington Books.
His western trilogy debuted in 2021 as part of the Ralph Compton imprint with Berkley Books. All three titles, Face of a Snake, Snake's Fury, and Hell Snake, were selected as Walmart paperback exclusives.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 44 reviews
October 26, 2011
Seneca 6 reminded me of the setting of my favorite episode of Firefly. The entire time I was reading this book, I pictured Nathan Fillion in the role of Sam (and a younger Nathan Fillion in the role of Jem).
Anyhow, I LOVE this book. **Watch out for spoilers.**
Here's what I had to say when Bernard Schaffer asked my opinion about this novel:
Your character development is fabulous. I kept trying to find one or two characters that I could latch onto and come back to you with, "This is it. This is the way you should treat all of your characters." But there isn't just one. You create a good character and you are very skilled at making the reader see every facet. You really bring them to life. Elijah and Little Willie are absolutely disgusting. I LOATHE them. Sam and Jem are so much much alike and yet individuals. Doc Halladay is badass, so is McParlan. And how much did I love Harlan? You had my total buy-in from page one.
The story unravels in just the right way. It speeds and slows. It's not a constant, crazy adrenaline-packed rush that exhausts the reader, but it never creeps along at a snail's pace. It's got a great balance.
The flashbacks are well placed and the relationship between Sam & the kids makes his death all the more real and emotional to the point that when I read your comment to your kids in the acknowledgments I just kinda lost it for a minute.
The relationship between Jem and Anna is perfect. It's not overly cautious, but it doesn't go too far for the time frame of the story. You got it just right.
You've created a real place in Seneca 6 much in the same way Stephen King did with Jerusalem's Lot or Castle Rock. It's a place you can definitely revisit and use as the location for a great series.
**I have it on good authority that the sequel is already in the works.
Anyhow, I LOVE this book. **Watch out for spoilers.**
Here's what I had to say when Bernard Schaffer asked my opinion about this novel:
Your character development is fabulous. I kept trying to find one or two characters that I could latch onto and come back to you with, "This is it. This is the way you should treat all of your characters." But there isn't just one. You create a good character and you are very skilled at making the reader see every facet. You really bring them to life. Elijah and Little Willie are absolutely disgusting. I LOATHE them. Sam and Jem are so much much alike and yet individuals. Doc Halladay is badass, so is McParlan. And how much did I love Harlan? You had my total buy-in from page one.
The story unravels in just the right way. It speeds and slows. It's not a constant, crazy adrenaline-packed rush that exhausts the reader, but it never creeps along at a snail's pace. It's got a great balance.
The flashbacks are well placed and the relationship between Sam & the kids makes his death all the more real and emotional to the point that when I read your comment to your kids in the acknowledgments I just kinda lost it for a minute.
The relationship between Jem and Anna is perfect. It's not overly cautious, but it doesn't go too far for the time frame of the story. You got it just right.
You've created a real place in Seneca 6 much in the same way Stephen King did with Jerusalem's Lot or Castle Rock. It's a place you can definitely revisit and use as the location for a great series.
**I have it on good authority that the sequel is already in the works.
August 13, 2012
A fast, fun, genre mash-up, Guns of Seneca 6 by Bernard Schaffer (@ApiarySociety) is a perfect Summer Read that would entertain readers anytime of the year. I loved it and devoured the book in just two days.
Part Science Fiction, part Western and all-out adventure, much of the action in Guns takes place on the planet Seneca, where colonizers in the settlement of Seneca 6 mine the desolate and barren landscape for severian, one of the most precious substances in the universe.
Fans of the (too) short-lived TV show Firefly will feel comfortable in this universe, where sheriffs and marshals strap on six-shooters wired with electronic sights and auto-targeting to battle against outlaws and rampaging natives. In fact, a raid of Seneca 6 by the Beothuk, the native people of Seneca who have been repeatedly lied to and cheated by the newcomers to their planet (sound familiar?), starts the story and informs much of the rest of the plot. As always, I won't say much more for fear of spoiling the fun for future readers.
And Guns of Seneca 6 is a whole lot of fun.
Even without the cool and interesting elements of Sci-Fi in Guns, which include alien creatures and spaceships, I believe it would work just as well as a straight-up Western if Mr. Schaffer had decided to go that way. While reading I recalled themes and scenes reminiscent of such oaters as Open Range (one of my all-time favorite movies), Rio Bravo, High Noon, Unforgiven, Shane, any number of the tellings of the "Gunfight at the OK Corral" and the TV show Deadwood.
Schaffer's diverse cast of characters is well-drawn and intelligent, and although many are staples of the Western genre — the old and wizened marshal, the strong-willed woman considered a spinster at the advanced age of 36, the brutal and amoral outlaw brothers, and the conflicted hero on the run from his past — Schaffer's take on each is fresh and interesting. The reader quickly becomes invested in what happens to them.
And what happens to them is ... fun, interesting, exciting, thrilling, and did I say fun?
As a reader I look forward to each new novel I load on my Kindle Fire, but even so it is always special and welcome when I encounter a read like Guns that grabs me and pulls me so deeply into the story that I spend each free moment finding out what happens next. I've had the pleasure of reading some fun and exciting novels over the past year and I'd place Guns of Seneca 6 very high on my list of favorites.
I highly recommend Guns of Seneca 6 to anyone looking for a great read, perfect for the beach, vacation, or anytime to be honest. Looking at Mr. Schaffer's website and blog, I see he has written a prequel and a sequel, as well as some other novels that look very, very interesting.
My To Read List just got that much longer, and I love it.
Part Science Fiction, part Western and all-out adventure, much of the action in Guns takes place on the planet Seneca, where colonizers in the settlement of Seneca 6 mine the desolate and barren landscape for severian, one of the most precious substances in the universe.
Fans of the (too) short-lived TV show Firefly will feel comfortable in this universe, where sheriffs and marshals strap on six-shooters wired with electronic sights and auto-targeting to battle against outlaws and rampaging natives. In fact, a raid of Seneca 6 by the Beothuk, the native people of Seneca who have been repeatedly lied to and cheated by the newcomers to their planet (sound familiar?), starts the story and informs much of the rest of the plot. As always, I won't say much more for fear of spoiling the fun for future readers.
And Guns of Seneca 6 is a whole lot of fun.
Even without the cool and interesting elements of Sci-Fi in Guns, which include alien creatures and spaceships, I believe it would work just as well as a straight-up Western if Mr. Schaffer had decided to go that way. While reading I recalled themes and scenes reminiscent of such oaters as Open Range (one of my all-time favorite movies), Rio Bravo, High Noon, Unforgiven, Shane, any number of the tellings of the "Gunfight at the OK Corral" and the TV show Deadwood.
Schaffer's diverse cast of characters is well-drawn and intelligent, and although many are staples of the Western genre — the old and wizened marshal, the strong-willed woman considered a spinster at the advanced age of 36, the brutal and amoral outlaw brothers, and the conflicted hero on the run from his past — Schaffer's take on each is fresh and interesting. The reader quickly becomes invested in what happens to them.
And what happens to them is ... fun, interesting, exciting, thrilling, and did I say fun?
As a reader I look forward to each new novel I load on my Kindle Fire, but even so it is always special and welcome when I encounter a read like Guns that grabs me and pulls me so deeply into the story that I spend each free moment finding out what happens next. I've had the pleasure of reading some fun and exciting novels over the past year and I'd place Guns of Seneca 6 very high on my list of favorites.
I highly recommend Guns of Seneca 6 to anyone looking for a great read, perfect for the beach, vacation, or anytime to be honest. Looking at Mr. Schaffer's website and blog, I see he has written a prequel and a sequel, as well as some other novels that look very, very interesting.
My To Read List just got that much longer, and I love it.
April 18, 2013
If you enjoyed Cowboys & Aliens, or Firefly you will most likely find this book to be right up your alley. It has been a long, long time since I have enjoyed a good Western read. This one is even more so because it takes place off-world on a mining planet called Seneca. It has all the elements that made great Western movies like Tombstone, Silverado, The Lone Ranger, and all of the popular shows from the 60's so fun to watch. It also has elements of Star Trek, Star Wars, and the Fifth Element rolled in to satisfy Sci-Fi fans... and, I am sure Steampunkers like myself will appreciate the alternate history feel to it as well.
I cannot recommend this book or this author more highly. I hope their will be sequels.
I cannot recommend this book or this author more highly. I hope their will be sequels.
June 7, 2012
Guns of Seneca 6 was a fun summer read. I loved the 'Firefly' theme of the book. A future western. It was fun to relive a little part of that world. I also really loved the (SPOILER ALERT) Native American characters. This was a good, quick story with an easy flow.
The reason I only gave it 3 stars is due to lack of character development and a couple unanswered questions. We got a good feel for the main character, but there were a lot of supporting characters that never got developed. I never understood what motivated a lot of them. Also the (SPOILER ALERT) alien symbiote thing - what was that? The marshall knew what it was, but it was never explained to the audience.
Overall a good book. I would love to see a return to Seneca 6 in the future.
The reason I only gave it 3 stars is due to lack of character development and a couple unanswered questions. We got a good feel for the main character, but there were a lot of supporting characters that never got developed. I never understood what motivated a lot of them. Also the (SPOILER ALERT) alien symbiote thing - what was that? The marshall knew what it was, but it was never explained to the audience.
Overall a good book. I would love to see a return to Seneca 6 in the future.
July 23, 2017
Overall a compelling story, though I had a hard time finishing it because of the huge number of side characters that started to blend together after awhile.
September 20, 2017
I was a little apprehensive reading this one, but it combined two of my favorite genres in both science fiction and western, but combining a little bit of inner-city gang violence on a global scale. Without having a spoiler, I think the author did a good job of quickly grabbing my attention and describing future scenes and technology that made them believable.
I picked this up during a free Kindle promotion vs. its normal price of $4.49, and I see the author has now progressed this into a series; I think this read well as a standalone book yet it might be interesting to see where the author’s imagination takes the characters. While this isn’t my preferable “hard” science fiction it is a good read for a weekend afternoon for this science fiction and western fan.
I picked this up during a free Kindle promotion vs. its normal price of $4.49, and I see the author has now progressed this into a series; I think this read well as a standalone book yet it might be interesting to see where the author’s imagination takes the characters. While this isn’t my preferable “hard” science fiction it is a good read for a weekend afternoon for this science fiction and western fan.
January 31, 2020
Guns of Seneca 6 by Bernard Schaffer is the first book in the Guns of Seneca 6 Series. This was a very quick and enjoyable read. Bernard Schaffer wrote a fun story which drew me right in, and kept me engaged until I turned the last page. I did not want to put it down once I started reading it. It is a Western with a sprinkle of science fiction. There were many twists and turns to keep interested. It is very well written and the characters are well defined. I really enjoyed this book and can’t wait to get started on the next book in this series.
August 9, 2021
The comparisons to Firefly are definitely valid. The wild-west-meets-space concept was a lot of fun. I enjoyed this quick read and might look for the subsequent books in the series. The story was compelling, the characters interesting, and the dialogue believable. I would have given the book 4 stars except that the apostrophe and homophone errors kept throwing me off. A good editor could whip this into shape. It's a great start, though.
December 14, 2019
Jem 'Gentleman Jim' Clayton, has been running ever since leaving Seneca 6 after the death of his father. Now he has returned, with trouble not far behind and trouble already there!! Good book with some interesting characters, a few more lines spaces would have helped the flow, but this may have been a kindle fault.
January 31, 2020
I picked up this book purely because I love Bernard's others I have read, normally the western aspect would of steered me away. I was so wrong, this is western/sci fi and just works so well, Bernard has done it again. This was a quick read for me couldn't wait to see what happened next. Cannot wait to read the rest in the series.
January 29, 2020
If you like a cowboys and Indian type story this would be a great book for you but with a little twist of cowboys and aliens! The characters are amazing, love the twists, and always keeps me turning the pages!
January 30, 2020
Saddle up Space Cowboy!
A space western that would make Akira Kurosowa proud. This book was a super fun read! Action packed with great characters, which is par for the course with this author. Can't wait to get started on the next one!
A space western that would make Akira Kurosowa proud. This book was a super fun read! Action packed with great characters, which is par for the course with this author. Can't wait to get started on the next one!
January 29, 2020
Love Cowboys, aliens then you definitely will enjoy this read. I really liked reading .
April 20, 2020
Fun read
At times a bit cliches but that is what it was supposed to be. I enjoyed the book and I hope you do too!
At times a bit cliches but that is what it was supposed to be. I enjoyed the book and I hope you do too!
June 26, 2014
I was invited to review the first in the Guns of Seneca 6 series by the author and I'm grateful to him for doing so as I might not otherwise have tried it, which would have been a mistake.
The reason for my initial reticence was my unfamiliarity and frankly lack of fondness for the Western genre. The extent of my knowledge is drawn from Clint, snatches of facts unavoidably picked up over the years, that TOS episode where Kirk and co are mysteriously forced to act out a Western scenario as the Claytons, oh and of course Back to the Future Part III (let’s not talk about a Fistful of Datas). So as you can see, no great love for the Western here.
That being said I am a massive sci-fi fan, so cowboys in space? Might just work, I thought, and it does - at least for me.
The story is solid and the characters are well drawn. What I thought was done particularly well was the neat mixture of space and the good ‘ole dusty Western border town. Seneca 6 certainly fulfils the latter part, with just enough of it alien to do the job of the former with a few spaceships and off planet scenes thrown in. Most of the action though takes place on the planet, which is compelling enough to hold the reader, and we get to meet the various citizens who live the border town/cowboy lifestyle. In particular there are the Claytons and a Doc Halliday. The one thing I did wonder is if true Western fans might be irked by the use of familiar names, kind of like I might be if Kirk or Picard and co were names used in a sit-com - but it of course didn't bother me here, if anything adding to the Western feel for me; that being said I do fervently hope Star Trek the comedy never comes to pass.
I thought the narrative of the Guns of Seneca 6 flowed well, developing the themes and characters of the story as it went along, and it held up nicely as we headed to the inevitable climactic stand-off. While I did find the discovery made by Jem to be a little obvious - but then I do tend to be the spoiler of many films with my “oh, I bet …” comments - overall I found the story believable and the key characters eminently likeable, particularly Jem Clayton. While they sometimes teetered on the edge of precipitous cliché, overall I felt the characterisations struck the right balance. The only thing that did jar a little for me was the 'powerful weapon'. I didn't think it sat that well in the narrative or was that necessary. I can see how it helped with certain points in the tale but I think that these could have been achieved in other, less incongruous ways. With my sci-fi six gallon on it was certainly an interesting concept but for me an underdeveloped one, almost a non sequitur, which led it for me to seem out-of-place.
All of that being said I did thoroughly enjoy the story and found it easy to root for the good guys against the bad guys. As I've already said I thought the mix of genres was handled well and as a non-Western fan the characters were able to pull me in and hold me. Well done Mr Schaffer, now reach for the skies...
I'd give the Guns of Seneca 6 (Chamber 1) an upbeat four and a half.
The reason for my initial reticence was my unfamiliarity and frankly lack of fondness for the Western genre. The extent of my knowledge is drawn from Clint, snatches of facts unavoidably picked up over the years, that TOS episode where Kirk and co are mysteriously forced to act out a Western scenario as the Claytons, oh and of course Back to the Future Part III (let’s not talk about a Fistful of Datas). So as you can see, no great love for the Western here.
That being said I am a massive sci-fi fan, so cowboys in space? Might just work, I thought, and it does - at least for me.
The story is solid and the characters are well drawn. What I thought was done particularly well was the neat mixture of space and the good ‘ole dusty Western border town. Seneca 6 certainly fulfils the latter part, with just enough of it alien to do the job of the former with a few spaceships and off planet scenes thrown in. Most of the action though takes place on the planet, which is compelling enough to hold the reader, and we get to meet the various citizens who live the border town/cowboy lifestyle. In particular there are the Claytons and a Doc Halliday. The one thing I did wonder is if true Western fans might be irked by the use of familiar names, kind of like I might be if Kirk or Picard and co were names used in a sit-com - but it of course didn't bother me here, if anything adding to the Western feel for me; that being said I do fervently hope Star Trek the comedy never comes to pass.
I thought the narrative of the Guns of Seneca 6 flowed well, developing the themes and characters of the story as it went along, and it held up nicely as we headed to the inevitable climactic stand-off. While I did find the discovery made by Jem to be a little obvious - but then I do tend to be the spoiler of many films with my “oh, I bet …” comments - overall I found the story believable and the key characters eminently likeable, particularly Jem Clayton. While they sometimes teetered on the edge of precipitous cliché, overall I felt the characterisations struck the right balance. The only thing that did jar a little for me was the 'powerful weapon'. I didn't think it sat that well in the narrative or was that necessary. I can see how it helped with certain points in the tale but I think that these could have been achieved in other, less incongruous ways. With my sci-fi six gallon on it was certainly an interesting concept but for me an underdeveloped one, almost a non sequitur, which led it for me to seem out-of-place.
All of that being said I did thoroughly enjoy the story and found it easy to root for the good guys against the bad guys. As I've already said I thought the mix of genres was handled well and as a non-Western fan the characters were able to pull me in and hold me. Well done Mr Schaffer, now reach for the skies...
I'd give the Guns of Seneca 6 (Chamber 1) an upbeat four and a half.
January 2, 2013
Guns of Seneca 6 by Bernard Schaffer
This is a cowboys and aliens novel. Space ships and six guns sounds simplistic but as in all compelling books, the characters are what makes a book fly off the shelf. Stern justice is served up in this sweat, leather, courage and tech novel.
Jem Clayton is the anti-hero of this book. He is a lonely soul who wanders the desert of Seneca working to keep death from those he loves. Seneca is a gritty world where hard scrabble miners struggle to eke out a living digging out some obscure mineral that appears to be valuable due to it’s scarcity.
The is violence, action and vigilante justice in major doses in this western style scifi adventure. Evil is pretty darn despicable and the protagonists lean more to vengeance than justice. A simplistic look at confrontation that takes nothing away from how enjoyable a book it was to read.
There is a Doc Holiday clone, a Matt Dillion or maybe it was Chester, a Miss Kitty as the town Doc, pretty much a cast of characters you can recognize and enjoy. A brutal but entertaining book.
I recommend it.
This is a cowboys and aliens novel. Space ships and six guns sounds simplistic but as in all compelling books, the characters are what makes a book fly off the shelf. Stern justice is served up in this sweat, leather, courage and tech novel.
Jem Clayton is the anti-hero of this book. He is a lonely soul who wanders the desert of Seneca working to keep death from those he loves. Seneca is a gritty world where hard scrabble miners struggle to eke out a living digging out some obscure mineral that appears to be valuable due to it’s scarcity.
The is violence, action and vigilante justice in major doses in this western style scifi adventure. Evil is pretty darn despicable and the protagonists lean more to vengeance than justice. A simplistic look at confrontation that takes nothing away from how enjoyable a book it was to read.
There is a Doc Holiday clone, a Matt Dillion or maybe it was Chester, a Miss Kitty as the town Doc, pretty much a cast of characters you can recognize and enjoy. A brutal but entertaining book.
I recommend it.
January 13, 2012
Bernard Schaffer has become one of my favorite contemporary writers because his books are always well written and interesting. The Guns of Seneca 6 is no different. Schaffer transports the American Western into deep space and populates this world with characters that suits Schaffer's always unique imagination.
The good guys in this world aren't always good and the bad guys are definitely BAD...Elijah/Little Willy Harpe in a grotesque way. There are several lines of tension and conflict nicely woven around each other in this book, which keeps the plot moving and interesting. I finished this story in two nights.
Schaffer's work has generated controversy because it is raw and violent. He has responded to this criticism by publishing a "gentleman's" version of Whitechapel: The Last Stand of Sherlock Holmes. In real life as a big city detective, Schaffer's world is raw and violent, filled with hypocrisy and failed justice. Like all of us who have been in that world, he knows the story must be told. He does it well.
The good guys in this world aren't always good and the bad guys are definitely BAD...Elijah/Little Willy Harpe in a grotesque way. There are several lines of tension and conflict nicely woven around each other in this book, which keeps the plot moving and interesting. I finished this story in two nights.
Schaffer's work has generated controversy because it is raw and violent. He has responded to this criticism by publishing a "gentleman's" version of Whitechapel: The Last Stand of Sherlock Holmes. In real life as a big city detective, Schaffer's world is raw and violent, filled with hypocrisy and failed justice. Like all of us who have been in that world, he knows the story must be told. He does it well.
July 8, 2014
I was a little apprehensive to read this book, since it's a western and I don't really care for too much cowboy stuff....but the reviews were more positive than negative and it was for free so I thought I would give it a shot....I was not disappointed. Once I got started I could to put it down. The flashbacks were placed so well throughout the book, I never had to stop and think huh? Who was that again? Or when did that happen? The book was so good that I started it around noon on one day and my brain refused to shut down and rest...I had to finish and kept right on reading until 3 am the next day....yes it really was that good! Loved it! If I had to provide one criticism it would be that the chemistry between Anna and Jem could have been a little better, the banter was there but a little forced I thought but no matter. The book isn't a love story..all cowboy action with a bit of steampunk on the side. Great book!
February 21, 2013
What can I say? The multitude of 4/5 star reviews say it all. All I can add is that Mr Schaffer's writing style is, in my opinion, the most clean, crisp and economical I have read. If I were to give up procrastination(for Lent?),finally pull my thumb clear of the pie, and actually write something, I could do no better than to take a leaf out of Mr Schaffer's book(figuratively - I do not condone the storing of foliage within ripping tomes).
This is a cracking read. I am deliberately holding off reading more of this author because I hate that feeling you get when you've read everything written by a favourite author, then have to endure cravings as you exist 'book-by-book' thereafter. Best to hold some back for darker times.
One last thing: I thought an 'Apiary' was where they kept Apes, until I was caught out by a question on 'In It To Win It' on Challenge. Turns out it's Bees.
This is a cracking read. I am deliberately holding off reading more of this author because I hate that feeling you get when you've read everything written by a favourite author, then have to endure cravings as you exist 'book-by-book' thereafter. Best to hold some back for darker times.
One last thing: I thought an 'Apiary' was where they kept Apes, until I was caught out by a question on 'In It To Win It' on Challenge. Turns out it's Bees.
May 12, 2015
A mashup of old-fashioned Western adventure with a Sci-fi backdrop, Guns of Seneca 6 is a brilliantly crafted novel. The pacing was perfect, the dialogue flowed, characters developed from beginning to end, and the plot contained a plethora of action without detracting from other elements.
If you're a fan of the television show Firefly, the movie Cowboys & Aliens, or even just Clint Eastwood, there's a strong chance you'll find enjoyment in these pages. The story is light on the science fiction and heavy on the western feel, but both aspects blend together flawlessly. Trace elements of the supernatural and horror even factor in.
The conclusion was sound and satisfying. Bernard Schaffer appears to be a promising, independent author and worth looking into. I recommend this book as a light, fun read for summertime.
If you're a fan of the television show Firefly, the movie Cowboys & Aliens, or even just Clint Eastwood, there's a strong chance you'll find enjoyment in these pages. The story is light on the science fiction and heavy on the western feel, but both aspects blend together flawlessly. Trace elements of the supernatural and horror even factor in.
The conclusion was sound and satisfying. Bernard Schaffer appears to be a promising, independent author and worth looking into. I recommend this book as a light, fun read for summertime.
June 10, 2012
This is the kind of book that I wish my dad was still alive to read and talk about with me. It's a whole lot of western with a little sci-fi tossed in. Like many others my first thought was "Firefly" but "Cowboy vs. Aliens" is I think a closer match to the feel of this story. I think it was well written and interesting, once I got a good feel for the book I finished it in a day. I think more people should read this book and won't hesitate to suggest it. My only real complaint is that the author named a character after the real life gunslinger he was based on. Every time the guy would do something just like Doc Holliday I'd end up picturing Val Kilmer saying, "I'll be your huckleberry. ". It was distracting and I thought that the author should have picked a less obvious name.
July 7, 2014
Guns of Seneca 6 was a pretty good book. I am not really into Westerns but having the Sci-Fi aspect drew me in. Not only was the plot exciting and fast moving, the characters were pretty well rounded also. I liked Jem as the main character and really enjoyed Doc Halladay. The action scenes were exciting and it was pretty violent, which is exciting too. The only thing that I didn't like about the story was the lack of explanation about the black blob that allowed Willy and Elijah to control people. It was mentioned that it was a weapon of some kind, but we never actually learn anything about it. I am hoping that it will come up in the other books. A good read for people who like Western and Sci-Fi. 4 out of 5 stars and I'm off to buy the next book in the series.
March 15, 2012
This is a romping fun read. Full disclosure requires I tell you up front, I love a good space western. But who doesn’t? This is a good space western. From the opening sentence the reader knows exactly what sort of book he/she is reading: a rooting-tooting, border-town Western built around a touching father/son relationship.
The only twist is that Seneca 6 is a mining planet orbiting a different sun. The story is well-written and hits all the main targets of the Western genre, including it’s own version of savages. Throw in a bit of a coming of age story, and you’re in for a good read. Read it! Review it! Share it!
The only twist is that Seneca 6 is a mining planet orbiting a different sun. The story is well-written and hits all the main targets of the Western genre, including it’s own version of savages. Throw in a bit of a coming of age story, and you’re in for a good read. Read it! Review it! Share it!
December 14, 2011
I was never a huge fan of western stories but have always loved sci-fi. But when I found myself morphed into huge Firefly fan and saw how perfect these two genres could mix, I've been itching for more...and boy did I find it! Guns of Seneca 6 was FANTASTIC! I ripped through the book faster than Dr. Halladay could draw his pistol. I even bought the paperback AND the kindle version just so I could have both (I only do this if I really love a book and want it for my collection). If your a fan of westerns OR sci-fi get this book. You'll see what an awesome marriage they make if it's done right. And THIS is done right. *tips hat*
December 27, 2012
I could have finished this book, but I have been having a bit of a run of not-so-great books lately, and need to move on. At 2/3's of the way through, nothing the author will do is likely to change my negative opinion:
* shallow character development, I do not even feel I am beneath the skin of the main character, let alone anyone else.
* this is not a "serious" attempt at writing a Western in a science fiction context. It actually feels to me like more of a mild parody of a Western.
I don't much care for it on either scale: Western or Science Fiction.
* shallow character development, I do not even feel I am beneath the skin of the main character, let alone anyone else.
* this is not a "serious" attempt at writing a Western in a science fiction context. It actually feels to me like more of a mild parody of a Western.
I don't much care for it on either scale: Western or Science Fiction.
December 8, 2016
Something different for me (western novel) with a dash of sci-fi. This was a good story that reminded me of several classic western movies. The storytelling talent of the author is real, but he use some jarring transitions from one POV to the other or from present to past that took some getting use to. I can't compare to other western novels, but for me this one was good enough to make me read the rest in the series and probably more in the genre. Action, good characters, some clever sci-fi twists make a for a good novel.
January 10, 2012
I really enjoyed this book. It is a western, mixed with a little sci-fi action. If you're a sci-fi fan, there may not be enough in here for you; if you're a western fan you'll enjoy this. I like most genres and this was an interesting read that I recommend to anyone wanting a book to entertain them.
August 11, 2014
Really fun little book. Sort of a mashup of western, scifi and horror. I got the first three installments in a package and will continue with the series. Some editing problems, but not unusual for self publishing. Also a bit heavy on cliches but they were pretty well done. Hope to see more from this promising author.
Want to read
November 27, 2011I will give it a go, but I do have reservations. When I read the plot synapses I didn’t think “Firefly” (though that is probably a fair assessment) but “BraveStar”!
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BraveStarr
It’s probably an unfair comparison, so I will read the book.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BraveStarr
It’s probably an unfair comparison, so I will read the book.
February 12, 2012
This book is a perfect blend of sci-fi and western. I really enjoyed it. The author has great character development and created a wonderful picture in my mind while reading. I am looking forward to the second book in the series.
This was a goodreads.com first read contest win.
This was a goodreads.com first read contest win.
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