Dalton Kane and the Greens

by J.S. Bailey

When humanity first settled Molorthia Six, they thought it was uninhabited. Apparently the treelike Greens were holding still and hiding their fangs.

These days, humans live in the Molorthian desert, far from the bloodthirsty forests. Life is going rather miserably for widowed Sheriff Dalton Kane, so it's no real surprise when unexplained forest fires send refugee Greens fleeing toward town.

When a violent Green attack leaves several citizens dead, Dalton and his new deputy, an ex-conman named Chumley Fanshaw, make the treacherous journey north to see if they can stop the fires that keep sending Greens in their direction. They soon find themselves fighting not only for their lives, but for the lives of every human on Molorthia Six. Will Dalton's oldest enemy become his greatest ally?

Kindle Edition

Published July 11, 2023

About the author

J. S. Bailey enjoys writing speculative tales that keep readers on the edges of their seats. She has published eight novels and twenty-two short stories, with more on the way. Bailey is fond of long walks in the woods, British television, and lots of burritos. She lives in Cincinnati, Ohio with her husband and cats.

Follow her on social media to keep up with her upcoming releases:

https://www.facebook.com/jsbaileywrites

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https://twitter.com/jsbailey_author

Reviews

[C.O. Bonham · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like stories about eccentric small town sheriffs? Do you like science fiction with western boots and cowboy hats? Do you like buddy cop comedies, where the buddies do not get along and they both have sad and heart wrenching backstories? Do you like B movies that get made fun of by a guy in a space station?

Then this is the book for you.

Dalton Kane and the Greens is a Space western about settlers on a planet inhabited by sapient plants.

The sheriff of Richport is an easy going man. He does his cross words and he will fire you if you eat a salad anywhere near him. But he's also the kind of guy who will give you room and board even after you confess to being a con man.

Chumley thought Richport might have a few suckers good for a few bucks. He did not count on becoming the new deputy, in the midst of an alien invasion. But it beats jail.

Watching these two characters interact is entertaining. The dynamic is hard to explain. They start out stuck together out of necessity, but then they just become so comfortable together that neither one leaves.

This book really is a treat, it's funny in the way a good quirky B movie is. In fact I would love to see this become a movie. The story sounds ridiculous in the telling but when you read it, all the pieces just mesh so well together that you come away feeling really satisfied that you went on the journey.

*I was given the oportunity to read an early copy of this book. My opinions are given honestly and are provided willingly.*

[Katie Cross · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quirky, well-written, and nothing you've ever seen before! Dalton Kane whisked me to a new world with nefarious bad guys and twists I never saw coming. The bad guys were bad, the good guys were good, and everyone was imperfect, believable, and I wanted to meet in real life. The strong prose lends to a quick read and the perfect book for a day's escape.

[G.S. Jennsen · Rating 4 out of 5]

After a trippy start, the threads of this off-beat space western start to tease themselves out, one reveal after another. The unlikely space sheriff on an isolated colony world finds himself at the center of a galactic conspiracy, with a new deputy who may or may not be a con man on the run from everything in the universe and came to the one planet he shouldn’t have. Evoking some of the best one-off episodes of Dr. Who, Dalton sets to unravel these mysteries, and Bailey takes the reader along for the wild ride.

Bailey brings many disparate threads of sci-fi conventions into the book and melds them together to make something all her own. At times, Dalton and his sidekick capture the best aspects of a buddy cop movie as they work together, and sometimes against each other, to save the world…or at least their own skin.

What Bailey does best is bring humanity to her characters. As with her Bobby Roland (Chronicles of Servitude) series, Bailey excels at putting good people in difficult situations and letting their internal morality guide them. Not knowing all the answers, her characters nonetheless try to bring right to wrong, because that’s who they are. Here, Dalton and company share this trait, but this time Bailey also brings a healthy dose of humor to the table. Dalton might have a colony on fire, a possible invasion of supernatural beings, a new houseguest and frightening migratory trees, but there are also crossword puzzles to be done. Being good, moral and right is important, but so is #3 down.

In the hands of another author, this unique mix might not work, but here it does, and works well. Sit back and enjoy this Firefly-esqe run through newly colonized space, but don’t forget the value of a good water gun.

[D.M. Kilgore · Rating 5 out of 5]

What can I say? I love this author's work, so when this released I grabbed a copy for my son. It isn't my typical genre, but I knew it would delight him. And it did. He excitedly gave me a chapter by chapter play by play and I realized that even though it's not my normal pick, I was truly enjoying the quirky and fun tale through his eyes. So, I grabbed myself a copy too. It took me a bit to get through it because I was doing training for a new job. That certainly is no reflection on the book itself though. I couldn't stop thinking about it and wondering what would happen next. This is definitely one I'd have read cover to cover in one sitting, if I'd only had time. It was hard to ignore the call of just "one more chapter" and I had to put my kindle in another room to keep myself from staying up all night reading. The pacing was perfect, the world building fantastic, the characters authentic, the prose refreshing, the doses of humor expertly timed and delivered, and the story is just ... wel,, out of this world. Pun intended. You won't find any dull tropes here. Instead it's a masterful mashup of all the best parts of all the best tropes - with that trademark dash of Bailey genius that always keeps me coming back for more. This is the kind of book you can go back to read again and again and always discover some fun nuance you didn't quite catch the first go round because you were so enthralled with the story unfolding before your eyes. Just a great, fun, truly unique, and utterly satisfying read. I rarely give 5 star reviews, but if ever a story deserved one - it's this gem. Even if it's not in your usual wheelhouse, you can't go wrong grabbing this one today. A truly intelligently written, fun-filled fiasco (and I mean that as a high compliment) of goodness!

[K.C. Norton · Rating 4 out of 5]

First things first: Chumley Fanshaw stan here, already excited for book two. Parts of this book were absolute chaos, and the rest was mayhem. It was great.

I read the new and improved 2023 edition (I believe there are still reviews from the prior version). I'm a little bit baffled by some of the other feedback, because here's the thing... I was raised on Red Dwarf, Hitchhiker's Guide, and Firefly. Bring me that humor-first-but-still-serious-sometimes scifi goodness. The way that this book hopped back and forth between humor and action/adventure is very much in the vein of the subgenre. If you're into hard scifi, this book is not for you. If you enjoy banter and offbeat scifi action, you've come to the right place. Insane things happen constantly, but they're rarely played just for the gag. Take the titular Greens, for instance. They're basically sentient alien lettuces. Funny and strange? Yes. But once they're introduced, they're fully part of the world, and the more time we spend with them, the more unsettling they get.

As a die-hard weird scifi fan, I really enjoyed this. There were a couple of parts that didn't work as well for me, but if I could preorder book 2 right now, I would.

Thank you to the author and NetGalley for this chance to read the ARC of the rerelease. I had a wonderful time reading it.

[Rebecca · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a surprisingly good book - I came into it expecting something light, slapstick, and kind of corny, and was pleasantly surprised instead by the blend of humor and serious plot.

The world is pretty well fleshed-out, and while the aliens are sci-fi standard, I can see where there's room to add complexity to the cultures. The story doesn't get bogged down in technical details, but there's enough to make it a good genre story.

The main strength, though, is the character building and emotional integrity. There were enough believable relationships to allow you to invest in the plot, which goes a long way. I can't wait to see where the story goes from here.

[Maria · Rating 3 out of 5]

NOTE: I received a free eBook copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers (July 2023).
ANOTHER NOTE: When I first heard about this book, I was dating a guy named Dalton, so the title naturally jumped out at me. Not long after I acquired a copy of this book, Dalton dumped me and broke my heart. I will do my best to not let this unfortunate turn of events have an adverse effect on my review of this book.

In this sci-fi Western, a modest settlement of humans on a "backwater" colony planet faces existential threats from the native inhabitants of their mostly-desert planet. Dalton Kane, the reluctant sheriff of a mid-sized city on Molorthia Six, has his hands full not only with the conflict at hand, but also with the quirky settlers, a tragedy in his past, and the arrival of one Chumley Fanshaw. J. S. Bailey builds a strange world that is somehow eerily reminiscent of Earth, in that some human problems never change. I liked that the cast of characters was both racially diverse and included a non-binary character in a key secondary role. The primary conflict in the novel takes several twists and turns through the introduction of new tribes of opposing forces that made me question whose side I was on and kept me on my toes as I read. The ominous plot is punctuated with moments of dry humor and wry narration that lighten the mood effectively. There is an air of an environmentalist message in "Dalton Kane and the Greens," but it is never preachy. Though the novel manages to wrap up its central plot neatly, its Epilogue (which takes place on another planet) leaves the door open for a future sequel in which we'll surely learn the fate of one interesting hamster. Not being a big sci-fi genre reader, I am pleased to say that this book held my attention from beginning to end, and I will keep my eye out for the sequel.

[Skibunny · Rating 5 out of 5]

Do you like Sci-Fi? Weird aliens, Westerns and salads? This novel is for you. Hilarious and reminds me of Firefly (The TV series.) Must read from J.S. Bailey.

[Barbara · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a goofy sci-fi novel about a human colony on a distant planet called Molorthia Six. (Warning: It's a humorous story, but there IS violence, death, and destruction.)

*****

When humans arrived on Molorthia Six 100 years ago, to establish a colony, they chose to settle in the planet's northern forests. Unfortunately, the woodlands were already home to a native species of tree-like creatures called the 'Greens.'



The Greens drove the humans into the hot dry deserts. Now, Molorthia Six has a population of 100,000 humans spread through nine desert towns.



One of the human cities, called Richmond, has a mayor named Carolyn Kaur......



......and a sheriff named Dalton Kane. Sheriff Kane is a florist by profession, but took the sheriff's job because he thought 'nothing ever happens around Richmond', and he'd have plenty of time to do his crossword puzzles.



Sheriff Dalton was sadly mistaken though, and he shudders when he thinks back to what occurred five years ago when "People rented out [an] oasis for a big family reunion. They had games, campfires, barbecues, you name it. Everyone was having a grand time until the Greens showed up." The Greens attacked, with dire consequences.



Out of forty-eight people, forty-six perished (including Dalton's wife and two children), and Dalton had his arm ripped off and eaten by a Green right before his eyes. (Dalton's arm was since regrown.)



Greens still invade human settlements on occasion, and people fight them off with flamethrowers and weed killer. This has been happening more frequently lately, since fires broke out in the northern forests.



Sheriff Kane needs a deputy to help safeguard Richmond, and he gets one when a salesman called Chumley Fanshaw shows up in Richmond.



The town has a 'No Solicitation Ordinance' and after Chumley is arrested, Kane makes him a deputy, much to Chumley's dismay. Deputy Fanshaw can't shoot straight and knows nothing about law enforcement, but he's gutsy.....and has some BIG secrets.



At one point, Mayor Kaur dispatches Kane and Fanshaw to the northern forests, to see what's causing the fires and to check out what's going on up there. The sheriff and the deputy run into trouble, after which they get embroiled in a dangerous adventure.....and then an epic battle in Richmond.



Sheriff Kane has to become a military leader (of sorts) and most of Richmond's population joins the fray.

The novel has an array of interesting characters, including:

Cadu Mão de Ferro - the very capable emergency operator at the Sheriff's Department;



Errin Inglewood - Mayor Kaur's androgynous personal assistant;



Durmeet Singh - who plays the guitar; and Lennon McTavish - who plays the bagpipes. These fellows step up in a pinch.





Summer Kane - the sheriff's widowed sister-in-law, who owns a motor home. She lost her family when the Greens attacked.



Gwendolyn Goldbarb - a gray-haired woman who has prescient 'daydreams' after getting lost in the desert;



Mysterious beings in white hooded robes, who seem to appear and disappear; and more.



I enjoyed this entertaining story, which is being promoted as the first book in a series; I'd be curious to see what happens next.

Thanks to Netgalley and J.S. Bailey for a copy of the book.

You can follow my reviews at https://reviewsbybarbsaffer.blogspot.com

[Cathy Geha · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dalton Kane and the Greens by J.S. Bailey
The Adventures of Dalton Kane #1

Unique, intriguing, well-developed world filled with aliens, humans, sentient carnivorous tree-like beings, and…a whole lot more. I was a bit on the fence for the first part of the book but as the story progressed, I found myself drawn into the story and caring about the outcome of the characters in Richpoint on Molorthian Six.

What I liked:
* The space-cowboy vibe with unique weapons of defense
* The plot, pacing, setting, world building, and my ability to relate to the characters
* The quirkiness that was almost comedic at times but was oh so very real in threat level at others
* The friendship that developed between Dalton and Chumley and learning more about their pasts – almost liked Chumley more than Dalton
* The look at good and evil as well as kindness and how each of these impacted the story and its characters
* Meeting the supporting characters and wanting to know more about them – would like to know more about more than one of them!
* The shapeshifter element along with the cube the shapeshifter had
* Thinking about the difficulties and stresses there must be living on a planet like Molorthian Six
* Being able to thoroughly dislike the bad guys while seeing good in some that were considered evil
* Knowing that there is going to be another book in the future

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about what creates evil people and wondering how they can do the evil they do

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars

[Fernanda Díaz · Rating 4 out of 5]

So, this was an interesting book to read, even tho the book seams weird in the beginning, but not for the plot itself and more bc I'm not used to this genre and language (I'm not an English native speaker).
Talking without spoilers: I think this is a very fun reading and the plot twist were very funny and strategic, I wasn't prepared for any of them and that is something I like very much. The character is very easy to empathize with, even tho I think sometimes was repetitive about the trauma, but is his building of him and how he sees the world, I cannot say I wouldn't be feeling the same or could do half of the things he accomplish.

I have to say that, at the beginning the plot remind me a lot of Avatar (the movie), At the same time it resonates with me the story of my own country. If you want, just search about the mining in Chile, also in one of the most arid deserts in the world.

This was sent to me by the thestorygraph!

[Viking Jam · Rating 3 out of 5]

Rating: 2.9/5

Review: First off, on the cover Dalton is holding a cocked revolver, not a water pistol.

A really well written novel that had interesting alien life forms competing for survival and resources. The characters were interesting and engaging with movement conjoined to add expression.

So why do I feel ho hum? While the story line was good, the novel spun in circles from about the 50% mark. I think it was a way to fill the spaces in order to create some length, as there was no real new content until the end. The good thing is that you can skip the boring interlude to the 85% mark and come out feeling fresh.

I will miss Dalton unless the writer can create movement in new areas while evolving the interactions between the characters.

[Thomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanks to J. S. Bailey and NetGalley for the early release version of this book in exchange for an honest review.

First and foremost, I liked the book and look forward to follow-on books in the series. The humans in this book are on a remote planet seeking survival against multiple alien enemies. The author created characters are well formed and I cared about how they would get through each situation.

The ending is handled well and sets things up nicely for the next book.

[Ron Baumer · Rating 4 out of 5]

An interesting start to a new series. The story is intriguing and held my interest. There was plenty of action and excitement. The characters are well developed, and you will get to feel as if you know them. I cannot wait to read the next book in the series.

Thank you to #NetGalley for the ARC in exchange for my honest opinion.

[Dalton · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely silly and fun at points but it kind of got a little too silly for me at some point and I just stopped having fun with it. So close to being really good but it just seemed to go on a little too long.

[Clarice · Rating 4 out of 5]

Quite a good read! It feels like a mix of Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy and Firefly, with a good blend of humour, sci-fi, and western elements. It could be a bit slow at times, and I felt like there was a strong tonal shift in the last third that was a bit jarring, but overall I enjoyed it.

[Kendel Lynn · Rating 4 out of 5]

Totally fun! Definitely the best of both the sci-fi and western genres in this space western. 10/10 for diversity of characters and world building and a plot with enough twists to satisfy any reader.