Outrider

by Steven John

Within a few decades, solar technology will evolve to the point where power is endless . . . unless someone wants to stop the flow-which someone does.And the only men who can stop these high-tech terrorists are on horseback.In the near future, the New Las Vegas Sunfield will be one of many enormous solar farms to supply energy to the United States. At more than fifty miles long and two miles wide, the Sunfield generates an electromagnetic field so volatile that ordinary machinery and even the simplest electronic devices must be kept miles away from it. Thus, the only men who can guard the most technologically advanced power station on earth do so on horseback.They are the Outriders.Though the power supplied by the Sunfield is widespread, access to that power comes with total deference to the iron-fisted will of New Las Vegas’s ruthless mayor, Franklin Dreg. Crisis erupts when Dreg’s quietly competent secretary, Timothy Hale, discovers someone has been stealing energy-siphoning it out of the New Las Vegas grid under cover of darkness.As the Outriders investigate, the scale of the thievery becomes these aren’t the ordinary energy leeches, people who steal a few watts here or there. These are high-tech terrorists (or revolutionaries) engaged in a mysterious and dangerous enterprise and poised to bring down the entire energy grid, along with the millions of people it supports.The pressure mounts and fractures appear within both the political leadership of New Las Vegas and in the tight-knit community of Outriders. With a potential crisis looming, the mysterious goal of the “Drainers” finally comes into focus. Only then do the Outriders realize how dangerous the situation really is.Skyhorse Publishing, under our Night Shade and Talos imprints, is proud to publish a broad range of titles for readers interested in science fiction (space opera, time travel, hard SF, alien invasion, near-future dystopia), fantasy (grimdark, sword and sorcery, contemporary urban fantasy, steampunk, alternative history), and horror (zombies, vampires, and the occult and supernatural), and much more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller, a national bestseller, or a Hugo or Nebula award-winner, we are committed to publishing quality books from a diverse group of authors.

Genres: Science Fiction, Ebooks

384 pages, Kindle Edition

First published September 2, 2014

About the author

Steven John is a writer living in Glendale, California (by way of Washington DC). He and his wife Kristin, an elementary school teacher, were joined by their son Benjamin in October of 2013. In addition to writing for several websites and journals, Steven published his first novel, THREE A.M., in 2012. His second book, OUTRIDER, hits shelves in September of 2014. When not writing or spending time with his family, Steven tries to squeeze in some mountain climbing.

Reviews

[Martha · Rating 4 out of 5]

My Rating 3.75. The primary character is a quiet, good guy whom I really liked. There are other characters who are not as likeable and not all of them are fully developed to understand their motivations.

The world building is interesting but I felt the plot (and pacing) was a bit dragging as I waited to find out the reasons for the terrorist attack. The story presents a different dystopian world but ends up having wealth, class, and power issues -- the age old problems. Fans of dystopia may want to give this a try if they are willing to push through the slowness.

Audio Notes: Matthew McCollum does a good job with the narration. I think his pacing and accents fit the characters and made the story move along a bit better.

[Gail and Rick's Family · Rating 5 out of 5]

one quibble - the brass stays with the gun

If you are going to write a western, especially a really good western, even if it is a sciFi western, get at least one reviewer who has a clue about firearms and bullets.
I just about lost it with the scene where the hero’s horse was shot, and the @edge of the brass” was sticking out of the saddle… The brass never goes down range; just the bullet itself, the little piece of lead.
But, overall, still a wonderful piece of world building, and character arches.

[lynn lantosh · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of the best I've ever read.

All of the characters are amazing story line keep you guessing until the very end.
I thought I had it figured out and I didn't all I can say is. This book is absolutely gripping you cannot put it down.
it is 10 stars or more.

[Barbara S. Sturdivant · Rating 4 out of 5]

Well written!

This book is a confusing example of the end of the beginning. Questions of wealth and privilege are here and why is it always for this reason.

[Fred Fenimore]

I was looking forward to this book because I really liked Steven Gould's 7th Sigma as well as the Firefly series. So while science Fiction westerns are not exactly commonplace but do exist and I really enjoy them when I read them. And while the setting of the book is actually a pretty cool idea, the storytelling does it in.

After slogging through the first two chapters, I finally abandoned it because of the slow pacing. It reads like an episode recap from The Onion AV club's television section. The tone is so detached that I found it impossible to connect with the characters and without characters, I can't sustain interest- no matter how interesting the setting or plot.

[h · Rating 1 out of 5]

*This book, Outrider, was provided to me for free through a Goodreads giveaway, to read & review. The opinions expressed here are my own, and not influenced by any entity.*
I wanted to like it. I did. I tried. I couldn't.
The premise of the book sounded appealing to me, but the style of writing and the characters just could not keep my attention. I would read a page or two, only to find my mind had wandered somewhere and I would inevitably try and continue only to find that I had zero idea what was happening - so I went back to where my mind had begun to wander, only to experience the "lather, rinse, repeat" moment where you realize it's all happening again.

[James · Rating 2 out of 5]

Couldn't finish it, the characters didn't grab me and the science, well it involved cowboys on horseback and electricity rustlers. It would have been better if they had bit the bullet and called it magic rather than a bogus version of current technology.