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Shootout at Roulement Ridge
Vikings! Cowboys! Airships! Welcome to the Gears & Gunfighters universe, where Gearsmen can defy death and Steamhorses gallop across the frontier!
When a gunfight brings the border town of Roulement Ridge to the brink of chaos, it is up to a few well-meaning citizens to restore the peace before the Mayor and the Viking chieftain seize the opportunity to plunge the region into war. The arrival of a legendary outlaw and his beautiful companion steepen the stakes and set the town on rails for a confrontation that could destroy the fragile peace between the Union of the Americas and the Sworn Territories- can order be restored before the clock runs out?
When a gunfight brings the border town of Roulement Ridge to the brink of chaos, it is up to a few well-meaning citizens to restore the peace before the Mayor and the Viking chieftain seize the opportunity to plunge the region into war. The arrival of a legendary outlaw and his beautiful companion steepen the stakes and set the town on rails for a confrontation that could destroy the fragile peace between the Union of the Americas and the Sworn Territories- can order be restored before the clock runs out?
176 pages, Kindle Edition
First published March 29, 2015
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
July 15, 2016
This review originally published in Looking For a Good Book. Rated 2.5 of 5
As the owner of Kindle and being an avid reader, I subscribe to a number of daily and weekly newsletters that inform me of free and reduced-priced books. Shootout at Roulement Ridge is a book that I would have 'purchased' for free. But it's easy to see what might have attracted me to the book - a western/sci-fi mash-up? That's absolutely something I'd want to read!
Roulement Ridge is a border town in the Union of the Americas. Gun-slinging cowboys from the West face off against the savage Vikings raiders of the North. A Mayor in Roulement Ridge works hard to keep the peace.
The book has a lot of action, mostly at the expense of a good, solid story. The plot is threadbare, but this is not the sort of book one reads for a complicated plot. This is much more along the lines of a classic pulp story or an old-time dime-novel.
I was definitely hoping for more of a sci-fi/fantasy element. Simply adding Vikings to an 1800's-style Old West story isn't a particularly strong way of giving a story character. And the sub-title (or perhaps more accurately - the surtitle) to this book is: A Gears and Gunfighters Novel. That kind of screams 'Steampunk' to me, and that's definitely what I was expecting, but there's really nothing Steampunk about this book.
Overall - the writing is decent and I'm willing to try another in Mercier's "Gears and Gunfighters" series (though I hope the next one will be more steampunk-y).
Looking for a good book? Shootout at Roulement Ridge by Einar Mercier, is a throwback to the days of the pulp novels - lots of action, skimpy on plot, and priced to entertain for an afternoon.
As the owner of Kindle and being an avid reader, I subscribe to a number of daily and weekly newsletters that inform me of free and reduced-priced books. Shootout at Roulement Ridge is a book that I would have 'purchased' for free. But it's easy to see what might have attracted me to the book - a western/sci-fi mash-up? That's absolutely something I'd want to read!
Roulement Ridge is a border town in the Union of the Americas. Gun-slinging cowboys from the West face off against the savage Vikings raiders of the North. A Mayor in Roulement Ridge works hard to keep the peace.
The book has a lot of action, mostly at the expense of a good, solid story. The plot is threadbare, but this is not the sort of book one reads for a complicated plot. This is much more along the lines of a classic pulp story or an old-time dime-novel.
I was definitely hoping for more of a sci-fi/fantasy element. Simply adding Vikings to an 1800's-style Old West story isn't a particularly strong way of giving a story character. And the sub-title (or perhaps more accurately - the surtitle) to this book is: A Gears and Gunfighters Novel. That kind of screams 'Steampunk' to me, and that's definitely what I was expecting, but there's really nothing Steampunk about this book.
Overall - the writing is decent and I'm willing to try another in Mercier's "Gears and Gunfighters" series (though I hope the next one will be more steampunk-y).
Looking for a good book? Shootout at Roulement Ridge by Einar Mercier, is a throwback to the days of the pulp novels - lots of action, skimpy on plot, and priced to entertain for an afternoon.
January 3, 2016
The characters are archetypal, but with a few surprises. They are mostly well-received and show sufficient development throughout the story.
The only irk I have is the convenience of the converging events, which make sense as you are reading them, but break your immersion somewhat as you see all of the action being funneled into the climax. Moreover, there are many unanswered questions by the end of the novel which will undoubtedly carry over into book two in the series. I would have liked a little more closure in the first novel.
That being said, if you are looking for an imaginative world where anything is possible, look no further. My enjoyment of this story really stems from its possibilities. I’ve never considered myself a fan of this genre, but I gave it a chance and I’m glad I did. And you should, too.
The only irk I have is the convenience of the converging events, which make sense as you are reading them, but break your immersion somewhat as you see all of the action being funneled into the climax. Moreover, there are many unanswered questions by the end of the novel which will undoubtedly carry over into book two in the series. I would have liked a little more closure in the first novel.
That being said, if you are looking for an imaginative world where anything is possible, look no further. My enjoyment of this story really stems from its possibilities. I’ve never considered myself a fan of this genre, but I gave it a chance and I’m glad I did. And you should, too.
January 18, 2016
The first and the last chapters were imaginative and gripping, giving promise to an amazing story. There definitely could have been more development and I wish the author had spent more time on the "Gears" theme--which is what was alluded to in the first chapter. Typos and a few inconsistencies should be edited. Overall, a quick, fun read.
August 16, 2015
Stunning storytelling style that instantly transported me to the Wild Wild West with innovative steampunk inclusions and VIKINGS! Who doesn't like Vikings? Regardless, the entire journey was a fantastic one that left me wanting more.
September 23, 2015
A great starter novel for Einar Mercier! A very quick read, but full of action. The characters were a little under developed for my taste, however they did grow and have more depth to them as the book progressed. Looking forward to what Einar publishes in the future.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews