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Showdown City
Just because you re off the grid doesn t mean you re not a target.
In this fiercely inventive novel of suspense and satire, Westworld by way of Django Unchained, a down-on-his-luck helicopter pilot named Huey Palmer finds himself hired by a small cadre of treasure hunters that set out into the Nevada desert to find a gun. It s not just any gun that eccentric billionaire Ernie Swords wants, it s a long-lost antique, one with a story worth a fortune, and Swords has the money and the means to get it.
Where Huey and his cohorts soon find themselves, however, is stranded far from civilization in a forgotten town dubbed Showdown City, where the infamous gun is one of hundreds readily available for the townsfolk to settle any and all disputes. After living in isolation for over a hundred years, the town has morphed into a warped, lawless community overseen by a delusional tyrant and his quick-draw henchman and they do not take kindly to strangers.
Huey is the one who got them into this mess in Showdown City, and now, with the unlikeliest help, he has a plan to shoot their way out."
In this fiercely inventive novel of suspense and satire, Westworld by way of Django Unchained, a down-on-his-luck helicopter pilot named Huey Palmer finds himself hired by a small cadre of treasure hunters that set out into the Nevada desert to find a gun. It s not just any gun that eccentric billionaire Ernie Swords wants, it s a long-lost antique, one with a story worth a fortune, and Swords has the money and the means to get it.
Where Huey and his cohorts soon find themselves, however, is stranded far from civilization in a forgotten town dubbed Showdown City, where the infamous gun is one of hundreds readily available for the townsfolk to settle any and all disputes. After living in isolation for over a hundred years, the town has morphed into a warped, lawless community overseen by a delusional tyrant and his quick-draw henchman and they do not take kindly to strangers.
Huey is the one who got them into this mess in Showdown City, and now, with the unlikeliest help, he has a plan to shoot their way out."
- GenresWesterns
248 pages, Paperback
First published June 7, 2016
3 people are currently reading
204 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews
February 27, 2017
Huey Palmer is a divorced, free-lance helicopter pilot in Las Vegas. He’s been an absentee father at the times when his daughter needed him the most. His daughter is now preparing for college but he doesn’t have the money to send her to the one she’s aiming for. Why? Because he’s compulsive gambler who is always on the edge of winning big, which also means he owes money to the wrong people. In short, Huey needs to find himself a windfall, and fast.
The answer to his problems may lie in his next job. When a new customer comes along in the form of billionaire, Ernie Swords, Huey just can’t say no. Ernie is a collector of guns and he’s finally located the long-lost and highly sought-after antique gun of his dreams. This very rare gun was last known to be in the possession of 19th century French anarchist, Etienne Roux. When Roux disappeared, so did the gun and now that Swords has finally located this valuable antique, he won’t be letting it get away. The only problem… it’s located on government-secured land in the Nevada desert, land that he can’t gain access to. So he hires Huey to fly him in covertly. It’s a high paying job, but also very risky and if they are caught, they could face jail time. But hey, it will be a quick in-and-out operation and Huey just might be able to pull himself out of the financial hole he has dug for himself…right?
As they reach their destination, their helicopter is shot down and they find themselves stranded in a small western town called New Roux City. New Roux City is not on any maps. It’s a long-forgotten place founded by Etienne Roux when he fled from the government. Etienne fulfilled his dream of founding a community where laws don’t exist didn’t turn out so well. Roux’s descendent; Miller Roux and his henchmen have a hold over the town, and in this town “without laws” each citizen is required to carry a gun because all disputes are handled by challenging your offender to a showdown.
Showdown City is a fantastic surprise of a book giving us an edgy twist on the western genre! It’s refreshing, original, adventurous, funny and utterly enjoyable! Need I say more? I very much look forward to reading more of Todd Berger!
I want to thank the publisher (Diversion Books) for providing me with the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
The answer to his problems may lie in his next job. When a new customer comes along in the form of billionaire, Ernie Swords, Huey just can’t say no. Ernie is a collector of guns and he’s finally located the long-lost and highly sought-after antique gun of his dreams. This very rare gun was last known to be in the possession of 19th century French anarchist, Etienne Roux. When Roux disappeared, so did the gun and now that Swords has finally located this valuable antique, he won’t be letting it get away. The only problem… it’s located on government-secured land in the Nevada desert, land that he can’t gain access to. So he hires Huey to fly him in covertly. It’s a high paying job, but also very risky and if they are caught, they could face jail time. But hey, it will be a quick in-and-out operation and Huey just might be able to pull himself out of the financial hole he has dug for himself…right?
As they reach their destination, their helicopter is shot down and they find themselves stranded in a small western town called New Roux City. New Roux City is not on any maps. It’s a long-forgotten place founded by Etienne Roux when he fled from the government. Etienne fulfilled his dream of founding a community where laws don’t exist didn’t turn out so well. Roux’s descendent; Miller Roux and his henchmen have a hold over the town, and in this town “without laws” each citizen is required to carry a gun because all disputes are handled by challenging your offender to a showdown.
Showdown City is a fantastic surprise of a book giving us an edgy twist on the western genre! It’s refreshing, original, adventurous, funny and utterly enjoyable! Need I say more? I very much look forward to reading more of Todd Berger!
I want to thank the publisher (Diversion Books) for providing me with the ARC through NetGalley for an honest review.
January 4, 2019
Helicopter pilot flies people to an unknown town in Nevada.
His client wanted to get a certain early pistol.
His client wanted to get a certain early pistol.
June 21, 2016
Originally posted here: http://amazingstoriesmag.com/2016/06/...
I love it when books surprise me, like Showdown City by Todd Berger. No offense to Todd, but I didn’t go into Showdown City with high expectations. Not because I thought Todd was a bad writer, but because I didn’t know much about him. In fact I am pretty sure this is Todd’s debut novel and, if that is the case, what a great way to make an entrance.
Showdown City begins when billionaire and Objectivist Ernie Swords gathering together helicopter pilot Huey Palmer, an Old West historian named Dr. Rainey and his research assistant, Valerie “Val” Trujillo. Ernie has been searching all his life for a rare handgun given to a 19th century French anarchist, Etienne Roux, who had disappeared with his followers while escaping west from the American government. He wanted to form a utopia where there were no laws and the people governed themselves.
Ernie believes he has found the location of Roux’s lost expedition in the deserts of Nevada, but things go awry when their helicopter is shot down. Suddenly our heroes find themselves in a lawless, Wild West-esque town named “New Roux City” ruled by the sadistic tyrant Miller Roux where all disputes are solved by a duel known as the “Showdown”. In a place where there is no government, our characters find alcoholic children, rampant inflation, polygamy, universal gun ownership and a bandit who steals everyone’s fine linens. When Huey showdowns Miller to save the life of Val, it becomes a race against time to save Huey’s life and maybe even save the people of New Roux City from themselves.
Showdown City is an intense and hilarious parody of Westerns that even points out the misconceptions we have regarding America’s westward expansion in the late 19th century. The characters are likable and have depth, plus the story has a few twists and turns on the way. The book even has a message: that any ideology can be hijacked as an excuse to give some people more power over others. In many ways Showdown City is a contrarian opinion to pro-libertarian books like The Probability Broach by L Neal Smith. Sometimes you need the rule of law to prevent people from using violence to get their way. Even if everyone has a gun, to paraphrase one of SM Stirling’s characters, a gun isn’t a magical wand, you have to be willing to use it.
That being said, I don’t mean to attack anyone who does subscribe to libertarianism or objectivism. Sometimes the government can be a hindrance, but its always good to be open minded. Only reading books that conform to your own personal opinions is not healthy. Thus if you have read Ayn Rand, you may want to read Upton Sinclair or Todd Berger as well
If I had one complaint about Showdown City, and even then it is more of back-handed compliment, its that the book was too short. I found myself putting the book down just so I wouldn’t finish it too soon. I really didn’t want this book to end. If you are going on a long trip and need to pass the time, Showdown City is the book for you, otherwise those looking for something that will take them a week or two to read will be disappointed…well, not really. This book is awesome, so if you are a disappointed, what the hell is wrong with you?
Anywho, go read Showdown City. Its funny, insightful and just an overall entertaining debut novel. Without spoiling anything, the ending is bit open-ended so maybe we will see what happens next to our characters in the future. Either way, I just hope I get a chance to read more from Todd.
I love it when books surprise me, like Showdown City by Todd Berger. No offense to Todd, but I didn’t go into Showdown City with high expectations. Not because I thought Todd was a bad writer, but because I didn’t know much about him. In fact I am pretty sure this is Todd’s debut novel and, if that is the case, what a great way to make an entrance.
Showdown City begins when billionaire and Objectivist Ernie Swords gathering together helicopter pilot Huey Palmer, an Old West historian named Dr. Rainey and his research assistant, Valerie “Val” Trujillo. Ernie has been searching all his life for a rare handgun given to a 19th century French anarchist, Etienne Roux, who had disappeared with his followers while escaping west from the American government. He wanted to form a utopia where there were no laws and the people governed themselves.
Ernie believes he has found the location of Roux’s lost expedition in the deserts of Nevada, but things go awry when their helicopter is shot down. Suddenly our heroes find themselves in a lawless, Wild West-esque town named “New Roux City” ruled by the sadistic tyrant Miller Roux where all disputes are solved by a duel known as the “Showdown”. In a place where there is no government, our characters find alcoholic children, rampant inflation, polygamy, universal gun ownership and a bandit who steals everyone’s fine linens. When Huey showdowns Miller to save the life of Val, it becomes a race against time to save Huey’s life and maybe even save the people of New Roux City from themselves.
Showdown City is an intense and hilarious parody of Westerns that even points out the misconceptions we have regarding America’s westward expansion in the late 19th century. The characters are likable and have depth, plus the story has a few twists and turns on the way. The book even has a message: that any ideology can be hijacked as an excuse to give some people more power over others. In many ways Showdown City is a contrarian opinion to pro-libertarian books like The Probability Broach by L Neal Smith. Sometimes you need the rule of law to prevent people from using violence to get their way. Even if everyone has a gun, to paraphrase one of SM Stirling’s characters, a gun isn’t a magical wand, you have to be willing to use it.
That being said, I don’t mean to attack anyone who does subscribe to libertarianism or objectivism. Sometimes the government can be a hindrance, but its always good to be open minded. Only reading books that conform to your own personal opinions is not healthy. Thus if you have read Ayn Rand, you may want to read Upton Sinclair or Todd Berger as well
If I had one complaint about Showdown City, and even then it is more of back-handed compliment, its that the book was too short. I found myself putting the book down just so I wouldn’t finish it too soon. I really didn’t want this book to end. If you are going on a long trip and need to pass the time, Showdown City is the book for you, otherwise those looking for something that will take them a week or two to read will be disappointed…well, not really. This book is awesome, so if you are a disappointed, what the hell is wrong with you?
Anywho, go read Showdown City. Its funny, insightful and just an overall entertaining debut novel. Without spoiling anything, the ending is bit open-ended so maybe we will see what happens next to our characters in the future. Either way, I just hope I get a chance to read more from Todd.
October 5, 2017
I enjoyed reading this book. I won it on a giveaway and I admit I was a little skeptical of the plot at first. But once you let yourself accept all of the weird that this book has to offer it is something else.Try not to poke holes in it ;)
From loving characters, to hating character to being downright confused by characters- I was sucked into the story. I may have shouted at them a at times. I am one who tries to predict what will come next and boy did this one take me by surprise a time or five.
Such an engaging and entertaining story with adult humor sprinkled in. I am glad that I stayed up all night finishing this one.
From loving characters, to hating character to being downright confused by characters- I was sucked into the story. I may have shouted at them a at times. I am one who tries to predict what will come next and boy did this one take me by surprise a time or five.
Such an engaging and entertaining story with adult humor sprinkled in. I am glad that I stayed up all night finishing this one.
July 4, 2016
Reading this book is better than going to the movies! A fast paced, fun, and satirical look at gun culture. Showdown City is a must read for any fan of Indiana Jones, westerns, twists and turns, hilarious dialogue, and an all around great time at the books!
July 9, 2016
A very easy read and very entertaining throughout the whole book. Each chapter that went by had me longing for more. The author had a great story line with wonderful details to add to the power of the story. I highly recommend this book and look forward to more works by Todd Berger.
July 6, 2016
This was an absolutely fun book that should definitely make it onto your summer reading list. It's got humor, suspense, and a nice satirical edge to it. Get yourself a copy and enjoy!
Displaying 1 - 7 of 7 reviews