What do you think?
Rate this book
Calamity: Being an Account of Calamity Jane and Her Gunslinging Green Man
“Jordan's weird western snatches the best adventure and suspense elements from both genres and distills them to their essences, creating a violence-laced but enjoyable romp.”—Publishers Weekly
“Calamity is a lesson on how to do it right. Highly recommended.”—Peter David, New York Times Best-selling Author
“J. D. Jordan's Calamity is a satisfyingly gritty, intense and entertaining novel that deserves the attention of speculative fiction readers . . . It's something different, because it offers a fascinating glimpse into the early life of Calamity Jane. It's quite an extraordinary sci-fi Western romp.”—Risingshadow.net
I’m sure you’ve heard of Calamity Jane, but this is not a novel about Calamity Jane. At least not the Jane you may have read about. Calamity Jane is part of the legends of the Wild West, but long before she scouted with Custer or “Wild Bill” Hickok, she was a fifteen-year-old girl with a fiery temper.
Violence and tragedy turn young Jane’s world upside down and soon she finds herself riding with an alien gunslinger—the Green Man—through a landscape of revenge and betrayal.
Along the way, she learns how to shoot a six-gun and how to stand on her own, even when surrounded by Lakota warriors, and be respected. From space ships to guns that can shoot the wings off a butterfly a mile away, young Jane realizes that the universe is far bigger than the Wild West and that she can trust no one in it to save her but herself.
When the villainous Grays meddling in the wars between the Indians and the government stand in the way of the Green Man making his way home, Jane finds her desire for revenge may be less than her loyalty for the longrider. And in that realization, she becomes the hero the Wild West has long remembered.
So, forget what you know of how the West was won. Forget the Indian Wars and Custer’s Last Stand. Instead, learn the truth of what happened when a young girl met a longrider she called the Green Man . . .
- GenresFiction
300 pages, Paperback
First published September 1, 2016
6 people are currently reading
434 people want to read
About the author
J.D. Jordan
1 book26 followersJD Jordan lives in Atlanta, Georgia with his wife, Ellie, and a whole bunch of kids. He’s a huge scifi nerd but, despite the contents of this novel, never purposefully sat down to watch or read a Western until the Green Man rode into his imagination. Now he can’t get enough of them.
Calamity is his first novel.
You can find sample chapters, a companion story, a guide to Jane's calamitous saddle slang, and more at o-jd.com.
Calamity is his first novel.
You can find sample chapters, a companion story, a guide to Jane's calamitous saddle slang, and more at o-jd.com.
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews
February 5, 2018
Whenever someone recommends a book to me, I approach the task of reading it with some trepidation. Mainly because I've been on the receiving end of some lousy recommendations.
But not this time. No siree!
In "Calamity: Being an Account of Calamity Jane and Her Gunslinging Green Man", JD Jordan has created a work that will stay with me for a long time. His use of the vernacular is the element that captivated me from the beginning. It's no exaggeration to say that the voice of Calamity Jane is reminiscent of the way Mark Twain rendered speech in his classic novels. Jordan writes in the most authentic, beautiful, honest and captivating way.
The next thing that grabbed me was the fantastic tale itself. I absolutely loved the original concept of this book. The premise of the story, a 15-year-old girl (an historical figure to boot) hitching her fortunes to a gunslinger from outer space with stalks on his head (the Green Man) is bizarre, to say the least. But I love the absurd. The absurd is wonderful. As is JD Jordan's way with language - tight, purposeful and poetic. Plenty of action in the manner of a traditional true western, lots of shootin', hog-tyin', fightin' and a' cussin'. But with the extra element of sci-fi.
Highly recommend to anyone who wants to step outside the boundaries of the conventional and try something different. Five big, fat, green stars.
And finally, if'n any low-down, dirty mudsills be thinking on speaking harsh about this here book, them fellas is in for a beefing from me!
But not this time. No siree!
In "Calamity: Being an Account of Calamity Jane and Her Gunslinging Green Man", JD Jordan has created a work that will stay with me for a long time. His use of the vernacular is the element that captivated me from the beginning. It's no exaggeration to say that the voice of Calamity Jane is reminiscent of the way Mark Twain rendered speech in his classic novels. Jordan writes in the most authentic, beautiful, honest and captivating way.
The next thing that grabbed me was the fantastic tale itself. I absolutely loved the original concept of this book. The premise of the story, a 15-year-old girl (an historical figure to boot) hitching her fortunes to a gunslinger from outer space with stalks on his head (the Green Man) is bizarre, to say the least. But I love the absurd. The absurd is wonderful. As is JD Jordan's way with language - tight, purposeful and poetic. Plenty of action in the manner of a traditional true western, lots of shootin', hog-tyin', fightin' and a' cussin'. But with the extra element of sci-fi.
Highly recommend to anyone who wants to step outside the boundaries of the conventional and try something different. Five big, fat, green stars.
And finally, if'n any low-down, dirty mudsills be thinking on speaking harsh about this here book, them fellas is in for a beefing from me!
December 24, 2020
I liked this despite issues with Jane’s character.
The set-up is simple. Jordan’s weird west is just like the wild west of history: cowboys Indians, deserts, prairie, seedy towns, gunfights, heroes and villains. The addition: aliens, only a few, descended for reasons never made clear, possessing advanced technology but at least in the case of Jane’s Green Man, rarely using it. And yes the aliens are green—tall thin, vaguely insect like. The Green Man in question seeks a ship to take him home. He’s seen enough of the West. A local railroad baron steals said ship. Jane is caught in the middle. Saved by the Green Man in the first act, she chooses to follow him and adventures ensue in acts two and three.
The pair’s adventures are fun. Jordan writes the Old West well, so well in fact that the Green Man doesn’t feel at all out of place. His set pieces—the battle at Fort Platte and the shoot-out in Cheyenne—are excellent, almost cinematic, recalling western movies of the 1950s and 60s.
The book would be better without Jane’s incessant whining. She is fifteen in this novel, petulant, foul mouthed and not very bright. The obvious frequently escapes her and leads to trouble. Given that the novel is written entirely from her perspective, she is more tiresome than need be. Not someone to root for.
Curious as to what the real Calamity Jane was like, I did a bit a research. By most accounts, she was not the mythical frontierswomen she claimed to be. She was loud, abrasive, a liar, prostitute and alcoholic. Most of her claims to being a gunslinger, Indian scout, Indian fighter, and beloved of Wild Bill Hickok, have been disproved. Her famous burial close to Wild Bill in Deadwood, SD appears to have been more a joke by the local grave diggers than evidence of mutual ardor. Jane was certainly enamored of Bill. He by most accounts considered her a pest. In Clamity, Jordan writes a younger version of this Jane, a strong, determined, but annoying girl, who unfortunately grows little in her time with the Green Man.
The style of the novel is interesting. The book is presented entirely in first person, from Jane’s point of view, in an uneducated old west vernacular that mirrors perhaps the era and Jane. It lends a certain charm - I found it fun - but also overblown and gimmicky at times.
P.S. Love the book cover! The graphic designer responsible nailed it.
The set-up is simple. Jordan’s weird west is just like the wild west of history: cowboys Indians, deserts, prairie, seedy towns, gunfights, heroes and villains. The addition: aliens, only a few, descended for reasons never made clear, possessing advanced technology but at least in the case of Jane’s Green Man, rarely using it. And yes the aliens are green—tall thin, vaguely insect like. The Green Man in question seeks a ship to take him home. He’s seen enough of the West. A local railroad baron steals said ship. Jane is caught in the middle. Saved by the Green Man in the first act, she chooses to follow him and adventures ensue in acts two and three.
The pair’s adventures are fun. Jordan writes the Old West well, so well in fact that the Green Man doesn’t feel at all out of place. His set pieces—the battle at Fort Platte and the shoot-out in Cheyenne—are excellent, almost cinematic, recalling western movies of the 1950s and 60s.
The book would be better without Jane’s incessant whining. She is fifteen in this novel, petulant, foul mouthed and not very bright. The obvious frequently escapes her and leads to trouble. Given that the novel is written entirely from her perspective, she is more tiresome than need be. Not someone to root for.
Curious as to what the real Calamity Jane was like, I did a bit a research. By most accounts, she was not the mythical frontierswomen she claimed to be. She was loud, abrasive, a liar, prostitute and alcoholic. Most of her claims to being a gunslinger, Indian scout, Indian fighter, and beloved of Wild Bill Hickok, have been disproved. Her famous burial close to Wild Bill in Deadwood, SD appears to have been more a joke by the local grave diggers than evidence of mutual ardor. Jane was certainly enamored of Bill. He by most accounts considered her a pest. In Clamity, Jordan writes a younger version of this Jane, a strong, determined, but annoying girl, who unfortunately grows little in her time with the Green Man.
The style of the novel is interesting. The book is presented entirely in first person, from Jane’s point of view, in an uneducated old west vernacular that mirrors perhaps the era and Jane. It lends a certain charm - I found it fun - but also overblown and gimmicky at times.
“How many folk done ride with you?” I asked him. “before me, I mean.”Bottomline: 3.5 stars. A quick fun read, that created enough interest for me to do a little digging into some of the people and places mentioned in the novel. I hope Mr. Jordan expands on this world. I’d read another installment. On my buy, borrow, skip scale, a solid borrow.
He cocked his head a bit, I recall, and rolled them black eyes across the way we’d come rather than meet my look. “A few,” he said then. But after a spell he followed on, saying, “None alone, though. You’re the first at that. I done rode with some fellas, even some soldiers, after a fashion, but never just one.” Then he seemed to laugh a little, some queer smile bending his lip. “Sure not like you, Jane.”
Well if that didn’t bring a smile to my face, I don’t know what could. Then, some dumb giddy laugh in my voice, I kicked a splash and said, “Expect I’m someone proper to ride the river with, do you? Reckon you think I’m just daisy!”
He laughed just a little at that. Fucking sunshine, that laugh was. Then he just nodded. “We’ll see.”
P.S. Love the book cover! The graphic designer responsible nailed it.
February 21, 2021
Wow! This has to be the strangest book I have ever read, but it was really good. It was the historical alternative fiction/sci-fi tale of wild west legend Calamity Jane and her life before Wild Bill Hickok. It starts and she is a young girl, only 15 yrs. old and has already had her share of hard knocks. In the midst of a slaughter, where the man she worked for and his ranch hands are slain and she is about to be assaulted, the mysterious Green Man rides in to the rescue. From there, together they are involved in a few adventures in their life on the run and throughout the saga, it slowly dawns on the reader that a bond is forming between Jane and her knight. I thought J.D. Jordan perfectly depicted Jane's uneducated, life-roughened voice, perfectly balancing her cynicism and and the girl-not-yet-a-woman immaturity. I really enjoyed this book, which I received as a gift from the author in exchange for an honest review-- thank you!
November 8, 2017
Jordan's Calamity is VOICE, if you take my meaning. The novel is told in series of three "Books" and each of these books is one set of adventures. The narrator, Calamity Jane is telling the stories of her life to a writer who is transcibing her words for the public. This is her memoir and she is reminiscing thirty years into her past to the time the adventures took place. It's unlike any memoir I've ever read, and even though there are moments that Calamity Jane reminds us that she is telling this from a distance, it is told with such immediacy that you are caught on her every move. Jordan captures the reader and takes us on a gritty journey through the dusty landscape of the American West, and in the end you'll thank him for the ride.
Calimity is far and away the most creative work of fiction I have read in years. It is incredibly imagined, beautifully rendered, and hauntingly real. Calamity Jane herself is a fine mix of insecurity, fierce spirit, audacity, tenderness, tenacity, love, and hate. She is fifteen in the tales, orphaned and alone in the world when her path crosses with the Green Man, who is, believe it or not, not the first green man she has encountered. When her world is tumbled to dust she hitches her fate to the Green Man and they set out together. Martha Jane Canary is a fierce little bird and in this tale she transforms, shedding the childhood fears along with the name she associates with those weaker moments. She takes Jane as her nomiker and reminds herself always to be strong, not a Martha, which always made me realize what a young girl she was during this story.
The Green Man is magnificent. Jordan's descriptions of the Green Man are clear and precise and come across as absolutely possible, even real. I loved all the textures Jordan provide, the feel of the Green Man's skin, the opaque blackness of his eyes, the dexterity of his antennae or "stalks." There is nothing left unfinished in this novel, it is full to bursting with details that never once feel overblown.
Calimity is far and away the most creative work of fiction I have read in years. It is incredibly imagined, beautifully rendered, and hauntingly real. Calamity Jane herself is a fine mix of insecurity, fierce spirit, audacity, tenderness, tenacity, love, and hate. She is fifteen in the tales, orphaned and alone in the world when her path crosses with the Green Man, who is, believe it or not, not the first green man she has encountered. When her world is tumbled to dust she hitches her fate to the Green Man and they set out together. Martha Jane Canary is a fierce little bird and in this tale she transforms, shedding the childhood fears along with the name she associates with those weaker moments. She takes Jane as her nomiker and reminds herself always to be strong, not a Martha, which always made me realize what a young girl she was during this story.
The Green Man is magnificent. Jordan's descriptions of the Green Man are clear and precise and come across as absolutely possible, even real. I loved all the textures Jordan provide, the feel of the Green Man's skin, the opaque blackness of his eyes, the dexterity of his antennae or "stalks." There is nothing left unfinished in this novel, it is full to bursting with details that never once feel overblown.
August 3, 2016
Writing in the vernacular of the Wild West--and nailing it in a way that will appeal to historical purists while also tickling fans of Firefly and Deadwood--Jordan gives us Calamity Jane's origin story with a sci-fi twist: she comes of age with a prehensile-antennaed, green-skinned alien as her sidekick. Jane is violent when she has to be and as profane as a grizzled frontiersman, but also shows tenderness and emotional vulnerability. Rooting for her and her laconic, gun-slinging green man during their adventures is as easy and satisfying as taking a dip in a spring-fed pond on a hot summer day. Mount up and enjoy the ride!
August 4, 2016
The voice of his scifi / western is so compelling and original and unique! You'll be drawn into the action from page one as you journey alongside young Calamity Jane through the perils of the old West, with a hell of "green" sidekick who sometimes helps her out of trouble and sometimes helps get her into it.
August 7, 2016
This book was like nothing I've ever read, and I LOVED it. It's a brilliantly imagined adventure crossed with a story of trust and faith and all the things of the universe we think we understand but don't - there's action and humor and pathos...so much heart in these pages. Do not miss this jewel of a book.
June 16, 2018
Calamity is a Wild, Weird West version of the story of Calamity Jane, “Being an account of Calamity Jane and her gunslinging green man.” Her “green man” is an alien, one of two species visiting earth, and he has antennae and huge eyes, odd powers, and rather better strength and reflexes than humans. He’s also a dead shot, and wants off earth while dishonest humans want his tech—especially the space ship he plans to travel home on. When something happens to that ship, something also happens to Jane, and she tags along...and eventually becomes his partner, a fellow longrider, and a dead shot who can more than take care of herself.
The novel is presented in three books where she recounts her adventures to a newspaperman, but you quickly get lost in the first person nature of her fights for survival and for her Green Man, to help him get off earth. I devoured this in one sitting, and I’m not even fond of Westerns.
Every single western cliché you’ve ever read gets turned on its head, but it does not feel like artifice. It feels very real: a hell of a trick for the author to pull off in his debut novel.
RECOMMENDED
The novel is presented in three books where she recounts her adventures to a newspaperman, but you quickly get lost in the first person nature of her fights for survival and for her Green Man, to help him get off earth. I devoured this in one sitting, and I’m not even fond of Westerns.
Every single western cliché you’ve ever read gets turned on its head, but it does not feel like artifice. It feels very real: a hell of a trick for the author to pull off in his debut novel.
RECOMMENDED
September 28, 2016
Originally published at Risingshadow.
J. D. Jordan's debut novel, Calamity: Being an Account of Calamity Jane and Her Gunslinging Green Man, is an interesting piece of speculative fiction, because it combines science fiction and western elements in an original and enjoyable way. It's an intriguing glimpse into the early life of Martha Jane Canary, who is better known as Calamity Jane, because it reveals what happened to her when she met an alien gunslinger and longrider called the Green Man.
I'm sure that all of us have heard of Calamity Jane and know who she is, because she is a well-known figure of the Wild West, but none of us have ever had an opportunity to read about her early life in a speculative fiction format. This novel offers readers a totally new perspective to her life, because the author's vision of her early years is refreshingly inventive and different from what actually happened in her life.
J. D. Jordan's Calamity is an intriguingly gritty novel that offers plenty of entertainment to readers who enjoy western stories. I have to admit that I was amazed by this novel's entertainment values, because the story was good and the characters were interesting. This novel is one of the most interesting reading experiences I've had in a long while, because it's something different due to the author's bold reinvention of Calamity Jane's early years.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
- The story is narrated by Calamity Jane and is divided into three parts: 'Seeing The Elephant', 'Someone To Ride The River With' and 'A Man For Breakfast'.
- The story begins with a brutal scene of a barely fifteen-year-old Martha Jane Canary being almost raped in a barn by a man called Jimmy. She is scared and tries to fight back, but nothing seems to help her. Suddenly the Green Man appears and saves her from Jimmy. She tells the Green Man that Jeb Boone killed Mr. Harthra and his boys. She also mentions that Jeb Boone took Mr. Harthra's flying ship. Martha follows the Green Man and tells him that she wants to kill the man who is responsible for the death of Mr. Harhtra and the boys. She is set on revenge, because Mr. Harthra was good to her. Together, Martha and the Green Man go after Jeb Boone...
This is the beginning of a story that reveals how Martha Jane Canary becomes Calamity Jane and learns many things. It's a slightly different kind of a coming of age story.
The story grabbed hold of me and made me want to read it as fast as possible. It was interesting for me to read about what happened to Jane, because the author wrote fluently about her life and feelings and avoided sentimental and melodramatic moments. The story was wonderfully seeped in rough and unforgiving realism that highlighted the harsh conditions of the Wild West.
The characterisation works well, because J. D. Jordan gradually reveals information about Jane and the Green Man. Both of the protagonists are fascinatingly rough around the edges and have flaws and traits that make them realistic.
Martha Jane Canary aka Calamity Jane is a strong-willed and fiery-tempered young woman who has quite an attitude. She's been alone for a while and has had to take care of herself. Although she lets people see that she is tough and can take care of herself, she has an insecure side to her that she keeps hidden from others. She has a lot to learn, because she finds out that she can trust no-one but herself.
The author has given Jane a bold voice, which is filled with youthful rage, roughness, wittiness, inexperience and insecurity. He makes Jane a believable person by writing boldly about how she tries to survive in a hostile world where life is cheap and how she transforms from Martha to Jane.
The Green Man is a tall alien man with antennae on his head. He's a cold-hearted person who's rough around the edges and doesn't treat everybody kindly, because he doesn't think highly of people. He can use his powerful voice as a mighty weapon to make men cower before him. The author writes intriguingly about him from Jane's perspective, because Jane witnesses what he does and how he deals with different situations and problems.
Jane and the Green Man have quite an unusual bond and relationship between each other, because they're independent persons who have been thrown together by brutal and violent circumstances. They're different yet strangely similar in certain ways and try to tolerate and overlook each other's habits and traits.
I was surprised to see discrimination and prejudice mentioned in this novel. The author wrote well about how the green men are being treated, because they're different from human beings. Because they've come from space and look different, they're often treated badly and are not considered equal to men.
I found it fascinating that there are also Grey Men in this novel. I won't go into details about them in order to avoid writing spoilers, but I can mention that there's little love lost between the Grey and the Green men, because they're different from each other. These alien men added plenty of fascination to the story, because you don't often have an opportunity to read western stories that feature aliens.
When I read this novel, I got the impression that J. D. Jordan is fascinated by western stories, films and TV series, because he wrote convincingly about western elements and paid attention to building an intense atmosphere. I'm sure that this novel will strike a chord among readers who have read westerns and who are familiar with the film Cowboys & Aliens, HBO's Deadwood and AMC's Hell on Wheels, because it has a few things in common with them.
I look forward to reading what J. D. Jordan writes next, because this novel was something different and I enjoyed reading it. I sincerely hope that he continues to write this kind of fiction, because he has a gift for it.
J. D. Jordan's Calamity is a satisfyingly gritty, intense and entertaining novel that deserves the attention of speculative fiction readers who enjoy reading fast-paced western stories. It's something different, because it offers a fascinating glimpse into the early life of Calamity Jane by shedding light on her comradeship with an alien gunslinger. It's quite an extraordinary sci-fi western romp.
Excellent and satisfyingly gritty entertainment for adults!
J. D. Jordan's debut novel, Calamity: Being an Account of Calamity Jane and Her Gunslinging Green Man, is an interesting piece of speculative fiction, because it combines science fiction and western elements in an original and enjoyable way. It's an intriguing glimpse into the early life of Martha Jane Canary, who is better known as Calamity Jane, because it reveals what happened to her when she met an alien gunslinger and longrider called the Green Man.
I'm sure that all of us have heard of Calamity Jane and know who she is, because she is a well-known figure of the Wild West, but none of us have ever had an opportunity to read about her early life in a speculative fiction format. This novel offers readers a totally new perspective to her life, because the author's vision of her early years is refreshingly inventive and different from what actually happened in her life.
J. D. Jordan's Calamity is an intriguingly gritty novel that offers plenty of entertainment to readers who enjoy western stories. I have to admit that I was amazed by this novel's entertainment values, because the story was good and the characters were interesting. This novel is one of the most interesting reading experiences I've had in a long while, because it's something different due to the author's bold reinvention of Calamity Jane's early years.
Here's a bit of information about the story:
- The story is narrated by Calamity Jane and is divided into three parts: 'Seeing The Elephant', 'Someone To Ride The River With' and 'A Man For Breakfast'.
- The story begins with a brutal scene of a barely fifteen-year-old Martha Jane Canary being almost raped in a barn by a man called Jimmy. She is scared and tries to fight back, but nothing seems to help her. Suddenly the Green Man appears and saves her from Jimmy. She tells the Green Man that Jeb Boone killed Mr. Harthra and his boys. She also mentions that Jeb Boone took Mr. Harthra's flying ship. Martha follows the Green Man and tells him that she wants to kill the man who is responsible for the death of Mr. Harhtra and the boys. She is set on revenge, because Mr. Harthra was good to her. Together, Martha and the Green Man go after Jeb Boone...
This is the beginning of a story that reveals how Martha Jane Canary becomes Calamity Jane and learns many things. It's a slightly different kind of a coming of age story.
The story grabbed hold of me and made me want to read it as fast as possible. It was interesting for me to read about what happened to Jane, because the author wrote fluently about her life and feelings and avoided sentimental and melodramatic moments. The story was wonderfully seeped in rough and unforgiving realism that highlighted the harsh conditions of the Wild West.
The characterisation works well, because J. D. Jordan gradually reveals information about Jane and the Green Man. Both of the protagonists are fascinatingly rough around the edges and have flaws and traits that make them realistic.
Martha Jane Canary aka Calamity Jane is a strong-willed and fiery-tempered young woman who has quite an attitude. She's been alone for a while and has had to take care of herself. Although she lets people see that she is tough and can take care of herself, she has an insecure side to her that she keeps hidden from others. She has a lot to learn, because she finds out that she can trust no-one but herself.
The author has given Jane a bold voice, which is filled with youthful rage, roughness, wittiness, inexperience and insecurity. He makes Jane a believable person by writing boldly about how she tries to survive in a hostile world where life is cheap and how she transforms from Martha to Jane.
The Green Man is a tall alien man with antennae on his head. He's a cold-hearted person who's rough around the edges and doesn't treat everybody kindly, because he doesn't think highly of people. He can use his powerful voice as a mighty weapon to make men cower before him. The author writes intriguingly about him from Jane's perspective, because Jane witnesses what he does and how he deals with different situations and problems.
Jane and the Green Man have quite an unusual bond and relationship between each other, because they're independent persons who have been thrown together by brutal and violent circumstances. They're different yet strangely similar in certain ways and try to tolerate and overlook each other's habits and traits.
I was surprised to see discrimination and prejudice mentioned in this novel. The author wrote well about how the green men are being treated, because they're different from human beings. Because they've come from space and look different, they're often treated badly and are not considered equal to men.
I found it fascinating that there are also Grey Men in this novel. I won't go into details about them in order to avoid writing spoilers, but I can mention that there's little love lost between the Grey and the Green men, because they're different from each other. These alien men added plenty of fascination to the story, because you don't often have an opportunity to read western stories that feature aliens.
When I read this novel, I got the impression that J. D. Jordan is fascinated by western stories, films and TV series, because he wrote convincingly about western elements and paid attention to building an intense atmosphere. I'm sure that this novel will strike a chord among readers who have read westerns and who are familiar with the film Cowboys & Aliens, HBO's Deadwood and AMC's Hell on Wheels, because it has a few things in common with them.
I look forward to reading what J. D. Jordan writes next, because this novel was something different and I enjoyed reading it. I sincerely hope that he continues to write this kind of fiction, because he has a gift for it.
J. D. Jordan's Calamity is a satisfyingly gritty, intense and entertaining novel that deserves the attention of speculative fiction readers who enjoy reading fast-paced western stories. It's something different, because it offers a fascinating glimpse into the early life of Calamity Jane by shedding light on her comradeship with an alien gunslinger. It's quite an extraordinary sci-fi western romp.
Excellent and satisfyingly gritty entertainment for adults!
August 15, 2016
The Synopsis
The story we all know of Calamity Jane is not what we think. This story follows Calamity as a 15 year old girl and her alien side kick. When tragedy strikes close to Jane she begins a journey of revenge with her sidekick alien. This fun sci-fi western goes from the wild west to guns and star ships. On this adventure Jane will discover her true feelings for revenge vs loyalty, as the reader discovers how the west was really won.
The Review
I loved, loved, loved this book! This is the first sci-fi, western I've ever read and I can't get enough. J.D's writing is very reminiscent of Scott Sigler but with his own uniqueness. Non stop pulse pounding action ensues from page 1. This retelling account of Calamity Jane is truly a story that will forever be remembered.. The writing moves so gracefully from every word. The pen of this author is executed in a beautiful fashion, and before you know it, you are in the story, living the moment. This book was so wonderful that my husband who doesn't even read books was greatly intrigued and kept reading over my shoulder quite a good bit. The action scenes in this book are wildly imaginative and well constructed. J.D does such a good job of world building that you can see everything before you for yourself. The characters have great development as you grow with them throughout the whole book. Truly a 5 star read and should be on everyone's shelf. Thank you J.D for letting me read this marvelous gem in exchange for my honest review.
The story we all know of Calamity Jane is not what we think. This story follows Calamity as a 15 year old girl and her alien side kick. When tragedy strikes close to Jane she begins a journey of revenge with her sidekick alien. This fun sci-fi western goes from the wild west to guns and star ships. On this adventure Jane will discover her true feelings for revenge vs loyalty, as the reader discovers how the west was really won.
The Review
I loved, loved, loved this book! This is the first sci-fi, western I've ever read and I can't get enough. J.D's writing is very reminiscent of Scott Sigler but with his own uniqueness. Non stop pulse pounding action ensues from page 1. This retelling account of Calamity Jane is truly a story that will forever be remembered.. The writing moves so gracefully from every word. The pen of this author is executed in a beautiful fashion, and before you know it, you are in the story, living the moment. This book was so wonderful that my husband who doesn't even read books was greatly intrigued and kept reading over my shoulder quite a good bit. The action scenes in this book are wildly imaginative and well constructed. J.D does such a good job of world building that you can see everything before you for yourself. The characters have great development as you grow with them throughout the whole book. Truly a 5 star read and should be on everyone's shelf. Thank you J.D for letting me read this marvelous gem in exchange for my honest review.
October 10, 2016
What a fun read! Definitely worth the commitment.
From the beginning you're introduced to Calamity Jane as a young, naive girl. She's complex, opinionated, and fiery. As an older, more seasoned woman, telling her own story—how she grew from one Martha Jane Canary to the legendary Calamity Jane—she owns who she was, and what she did during her time with the Green Man, a man from another world playing cowboy to survive in the American West.
Usually when a male author writes in a female voice, it fails. Jordan delivers with Jane. What I love about this character is that she's strong-willed, flawed, and self-aware. She rides with the Green Man, a character who is obviously deep, but remains a mystery. Something that frustrates Jane as much as it would frustrate me. But that's part of the magic in Calamity.
The action is constant and surprising, much like a Harry Dresden novel. And the Western dialect, though hard to parse at first, will transport you to another time and place and you'll be speaking cowboy in your head while doing the dishes. Think Firefly or Tombstone.
Don't forget to visit Jordan's website for a short story about Jane's descendant! It's also an awesome story that I want to hear more from!
From the beginning you're introduced to Calamity Jane as a young, naive girl. She's complex, opinionated, and fiery. As an older, more seasoned woman, telling her own story—how she grew from one Martha Jane Canary to the legendary Calamity Jane—she owns who she was, and what she did during her time with the Green Man, a man from another world playing cowboy to survive in the American West.
Usually when a male author writes in a female voice, it fails. Jordan delivers with Jane. What I love about this character is that she's strong-willed, flawed, and self-aware. She rides with the Green Man, a character who is obviously deep, but remains a mystery. Something that frustrates Jane as much as it would frustrate me. But that's part of the magic in Calamity.
The action is constant and surprising, much like a Harry Dresden novel. And the Western dialect, though hard to parse at first, will transport you to another time and place and you'll be speaking cowboy in your head while doing the dishes. Think Firefly or Tombstone.
Don't forget to visit Jordan's website for a short story about Jane's descendant! It's also an awesome story that I want to hear more from!
October 17, 2016
Wow. This debut novel by author J.D. Jordan is some good readin'. This western with a sci-fi twist was a new genre for me! I honestly didn't know what to expect or if I would enjoy reading a western. But I was VERY pleasantly surprised.
I did have to google a few of the phrases from the wild west I was unfamiliar with, which was an adventure in and of itself. It totally helped me feel connected to Martha Jane's story and feel like I was right there in Wyoming with her and her Green Man. You can also visit the authors Facebook page where he has posted many of the definitions of the common phrases used back in the old west that are included in the book.
The author taps into what it feels like to be a 15 year old woman. Feeling the whole world and understanding none of it. Throw in some shoot-outs, posses, and aliens? I was HOOKED! This book is WELL worth the read. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one on the big screen one day.....
I truly hope there is a sequel on its way!
I did have to google a few of the phrases from the wild west I was unfamiliar with, which was an adventure in and of itself. It totally helped me feel connected to Martha Jane's story and feel like I was right there in Wyoming with her and her Green Man. You can also visit the authors Facebook page where he has posted many of the definitions of the common phrases used back in the old west that are included in the book.
The author taps into what it feels like to be a 15 year old woman. Feeling the whole world and understanding none of it. Throw in some shoot-outs, posses, and aliens? I was HOOKED! This book is WELL worth the read. I wouldn't be surprised to see this one on the big screen one day.....
I truly hope there is a sequel on its way!
might-come-back-to
January 13, 2017I'll eventually come back to this. I stopped at page 115. I think it's the fact that everything is purposefully grammatically off, prose and dialogue, that made it hard for me to read. Because I notice errors in hardcover books that had editing. I know it's the style for the book and main character but it was too jarring for me when I had to reread sentences and auto correct in my head before continuing to read.
So this is a did not finish book for now.
So this is a did not finish book for now.
January 28, 2019
I heard J.D. Jordan speak at RavenCon 13.5 on an AU panel, and his intellect and presentation immediately sold me his book. I knew I wanted to read what he wrote before he even finished speaking.
Calamity did not disappoint!
As Jeff Noon might have done, Jordan drops you into Jane's world and expects you to keep up with the slang and pace. He captures both tenderness and bombast with equal skill.
You'll want to read this.
Calamity did not disappoint!
As Jeff Noon might have done, Jordan drops you into Jane's world and expects you to keep up with the slang and pace. He captures both tenderness and bombast with equal skill.
You'll want to read this.
December 3, 2019
So I met JD over a game of Cards Against Humanity at a convention and heard him talk about The Green man and knew I had to learn more. Calamity is the best Sci-Fi Western I have ever read. It takes a bit to get used to the old time western speak but once you do you are rewarded with a rich and detailed pantheon of characters and locales. J.D. weaves a tale that is so rich that you can believe it really happened... and who knows, maybe it did.
April 10, 2019
Loved this book! The voice of Martha Jane Canary telling her story is simply fabulous. You fall in love with the characters, are invested in their future, cry when they are hurt and hoot n’holler when they win. A crazy little ride through familiar territory I did not want this book to end!
November 8, 2016
Nohing wrong with this book, but it just wasn't me. Solid three stars, more if you like westerns. More of a tall tale than SF since the aliens/weapons just are (no science, etc).
December 22, 2016
This book is very well-written and so original. Highly recommended!
February 7, 2017
Great Ride ! Won my copy from giveaway on GoodReads .
Displaying 1 - 19 of 19 reviews