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Let Them Look West
Rob Coen has a mission he has reluctantly chosen - to interview the newly re-elected Wyoming governor, James Alexander, a populist politician who has seemingly reinvented not only his state's politics, but also its soul. No one could more strongly contrast with Coen, a big-city, liberal journalist, than the rural, Bible-thumping Alexander and his strange social and religious projects, which include constructing Mount Calvary, a monument to the Crucifixion atop a man-made mountain. Coen quickly becomes personally invested, and his trip to interview Alexander becomes a joust, pitting his nihilism against the faith of the people whom he meets as he seeks to discern the lie he is convinced hides at the heart of their righteous kingdom. At the same time, Coen begins to realize that he himself is being swept up in a struggle beyond his understanding orchestrated by forces out of his control.
With prose as vivid and scenic as the majestic Wyoming landscapes it describes, Let Them Look West draws the reader into a story of discovery and intrigue which serves as a backdrop to a fundamental clash of worldviews - one secular and materialist, the other spiritual and transcendent. The tale twists and turns until its climax, which calls into question the true meaning of what has transpired.
Antelope Hill is proud to present our first fictional contribution, Let Them Look West by author Marty Phillips.
With prose as vivid and scenic as the majestic Wyoming landscapes it describes, Let Them Look West draws the reader into a story of discovery and intrigue which serves as a backdrop to a fundamental clash of worldviews - one secular and materialist, the other spiritual and transcendent. The tale twists and turns until its climax, which calls into question the true meaning of what has transpired.
Antelope Hill is proud to present our first fictional contribution, Let Them Look West by author Marty Phillips.
268 pages, Kindle Edition
First published June 4, 2021
10 people are currently reading
188 people want to read
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Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews
August 3, 2021
Wow...just wow.. where yo even begin with this one. Well let's just start by saying even with Marty being an excellent content creator for his hit YouTube series "Marty Plays The Sims" his writing skills for this fiction book still blew my expectations out of the water. I won't make this a super long review but suffice to say I normally am not a huge consumer of plain old fiction writing. It usually just doesn't do it for me. But this book was a page a turner and not only because of interest. I had to go back multiple times and fully absorb some of the points made by the characters present in the text.
Even from the angle of someone who is a Third Positionist the book was not repeating things I already understood back to me like many fiction books in these circles tend to do. The characters had depth, the setting was very unique and the interesting way the author makes a case study out of the main character you follow ( who from my perspective is the total opposite of someone such as myself but in some ways similar) rounds this story our in such a way that I haven't ever really seen in the few fiction books I have read.
I encourage anyone who is into fiction to read this book, then read it again. I think this book should be shared with people in your life political or not. Heavy reader or not. This was an excellent first forray into the world of fiction for Antelope Hill Publishing and an excellent first book for Marty Phillips. You will no be disappointed!
Even from the angle of someone who is a Third Positionist the book was not repeating things I already understood back to me like many fiction books in these circles tend to do. The characters had depth, the setting was very unique and the interesting way the author makes a case study out of the main character you follow ( who from my perspective is the total opposite of someone such as myself but in some ways similar) rounds this story our in such a way that I haven't ever really seen in the few fiction books I have read.
I encourage anyone who is into fiction to read this book, then read it again. I think this book should be shared with people in your life political or not. Heavy reader or not. This was an excellent first forray into the world of fiction for Antelope Hill Publishing and an excellent first book for Marty Phillips. You will no be disappointed!
September 5, 2021
Let Them Look West is the debut novel from author Marty Phillips. The story revolves around the adventures of a low-mid level New York Times-equivalent writer, Rob Coen, who finds himself in Wyoming to do an interview and story its Governor. In this slightly fantastical version of the United States, the governor, James Alexander, is a strong patriarchal leader who has transformed Wyoming into a Christian nation-within-a-nation. And Coen's job is to ostensibly write a hit piece on Alexander and his Wyoming, and for some yet-unknown reason, Alexander has agreed to an interview.
It's a page-turner like a mystery novel or thriller, but the mystery isn't the focus, and there's no breakout of action like you would have in a thriller. The tension is completely social and political, with Rob Coen a hostile fish-out-of-water in an environment that welcomed him.
Plot 4/5: The plot isn't the main draw of Let Them Look West, but it acts as a great frame for the story, and drives the meetings and conflicts in a natural and unforced way. It adds flavor, and mostly gets out of the way, but is interesting in its own right. Even though we're given Rob's basic itenerary, the plot beats are entertaining and often unexpected.
Setting 5/5: The Wyoming that James Alexander built is fantastical, but almost believable that it could exist and be brought about the way that it is revealed in the novel. A socialist Christian stronghold in the middle of America, a revolt against the modern world in the middle of the nation that defines the modern world, is a fascinating thing to think about. The world-building is all revealed through dialogue or Rob Coen's own research and musings, and doesn't bog down the story at all. While not everything is fully fleshed out, it feels like a believable enough version of the universe that it could be expanded upon and used again in future novels. Fantastic setting.
Characters 5/5: The characters are the star of the show. Rob Coen, the central figure of the novel, is portrayed very realistically. He has internal motivations, usually acts consistently with what we know of his character, but has a range of actions and emotions that leave him a little unpredictable but ultimately always believable for his character. He's not a sympathetic character, but is relatable enough that it's not unpleasant to follow the story through him.
All other characters are viewed through the eyes of Coen, so we only get to see what they present outwardly to him. I think this is actually where the novel shines the most. Coen is a hostile figure, so we see most other characters through the façade they put up for him.
The most obvious example of this is James Alexander, the subject of the interview, since the plot revolves around Rob trying to figure out who James really is, and if there's anything he's hiding. But every other character is also a mystery.
Some characters are better at playing their role than others, and sometimes they break (or appear to break) the façade and reveal something deeper. You can tell that every character that spends any time interacting with Rob is well fleshed-out, but Marty shows restraint in revealing just as much as you could expect from the situation they're in.
Why are they revealing, or not revealing, what they are to Rob? What is their motivation? This is the best part of the book, in my opinion, and is constant throughout it.
Style 4/5: Marty has a unique writing voice, and it's a good one. Great word choice, evocative descriptions, and lots of intrigue. There is a little inconsistency with the tone, and the book lacks the polish of a veteran writer, but there's a lot of good here. I will 100% be buying Marty's next book.
Overall 4.5/5: Along with all the points above, the freshness of the story makes this one definitely worth reading. And at 268 pages it never drags. There is a lot of mystery under the surface, and the glimpses we get at it can change your perspective on the goings-on as you read. Highly recommended, and an author to keep an eye on.
It's a page-turner like a mystery novel or thriller, but the mystery isn't the focus, and there's no breakout of action like you would have in a thriller. The tension is completely social and political, with Rob Coen a hostile fish-out-of-water in an environment that welcomed him.
Plot 4/5: The plot isn't the main draw of Let Them Look West, but it acts as a great frame for the story, and drives the meetings and conflicts in a natural and unforced way. It adds flavor, and mostly gets out of the way, but is interesting in its own right. Even though we're given Rob's basic itenerary, the plot beats are entertaining and often unexpected.
Setting 5/5: The Wyoming that James Alexander built is fantastical, but almost believable that it could exist and be brought about the way that it is revealed in the novel. A socialist Christian stronghold in the middle of America, a revolt against the modern world in the middle of the nation that defines the modern world, is a fascinating thing to think about. The world-building is all revealed through dialogue or Rob Coen's own research and musings, and doesn't bog down the story at all. While not everything is fully fleshed out, it feels like a believable enough version of the universe that it could be expanded upon and used again in future novels. Fantastic setting.
Characters 5/5: The characters are the star of the show. Rob Coen, the central figure of the novel, is portrayed very realistically. He has internal motivations, usually acts consistently with what we know of his character, but has a range of actions and emotions that leave him a little unpredictable but ultimately always believable for his character. He's not a sympathetic character, but is relatable enough that it's not unpleasant to follow the story through him.
All other characters are viewed through the eyes of Coen, so we only get to see what they present outwardly to him. I think this is actually where the novel shines the most. Coen is a hostile figure, so we see most other characters through the façade they put up for him.
The most obvious example of this is James Alexander, the subject of the interview, since the plot revolves around Rob trying to figure out who James really is, and if there's anything he's hiding. But every other character is also a mystery.
Some characters are better at playing their role than others, and sometimes they break (or appear to break) the façade and reveal something deeper. You can tell that every character that spends any time interacting with Rob is well fleshed-out, but Marty shows restraint in revealing just as much as you could expect from the situation they're in.
Why are they revealing, or not revealing, what they are to Rob? What is their motivation? This is the best part of the book, in my opinion, and is constant throughout it.
Style 4/5: Marty has a unique writing voice, and it's a good one. Great word choice, evocative descriptions, and lots of intrigue. There is a little inconsistency with the tone, and the book lacks the polish of a veteran writer, but there's a lot of good here. I will 100% be buying Marty's next book.
Overall 4.5/5: Along with all the points above, the freshness of the story makes this one definitely worth reading. And at 268 pages it never drags. There is a lot of mystery under the surface, and the glimpses we get at it can change your perspective on the goings-on as you read. Highly recommended, and an author to keep an eye on.
September 25, 2022
In this unusual speculative fiction novel, New York reporter Rob Coen leaves the metropolis to seek an interview with the governor of Wyoming, James Alexander. Alexander is a larger-than-life, polarizing figure who is branded as a right-wing, religious extremist, but who has nonetheless led his state to unprecedented prosperity.
Rob enters a very different culture than what he knows, and encounters numerous players in that state's miraculous economic revival and learns some very disconcerting secrets. As Rob asks more questions and uncovers more of these secrets, a sense of impending doom builds steadily, like storm clouds gathering in the mountains.
Christian perspectives are not shown as the 'correct' answer to life's problems. Rather, religious, philosophical and political differences are presented and discussed via lengthy conversations, a device which borders on the pedantic at times but ultimately works due to the author's powerful descriptive skills and the strong characterizations. Each character is unexpectedly nuanced and complex, thus becoming memorable creations in their own right, not cardboard cut-outs or straw men existing to be battered by the author's opinions.
With his skilled and subtle approach, the author accurately captures the emotional conflict and distress that is the current reality of life in the country.
Rob enters a very different culture than what he knows, and encounters numerous players in that state's miraculous economic revival and learns some very disconcerting secrets. As Rob asks more questions and uncovers more of these secrets, a sense of impending doom builds steadily, like storm clouds gathering in the mountains.
Christian perspectives are not shown as the 'correct' answer to life's problems. Rather, religious, philosophical and political differences are presented and discussed via lengthy conversations, a device which borders on the pedantic at times but ultimately works due to the author's powerful descriptive skills and the strong characterizations. Each character is unexpectedly nuanced and complex, thus becoming memorable creations in their own right, not cardboard cut-outs or straw men existing to be battered by the author's opinions.
With his skilled and subtle approach, the author accurately captures the emotional conflict and distress that is the current reality of life in the country.
October 31, 2021
This novel captures the sentiment well. Gripping. (Almost worth a five, but that seems weird for some reason.)
August 13, 2024
This is an interesting sort of speculative fiction - an exploration of the consequences of a political movement. In it, a fictional politician makes Wyoming the center of a sort of Christian social democracy, calling members of the faith from around the country and the world to receive food and shelter in return for their labor building infrastructure and religious monuments. I don't believe such a program would actually work, but what I did believe are the characters. They're all real people, with real self-contradictions, petty grievances, vulnerabilities, and wisdom. The book is mostly conversations with these people, and that's enough. They're good conversations.
July 12, 2023
Read similar to a Houellebecq novel. I really enjoyed it.
August 17, 2021
Great first novel. Many indications of inexperience in the author but they didn't prevent me from enjoying the book. The format was simple so any lack of technical skill only manifested in secondary issues. I will list some nitpicks in the off-chance that other people have not mentioned these things:
- Characterization of Rob can be a little muddled. The mental breakdown on the first night was out of left-field, not integrated as well as it might have been. Rob is sometimes detached from liberal histrionics but at other times seems notably uncritical (his hostility to the hospitallers). His liberal perspective is not elaborated in a convincing manner.
- Prose can sometimes repeat words or turns of phrase in conspicuous proximity (sometimes within the same sentence).
- While your formatting the book as a series of conversations does it much good, the nature of the exposition seems contrived at times. Individual characters can seem to lack personal expression in their manner of speaking.
- Measures taken to avoid Nico being attributed a sex were too conspicuous. Did not appreciate overuse of "they" as a singular pronoun. It would not have been out of character for Banks to refer to Nico as a male. If you were trying to be subtle you did not succeed, if you were trying to tip off the reader you should have been more subtle.
- I'm not sure I understand the need for a disclaimer. The story was not fantastical at all. Perhaps you consider it unrealistic and in ways it certainly is but I can only attribute the addition of the disclaimer to a lack of confidence which was not warranted as the plot stayed well within the lines of plausibility. The unrealistic portions were more so errors attributable to convenience and politics.
-- Regarding convenience it seems that many loose-lipped people push the plot along and say a great deal more than one would expect.
-- Regarding politics the Wyoming characters are given faults but only faults that are to their credit; they are otherwise perfect and you should not be so naive as to imagine that the real-life equivalents of the people you describe here are nearly as impeccable.
- You passed over the fourth station on the hill very quickly and I'm not sure why.
Anyway these are some of the little things I noticed. The characters were interesting and you did a good job of maintaining attention with the speeches and well-paced divulging of information. This does not strike me as a redundant work; all the commentary in it was substantial, more substantial than most might have reasonably hoped for. The setting was interesting as well, nice to read a bit about Wyoming.
Most of the room for improvement I think can be covered by reading more high-quality fiction; in any case I'll certainly look out for other books you may write in the future. The Sims series was good.
- Characterization of Rob can be a little muddled. The mental breakdown on the first night was out of left-field, not integrated as well as it might have been. Rob is sometimes detached from liberal histrionics but at other times seems notably uncritical (his hostility to the hospitallers). His liberal perspective is not elaborated in a convincing manner.
- Prose can sometimes repeat words or turns of phrase in conspicuous proximity (sometimes within the same sentence).
- While your formatting the book as a series of conversations does it much good, the nature of the exposition seems contrived at times. Individual characters can seem to lack personal expression in their manner of speaking.
- Measures taken to avoid Nico being attributed a sex were too conspicuous. Did not appreciate overuse of "they" as a singular pronoun. It would not have been out of character for Banks to refer to Nico as a male. If you were trying to be subtle you did not succeed, if you were trying to tip off the reader you should have been more subtle.
- I'm not sure I understand the need for a disclaimer. The story was not fantastical at all. Perhaps you consider it unrealistic and in ways it certainly is but I can only attribute the addition of the disclaimer to a lack of confidence which was not warranted as the plot stayed well within the lines of plausibility. The unrealistic portions were more so errors attributable to convenience and politics.
-- Regarding convenience it seems that many loose-lipped people push the plot along and say a great deal more than one would expect.
-- Regarding politics the Wyoming characters are given faults but only faults that are to their credit; they are otherwise perfect and you should not be so naive as to imagine that the real-life equivalents of the people you describe here are nearly as impeccable.
- You passed over the fourth station on the hill very quickly and I'm not sure why.
Anyway these are some of the little things I noticed. The characters were interesting and you did a good job of maintaining attention with the speeches and well-paced divulging of information. This does not strike me as a redundant work; all the commentary in it was substantial, more substantial than most might have reasonably hoped for. The setting was interesting as well, nice to read a bit about Wyoming.
Most of the room for improvement I think can be covered by reading more high-quality fiction; in any case I'll certainly look out for other books you may write in the future. The Sims series was good.
November 20, 2021
It is us or them
Great piece of fiction, especially being a debut work of the author. Problem raised is only going to get more relevant as time goes. And I'm afraid answers to this problem are rather pessimistic. Expressed in Ron Frank's “The Last Laborer in the Vineyard” it is clear and straightforward: it is us or them, coexistence is a dangerous self-deception.
Great piece of fiction, especially being a debut work of the author. Problem raised is only going to get more relevant as time goes. And I'm afraid answers to this problem are rather pessimistic. Expressed in Ron Frank's “The Last Laborer in the Vineyard” it is clear and straightforward: it is us or them, coexistence is a dangerous self-deception.
October 3, 2021
Really liked the characters, almost to the point of wanting a Walden spin-off
October 10, 2021
A wonderful read. Can not recommend it enough.
January 3, 2022
This book was really good. Well written, addictive and very creative. I was sucked into the world and I couldn't put it down till I finished. Great work
October 11, 2022
An excellent read. Very refreshing, should be on everyone's reading list. Great reading for those who want a solid story with intrigue and self reflection thrown in
Displaying 1 - 13 of 13 reviews