Synopsis/blurb.....
HOW CAN YOU MAKE
AMENDS WHEN YOU DON'T EVEN KNOW WHAT YOU'VE DONE?
Moss Partridge has
just a very rude awakening. The last he remembers, it was 1864 and he was a
paroled Union soldier stopping off in Denver on his way home to his wife and
child in Montana. Now it's a dozen years later, he's the town drunk in Mirage,
Colorado and he has no memory of those 'lost years.' Something sure must have
happened because there are people trying to kill him and two Indian children
who are following him everywhere he goes and, apparently, deciding whether he
should live or die.
"Mirage,
Colorado" is just the first installment in A. R. Arrington's brilliant new
series: "Road to Redemption." Follow Moss Partridge as he treks
across the length and breadth of the Wild West, meets living legends like Wild
Bill Hickok and Colonel John Chivington, and takes part in historic events from
gold strikes to gunfights.
A very different
"Western," these books will follow one man's journey in search of his
home, his history, and his soul.
An interesting departure for me – an 80-odd page long
western enjoyed in audio-book format. Our narrator, Alex Zonn has a voice like
gravel, one particularly apt to narrating the story of Moss Partridge.
Partridge has “woken” from 12 years of being the town drunk with
no recollection of any of them. His road to recovering his memories and
possible redemption, seems bound to a pair of sibling Indian children. Moss
interacts with the pair - the brother more hostile and far less tolerant than
his sister in his judgement of Moss.
Moss gets sober, repaying some trust shown in him by a
sceptical townie and sets out to return to his family. Along the way we have a
couple of adventures, firstly assisting on a stagecoach ride which is attacked
by a gang of hold-up merchants and secondly working on a cattle drive.
Partridge’s behaviour and actions, show him as a man of character, quite selfless
in his actions.
Each step of the way he’s dogged by these two young Indians,
watching, judging and intervening, as Partridge’s behaviour passes muster in
their eyes. Our man seems to be atoning for as yet unrevealed sins of the past.
This first episode in Partridge’s return to his past was an
intriguing listen, enhanced greatly by the narration. I’m interested in
following on with more of these in the future, either in this format or via the written word.
A solid 4 stars from
5
Author detail is scarce, but Ronin Robot Press have been publishing some of his output. There’s
a brief author biography on their website….. Author A.R. Arrington, a former
rodeo rider, longtime rodeo clown, and Special Forces operative; has decided to
turn to Westerns and his high-octane prose is like nothing you've ever read
before.
Terry Irving head
honcho at Ronin Robot Press and author of the previously enjoyed Courier
offered free audio access to this Arrington book. Thanks!
That really does sound interesting, Col. Sometimes, Westerns really do have solid and interesting plots and well-developed characters, so I can see how this appealed to you. I like the idea of the character depth this seems to have, too.
ReplyDeleteI liked this one, it kind of has an episodic feel - a bit like the Nunslinger series I read last year. Crime fiction with hats, Margot!
DeleteThis one's for me, Col. I can smell it from 12,000 km away! I enjoy Civil War settings in Westerns, or Western-like novels.
ReplyDeleteI know you like your Westerns!
DeleteCol – I do like a good audio book. For me, the voice actor makes or breaks it. My daughter has me listening to the Harry Potter series read by Jim Dale, who is a wizard himself in creating so many different voices and accents. One of the best series of audio books was Carl Hiaasen’s funny crime novels as read by Ed Asner (but I am not sure they are still available).
ReplyDeleteMy experience of the format is quite limited - 3 books only. The main drawback for me is that unlike a book if you get momentarily distracted it's not so easy to go back and re-read or replay a scene. You're right though the narration is key.
DeleteI listened to a Block book on audio a month or two back and that was quite funny because he wrote some fairly graphic sex scenes. Fortunately my blushes were spared as I listened to it on my own while cooking for the family! I think I'll have to stick to Hiaasen in print. I liked Asner in Lou Grant though that's been a few years now.
I like the setup - I might wait to hear more about the author. My first thought was 'Prashant will love this' so glad to be proved right!
ReplyDeletePrashant's a shoo-in for a Western! I couldn't get too much author detail really, but I'd like to follow on with this series if I can.
DeleteSounds very good. I have been wanting to try some westerns, I am just overwhelmed with too many other books.
ReplyDeleteI have never listened to a book, though. I can understand in some cases that would be a good way to experience a book, but it would take some getting used to.
I would like to read more Westerns in future, but then I'd like to read more of everything.
DeleteI enjoyed the narration, but listening to books has its drawbacks particularly when you're interrupted.