Read: Territory by Emma Bull

I wish someone had told me that Emma Bull was this amazing. I would have been devouring her work a long time ago. As it is, I'm happy I thought to check Sci Fi Weekly last week, because I came across Jeff VanderMeer's review for her newest novel, Territory.

An A+ from Jeff VanderMeer? It had to be worth checking out. And I was looking to take a break after finishing the last YA novel I read, so I picked this one up along with a couple of others that I am working through now. I was surprised at the prose style at first; it's dry and tight and not as florid as I had been expecting. I'm not sure why. I guess after Deadwood, I have weird expectations about dialogue in the West. I loved the florid speech in that show, but I wouldn't say there's any of that here. And that's great. Bull's characters speak with a realism that rings remarkably authentic to the period. Little touches, regarding how women are addressed, drew me into the text and put me in the place of her female protagonist. Perhaps I was ready for a book of this kind after having been reading so much urban fantasy. I can't say. Each conversation was like a piece of old fashioned hard candy. Fun to suck on, and with a taste that lasted longer than expected. I especially loved when the two protagonists would banter. This is Whedon-level banter in places. Less than 30 pages in, I found that the book had begun to stick to my hands as if fastened by some kind of glue. I devoured it in record time for me; 3 days.

I don't want to give the impression that the book is lacking in action or Wild West grit by focusing so much on the dialogue. There's plenty of grit and danger and guns. And magic too, subtle and rich, dark and weird. Just the right amount in what is an unusual retelling of characters we know from television and film. The Earp brothers and Doc Holiday are all here. This is a slightly skewed Tombstone from the one we know, but an accurate one when it comes to its depiction of the real life characters.

This would make a fantastic introduction to fantasy for a friend or family member who likes westerns or historical fiction but doesn't think they would like fantasy novels. It's clear that Bull has been thorough in her research, and I doubt there would be much to quibble with, even though I don't know much about the period. My knowledge of the time period comes exclusively from film, but this book made me want to read historical accounts of the events.

It left me wanting more, too. I hope it will be followed up with a sequel. Not something I ask for often.

I haven't been able to shut up about this book to people I know. There's no better sign of a good book than that. If you pick it up, let me know what you think.