Sometimes
a book’s subtitle just lays it out for you. I did it with all three of my
non-fiction books, as Mari Collier did with Earthbound,
a perfect mix of SF and Western. Sure, the movies have Cowboys and Aliens, but Mari does it better.
The
story actually starts in Ireland, where alien Llewellyn is basically a slave to
another race. Circumstances bring his freedom; unfortunately, he’s left with a
spaceship that he doesn’t know how to pilot out of Earth orbit. He becomes
giant Irishman Zebediah MacDonald, trying to make a life for himself on a
primitive planet, especially the place where he hides the spacecraft: Texas.
Eventually
Mac meets Anna, a woman who’s lost her children and been captured by the
Comanche. Mac may be an alien, but Anna has shocking secrets of her own—and a
connection to Mac that even she doesn’t know about. Together the two begin to
build a life, as the clouds of Civil War gather around them.
Earthbound is a great story with memorable
characters, but to me the most fun was the historical aspect of it. Mari has
done her research—it’s no surprise that she’s on the board of her local
Historical Society. She doesn’t shirk on the details of life back then, from
social constrictions to the dangers of childbirth, but it’s never dull. The
supporting characters are great, and I’m looking forward to reading the rest of
the series.
Excellent review!
ReplyDeleteThanks! Just wish I had more time to read, so I could give more of them.
DeleteThank you, Mark. I'm so glad you enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteNow all I have to do is get to the sequels!
DeleteI love Mari's books--and I'm really not a big history fan (except for ancient history). That's just how compelling her novels are.
ReplyDelete