レビュー

• I bought this book in UK via Amazon based on a number of crime book sites in USA raving over what a breakthrough first novel it is written by a Chinese American. The setting is perhaps unique in being set amongst Chinese immigrants around the building of the new cross country railways system in Utah and Nevada during the Wild West era. The lead character of a Chinese orphan who has been trained from youth as a gang enforcer drives the key story element of his taking revenge against the list of people who kidnapped his wife and wronged him. The additional elements which have probably excited reviewers is the Oriental mysticism introduced through a blind old Chinese prophet he befriends and then a circus troupe of magic show performers with mystical powers as well, who the two then travel with. I really did not find these magical elements though new to a Wild West story worked that well in the context of the main story. The running plot of revenge killings with references to places included on the map in the front pages of the book ended up feeling like a travelogue. Underlying all this was that the book is written with little character development to bring the story alive. Events and murders happen and one moves on to the next location and killing that follows like a shopping list. By the end I was left feeling there may be a great novel to be written about Chinese immigrant workers and their experiences and the racism they undoubtedly suffered in the 19th century but this is not that book.

• Written like a hard boiled novel, the characters speak relatively little but author Tom Lin somehow manages to use that spare dialog combined with action to develop rich characters. Thematically, the novel is rich while completely avoiding pretension. Lin's description of micro and macro landscapes are beautifully rendered in and of themselves, and also become part of the novel's ideascape as the story progresses. All of the above attributes result in a novel that is both good storytelling in the foreground while also contributing to what is ultimately an epic tale. So, in the latter, you again see this micro / macro dialectic played out. Another of the novel's features is its avoidance of the racism often levied against Native Americans in Westerns across all media. In fact, (anti)racism is part of the fabric of the story and the character development, but not in an overbearing way. This is a great novel, cannot recommend it highly enough for fans of Westerns, lightly supernatural drama, and hard-boiled fiction. Tom Lin also happens to be a very nice, down to earth guy. I dropped him an email to thank him for sharing his story and got a nice response. The novel is garnering some good attention, but he's also currently still just a guy trying to finish his dissertation (-:

• Initially I didn’t like this book because I found its magical elements jarring, but it gradually pulled me in and now I’m glad I read it. I hope it gets optioned for the silver screen!

• The writer takes you on a relentless journey across the west and at some point the story takes a surreal turn. The writer skillfully keeps you turning pages with short set piece chapters that are ready made for a movie adaptation that would be a spaghetti western with a touch of eastern magic. The story does hurtle towards it's bloody end but the twist that comes with it was hinted at before in the tragic lives of it's other characters. You only wondered at the incongruity if the ending that the hero plans for come true. And more than anything else, even more than the characters, the writer's description of the landscapes stands out as a thing in itself. I thoroughly enjoyed the book and the writer's story telling skills and style.

• Upon reading the first few pages of this novel, one is drawn in by the author's skill with English, sometimes inventing expressions from familiar words to express an unfamiliar landscape and a world 160 years ago. That craft sustains us until we encounter the first supporting character. The action takes place around 1767-1868, just before the completion of the first US transcontinental rail. line. Ming Tsu is a former rail line worker with strong feelings needing revenge against several men who did him wrong. This is similar to both 'High Plains Drifter' and 'John Wick'. More on this later. The skillful descriptions of terrain and character continue. As the story progresses, Lin's use of memory, dreams, and waking states between dream and reality enrich the narrative. The power of Ming's memory over reality becomes stronger as the story progresses. Much of the middle 50% is filled with characters with paranormal abilities, including shape shifting. reincarnation, and mind control, unapologetically borrowed from Jedi skills. This improbable band enlivens Ming's westward trek. . Ming is hired to protect the magical show troupe. There begins the novel's weakness. The body count on this trek would make Tarantino blanche, and maybe even Sergio Leone. Unlike High Plains Drifter and John Wick, most murders are unconnected to the revenge motive. The incidence of unnecessary [? by today's standards] killing continues to the last chapter. And yet I read to the end to discover... tragedy. The author's attention to some details is important. He explains how an 1860's revolver is reloaded, and how important it is to keep track of how many shots fired. One cannot do a Dirty Harry shell swap in 15 seconds from a preset form of 6 modern cartridges. If the body count in 'For a Few Dollars More' is something you wish to avoid, this is not for you. Otherwise, enjoy the ride. As in Shakespeare, [unnecessary] killings add to the depth of the final tragedy.

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