Summary:
Mildred Berry is down to her last four bullets…
In a wild west where the only things more dangerous than outlaws are dragons, Deputy Berry is struggling to protect her town and keep her family fed. As a last resort, she robs a train for ammunition only to find that the cargo she needs so badly was owned by war hero Frederic Rousseau.
The same Frederic Rousseau whom she served during the Amelior Civil War. The same Frederic Rousseau she’s been hiding from for the last five years.
Millie knows a secret that could ruin Rousseau’s life, and he’ll stop at nothing to keep her from telling the truth. With her violent past bearing down on the life she’s built for herself, Millie has to decide how far she’ll be willing to go to keep her town safe.
Review:
Fantasy Westerns are a mixed bag for me. The one Abercrombie book I didn’t vibe with at all was Red Country (other than Sharp Ends), and the issue I think a lot of books within this niche genre have is that they can’t decide exactly what they want to be. No Land for Heroes does not have the issue and may have reignited my interest in this subgenre.
No Land for Heroes starts with a train robbery gone sideways (in fact the train robbery becomes a dragon attack). In the aftermath, we are treated to multiple POVs making sense of what exactly happened and the repercussions of the present that mingle with the complications of the past.
Where I think this book succeeds is the fact that it never chooses between high fantasy and gritty western. At times lightly magical and at others grim and pulpy, Cal Black deftly moves us through a story that has a bit of everything. No Land for Heroes boldly looks at both the fantasy and western genres and says “Get in losers, we’re gonna be a killer book.”
Personally, I found my favorite bits to be the moments that steered heavily into the Western setting and presented hints of secondary worldbuilding. The Stratton detective agency reminded me a lot of the Pinkertons (though different in purpose) and the nuances of religious rites were pleasant and surprising.
I think those moments of this book compare favorably to Western classics (particularly McCarthy’s All the Pretty Horses and No Country for Old Men). There are plenty of moments centering on the brutal life of barely settled lands and the heists and gunfights that follow. I also loved the inclusion of a variety of cultures and non-binary representation.
My favorite characters steer into this: Millie Berry, an elf deputy with a sordid past; Hal Stratton, an upright detective with conflicting loyalties; and Jeb Willard, the leader of a gang of siblings that he only barely (and sometimes not even then) has under control).
This book has a bit of an ensemble cast and my favorite moments were the conflicts that came from unexpected parties meeting up. I particularly found the Willards engaging and their bits of the story along the best.
What didn’t work for me are things I suspect other readers will enjoy even more and elevate their reading of the book. As readers and reviewers, we all have those things that are completely subjective and no author can check every box.
As much as I loved the above characters, there were certain characters that I felt shifted the tone a bit too much. In some cases, it was probably needed for many readers, but as a fan of Dark Fantasy there were times I found myself thinking, “Could you be serious for just one second, Sweet Pea?!”
The funny thing is I think that Sweet Pea will probably end up being a lot of readers’ favorite character. As will the taciturn Alice and the smarmy Gilbert. For me, they broke the tension at times and at others made the tone and pacing feel slightly inconsistent. Beyond that, I really only found myself wishing we had more background on the villains (though I suspect that will come in later books). I believe your mileage will vary from mine though and you are completely allowed to @ me with, “You’re wrong, Roberti!”
I’m other books, a lot of this would be dealbreakers for me: I’ve had negative experiences with Western Fantasy, and books that shift to a “silly” tone (looking at you Sweet Pea) can grate on my nerves.
But.
But I still found myself excited for my commute and wanting to know what would come at the end. The writing was crisp and the descriptions were well-realized and I just had to know what would happen to my dear Deputy Berry.
Pick this one up. Pick up the others in the series. Cal Black is a name you must remember.
Final verdict: 4 stars for me and now I gotta go read Blood Meridian!