In The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman, the story is set in a world resembling America's Wild West but with a twist - the West is untamed and unmade, filled with demons, magic, and supernatural beings. The narrative follows the power struggles between two factions, the Gun and the Line, representing industrialization and conformity, and the wilderness frontier, respectively. The book explores themes of conflict, allegory, and the clash between technology and faith, all while creating a darkly fantastical version of the American frontier.
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Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings
Content warnings include themes of war, violence, mental illness, and the depiction of demons and possession.
From The Publisher:
The world is still only half-made. Between the wild shores of uncreation, and the ancient lands of the East lies the vast expanse of the West-young, chaotic, magnificent, war-torn.
Thirty years ago, the Red Republic fought to remake the West-fought gloriously, and failed. The world that now exists has been carved out amid a war between two rival factions: the Line, enslaving the world with industry, and the Gun, a cult of terror and violence. The Republic is now history, and the last of its generals sits forgotten and nameless in a madhouse on the edge of creation. But locked in his memories is a secret that could change the West forever, and the world's warring powers would do anything to take it from him.
Now Liv Alverhuysen, a doctor of the new science of psychology, travels west, hoping to heal the general's shattered mind. John Creedmoor, reluctant Agent of the Gun and would-be gentleman of leisure, travels west, too, looking to steal the secret or die trying. And the servants of the Line are on the march.
Ratings (2)
Liked It (1) | |
Hated It (1) |
Reader Stats (8):
Read It (2) | |
Want To Read (5) | |
Not Interested (1) |
1 comment(s)
This is one that should have been so enjoyable and it was not.
The Magic/Supernatural aspect of this was unoriginal and boring.
The characters had no real life to them - they just moved around the world like chess pieces in a bigger game.
The world building is disjointed at times, and the descriptions are lacking details.
Also, this writing style hearkens back to an older time period, which fits the style that I believe the author is trying to convey, and yet throwing in F*** and SH** and other non-niceties when people would not use those words as freely makes the time period discorded.
There is no point in this that I feel or care about a single character; nor do I believe that the recalled soldier is actually any good.
Lowry is just plain boring and useless to me. And the rank structure, though it exists, is fictional without explanation, so no clue what rank someone is, and being ex-military that throws more disjointedness into the mix.
What can you read after
The Half-Made World?
About the Author:
Felix Gilman has been nominated for the John W. Campbell Award and the Crawford Award for best new writer, and the Locus Award for best first novel. He is the author of the critically acclaimed Thunderer and Gears of the City. He lives with his wife in New York City.
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