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The Shootout Solution

Book 1 in the series:Genrenauts

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"The Shootout Solution" by Michael R. Underwood is a fast-paced novella that introduces readers to the world of the Genrenauts, where parallel universes based on different literary genres can impact our reality. The protagonist, Leah, is recruited by Dr. Angstrom King to join a team of Genrenauts who travel to these genre worlds to fix broken stories. In this first episode set in Western World, Leah navigates through tropes, characters, and shootouts while trying to maintain the stability of the narrative.

Underwood's writing style cleverly combines metafictional elements with humor, action, and literary references. The book offers a unique concept where genre knowledge is essential for navigating different worlds and fixing narrative inconsistencies. Readers are taken on a fun and entertaining ride through a world where stories come alive and must be managed to prevent chaos in our reality.

Characters:

Characters are introduced primarily through their roles and quirks, with Leah being the most developed and others serving as types.

Writing/Prose:

The writing is engaging, incorporating humor and genre commentary in a fast-paced narrative.

Plot/Storyline:

The plot revolves around a team that fixes disruptions in narratives across parallel universes tied to various genres.

Setting:

The setting comprises parallel universes that embody various literary genres, impacting narratives in our reality.

Pacing:

The pacing is brisk, keeping the reader engaged with rapid developments.

Notes:

The Shootout Solution is the first episode in the Genrenauts series, which has a total of five installments.
The series revolves around a team of story specialists who travel to parallel universes based on various literary genres.
These genres include Western, Science Fiction, Romance, Horror, and more.
The characters in the series work to fix broken narratives that spill over into our own reality.
Leah, the main character, is a stand-up comedian who gets recruited for the mission due to her unique talents.
The story cleverly subverts typical genre tropes while embracing them in its adventurous plot.
Underwood's writing is known for its witty dialogue and clever narrative structure.
The series features a mash-up of elements from shows like Quantum Leap and Sliders, focusing on genre exploration.
While the books are fun and fast-paced, character development is not as deep due to their novella length.
The author, Michael R. Underwood, is also known for his Ree Reyes urban fantasy series, which involves magic and geek culture.

Sensitive Topics/Content Warnings

Content warnings may include mild references to danger and action tropes commonly found in westerns, but nothing overly troubling.

From The Publisher:

Leverage meets Jasper Fforde in this new series of novellas from the fan-favorite author of Geekomancy .

Fantasy. Mystery. Science Fiction. We know these genres from TV and comics and more, but in Genrenauts, each genre is also a world unto itself, populated with archetypal characters and filled with the tropes we all know and love.

When a story goes-off track, you send in the Genrenauts. This team of narrative specialists travels across dimensions to find, evaluate, and fix broken stories, lest the ripples manifest as violence and upheaval in our own world.

Struggling stand-up comic Leah Tang is offered a once-in-a-lifetime chance to join the Genreauts as they head to the Western world to stop a bandit posse on the rampage.

But the Western's hero isn't interested in winning, and the safety of Earth hangs in the balance...

PRAISE FOR THE SHOOTOUT SOLUTION

"Who hasn't wanted to imagine themselves parachuting into a story gone wrong and putting it back on track? It's storytelling as heroism, genre savviness as power. Endless fun. Catnip for genre geeks."

- Marie Brennan, World Fantasy nominated author of A Natural History of Dragons

"A clever, exciting, and seriously fun twist on portal fantasy that sends a geeky stand-up comedian into the Wild West. Sign me up to be a Genrenaut, too!"

-Delilah S. Dawson, author of the Blud series and Hit

 
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