Status
Available
Call number
Series
Publication
Tor Books (2011), Edition: First Edition, 480 pages
Description
A fantastical reimagining of the American West which draws its influence from steampunk, the American western tradition, and magical realism The world is only half made. What exists has been carved out amidst a war between two rival factions: the Line, paving the world with industry and claiming its residents as slaves; and the Gun, a cult of terror and violence that cripples the population with fear. The only hope at stopping them has seemingly disappeared--the Red Republic that once battled the Gun and the Line, and almost won. Now they're just a myth, a bedtime story parents tell their children, of hope. To the west lies a vast, uncharted world, inhabited only by the legends of the immortal and powerful Hill People, who live at one with the earth and its elements. Liv Alverhyusen, a doctor of the new science of psychology, travels to the edge of the made world to a spiritually protected mental institution in order to study the minds of those broken by the Gun and the Line. In its rooms lies an old general of the Red Republic, a man whose shattered mind just may hold the secret to stopping theGun and the Line. And either side will do anything to understand how.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member GingerbreadMan
Far from the old established countries in the East, the West is still young. Here is a war-ridden, strange, young land with different rules. And further west, beyond the World’s End Mountains and towards the shores of Uncreation, the world isn’t even made yet, but is just a half-shaped badland
Thirty years ago, the Red Valley Republic took a stand against both Line and Gun, and failed gloriously. Now it’s most famous general is just a husk of a man, his mind destroyed by one of the Line’s noisebombs. He’s a patient at the House Dolorous, a hospital close to the edge of the made world, protected by a powerful spirit.
Dr. Liv Alverhuysen is a scholar in the new field of psychology way back east. She is asked to come to the hospital to conduct a field study. Irked by curiosity, sorrow and boredom, she accepts. Little does she know that the general is one of her coming patients. And that somewhere in his shattered brain is a secret, a pact made with the Folk, that could mean the end of war forever.
John Creedmore is an Agent of the Gun, one of the old-timers. But it’s been so long since his service was required, he’s almost hoping he’s free. He’s not. He’s given the impossible task of infiltrating the House Dolorous and steal the secret inside the general’s mind.
And Lowry is a clerk in the service of the Andalus Engine, a grey, petty little man battling hard with stifling his personal ambition – a trait not appreciated in the Line. Through a series of coincidences he finds himself promoted, and in charge of the hunt for Creedmore.
Felix Gilman’s weird and deeply original version of the Wild West is a joy to read. Taking every trope in the book and twisting them into something new and strange, this is a world not like anything else I’ve visited before. The two warring factions are beautifully described, and the lead trio are believable, frail and very human - in completely different ways. The plot is well-paced and engaging, slowly winding down to the concentration of the final third of the book. Here the action more or less gives way to a slower exploring of the inner mechanics of the characters, rather fitting in a book where psychology plays a big part. It might lose a bit of the first half’s hungry page-turner quality for it, but gains something else.
For me, the wide-open ending kind of works, but I was happy to learn that this is the first part in a duology, the conclusion of which is just out. I can’t wait to get my hands on that one. Gilman’s voice is a fresh take on what I guess must be labeled New Weird, and I’m very eager to read more. Highly recommended, but be prepared for a bit of gore and more than a bit of darkness. If you need your fantasy heroic, perhaps look elsewhere.
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of dreams and sliding shapes. For several hundred years the West has been at war. On one hand the Line, a noisy, industrial, small-minded empire of grey functionality and order, ruled by it’s living Engines. On the other side the Gun, a secret brotherhood of demons, vastly outnumbered, but with flamboyant, larger than life Agents, armed with possessed guns and dealing in stealth, betrayal and violence. Gun is losing, always losing, but is never conquered. And in the hills still dwell the eerie Folk, the land’s indigenous people, pale, bearded, spindly creatures, perhaps not quite human at all.Thirty years ago, the Red Valley Republic took a stand against both Line and Gun, and failed gloriously. Now it’s most famous general is just a husk of a man, his mind destroyed by one of the Line’s noisebombs. He’s a patient at the House Dolorous, a hospital close to the edge of the made world, protected by a powerful spirit.
Dr. Liv Alverhuysen is a scholar in the new field of psychology way back east. She is asked to come to the hospital to conduct a field study. Irked by curiosity, sorrow and boredom, she accepts. Little does she know that the general is one of her coming patients. And that somewhere in his shattered brain is a secret, a pact made with the Folk, that could mean the end of war forever.
John Creedmore is an Agent of the Gun, one of the old-timers. But it’s been so long since his service was required, he’s almost hoping he’s free. He’s not. He’s given the impossible task of infiltrating the House Dolorous and steal the secret inside the general’s mind.
And Lowry is a clerk in the service of the Andalus Engine, a grey, petty little man battling hard with stifling his personal ambition – a trait not appreciated in the Line. Through a series of coincidences he finds himself promoted, and in charge of the hunt for Creedmore.
Felix Gilman’s weird and deeply original version of the Wild West is a joy to read. Taking every trope in the book and twisting them into something new and strange, this is a world not like anything else I’ve visited before. The two warring factions are beautifully described, and the lead trio are believable, frail and very human - in completely different ways. The plot is well-paced and engaging, slowly winding down to the concentration of the final third of the book. Here the action more or less gives way to a slower exploring of the inner mechanics of the characters, rather fitting in a book where psychology plays a big part. It might lose a bit of the first half’s hungry page-turner quality for it, but gains something else.
For me, the wide-open ending kind of works, but I was happy to learn that this is the first part in a duology, the conclusion of which is just out. I can’t wait to get my hands on that one. Gilman’s voice is a fresh take on what I guess must be labeled New Weird, and I’m very eager to read more. Highly recommended, but be prepared for a bit of gore and more than a bit of darkness. If you need your fantasy heroic, perhaps look elsewhere.
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LibraryThing member clfisha
A slow burning fantastical wonder
Poised deliciously between wonderful world building and fantastic characterisation this 1st in a dulogy(?) slowly built but the by end left me quite breathless.
The world? Well it's a A wild west frontier torn between the logical, industriousness of the Line and
It’s a wonderful premise, that as you can tell is hard to summarise. The characters that form it grow to be delicious, the pitch perfect tone of the demonic gun, wheedling and cruel in equal measure or the terribly fragile humanity of Liv (one of my favourite characters period). Liv's journey West and the drawing together of all forces keeps you entertained whilst furiously building the story and then goes in unexpected places. Be warned I don't think it hits the wow factor for a while and it always refuses to fall into easy plot tropes of epic battles and glorious romance; passivity with chaos and sudden, very real bravery against familiar cowardice. It maybe a page turner but it’s not nonstop action.
It is the first book is in a series, but the ending is satisfying whilst leaving it wide open for the next. Yet I think whether this books really shines is going to rest on the next book.. I have much invested in this now.
Poised deliciously between wonderful world building and fantastic characterisation this 1st in a dulogy(?) slowly built but the by end left me quite breathless.
The world? Well it's a A wild west frontier torn between the logical, industriousness of the Line and
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their giant locomotives ripping through the landscape, consuming and twisting all to their needs. Their armies full of grey men, with their mind shattering bombs. Humanities last gasp, the Red Army was defeated long ago and The Guns, chaotic beings who love to possess outlaws cannot hold them back. No one thinks much about the natives who sulk on the edge of reality or are enslaved by the thundering progress of The Line. Into all this, looking for an adventurous new start is psychologist Liv. From the staid East to a home for the war broken. A home that contains an old general who in his broken mind may hold the secret to ending the war. It’s a wonderful premise, that as you can tell is hard to summarise. The characters that form it grow to be delicious, the pitch perfect tone of the demonic gun, wheedling and cruel in equal measure or the terribly fragile humanity of Liv (one of my favourite characters period). Liv's journey West and the drawing together of all forces keeps you entertained whilst furiously building the story and then goes in unexpected places. Be warned I don't think it hits the wow factor for a while and it always refuses to fall into easy plot tropes of epic battles and glorious romance; passivity with chaos and sudden, very real bravery against familiar cowardice. It maybe a page turner but it’s not nonstop action.
It is the first book is in a series, but the ending is satisfying whilst leaving it wide open for the next. Yet I think whether this books really shines is going to rest on the next book.. I have much invested in this now.
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LibraryThing member barbedwriting
It’s with some degree of indecision that I’m writing this review of Felix Gilman’s THE HALF-MADE WORLD. Based on glowing critical reviews and the fusion of the Old West, steampunk, and epic fantasy elements, I expected to captivated, enchanted, and that didn’t precisely happen. Yes, I did
However, what was missing for me in THE HALF-MADE WORLD was a strong emotional connection to the story, characters, and prose. I was fascinated at times, but the connection for me was more in my head, than in my heart. Since the complex narrative and sometimes heavily textured prose did hold my interest and their appeal, I can’t say the novel failed entirely (or even mostly) for me. Instead, at the end, it left me mostly sated, but still a bit wanting.
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enjoy the allegorical elements and conflicts between the forces of industry and conformity (The Line) and those fierce independents who oppose it (The Gun). I enjoyed the tensions between technology and faith. I enjoyed how the novel passed elements and archetypes of American frontier through a darkly fantastical glass. However, what was missing for me in THE HALF-MADE WORLD was a strong emotional connection to the story, characters, and prose. I was fascinated at times, but the connection for me was more in my head, than in my heart. Since the complex narrative and sometimes heavily textured prose did hold my interest and their appeal, I can’t say the novel failed entirely (or even mostly) for me. Instead, at the end, it left me mostly sated, but still a bit wanting.
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LibraryThing member TadAD
This is a book that defies easy categorization—an anti-hero Western set inside a steampunk novel in a fantasy world that uses a metaphor based upon alternate-history settlement of the American frontier? Yep, that's about it. About the only categorizations that I'm comfortable being firm about are
The inventive part is what struck me the most. In Gilman's epic struggle between the forces of Technology (the bad guys) and the forces of the Dark Side (the other bad guys) and the loser forces of Democracy (not quite good guys) and just plain, decent humanity (a complete also-ran in this power struggle) there are echoes of mythological strains we find in Stephen King's novels. In the colorful, often incredibly able characters that populate the story there's something of Michael Resnick's creations. In the story telling there's something of Gene Wolfe. Yet, none of these evoke a sense that Gilman is being derivative or returning to a well that has run dry.
In this respect, this is a must-read if you're a fan of any of the above-named genres. Why then, is this not a 4-star or more story? Despite 480 pages, there's not enough of the story given to us. I finished the book feeling that it was still chugging up the hill, perhaps not to a conclusion, but at least to a resting point where I could say that I was fully engaged and waiting for the next installment. In fact, though I feel that this is likely to be the first of a multi-part series, that's not even certain. The ending could conceivably be The End.
I sincerely hope not. Gilman has got too much going here to stop now.
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"inventive" and "try this if you like any of the above."The inventive part is what struck me the most. In Gilman's epic struggle between the forces of Technology (the bad guys) and the forces of the Dark Side (the other bad guys) and the loser forces of Democracy (not quite good guys) and just plain, decent humanity (a complete also-ran in this power struggle) there are echoes of mythological strains we find in Stephen King's novels. In the colorful, often incredibly able characters that populate the story there's something of Michael Resnick's creations. In the story telling there's something of Gene Wolfe. Yet, none of these evoke a sense that Gilman is being derivative or returning to a well that has run dry.
In this respect, this is a must-read if you're a fan of any of the above-named genres. Why then, is this not a 4-star or more story? Despite 480 pages, there's not enough of the story given to us. I finished the book feeling that it was still chugging up the hill, perhaps not to a conclusion, but at least to a resting point where I could say that I was fully engaged and waiting for the next installment. In fact, though I feel that this is likely to be the first of a multi-part series, that's not even certain. The ending could conceivably be The End.
I sincerely hope not. Gilman has got too much going here to stop now.
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LibraryThing member gbayes
Pretty decent overall, found the ending disappointing. Far and away the best thing about the book was the demonic cowboys. More demonic cowboys please.
LibraryThing member leahsimone
I found the basic premise of The Half-Made World to be intriguing and couldn’t wait to read it. Unfortunately, I was so unimpressed with the characterization of the heroine that it wasn’t until the last 50 pages that I actually felt real interest for the story. Imagine a Wild West populated by
For an adventurous psychologist Liv is a surprisingly lackluster character. It’s never entirely clear why she accepts a dubious position in what amounts to an asylum located on the other side of the world. She doesn’t seem at all emotionally connected to the war. Her desire to leave everything she knows is only vaguely referred to as some kind of wanderlust. Despite this, I had high hopes for her. I ended up disappointed though because I was never able to get a sense of her personality. She has a devotion to her sense of duty, which gives her some spine, but when things get stressful she adds a few drops of her “tonic” and all is well. Most of the middle of the book is spent on her journey to the hospital. The story bogs down quite a bit here as she spends more time reacting to things than actually precipitating events. It wasn’t until John Creedmore, agent of The Gun extraordinaire, entered the story that I started to care what happens. He’s selfish, pompous and has delusions of grandeur but ultimately likable. He knows he is not a good guy. The spirit-possessed gun that commands him to kill controls him and he likes the thrill of the hunt but deep down he wants to be a hero. He wants redemption. When he obeys his “master” it is with an irreverence that is endearing. However, I found it mildly annoying that the most important character to the story, the General, was absolutely boring. For the entire novel he has severely diminished mental capacity and seems little more than a prop.
The last 50 pages or so are mildly exciting and the ending takes the story in a new direction but I’m not quite sure if I can recommend it. I thought this story suffered quite a bit in it's characterizations (with one exception) so it was a difficult read for me.
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a mystical indigenous people (The Hill People), add demon-possessed guns (The Gun) that use humans as assassins and huge scary sentient engines (The Line) that control humans like ants and you have The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman. The Line and The Gun have been warring for years. The known world in the east is slowly being devoured by The Line, which turns cities into little more than factories. This is the setting for the story that starts with a General of the Red Republic (rebels for a new world) becoming a victim of a Line noise bomb. Liv Alverhuysen is the psychologist tasked with helping the General recover enough memory to spill a devastating secret given to him by The Hill People. But first she must journey to a hospital that is at the edge of the known world. For an adventurous psychologist Liv is a surprisingly lackluster character. It’s never entirely clear why she accepts a dubious position in what amounts to an asylum located on the other side of the world. She doesn’t seem at all emotionally connected to the war. Her desire to leave everything she knows is only vaguely referred to as some kind of wanderlust. Despite this, I had high hopes for her. I ended up disappointed though because I was never able to get a sense of her personality. She has a devotion to her sense of duty, which gives her some spine, but when things get stressful she adds a few drops of her “tonic” and all is well. Most of the middle of the book is spent on her journey to the hospital. The story bogs down quite a bit here as she spends more time reacting to things than actually precipitating events. It wasn’t until John Creedmore, agent of The Gun extraordinaire, entered the story that I started to care what happens. He’s selfish, pompous and has delusions of grandeur but ultimately likable. He knows he is not a good guy. The spirit-possessed gun that commands him to kill controls him and he likes the thrill of the hunt but deep down he wants to be a hero. He wants redemption. When he obeys his “master” it is with an irreverence that is endearing. However, I found it mildly annoying that the most important character to the story, the General, was absolutely boring. For the entire novel he has severely diminished mental capacity and seems little more than a prop.
The last 50 pages or so are mildly exciting and the ending takes the story in a new direction but I’m not quite sure if I can recommend it. I thought this story suffered quite a bit in it's characterizations (with one exception) so it was a difficult read for me.
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LibraryThing member majkia
This was an Early Reviewer book. The Half-Made World paints a gritty and grim picture of a world where our worst traits come to life in the form of demons . It's a world whose landscape is marred by the war being fought between Line - Engines which have minds, needs and desires of their own - and
We are introduced to this war through the eyes of someone who grew up and lived in the 'civilized' or fully-made part of the world. She, on a whim, decides to go westward because she's found her life staid and dull. And she sees an opportunity to learn from those broken in minds by the fearsome weapons of the Line.
The world-building in Half-Made World is terrific. The Reader is drawn into the created reality and immersed in it fully. It's believable, in that it portrays the realities of the miseries wrought by men (or demons) determined to war until the bitter end.
My only complaint is that I thought the characterization was light. We're never allowed to care enough about any of the major characters. It's as if we are only observers watching their struggle, and never allowed to understand them enough to make an emotional connection to them. This seems purposeful, But as someone who needs that emotional connection to a protagonist, I thought it limiting.
Even so, I found the book compelling. I wanted to solve the mysteries of this world and of its demons. I wanted to traipse through the unmade portion of the world to its wild and unknown end. Mostly, I wanted to discover the mystery of the one weapon, or thought, or idea that might, possibly, bring an end to war.
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Gun - whose Agents are made supernaturally strong and long-lived and enslaved in order to dedicate their lives to stopping the Line from taking over the world.We are introduced to this war through the eyes of someone who grew up and lived in the 'civilized' or fully-made part of the world. She, on a whim, decides to go westward because she's found her life staid and dull. And she sees an opportunity to learn from those broken in minds by the fearsome weapons of the Line.
The world-building in Half-Made World is terrific. The Reader is drawn into the created reality and immersed in it fully. It's believable, in that it portrays the realities of the miseries wrought by men (or demons) determined to war until the bitter end.
My only complaint is that I thought the characterization was light. We're never allowed to care enough about any of the major characters. It's as if we are only observers watching their struggle, and never allowed to understand them enough to make an emotional connection to them. This seems purposeful, But as someone who needs that emotional connection to a protagonist, I thought it limiting.
Even so, I found the book compelling. I wanted to solve the mysteries of this world and of its demons. I wanted to traipse through the unmade portion of the world to its wild and unknown end. Mostly, I wanted to discover the mystery of the one weapon, or thought, or idea that might, possibly, bring an end to war.
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LibraryThing member kgodey
The Half-Made World is a Western-inspired fantasy (is the fantasy/Western mashup a new trend now? I’ve read quite a few recently – Brandon Sanderson’s The Alloy of Law, and R.S. Belcher's The Six-Gun Tarot.)
Dr. Liv Alverhuysen, a psychologist, has received a letter from a veteran’s hospital
Felix Gilman takes the romance and promise of the American exploration of the West – the engines of industry, the famous outlaws, the unexplored territories, the mistreated original inhabitants of the land, and creates a whole new world where metaphor becomes reality. The Engines are immortal demons that control armies of Linesmen intent on spreading industry and homogeny wherever they go. The Guns are their arch rivals, spreading their influence through superhuman outlaw Agents of the Gun, who go by monikers like Hang-‘em-High Washburn and rob banks and blow up train tracks. Unsettled land is malleable by nature – the landscape is not fixed, thoughts can create independent entities and words have much power. Human settlement solidifies the land but does not entirely drive out the magic – the settlers instead controls it by enslaving the original population, the First Folk.
The characters are also terrific. Liv starts out very wide-eyed, but slowly gains her footing and learns to take herself less seriously as the novel progresses. She’s also pretty amusing sometimes – she constantly psychoanalyses herself, but manages to completely ignore her dependence on her “nerve tonic” (laudanum). She ended up being one of the more memorable characters I’ve read about recently – she’s not especially brave or confident or even nice, but she comes through in the end.
The Agent of the Gun Creedmoor was the ultimate anti-hero (I’m not actually sure he qualifies to be a hero at all). He’s not very nice either, and he’s terrified in some ways. He makes a perfect foil to both Liv and his direct antagonist Sub Invigilator (Third) Lowry of the Line (who’s an upper-level bureaucrat who tries his hardest to be self-effacing but cannot quite succeed). It was great to get points of view fron the Gun, the Line and an uninvolved party (Liv) – it made for a very compelling method of storytelling. The side characters were also pretty compelling – the loyal giant Maggfrid, the outwardly gruff businessman Mr. Bond, the lonely but sane Director of House Dolorous, and of course, the object of everyone’s search – the General.
Gilman’s writing is top-notch; I especially love his sense of humour. The story never really drags, and Gilman does a great job of telling you just enough to keep you satisfied, but still intrigued.
Here’s the point where I usually say I can’t wait for the sequel (The Rise of Ransom City), but I actually read the sequel instead of writing this review. So, yeah, it’s that good, and I can’t wait for whatever book Gilman releases next! I’ll also be checking out his back catalogue.
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More reviews at Just a World Away
Dr. Liv Alverhuysen, a psychologist, has received a letter from a veteran’s hospital
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at the very edge of the tamed world, offering an opportunity for her to study mental ailments that are unknown outside the industrialised and war-torn West. She has never really thought about adventure, but ignoring her colleagues’ ridicule, she sets off to lands she barely knows anything about. Unfortunately, her peaceful research opportunity doesn’t exactly turn out as she envisioned – one of the patients at the hospital knows a secret that could shake the foundations of the New World, and the two dominant Powers of the West, the Gun and the Line have sent their forces to retrieve him. As you can imagine, hijinks ensue.Felix Gilman takes the romance and promise of the American exploration of the West – the engines of industry, the famous outlaws, the unexplored territories, the mistreated original inhabitants of the land, and creates a whole new world where metaphor becomes reality. The Engines are immortal demons that control armies of Linesmen intent on spreading industry and homogeny wherever they go. The Guns are their arch rivals, spreading their influence through superhuman outlaw Agents of the Gun, who go by monikers like Hang-‘em-High Washburn and rob banks and blow up train tracks. Unsettled land is malleable by nature – the landscape is not fixed, thoughts can create independent entities and words have much power. Human settlement solidifies the land but does not entirely drive out the magic – the settlers instead controls it by enslaving the original population, the First Folk.
The characters are also terrific. Liv starts out very wide-eyed, but slowly gains her footing and learns to take herself less seriously as the novel progresses. She’s also pretty amusing sometimes – she constantly psychoanalyses herself, but manages to completely ignore her dependence on her “nerve tonic” (laudanum). She ended up being one of the more memorable characters I’ve read about recently – she’s not especially brave or confident or even nice, but she comes through in the end.
The Agent of the Gun Creedmoor was the ultimate anti-hero (I’m not actually sure he qualifies to be a hero at all). He’s not very nice either, and he’s terrified in some ways. He makes a perfect foil to both Liv and his direct antagonist Sub Invigilator (Third) Lowry of the Line (who’s an upper-level bureaucrat who tries his hardest to be self-effacing but cannot quite succeed). It was great to get points of view fron the Gun, the Line and an uninvolved party (Liv) – it made for a very compelling method of storytelling. The side characters were also pretty compelling – the loyal giant Maggfrid, the outwardly gruff businessman Mr. Bond, the lonely but sane Director of House Dolorous, and of course, the object of everyone’s search – the General.
Gilman’s writing is top-notch; I especially love his sense of humour. The story never really drags, and Gilman does a great job of telling you just enough to keep you satisfied, but still intrigued.
Here’s the point where I usually say I can’t wait for the sequel (The Rise of Ransom City), but I actually read the sequel instead of writing this review. So, yeah, it’s that good, and I can’t wait for whatever book Gilman releases next! I’ll also be checking out his back catalogue.
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More reviews at Just a World Away
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LibraryThing member mikemillertime
If a book is part of a series, shouldn't the cover say so? A fun, great read begins fantastically, then that has one of the slowest and middling middles ever, moves into a strong, redemptive finish but then dies miserably with a terribly weak and unresolved finale. A great world filled with
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demon-powered gunslingers, mechanical bureaucrat armies, wild creatures all against the sprawling backdrop of a three-sided civil war in the Old West. So much potential, but it's unfortunately a half-baked book. Show Less
LibraryThing member sdobie
Weird steampunkish novel where the West is a land where physical laws break down more and more the further west you go. In the more settled areas of the West, two demonic forces are fighting a continual war. The anarchic Gun, whose demons inhabit weapons that are carried by bearers who are given
This is one of the more interesting and original books that I have read in a while. The taming of the West becomes a literal thing as the Line spreads across the land, assimilating as it goes, and seeming to fix the world into a more static form. On the other side, much of the book is from the point of view of an agent of the Gun, John Creedmoor, who is an entertaining character. The battles between the sides bring in plenty of action along with the allegory. My main issue with the book is that, although it is not advertised as such, it seems to be the first part of a longer story and has a very inconclusive ending. I will look forward to the next book, but it would have been nice to expect only part of a story from the start.
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superhuman powers, and the Line, whose demons inhabit train engines and who spread industrialization and uniformity across the lands they control. When both sides learn that a general of the defunct Red Valley Republic, which defied both sides, may still be alive they send their agents to capture him. A psychologist from the East, Liv Alverhuysen, who has come to the West to work in a sort of veteran's hospital, and who is caring for the general becomes caught up in trying to protect him from both sides.This is one of the more interesting and original books that I have read in a while. The taming of the West becomes a literal thing as the Line spreads across the land, assimilating as it goes, and seeming to fix the world into a more static form. On the other side, much of the book is from the point of view of an agent of the Gun, John Creedmoor, who is an entertaining character. The battles between the sides bring in plenty of action along with the allegory. My main issue with the book is that, although it is not advertised as such, it seems to be the first part of a longer story and has a very inconclusive ending. I will look forward to the next book, but it would have been nice to expect only part of a story from the start.
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LibraryThing member johnklima
Like the Genevieve Valentine's Mechanique, Felix Gilman’s novel is quite different from most Steampunk in that it’s set in a different world rather than the familiar Victorian setting of our own world. Because of this, Gilman spends a lot of time and effort in world building. This time and
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effort is worthwhile as the setting blends seamlessly with the plot of a never-ending war between the people of the Gun—who use demon-powered guns—and the people of the Line—who, among other things, have sentient engines. Rumor of a long-lost secret weapon sets several characters on a collision course. Wildly original with complex characters, this book will be something unexpected, in a good way, for fans of Steampunk. Show Less
LibraryThing member Mishalak
I am not in love with this book. I enjoyed reading it and I do recommend it, but I was left not fully satisfied. I am not sure what it is about the story that left me wanting more. I think it was not that I needed to know more about the world since that would have destroyed the mystery that makes
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for a good fantasy, but perhaps to know more about the characters so I could love them as characters rather than tropes. Show Less
LibraryThing member beserene
The Half-Made World by Felix Gilman
It has taken me almost two weeks to read this novel, a pace that is positively sluggish for me. Even now, having finished the book a couple of days ago, I still feel like I am slowly working my way through. I was totally excited when I received the book -- the
Gilman's novel is, ostensibly, steampunk -- but that's not really what it is. It is a novel much concerned with both war and adventure -- but they aren't really the point. It is a book chock-full of rich detail and description -- but those are the very things that contribute to the sluggish pace and slow progress. It is a story populated by unique, well-rendered characters -- but none of those characters really speaks to the reader in that much-sought relatable fashion.
Truth be told, I'm not really sure what to tell you about this book. I was fascinated by it, but perhaps frustrated in almost equal measure. It has an interesting premise and sets up an intriguing world. The characters and factions are heavy with allegorical (or perhaps simply symbolic) meaning; that meaning, or at least the reader's belief that it is present, directly contributes to the our slow progress through the text. I found myself, at various points of the novel, wondering about what I was missing rather than considering what was happening in the actual story. I did not, however, find myself mentally reviewing as I read, which is a sign of a decent book.
Obviously, this book shakes out somewhere in the middle. I think it is well made and well-crafted, but the plot, like all of the book, takes its own sweet time. I appreciate that we are able to understand the characters fully as the novel progresses, but there are times when the pieces don't quite pull together, when the reader is left to figure things out. I hate puzzles, especially long ones, and that is what this novel quickly shapes up to be -- and then one realizes, toward the end, that Gilman has left space for a sequel.
Bottom line: If you really love steampunk (at its roots -- not just the aesthetic) or the anti-hero, this is worth a read, but something is holding the book back from being a truly great experience. There is a great deal to admire here, but the novel isn't for everyone.
It has taken me almost two weeks to read this novel, a pace that is positively sluggish for me. Even now, having finished the book a couple of days ago, I still feel like I am slowly working my way through. I was totally excited when I received the book -- the
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external look and the feel of the physical book are excellent.Gilman's novel is, ostensibly, steampunk -- but that's not really what it is. It is a novel much concerned with both war and adventure -- but they aren't really the point. It is a book chock-full of rich detail and description -- but those are the very things that contribute to the sluggish pace and slow progress. It is a story populated by unique, well-rendered characters -- but none of those characters really speaks to the reader in that much-sought relatable fashion.
Truth be told, I'm not really sure what to tell you about this book. I was fascinated by it, but perhaps frustrated in almost equal measure. It has an interesting premise and sets up an intriguing world. The characters and factions are heavy with allegorical (or perhaps simply symbolic) meaning; that meaning, or at least the reader's belief that it is present, directly contributes to the our slow progress through the text. I found myself, at various points of the novel, wondering about what I was missing rather than considering what was happening in the actual story. I did not, however, find myself mentally reviewing as I read, which is a sign of a decent book.
Obviously, this book shakes out somewhere in the middle. I think it is well made and well-crafted, but the plot, like all of the book, takes its own sweet time. I appreciate that we are able to understand the characters fully as the novel progresses, but there are times when the pieces don't quite pull together, when the reader is left to figure things out. I hate puzzles, especially long ones, and that is what this novel quickly shapes up to be -- and then one realizes, toward the end, that Gilman has left space for a sequel.
Bottom line: If you really love steampunk (at its roots -- not just the aesthetic) or the anti-hero, this is worth a read, but something is holding the book back from being a truly great experience. There is a great deal to admire here, but the novel isn't for everyone.
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LibraryThing member MelHay
Dr. Liv Alverhuysen, a young widowed psychology doctor is going to the edge of the made world, or close to it. Out West. To help with victims of the four century war between The Guns, The Engines, and Hill Folk. All of the victims including the ones who had their minds shattered.
Creedmoor, we meet
Lowry, a Sub-Invigilator for the Line and servant to the Engines, is sent to extract the General, from the West. Lowry will not stop for anything and will not fail his mission and the only thing at the end of failure is death.
This is a hard one for me to review as I have mixed feelings on this book. I enjoyed the blend of demons and guns, the engines and demons (which may be what many consider steampunk), and the un-made world not yet ready for time and so many new creatures - the Wild West we could say. This idea and world was unique to me, and made me curious about the connection of the two. I even liked the idea of the general having a knowledge that could end all, but felt that I never got any more information to move the story plot further forward. I felt it kind of stalled in the plot movement for me. The story telling style reminds me of a similarity to Joe Abercrombie, yet different as it's not as abrupt with battles nor character drawing for me.
I enjoyed two of the characters out of the whole cast: John Creedmoor and the General. Yet, as much as I enjoyed reading of the scenes with John Creedmoor or seeing if the General will get better, they seemed to be the only characters I could get into. John Creedmoor and his attachment to the Guns was one of darkness and yet almost feel as he's fighting for something that just might be good.
In the end I new more of the world and characters created here, but nothing more of the happenings of the story plot. I might pick up the next book to see if I can find more out.
Creedmoor, we meet
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while he is traveling on a gambling boat. To the edged of the world he is sent by his masters, The Guns, in search of a mad man. Creedmoor's character will have you curious of his history right away.Lowry, a Sub-Invigilator for the Line and servant to the Engines, is sent to extract the General, from the West. Lowry will not stop for anything and will not fail his mission and the only thing at the end of failure is death.
This is a hard one for me to review as I have mixed feelings on this book. I enjoyed the blend of demons and guns, the engines and demons (which may be what many consider steampunk), and the un-made world not yet ready for time and so many new creatures - the Wild West we could say. This idea and world was unique to me, and made me curious about the connection of the two. I even liked the idea of the general having a knowledge that could end all, but felt that I never got any more information to move the story plot further forward. I felt it kind of stalled in the plot movement for me. The story telling style reminds me of a similarity to Joe Abercrombie, yet different as it's not as abrupt with battles nor character drawing for me.
I enjoyed two of the characters out of the whole cast: John Creedmoor and the General. Yet, as much as I enjoyed reading of the scenes with John Creedmoor or seeing if the General will get better, they seemed to be the only characters I could get into. John Creedmoor and his attachment to the Guns was one of darkness and yet almost feel as he's fighting for something that just might be good.
In the end I new more of the world and characters created here, but nothing more of the happenings of the story plot. I might pick up the next book to see if I can find more out.
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LibraryThing member tcgardner
After the first few pages I knew I was going to enjoy this book. Love me some steampunk! Western steampunk too!
The Gun and the Line are in constant conflict and just us ordinary folk are caught in the middle just trying to make a world out in the wild west.
Do you like magic, demons, and all around
Get it!
The Gun and the Line are in constant conflict and just us ordinary folk are caught in the middle just trying to make a world out in the wild west.
Do you like magic, demons, and all around
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good storytelling?Get it!
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LibraryThing member bobprior
A wonderful book, full of wonderful and interesting characters and an entire imagined and beautifully-drawn world. I hope the world and the characters appear in another novel - it would be a shame to waste such creativity on only one book.
LibraryThing member RBeffa
The Half-Made World is a handsome book. The cover is made to look old - yellowed and mildewy - with a man flying a stramnge winged contraption on top. This clues one in that there might be a steampunky adventure inside. And there is a bit.
I must also comment on and compliment the layout of the
The Half-Made World is more wild western than anything, an alternate-world dystopia mixed with some supernatural fantasy. The prologue of the story pulled me right in, but the initial chapter then put me off a slight bit with our introduction to one of the main characters, Dr. Liv Alverhuysen. Her colleagues are a bit annoying. She is leaving her safe world to go west into the unknown and presumably adventure, and a quest. Unfortunately as the book progressed I could never identify strongly with her or her motivations. That said, I liked this novel but didn't love it. I found myself disappointed that this seems to be a half-made book. Clearly this is part of a larger story and I don't automatically count that as a strike against, but I want resolution within a book of the story at hand.
Personally I'd like to read more about this world - a prequel perhaps more than anything else. So, I can recommend this story with reservations as noted. I give this book props for inventiveness as well.
I received this book as part of the early reviewers program, but I do not believe that influenced my review.
I must also comment on and compliment the layout of the
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book - the typesetting is attractive and a good size for easy reading. I like books with chapter titles, and this has them in a very attractive layout. This may seem like a minor point, but here I believe it enhances the story.The Half-Made World is more wild western than anything, an alternate-world dystopia mixed with some supernatural fantasy. The prologue of the story pulled me right in, but the initial chapter then put me off a slight bit with our introduction to one of the main characters, Dr. Liv Alverhuysen. Her colleagues are a bit annoying. She is leaving her safe world to go west into the unknown and presumably adventure, and a quest. Unfortunately as the book progressed I could never identify strongly with her or her motivations. That said, I liked this novel but didn't love it. I found myself disappointed that this seems to be a half-made book. Clearly this is part of a larger story and I don't automatically count that as a strike against, but I want resolution within a book of the story at hand.
Personally I'd like to read more about this world - a prequel perhaps more than anything else. So, I can recommend this story with reservations as noted. I give this book props for inventiveness as well.
I received this book as part of the early reviewers program, but I do not believe that influenced my review.
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LibraryThing member mbg0312
This is a very good novel, exploring themes of the frontier - the dehumanization of industry and railroads vs. the outlaws, murderers, and thieves, with a distant dream of democracy and the Republic just beyond reach. Plus, whip-cracking action and adventure with tightly drawn characters. Hard to
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recommend this highly enough. Show Less
LibraryThing member daviddevries
The Half-Made World is neither steampunk, nor alternate history, and is only a western in spirit. Instead it is a highly original and compelling fantasy story, which I can only hope breathes new life in an increasingly stulted genre.
The closest comparisons I can think of are: The Dark Tower
As original as the setting is, the book's strength is its characters, who firmly anchor the story in reality. The world itself may frustrate some readers, though it is a landscape well painted, the author does not go into great detail of the how and why things are as they are. That is a good thing; instead of bogging down the story with convoluted rationalizations, we see the world as his characters do. Except for one passing reference to alternate universes, there is no connection to our world.
Perhaps in a sequel he will delve deeper into those matters, but hopefully not to deeply. Things are not always best tied in a neat blue ribbon.
The closest comparisons I can think of are: The Dark Tower
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series, which it exceeds, and The Book of the New Sun, to which it aspires.As original as the setting is, the book's strength is its characters, who firmly anchor the story in reality. The world itself may frustrate some readers, though it is a landscape well painted, the author does not go into great detail of the how and why things are as they are. That is a good thing; instead of bogging down the story with convoluted rationalizations, we see the world as his characters do. Except for one passing reference to alternate universes, there is no connection to our world.
Perhaps in a sequel he will delve deeper into those matters, but hopefully not to deeply. Things are not always best tied in a neat blue ribbon.
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LibraryThing member JimDR
Another weird Western of a sort, but this one takes the essential tensions of the western genre, mixes them with some of the unpredictability of Mieville, and throws the mess in a broken blender. Fun, cool, tense, and original.
LibraryThing member ohernaes
The Gun vs the Line fighting over the world. The Agents of the Gun infinitely much cooler than the personless men of the Line, but that does not mean that they are good. The hope is the remains of what was once the proud, independent Red Valley Republic with their great General. But that society is
I would have thought that I would find it much too “magical”, but actually did not mind.
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itself deeply flawed, exhibiting unjust hierarchy, pettiness and misplaced bravery. So is that what we hope for? Probably compared to the alternatives, domination by the machines and uniformity of the Line or the dark, antisocial forces of the Guns. I would have thought that I would find it much too “magical”, but actually did not mind.
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LibraryThing member shabacus
The setting was the best part of this book, something on the nature of Whedon's Firefly mixed with King's Dark Tower. The characters are slightly less compelling, although by the end, I found myself rooting for them in ways I did not expect.
My only real problem was with the ending, which seemed
Still, it was an enjoyable read, and one that I hope to be able to recommend more strongly once I've read the sequel.
My only real problem was with the ending, which seemed
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like more of a stopping place in a longer story, rather than an actual conclusion. I was under the impression that this was a standalone book, but it definitely way not. Our characters reach a new status quo, and take on a quest, but that's about it.Still, it was an enjoyable read, and one that I hope to be able to recommend more strongly once I've read the sequel.
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LibraryThing member Mardel
The Half-Made World kept me interested throughout the whole novel. I didn't have one ho-hum moment while reading, not one moment when I was bored.
Set in a world that resembles the wild west of America, but isn't quite there, there are aboriginal peoples, who contain a certain type of magic. There
This story is told from three points of view - Creedmoore is an agent of The Gun, Lowry is an agent of The Line and the third point of view is Liv - a doctor who is from a nuetrual territory. All three stories converge and throughout, it's clear that all three have some issues. However, I found myself really rooting for Creedmoor, even though he clearly is no saint. The two factions are both after the same thing and Liv kind of gets stuck in the middle.
I don't want to say anymore - spoilers. But This is a damn good book - with some humor, some thrills, lots of mayhem and some damn good gadgets! As soon as I was finished reading it, I wanted more. Thankfully, Felix Gilman will be writing a sequel.
Set in a world that resembles the wild west of America, but isn't quite there, there are aboriginal peoples, who contain a certain type of magic. There
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are at two main "god" factions who are at war. One of the factions is the Guns, and seems to consist of demon like entities that possess people through a gun. It rides them, telling them what to do, and causing havoc and mayhem, and rebellion. On the other hand, there is something called the Line - which is the other faction. This one has its own type of evil. It's all about machines, and progress and taking over towns like a bulldozer. There is absolutely NO mercy for those who stand in the way and they develop the most horrific weapons that can devastate people and places.This story is told from three points of view - Creedmoore is an agent of The Gun, Lowry is an agent of The Line and the third point of view is Liv - a doctor who is from a nuetrual territory. All three stories converge and throughout, it's clear that all three have some issues. However, I found myself really rooting for Creedmoor, even though he clearly is no saint. The two factions are both after the same thing and Liv kind of gets stuck in the middle.
I don't want to say anymore - spoilers. But This is a damn good book - with some humor, some thrills, lots of mayhem and some damn good gadgets! As soon as I was finished reading it, I wanted more. Thankfully, Felix Gilman will be writing a sequel.
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LibraryThing member jeremyfarnumlane
A good book, if a slow-starting. I don't know if it's philosophizing and portentousness is meaningful or not, but an interesting world created, and at the end, I wanted to follow the story further.
LibraryThing member orkydd
The American West meets steampunk.
Doctor of psychology Liv Alverhuysen is caught between the forces of the Line and the Gun, seeking out the mental wreck who might be the fabled General of the Red Republic, who may hold the secret to a weapon which can bring victory to its user.
Doctor of psychology Liv Alverhuysen is caught between the forces of the Line and the Gun, seeking out the mental wreck who might be the fabled General of the Red Republic, who may hold the secret to a weapon which can bring victory to its user.
Awards
SF Site Reader's Choice (6 — 2010)
RUSA CODES Reading List (Shortlist — Fantasy — 2011)
Airship Award (Finalists — 2011)
Locus Recommended Reading (2010)
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2010-10-12
Physical description
480 p.; 9 inches
ISBN
9780765325532