Status
Available
Call number
Publication
Tordotcom (2017), Edition: First Edition, 144 pages
ISBN
0765394294 / 9780765394293
Description
"Having stumbled onto a plot within his homeland of Jamaica, former espionage agent Desmond Coke finds himself caught between warring religious and political factions all vying for control of a mysterious boy named Lij Tafari. Wanting the boy to have a chance to live a free life, Desmond assumes responsibility for him and they flee. But a dogged enemy agent remains ever on their heels, desperate to obtain the secrets held within Lij for her employer alone. Assassins, intrigue, and steammen stand between Desmond and Lij as they search for a place to call home in a North America that could have been"--Back cover.
Pages
144
User reviews
LibraryThing member pwaites
Buffalo Soldier is a steampunk style novella that had a fun world but might have benefited from more focus on plot and characters.
Former secret agent Desmond Coke is on the run from his own government, who are hunting him after he rescued a boy, Lij Tafari, they were keeping and using for their own
I often end up having problems with steampunk. I think too often steampunk stories are more about the steampunk aesthetic, and they focus on the aesthetic to such an extent that plot and/or characters are neglected. I think that was true here. The focus on world building sometimes came at the expense of Buffalo Solider’s plot and characters.
But, oh, what wonderful world building it was. I think the timeline of Buffalo Solider is relatively close to our analogous modern era — I think Clinton is mentioned? However, the world developed along very different paths. Jamaica is a world power, known for their scientific might. The states are still colonies of Great Britain. The West coast is its own country, where Native Americans held their ground against Western expansion and are more technologically advanced than many of the other countries, bringing a bit of solarpunk in alongside the steampunk. The Republic of Texas is still around, although it’s more dieselpunk than steampunk. As Desmond and Lij are pursued, we get to see different parts of the world Broaddus created, and I never ceased to enjoy these bits of alternate history.
Although I felt the plot could have been better developed, I really loved the core concept. It’s just so inventive and outrageous! I don’t want to give to much away, but the answer to “Who is Lij?” is brilliant. Unfortunately, I don’t think it always lived up to the great concept. The beginning was really strong, but then the pacing slowed down substantially in the second half. I thought the ending was a lot more vague than I would have liked, even if it avoided being a complete cliffhanger.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the narrative structure of Buffalo Solider, since it is a bit unusual. It uses a story within a story format, but again, I’m not sure how I felt about the execution. I think I would have preferred to see either much more of these stories within stories (especially if they relate to each other in interesting ways) or fewer than there were.
Honestly, I think the biggest problem is that there’s just not a whole lot of room in a novella. Buffalo Solider ended up feeling thin, and it may have benefited from more page space, where it could have more room to explore its wonderful setting and still develop plot and characters.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
Former secret agent Desmond Coke is on the run from his own government, who are hunting him after he rescued a boy, Lij Tafari, they were keeping and using for their own
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ends. There’s something special about Lij. Something that’s making the government of Jamaica desperate to reattain him, and Desmond and Lij will be pursued no matter where they flee.I often end up having problems with steampunk. I think too often steampunk stories are more about the steampunk aesthetic, and they focus on the aesthetic to such an extent that plot and/or characters are neglected. I think that was true here. The focus on world building sometimes came at the expense of Buffalo Solider’s plot and characters.
But, oh, what wonderful world building it was. I think the timeline of Buffalo Solider is relatively close to our analogous modern era — I think Clinton is mentioned? However, the world developed along very different paths. Jamaica is a world power, known for their scientific might. The states are still colonies of Great Britain. The West coast is its own country, where Native Americans held their ground against Western expansion and are more technologically advanced than many of the other countries, bringing a bit of solarpunk in alongside the steampunk. The Republic of Texas is still around, although it’s more dieselpunk than steampunk. As Desmond and Lij are pursued, we get to see different parts of the world Broaddus created, and I never ceased to enjoy these bits of alternate history.
Although I felt the plot could have been better developed, I really loved the core concept. It’s just so inventive and outrageous! I don’t want to give to much away, but the answer to “Who is Lij?” is brilliant. Unfortunately, I don’t think it always lived up to the great concept. The beginning was really strong, but then the pacing slowed down substantially in the second half. I thought the ending was a lot more vague than I would have liked, even if it avoided being a complete cliffhanger.
I’d be remiss if I didn’t mention the narrative structure of Buffalo Solider, since it is a bit unusual. It uses a story within a story format, but again, I’m not sure how I felt about the execution. I think I would have preferred to see either much more of these stories within stories (especially if they relate to each other in interesting ways) or fewer than there were.
Honestly, I think the biggest problem is that there’s just not a whole lot of room in a novella. Buffalo Solider ended up feeling thin, and it may have benefited from more page space, where it could have more room to explore its wonderful setting and still develop plot and characters.
Originally posted on The Illustrated Page.
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LibraryThing member macha
the alternate history here looks great in the glimpses we get - a maybe contemporary america in a different timeline altogether where Jamaica is a power, the founding fathers are often mentioned (right up to Clinton) but it looks like the British Empire is still in place, though ununited states
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still fight for dominence at their borders, and the vast american west is powerful indian country. but this trip of a man and a child across some of the roughest country in search of a new home, pursued by stories, old westerns, Pilkertons, and steammen, doesn't seem like it cracks even the surface it skates over - it's the vivid and intriguing altHistory background i want to see more of, not the principals here, and the little teases of what the setup might offer that sprinkle the novella (in itself a stock journey, followed by a confrontation of steampunk vs solarpunk in the trenches) is not really equipped to get me there, which renders the novella in itself a kind of flat surface that's obscuring the real strengths of this world. so call me when the novel's done. Show Less
Language
Original language
English
Original publication date
2017
Physical description
144 p.; 8 inches