Sorry, y'all, this was gonna be a Christmas book review buuuuut I don't really have the time to type one up, so you get a Chuck Norris book instead! (Well, it's by Chuck Norris + three other people, minor details)
When General William T. Sherman commissions Ezra Justice to form a secret band of cavaliers to help and the war between North and South, his order may impact the West as well.
Justice, a complex Southerner of simple faith, gathers a pro-Union posse of diverse multi-nationals second to none in their fighting abilities.
There is Nathaniel York, an African-American who once slaved on the Justice family plantation; Reginald Bonesteel, a British sharpshooter denounced by the Queen of England; Harry Whitecloud, soft-spoken Indian warrior and medicine man; Shaun O'Banyon, the strapping Irishman who would fight an entire army himself; and Carlos and Roberto Hawkins, Gypsy-blooded twins who do a bang-up job with explosives.
From dusty canyon shootouts against Confederates to the horrors faced aboard the doomed Sultana steamship, these dynamic men shine as goodhearted heroes who need each other just as much as so many others need them.
But how they might stay together after the Civil War is a question that's as wide open as the Old West itself.
My rating:
I was so excited to start this book; I mean, Chuck Norris! However, there were so many Walker, Texas Ranger/Hayes Cooper vibes in this book that it was really hard for me to connect to, well, anything. Don't get me wrong—the plot line was fabulous, as were the characters (for the most part).
But let's talk about the characters, shall we?
-Ezra Justice. Cordell Walker all over again. While I appreciated the admiration and respect his men had for him, he was . . . well, for lack off a better phrase, too perfect. He was constantly considerate, constantly made right decisions, and was generally unscathed throughout the whole book. And yeah, just so much WTR stuff in there that, in my humble opinion, just really retracted from the story. But, I mean, if you've never seen the show, you might enjoy it more.
-Shaun O'Banyon. He was the typical Irishman, loved to fight, but he was also tenderhearted, which I loved.
-All the rest of the Justice Riders: Fabulous, but yet too perfect. I mean, they had minor flaws because Justice, as the leader, had to be the most perfect, but still. The Hawkins twins were epic, though.
All the emotions, y'all. There were . . . none? Okay, yeah, there was emotion. But I couldn't feel it. It was like it was more told than shown. Anger, yeah. Sadness, yeah. But it was basically only in the form of "we're gonna get so-and-so back for what he did" and "tears mingled with the river." Blood boiling, revenge, and a little crying.
One thing I did appreciate, though, was Nate's faith. It was there from the beginning and all the way to the end, and his faith in turn helped Ezra's grow. There was a good amount of praying, which I also appreciated, and I really appreciated the lack of language this book contained: zero.
So yeah. Kinda ridiculously hard to relate to the characters, but the plot was good and kept me reading, and I look forward to reading the next book!
Have you seen Walker, Texas Ranger?
This looks like a good one!
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