Genre:
Western/Historical Fiction/Time Travel
Description:
“Travis
Merrill’s life isn’t going according to plan. He’s quit several
career paths, his wife has left him, and his only solace is
volunteering to portray a cavalry surgeon at historic Fort Verde in
Arizona, a place where time seems to stand still. When a weird trick
of time actually sends him back to the year 1877, he’s boxed into
impersonating the post surgeon for real. Unfortunately, he finds his
medical knowledge is no match for the primitive practices of the day,
and he’s forced to make life or death decisions, not always
successfully. He wonders if he will ever be able to return to his own
time, or if he might find a life—and a love—140 years in the
past.”
Author:
“Melissa
Bowersock is an eclectic author who writes in a variety of genres:
action/adventure, paranormal, biography, fantasy, romance, spiritual
and satire. She has been both traditionally and independently
published, and is a regular contributor to the superblog IndiesUnlimited. For more information, visit her website.”
Appraisal:
Finding
Travis is hard to nail down
genre-wise. The setting, in both time and place, fits for a Western.
But the story isn't what you'd expect (or at least what I would
expect) from that genre. It isn't a romance, although there is a
romance story line that is a major part of the tale. Is isn't science
fiction, but time travel is the premise that sets up the story. The
best way to view the book is probably as historical fiction with a
twist or two.
One of the
things that I like about historical fiction is considering the way
the world has changed in the interim. Comparing how the characters
react to the situations they encounter to current day norms.
Determining what those norms are and trying to conform to them in
order to fit in is one of the things our protagonist Travis does. Or
at least tries to do. It's tough enough for Travis to have to fake
being a surgeon, but working around the differences due to time
travel make it that much more difficult. This was an enjoyable
kickoff to this new series. I'm looking forward to seeing where it
goes from here.
Format/Typo
Issues:
No issues.
Rating:
***** Five Stars
Reviewed
by: BigAl
Approximate
word count: 65-70,000 words
3 comments:
Thanks so much! Glad you enjoyed it.
Loved this story! Nice review.
Thank you, Ms. Bowersock, for dropping in and commenting.
And you as well, Ms. Boris, we all appreciate the comments.
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