Publishing loves to sort things into genres because it makes marketing easier. The reality is that books cross genre lines all the time, and trying to pigeon hole stories into categories is reductive, no matter how necessary. What matters is the quality of what’s between the covers. Genre categories also tend to train readers for what to expect. Fantasy is elves, dwarves, swords, castles, and magic. Science fiction is space, lasers, technology, and aliens. Horror is monsters, blood, and terror. Westerns are cowboys, horses, and lawlessness. But what happens if you combine all of these? You get the Weird West. In Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger, K.C. Grifant does just that.
Disclaimer: The author provided a copy of this book in exchange for an honest review. Any and all opinions that follow are mine alone.
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TL;DR
Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger by K.C. Grifant is a fun, fast-paced, action-packed adventure in the Weird West. Melinda’s got to save a friend’s soul, literally, and this adventure takes her to the Edge of her world. Recommended.
From the Publisher
Review: Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger by K.C. Grifant
Melinda and her partner, Lance, are finishing up a job clearing out horse sized insects for a small mining town. It’s a job that pays enough for them to retire upon completion. But before they leave for home, Melinda’s curiosity gets the better of her. She’s sees something in the mouth of the mine and needs to know what it is. Eventually she finds a stone that interacts with one of her devices, and she decides to take it home with her. As she pries it out of the wall of the cave, she experiences vertigo and numbness, always good signs for readers, bad for heroes. She and Lance ride back to the town of Five Peaks flush with cash and plans to settle down. After all, Lance is more than Melinda’s business partner. They return to Melinda’s Aunt Beatrice’s place for chili. Abel, the maker of Melinda’s more potent weapons, is also invited along for chili. During lunch, cat-sized spiders attack the four while Melinda is paralyzed at the sight of a red cloud. The spiders eventually succeed in attacking Abel; they drain his soul and flee. This doesn’t kill Abel yet, but his physical body is deteriorating. Melinda and Lance give chase in order to free Abel’s soul. Their quest to save their friend takes them to the edge of the world and beyond.
Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger is a third person, Weird West novel told from Melinda’s perspective. The novel is short, action packed, quickly paced, and quite entertaining. Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger had video game feel to it. The narrative is linear with Melinda fighting bigger baddies all the way through till the end. Grifant peppers in creative world building while fleshing out Melinda’s character.
Weird West
Weird West, to me, is a sub-genre of either fantasy or horror, depending on how the author approaches the story. However, the sub-genre borrows from both as much as it borrows from the Western. I think Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger lies more on the fantasy side with horror elements splashed in. Melinda’s story is more about the journey than how the journey breaks her down. The horror elements do mean that Melinda confronts her more baser self – the monster hunter that she truly is – but the fantasy elements see her use those confrontations to evolve into a more heroic figure. Grifant found an excellent balance with these elements for this story.
In my reading, I haven’t encountered the Weird West sub-genre very often. The first time would be The Gunslinger from Stephen King, which I loved. Other than his Dark Tower series, I can’t think of any other Weird West that I’ve read. Melinda West: Monster Hunter reminded me of the Dark Tower series because it is a fantastic journey with horror elements to boost the heroic elements. Like in the The Gunslinger, this is a short book. My copy had 260 pages, which is close to The Gunslinger’s 231. Like Roland’s journey, Melinda’s is highly internal and focused more on her. Both Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger and The Gunslinger have a cast of characters; yet, both books really only develop the main character. The short length doesn’t have room to explore in depth the other characters; however, Grifant does hint at interesting pasts. The characters are distinguishable; they don’t blend into one another. We just don’t know much about them other than the immediate. Hopefully, future installments will explore more of the people in Melinda’s life. They’re interesting and worth exploring.
Short But Satisfying
As I said, this is a short book, but it lacks nothing. Grifant balances action, Melinda’s character development, plot, and world building to make for a satisfying read. I’m a slow reader, but I flew through this book. I’m sure a fast reader could finish in a day or two. I prefer large books; so, of course, I wish there was more here to revel in. I think Grifant’s hints about the larger world are worth exploring, and hopefully other readers do as well. I’d like to learn more about the edge and the weird-o’s that live there. I’d love to learn about the urban areas, about the magic, and about the various other peoples. For me, a book that leaves me thinking about its world is a good book. If I’m stuck thinking about plot, it’s not as satisfying. K.C. Grifant left me wanting more.
Conclusion
K.C. Grifant’s Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger was surprising, fun, and a great re-introduction to the Weird West. Grifant built a world full of possibilities for stories. Hopefully, she gets to tell them because if Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger is any indication, Melinda’s world demands exploration. Recommended.
Melinda West: Monster Gunslinger by K.C. Grifant is available from Brigids Gate Press on February 2nd, 2023.
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