Dead Reckoning [Hardcover]

Mercedes Lackey (Author), Rosemary Edghill (Author)

Book Description

Release date: June 5, 2012

Jett is a girl disguised as a boy, living as a gambler in the old West as she searches for her long-lost brother. Honoria Gibbons is a smart, self-sufficient young woman who also happens to be a fabulous inventor. Both young women travel the prairie alone – until they are brought together by a zombie invasion! As Jett and Honoria investigate, they soon learn that these zombies aren’t rising from the dead of their own accord … but who would want an undead army? And why? This gunslinging, hair-raising, zombie western mashup is perfect for fans of Cowboys vs. Aliens and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.

Editorial Reviews

About the Author

ROSEMARY EDGHILL is the author and coauthor of numerous fantasy novels, including the Bedlam's Bard and Shadow Grail series with Mercedes Lackey.MERCEDES LACKEY is the author of over 100 fantasy novels, including the bestselling Valdemar series.mercedeslackey.com

Product Details

• Age Range: 12 and up
  
• Hardcover: 336 pages
• Publisher: Bloomsbury USA Childrens; 1 edition (June 5, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1599906848
• ISBN-13: 978-1599906843
• Product Dimensions: 5 x 1.2 x 7.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.8 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.3 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (18 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #787,211 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

If you are looking for books I wrote as ELUKI BES SHAHAR, go here: http://www.amazon.com/author/talitho

Comes now the bio!

There are two kinds of writers, I have come to decide. Type One, when asked about themselves and their life, chatter on as merrily as a grig in spring (whatever a grig is), with charming and amusing anecdotes of the writer's life and illuminating autobiographical details. Type Two stares at you like a deer in headlights.

I, Dear Readers, am a Type Two. If you encounter me in person, I will happily babble to you about whatever crosses my mind: canine evolution, the serial comma, the sociology of linguistic evolution, fashion as an index of economic confidence, the best way to use cavalry against infantry.

When filling out a form, or participating in an email interview...

Venison.

As you will see below, because that is my stock bio-blurb (you always have to provide one when you sell a short story to an anthology, as well as tendering it to any conferences you attend), I am really terrible at talking about myself. I have a Facebook Author's Page (which I never post to), and a Facebook Account (https://www.facebook.com/rosemary.edghill, on which I chatter away like a magpie). I even have a Dreamwidth Journal, wherein I am entirely forthcoming. Chatty. Opinionated. Even (dare I say it?) INTERESTING.

When faced with a page saying "please add a short biography"? Dear Readers, it would not matter if they were asking me to write my entire autobiography to the length of WAR AND PEACE. What they're going to get is Bambi.

Sorry....

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THE OFFICIAL NO LIE ROSEMARY EDGHILL BIOGRAPHY

Rosemary Edghill's first professional sales were to the black & white comics of the late 1970s, so she can truthfully state on her resume that she once killed vampires for a living. She has worked as an SF editor for a major New York publisher, as a freelance book designer, as a typesetter, as an illustrator, as an anthologist, and as a professional book reviewer.

She's the author of novels, novellas, and short stories in just about every genre except Westerns. She has written Regency Romances, historical novels, Space Opera, high fantasy, media tie-ins, and horror.

She has collaborated with authors such as Marion Zimmer Bradley, SF Grand Master Andre Norton, and Mercedes Lackey - MAD MAUDLIN, her third Bedlam's Bard collaboration, was a 2002 Voices of Youth Advocates (VOYA) selection as one of the best Horror and Fantasy novels of the year.

Her hobbies include sleep, research for forthcoming projects, and her Cavalier King Charles and English Toy Spaniels.
===========

For a look at my most recent interview, go here: http://shinybookreview.wordpress.com/2012/06/28/interview-rosemary-edghill/

I love to hear from readers and I can usually be found either at: http://rosemary-edghill.dreamwidth.org/ *or* http://www.facebook.com/rosemary.edghill

My home page has a lot of bibliography and links, and it's at:
http://www.sff.net/people/eluki

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

23 of 24 people found the following review helpful

3.0 out of 5 stars Dead Reckoning did not disappoint, but it didn't impress either June 5, 2012

By H. Frederick

Format:Kindle Edition

Jett has seen them--the walking dead. She was there the night they attacked Alsop, and only escaped with her life through the dedication of her faithful steed. When after fleeing she comes upon Gibbons and White Fox, who are both investigating mysterious disappearances, they are hard pressed to believe her tale. However, they'll learn soon enough that things are like good ol' Sherlock said and "when you have eliminated the impossible, whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth" (Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, The Sing of the Four).

Deep in the heart of Texas three young souls, each on their own mission, band together to battle (you guessed it) zombies. Jett Gallatin is a young woman passing as a man, gambler, and sharpshooter as she scours the west looking for her twin brother who disappeared at the end of the war. Honoria Gibbons is a headstrong woman with a scientific mind set out to investigate mysterious disturbances and whether or not they can be credited to the invisible air ships someone is attempting to sell her father. White Fox (who for some reason isn't even mentioned in the publisher's blurb, he is a main character, see him there on the cover behind Jett and much more visible than Gibbons?) is a white man raised by natives, working as a civilian scout for the US Army set out to investigate what has happened to a soldier's family.

Is anyone else extremely turned off when books are pitched as `perfect for fans of _________'? This almost always assures I won't pick up a book. I feel like I'm constantly thinking `oh, this is another dystopian that wants to be the next Hunger Games? No, thank you.' And Dead Reckoning fell into that pile for me when I read the lines "perfect for fans of Cowboys vs. Aliens and Pride & Prejudice & Zombies.", particularly since I have negative interest in either of those. But still, I haven't read any Mercedes Lackey yet this year, which is kind of a *gasp* moment for me since she's one of my all-time favorite authors and I read through the Queens Own and Mage Winds trilogies on a frequent loop. I'm not a huge fan of most of co-authored stuff, but I'd never read any of Lackey's non-fantasy work, and since girls dressed as boys is a surefire trigger for my book sense, I had to give Dead Reckoning a go.

Needless to say, Dead Reckoning did not disappoint, but it didn't impress either. The story of a zombie army being raised and controlled in the old west of Texas was interesting. I really liked that because Jett was from New Orleans she was familiar with the notions of hoodoo, and found the notion quite hair raising, but that Gibbons insisted on a more scientific base for the creatures' existence as well. A crazed cult leader gone over the edge, spoiling his ingenious mind with notions of grandeur made me just uncomfortable enough to be on the edge of my seat through portions of our story.

Each of our three main characters had an interesting foundation. Jett is a highborn lady of New Orleans whose family has been destroyed by the Yankees after they conquered the south in the Civil War. She refuses to believe her brother, Philip, is dead, and sets out to find him. Jett doesn't put on her masquerade because she despises girly things, in fact, she longs to return to the days of petticoats and luxury. Unfortunately, she knows that her disguise is the only thing that has kept her safe and alive in the west for the past two years. Gibbons is a scientific mind, raised by a father with such tunnel vision into his scholarly pursuits that he hardly noticed she was a girl. She is logical, intelligent, and bent on having an explanation for everything. She refuses to be belittled because she is a woman, and is at times the envy of Jett who lives in hiding. White Fox was raised from the time he was quite young by natives who took him in after his wagon train was destroyed and he was the only survivor. Part of me wished he would have just been a native himself, but part of me also loves this storyline. I was obsessed with Strawberry Girl by Lois Lenski and other stories of white children raised by native tribes as a child, so needless to say, I took a liking to White Fox.

Now, notice I said `good foundation' back there. On the surface, these characters and the story had a lot of potential, but in the end it all sort of fell flat for me. I constantly felt as if I was being told the story, rather than shown it, and it was neither strong enough in plot or character development to make up for a lack of the other. I just kept wishing for more depth. I wanted to feel the developing friendships between Gibbons, Jett, and White Fox, I wanted to care about their pasts and potential futures. I wanted to be afraid of the zombies, and feel chills across the back of my neck when the air got cold. But I didn't. In fact, Dead Reckoning did so little to quench my gore craving, I wasn't sure I cared if the things did destroy Texas.

The same lack of oomph goes to the whole steampunk element of this book. I'll be honest, I'm not really sure why it was there when it seemed unnecessary. Other than the brief mention of air ships (which as far as we know, did not actually exist), and Gibbon's auto, there wasn't really anything steampunk here. I'm not sure why a book can't be set in the Victorian time period, have scientifically minded characters, and not be an attempt at steampunk, when in fact this time period was full of scientific pursuits and progress. For example, I would have love to have seen more focus on the railroads or telegraph! I feel like steampunk writers need to go big or go home, and in this case it needed to be ramped up quite a bit. I did like that it was steampunk in the wild west, which was a fantastic and fresh idea, I just wasn't digging the application.

All things considered, Dead Reckoning was a quick read with a new take on some old tropes. There's no romance, smart and strong women, zombies, and a bit of a cult. If all these things appeal to you, I'd say it's worth a shot!

11 of 12 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars All the best stories end with nitroglycerine June 11, 2012

By Heidi Waterhouse

Format:Kindle Edition|Amazon Verified Purchase

Here is a test for whether you will like this book:
1) Are you a young woman under 16?
2) If you are over 16, did you like the Wild Wild West movie with Will Smith?
3) Do you know or care about anything in the post-civil war American West?

If you answered yes to the first two, carry on. This book should amuse you. If you answered yes to the third question, well, proceed with caution.

In this Reconstruction west, three very different people fetch up in a small town at the same time. Jett is a woman in disguise, on the hunt for her missing twin brother. For two years, she has ridden as a gunslinger and gambler. Gibbons is an archetypical slightly obsessed inventor who also happens to be a pretty girl traveling alone. And White Fox is a white man adopted as a child by a native tribe, and now making a living as an army scout.

They do not get killed by zombies at this point. Instead, they band together to try to figure out the causes behind the sudden plague of undead, and how to stop them. There are delightful twists and turns and the effective application of the scientific method.

If I had a complaint about this book, it's that it seems slight. I kept wanting a little more introspection about the zombies, but then that lack may be what keeps it from reading as pure horror.

I enjoyed Jett pining for her laces and crinolines after two years of gunbelts, and then realizing that they feel confining and worrisome to her after her freedom.

Read if: You want relatively fluffy non-horrifying zombies. You are craving a book where women have a lot of agency. You are like my son and don't want romance cluttering up your action stories.

Skip if: You're looking for the next FEED. You hated the Wild Wild West movie with Will Smith. You want historical detail.

(If you're looking for awesome Western detail and magic, go read Territory, by Emma Bull. If you want the horrifying implications of contagious zombie-osity, read Feed (Newsflesh, Book 1), by Mira Grant.)

2 of 2 people found the following review helpful

4.0 out of 5 stars Enjoyable, could use more depth... June 30, 2012

By Catherine F. Hendon

Format:Hardcover

I bought this using "another electronic reader" but wanted to review here. As soon as I was reading chapter 1, I realized this was a young adult book. Since I am so far away from that age group, I was bummed but remembered "The Hunger Games" was written for the same age group, I continued on.

The 'cons' of this book mainly revolve around the glossing over of what could be useful information, whether it be back story or character thoughts in the moment. At other times, no problem. Maybe the authors wanted to leave something for the next book. The wrap up page(s) was/were very abrupt. Kind of, ok, this story is done, good bye. Definitely wanted a better wrap up.

Never heard the term 'steampunk' before, but I'll be looking for more of it! I am still in love with "The Adventures of Brisco County, Jr." and this has that feel to it. Maybe they can include a "Brisco" like character in the next book?

The 'pros' of this book were, good pacing, interesting characters from diverse backgrounds, crazy smart guy with kool aid, and zombies! The biggest pro would be, yes, I will read the sequel if one shows up!!!!

I think the book is actually 3.5 stars but that is not an option.