Customer Reviews

Scryer's Gulch: Magic in the Wild, Wild West - Episodes 1-10 Annabelle Arrives

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Scryer's Gulch is still an excellent romp through an alternate history version of the Wild West, tinged with magic, more than a hint of steam punk sensibility, and superb writing. The first chapbook here is a fantastic introduction to the story that reads quickly and captures the audience almost immediately. The occasionally present narrator is a hoot in and of himself, and the characters within the frame of the novel feel true-to-life even as they encounter impossible scenarios. Give it a try; you won't regret you did!

Scryer's Gulch is a western/fantasy/steampunk novel written and distributed by independent author, MeiLlin Miranda. I don't know if that is a genre she and/or I just made up or not. Knowing that there is currently a movie out called Cowboys and Aliens, I doubt it, but before Scryer's Gulch, I had never run across anything like it.
So far, I have only read the first installment of 10 "episodes" and so far there are no aliens, but there is plenty of magic, an enchanted cat/demon and a pretty unique plot device in the form of hermatauxtite.
There have been several good reviews of Scryer's Gulch already so I wanted to talk about what's wrong with the book(s). While I am finding them an enjoyable read, I also find them fairly slow. I believe they were initially serialized, with one episode at a time being published to MeiLin's website, which might account for the pacing of the story. While the ending of each chapter is not as torturous as, say, Dan Brown, it is slow going for my taste.
I am also finding the character development a bit spotty. While the main character, Annabell Duniway, is well drawn, if a bit cliché, the male characters all sort of run together in my mind. I also find the names of the male characters too much alike to assist in keeping them all straight. It doesn't help that there are so many men to so few women, but I guess that's probably true for the time period, also.
I did find the story entertaining and I imagine in the serialized form it flowed better. The magic is entertaining, even though, at this point, some of it seems a bit superfluous. The narrator in the future is intriguing, but it seems that could be a way to speed the plot up a bit.
All in all, I think it's worth a read, for the clever word play and uniqueness of plot, if nothing else. Also, check out Miranda's other work, as I find most of her writing quite good.

Who's tainting the ore in Scryer's Gulch? That's just what treasury agent Annabelle is sent to find out, and winds up knee deep in mystery and intrigue in this tiny western town. There are demons, ghosts, backstabbing and betrayal. It's the only soap opera that's been able to keep my attention. Buy This Book!

These first ten episodes will get you completely hooked on the fantasy world of Scryer's Gulch and the fascinating, funny characters who inhabit it. And when you're dying for the next bit, you can read it at [...] !

Set in an 1850's mineing town, an odd ore is mined that gives magical powers to every day things. Gulch is a very well written story with plenty mystery and intrigue.

Who ever heard of a wererabbit? But seriously, this is a well-written, fully developed, entertaining nonsense that manages to hook your attention. Set in a wild west diaspora where magic relies on possession of a particular mineral, and what happens when that mineral becomes 'tainted'. A demon familiar in the form of a cat might seem cliched, but it bolsters some aspects of the story line, and he doesn't necessarily stay that shape...nor is he the only demon familiar in town. I can't wait to keep reading as the further episodes are released...