Black Jack Derringer Book 1: The Ace of Spades
By K.H. Koehler
Published by Skullvines Press
Reviewed by Ash Arceneaux
Buy now: (Do it!!)
Alice West is a rough, tough, survivor, and she means to stay that way, despite the post-apocalyptic world she lives in. She will survive, even if that means teaming up with a complete stranger who is just about as off-kilter as she is.
I don’t know much about this series—my fault, I was supposed to research and write an article about Ms. Koehler (still working on that!)—but I love it already. I’m a raging fan for post-apocalyptic literature, and this book is Mad Max meets Firefly, and then gets hooked on estrogen, and starts growing boobs. The world building is great. Koehler borrows from the classic post-apocalyptic tropes and archetypes and constructs a fascinating world of steam, sand, and wild-West-style action.
Koehler creates wild, complex characters that jump off the pages (or, computer screen, since I read the e-book). I loved Alice. She was tough and sharp, but she had her vulnerable moments that made her endearing. When she meets the unusual Mr. Treen, she has her sights set on a man to use. She assumes he’s an idiot, but very quickly realizes there probably aren’t many men smarter or more wily than he is. And to make matters worse, he won’t partner up with her.
It’s an awesome novella. If you’re looking for something different, buy it, or any of Ms. Koehler’s work. Her stories will suck you in pretty much from the get-go, and the great thing is they are mostly short enough to read quickly.
One thing that I notice about Ms. Koehler’s writing is she uses a lot of anime/manga stereotypes. There are remarkable similarities to certain characters ( I won’t name them, mostly because I can’t remember the exact titles, although if you’re an anime fan, you’ll know). Don’t misunderstand—you won’t be reading a Mary-Sue’ed fanfiction. There are just similarities. It’s more of a “Hey, this dude sounds like he looks like [insert name here].” Koehler’s books are a fantastic read, and her characterization is better than a lot of New York Times bestselling authors’.
Black Jack Derringer is just a fun, engrossing read all around. This one scores high on my list of favorites.
Rating: (4.5 out of 5):
