[books 2015] Nunslinger
12. Nunslinger by Stark Holborn
I became aware of this as "Stark" was on a panel at BristolCon. It was originally published in novella-length instalments as ebooks, and I had to wait for the dead tree version. "Stark" is a local author so I went to one of the launch events.
It's the story of a nun, Sister Thomas Josephine, who starts off travelilng from her convent in St Louis in 1864 to Sacramento. Her wagon train is attacked by Indians, and things spiral from there with her eventually becoming wanted for 7 murders as she travels around the West and Mexico. There is lots of action and many, many cliffhangers.
Yes, it is wonderfully trashy, but there's a lot more to it than that. Sister Thomas Josephine's faith is tested repeatedly, and when given the chance to return to her nice safe convent she chooses to continue to roam the West in search of one man whose soul she has promised to save.
It's written in the first person and the author has not only nailed the voice, the keeps it up all the way through. While this does make the book more difficult to read than I anticipated, it makes for a much more vibrant and meaningful story.
Highly recommended.
I became aware of this as "Stark" was on a panel at BristolCon. It was originally published in novella-length instalments as ebooks, and I had to wait for the dead tree version. "Stark" is a local author so I went to one of the launch events.
It's the story of a nun, Sister Thomas Josephine, who starts off travelilng from her convent in St Louis in 1864 to Sacramento. Her wagon train is attacked by Indians, and things spiral from there with her eventually becoming wanted for 7 murders as she travels around the West and Mexico. There is lots of action and many, many cliffhangers.
Yes, it is wonderfully trashy, but there's a lot more to it than that. Sister Thomas Josephine's faith is tested repeatedly, and when given the chance to return to her nice safe convent she chooses to continue to roam the West in search of one man whose soul she has promised to save.
It's written in the first person and the author has not only nailed the voice, the keeps it up all the way through. While this does make the book more difficult to read than I anticipated, it makes for a much more vibrant and meaningful story.
Highly recommended.