Silver on the Road (The Devil's West #1) (Paperback)
By Laura Anne Gilman
(GENERAL -)
Hailed by RT Book Reviews as "fresh and original…stark and lovely," a heroic fantasy by an award-winning author about a young woman who is trained in the art of the sinister hand of magic. A Locus Magazine Bestseller.
Isobel, upon her sixteenth birthday, makes the choice to work for the Boss called the Devil by some, in his territory west of the Mississippi. But this is not the devil you know. This is a being who deals fairly with immense—but not unlimited—power, who offers opportunities to people who want to make a deal, and they always get what they deserve. But his land is a wild west that needs a human touch, and that's where Izzy comes in. Inadvertently trained by him to see the clues in and manipulations of human desire, Izzy is raised to be his left hand and travel circuit through the territory helping those in need. As we all know, where there is magic there is chaos…and death.
Laura Anne Gilman is the author of the Locus bestsellers Silver on the Road and The Cold Eye, the popular Cosa Nostradamus books (the Retrievers and Paranormal Scene Investigations urban fantasy series), the Nebula award-nominated The Vineart War trilogy. Her first story collection is Dragon Virus, and she continues to write and sell short fiction in a variety of genres. Follow her at @LAGilman or LauraAnneGilman.net.
A Publishers Weekly SF, Fantasy, & Horror Top Ten Pick for Fall 2015
A Locus Hardcover Bestseller, January 2016!
— Locus Magazine Bestsellers
"Reading Silver on the Road is not like falling into some new and unfamiliar world. It's more like a true American myth being found."
— - NPR Books
"Silver on the Road takes an underused setting for fantasy—the American West—and uses it to explore coming of age, the limits of power and responsibility, and the importance of mingling compassion and justice. It's fresh and original and the language is both stark and lovely. The descriptions of the natural landscape of the West fit beautifully with descriptions of talking animals, travelling magicians and terrifying supernatural forces." - 4 ½ stars
— RT Book review
"Silver on the Road feels like a story you've always known, but never read; the kind of haunting, perfect myth that draws together magic, the Old West, saints and sinners and innocents into a brilliant blend that's simultaneously startling and familiar."
— - Rachel Caine, NYT bestselling author of the Weather Warden and Morganville Vampire series
Silver on the Road marks a major landmark in the burgeoning subgenre of Weird West Fantasy, and in my opinion the best novel, on all fronts, that Laura Anne Gilman has written to date. Anyone vaguely interested in her work, or in Weird Westerns, should take the coin of the Devil and ride the road with Isobel and Gabriel to find out what's in the Devil's West. Isobel's journey begins here and while the novel ends on a strong note, it is clear that she has miles to ride on the Road yet. I can't wait for the sequel.
— SF Signal
Publisher: Gallery / Saga Press
Series: The Devil's West
Fiction / Fantasy / Historical
Fiction / Fantasy / Dark Fantasy
Kobo eBook (October 5th, 2015): $7.99
Hardcover (October 6th, 2015): $26.99