drey72's review against another edition
4.0
The Rise of Ransom City is my first Felix Gilman, and it’s a pretty nifty read. The story’s interesting — part autobiography, part alternative history, part adventure — all told from Harry’s point of view, and with a few sidebars to introduce or explain certain characters. We learn of Harry’s childhood days, and how his father incurs the debt with the Line that ruins him. We learn how Harry teaches himself Stuff, invents the Apparatus, and sets off to earn his fame and fortune.
We meet his traveling companions, and watch as they live the life of traveling salesmen shaking the dust from town to town, selling an idea so outrageous it gets them in trouble more often than not… After all, there’s a war going on, and ideas have no place in war time. Especially ideas based on machines built by Harry, that may or may not work.
There’s a witty dryness to Harry’s narration that I appreciated, and I loved how old-timey The Rise of Ransom City felt. This is one of those stories that could so easily have not worked, but it does. The world-building is excellent, and realistic. The Agents, the Linesmen, the war-weary townspeople, the Engines, and Harry — I could actually see them in my mind as I read Harry’s story autobiography. And Harry’s escapades are nothing if not entertaining.
The only thing I can nitpick on, is Ransom City itself. I wanted to know if it lived up to Harry’s dreams and expectations… My nitpicking notwithstanding, this should be on the pick-up list for steampunk fans who love the wild west!
drey’s rating: Excellent!
We meet his traveling companions, and watch as they live the life of traveling salesmen shaking the dust from town to town, selling an idea so outrageous it gets them in trouble more often than not… After all, there’s a war going on, and ideas have no place in war time. Especially ideas based on machines built by Harry, that may or may not work.
There’s a witty dryness to Harry’s narration that I appreciated, and I loved how old-timey The Rise of Ransom City felt. This is one of those stories that could so easily have not worked, but it does. The world-building is excellent, and realistic. The Agents, the Linesmen, the war-weary townspeople, the Engines, and Harry — I could actually see them in my mind as I read Harry’s story autobiography. And Harry’s escapades are nothing if not entertaining.
The only thing I can nitpick on, is Ransom City itself. I wanted to know if it lived up to Harry’s dreams and expectations… My nitpicking notwithstanding, this should be on the pick-up list for steampunk fans who love the wild west!
drey’s rating: Excellent!
beckylej's review
5.0
Harry Ransom has entrusted Elmer Merrial Carson in sharing his story. It arrived in pieces -- sometimes incomplete, prompting Carson to go to great lengths to track down the missing pages. But this is it, in Ransom's own words. He recounts his adventures and antics beginning with his childhood years, the Ransom Process and his travels to Jasper City, and his sometimes heroics. Ransom's biggest hope is that his name will be known.
THE RISE OF RANSOM CITY is a companion to Felix Gilman's THE HALF-MADE WORLD. In fact, fans of that first book will notice that Ransom crosses paths with Liv and Creedmore in the first part of his tale. No worries if you have yet to read HALF-MADE WORLD, RISE OF RANSOM CITY serves as a great intro to Gilman's created world.
It is a world in which two rival forces -- the Gun and the Line -- have been warring for quite some time. It is also a world that somewhat resembles ours at the end of the nineteenth century, but in Gilman's world there are the Folk and there's magic and, of course, the Gun and the Line.
Gilman's style and world building are quite amazing. THE RISE OF RANSOM CITY is funny and engaging and the story moves along at a swift pace, all of which makes this book quick and entertaining. I'd also bet that it leaves more readers than just myself begging for more of Gilman's (or Ransom's) world. Fortunately for myself, I've yet to read THE HALF-MADE WORLD, which means I get to return very soon!
Because this is Ransom's story, and it is told through Ransom's "writings," the glimpses of this world through Ransom's eyes are sometimes quite brief. It makes for an interesting perspective but it also leaves the reader wondering about quite a bit of the world's history and mythos. This, perhaps, is where reading THE HALF-MADE WORLD first would be a benefit. I prefer Gilman's method, however, in that while I personally would love to know more about the Gun and the Line and the Folk and such, there's no massive info dump to worry about. Instead, pieces of the world's mythos are gleaned through Ransom's story and I trust that I'll learn more through Gilman's other installments.
Fans of quirky fiction, fantasy, and/or steampunk (and likely weird westerns, too) are sure to enjoy THE RISE OF RANSOM CITY.
THE RISE OF RANSOM CITY is a companion to Felix Gilman's THE HALF-MADE WORLD. In fact, fans of that first book will notice that Ransom crosses paths with Liv and Creedmore in the first part of his tale. No worries if you have yet to read HALF-MADE WORLD, RISE OF RANSOM CITY serves as a great intro to Gilman's created world.
It is a world in which two rival forces -- the Gun and the Line -- have been warring for quite some time. It is also a world that somewhat resembles ours at the end of the nineteenth century, but in Gilman's world there are the Folk and there's magic and, of course, the Gun and the Line.
Gilman's style and world building are quite amazing. THE RISE OF RANSOM CITY is funny and engaging and the story moves along at a swift pace, all of which makes this book quick and entertaining. I'd also bet that it leaves more readers than just myself begging for more of Gilman's (or Ransom's) world. Fortunately for myself, I've yet to read THE HALF-MADE WORLD, which means I get to return very soon!
Because this is Ransom's story, and it is told through Ransom's "writings," the glimpses of this world through Ransom's eyes are sometimes quite brief. It makes for an interesting perspective but it also leaves the reader wondering about quite a bit of the world's history and mythos. This, perhaps, is where reading THE HALF-MADE WORLD first would be a benefit. I prefer Gilman's method, however, in that while I personally would love to know more about the Gun and the Line and the Folk and such, there's no massive info dump to worry about. Instead, pieces of the world's mythos are gleaned through Ransom's story and I trust that I'll learn more through Gilman's other installments.
Fans of quirky fiction, fantasy, and/or steampunk (and likely weird westerns, too) are sure to enjoy THE RISE OF RANSOM CITY.
brokebybooks's review
4.0
I won a copy through a giveaway on Layers of Thought.
I liked and enjoyed this one much more than the first book, Half-Made World. I wanted to pick it back up again as soon as I was forced to put it down and was fully engaged the whole way through. It took the best parts of Half-Made World and fixed everything else. It didn’t feel too long or that characters were dragging their feet throughout the tale. It wasn’t the same shit over and over.
It’s not a true sequel following Liv and Creedmore and I’m grateful for this. The only thing I missed from their tale is learning WTF they found. There’s enough of them to get the gist of their journey and it worked for me. I think I was burned out on their perspectives from Half-Made World. I wasn’t itching to catch up with them; I was happy with Ransom, but it was cool tying up their story as well. Well, most of it. Seeing bits and pieces with so much changes, makes me willing to give them another shot.
Ransom is such an interesting character and I love the way it’s told through his autobiography. Is he a reliable narrator? No more than most people (have you read about our memories and how our brain works?!?!) and that’s part of the fun.
The Gaslamp aspects are also more prominent since he’s an inventor and meets people like himself. [Spoiler] was a wonderful addition and I love how they just burst into the scene. What a kickass character.
The ending wraps up Ransom’s life so far and EMC’s journey getting it together. But it’s wonderfully open. Instead of loathing the lack of closure, I wouldn’t have it end any other way. It’s an adventure and I was wrapped up in the feeling of heading out and making your own place in the world.
I liked and enjoyed this one much more than the first book, Half-Made World. I wanted to pick it back up again as soon as I was forced to put it down and was fully engaged the whole way through. It took the best parts of Half-Made World and fixed everything else. It didn’t feel too long or that characters were dragging their feet throughout the tale. It wasn’t the same shit over and over.
It’s not a true sequel following Liv and Creedmore and I’m grateful for this. The only thing I missed from their tale is learning WTF they found. There’s enough of them to get the gist of their journey and it worked for me. I think I was burned out on their perspectives from Half-Made World. I wasn’t itching to catch up with them; I was happy with Ransom, but it was cool tying up their story as well. Well, most of it. Seeing bits and pieces with so much changes, makes me willing to give them another shot.
Ransom is such an interesting character and I love the way it’s told through his autobiography. Is he a reliable narrator? No more than most people (have you read about our memories and how our brain works?!?!) and that’s part of the fun.
The Gaslamp aspects are also more prominent since he’s an inventor and meets people like himself. [Spoiler] was a wonderful addition and I love how they just burst into the scene. What a kickass character.
The ending wraps up Ransom’s life so far and EMC’s journey getting it together. But it’s wonderfully open. Instead of loathing the lack of closure, I wouldn’t have it end any other way. It’s an adventure and I was wrapped up in the feeling of heading out and making your own place in the world.
docperschon's review
4.0
Fans of The Half-made World might find Ransom City's memoir-style off-putting, but I applaud Gilman for being adventurous enough to relate the second book in this fantasy-Western in a somewhat whimsical first-person perspective. Seeing both the characters and the world of Liv Alverhuysen and John Creedmore with fresh eyes was a welcome change. Too many series fail for a lack of innovation beyond "the story continues," but that is not the case with Ransom City. In addition to being a strong addition to the Half-made World series, the book is an excellent example of self-reflexive fiction, complete with a somewhat untrustworthy narrator, a frame narrative reminiscent of Cervantes, nested tales, and ruminations on the nature of reality and fiction, which makes Ransom City an excellent choice for steampunk scholars.
wealhtheow's review
3.0
In a world rather unlike this one, human settlers to a new continent found that as they went West, natural laws began to twist and transform. Two sides sprang up: the Agents of the Gun, who are larger than life, and unpredictable, and the Linesmen, who began creating train Engines to serve them and now serve the Engines. Although it's never stated outright, the Gun stands for individualism and chaos, the Line for industry, standardization and hierarchy. They battled throughout the western territories and Rim, destroying everything in their wake. This is the tale of Harry Ransom, as collected by former newspaperman Elmer Merrial Carson. Ransom is a self-made man, who invented a new form of energy creation called the Ransom Process. After trying unsuccessfully to sell it, Ransom is caught in a firefight with an Agent of the Gun and uses the Process to kill the Agent and destroy the town. From then on, he is a fugitive, sought by all sides of the wars.
This is mostly set after [b:The Half-Made World|8198773|The Half-Made World|Felix Gilman|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312035395s/8198773.jpg|13045676], with appearances by Dr. Liv Alverhuysen (former psychiatric patient turned psychiatrist) and John Creedmoor (former Agent of the Gun). Ransom is an engaging character, but his patter grows tiresome after a while, especially once it becomes clear that the plot will forever be a tangle, without particular villains or heroes, without goals or anything in the way of a climax. The book just sort of peters out. The world building is very interesting, a fantastical deconstruction of 19th century views, but the book was just too disorganized to engage me.
This is mostly set after [b:The Half-Made World|8198773|The Half-Made World|Felix Gilman|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1312035395s/8198773.jpg|13045676], with appearances by Dr. Liv Alverhuysen (former psychiatric patient turned psychiatrist) and John Creedmoor (former Agent of the Gun). Ransom is an engaging character, but his patter grows tiresome after a while, especially once it becomes clear that the plot will forever be a tangle, without particular villains or heroes, without goals or anything in the way of a climax. The book just sort of peters out. The world building is very interesting, a fantastical deconstruction of 19th century views, but the book was just too disorganized to engage me.
daneekasghost's review
3.0
The world is still great, I felt like the central conflict of the world (The Gun v. The Line v. The Folk?) took a back seat in this book and that I missed that driving force. It was a good entry in the series, and I would certainly read more stories set in this world.
antij's review
4.0
I'm kind of sorry that I don't have a better recollection of the first book because I feel like there would have been a lot of added enjoyment with the overlapping of the two narratives. You don't need to read both or probably read them in the order they were written to enjoy them. Both books could easily stand on their own, but they make oblique references to things that happen to each other that I wish remember more about. I'm not sure there could be another book after this, but I sort of wish there would be. Very enjoyable.
bentgaidin's review
5.0
'The Rise of Ransom City' is an surprising and excellent book. It's a sequel, but would read well as a stand-alone, and goes in a rather different direction than one might expect from the first book; I charmed again by the fast-talking protagonist of this story, a believer in progress and invention caught between two great Powers that would grind the world to dust in their fighting. While the first book sets one up to expect a desperate fight against these Powers, Harry Ransom would rather realize his dream of a free city, lit by his nigh-miraculous Process. But neither side allows for neutrality, and a miracle can only be a prize to be won... If you like weird westerns, thoughtful fantasy, or just charming rogues, this is definitely a book to read.
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