
A good old-fashion shoot-out in the American West of the frontier days serves as the springboard for this hyperkinetic adventure in which gunslingers, led by Kim Carson, fight for galactic freedom. The Place of Dead Roads is the second novel in the trilogy with Cities of the Red Night and The Western Lands.
A high-stakes conflict erupts across the American frontier as gunslingers engage in a battle for galactic liberation. Kim Carson leads a band of outlaws against oppressive forces in a narrative that blends traditional Western tropes with surrealist science fiction. The protagonist seeks to dismantle established power structures through violent confrontation and ideological subversion. The world operates under shifting physical laws where the boundary between the historical West and interstellar space remains fluid. The narrative framework utilizes non-linear progression and fragmented perspectives to mirror the chaotic nature of the conflict.
Discussion often centers on the author's aggressive subversion of genre expectations and the dense, hallucinatory quality of the prose. Readers frequently highlight the challenging nature of the non-linear structure, which demands active engagement to track the shifting realities of the narrative. Critics often examine the thematic links between the frontier setting and the broader critique of control systems present throughout the trilogy. The work is noted for its stylistic intensity and its refusal to adhere to conventional storytelling mechanics, making it a polarizing entry for those accustomed to traditional Western narratives.
Page Count:
0
Publication Date:
1985-09-01
Publisher:
Henry Holt & Company
ISBN-10:
0030036844
ISBN-13:
9780030036842
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