Red Star Outlaw | A Weird Space Western

Self-Published

Community Rating

Description

Outlaws flee off-planet, but justice hunts the wicked.

U.S. Marshal Tracy Irving must capture a murderer... on Mars.

But Mars has her own rules. And she don’t take kindly to no Terrans. ‘Specially no gunslinging lawmen.

Stranded with only revolvers, the marshal aims to brave the hostile red planet and capture the fugitive Roy without carnage, if possible.

But Roy holds sway over an entire Martian settlement. Is Roy's religious text a hoax, or is it the cusp of a terrifying reality, a threat that’s lain dormant on Mars for a millennia?

Will Roy ever stand trial, or will Tracy take the law in his own hands?

If you love gun-toting cyborgs, rumors of aliens, and robot stallions, then saddle up and lasso this weird space western today!

Mighty nice for fans ofThe Mandalorian,Dead Acre,Make Me No Grave,The Coilhunter Chronicles, and theSheriff Dukeseries.

Fiction Categories

-Sci-fi Western / Cattlepunk

-Weird Western

-Western Horror

Information

Status: Completed
Year: 2022
Author: finalFable

Royal Road Stats

Rating: 4.3/ 5.0
Followers: 63
Views: 38,736

Reviews

No reviews yet. Be the first to share your thoughts!

Community Reviews(4)

ClashByNightRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
This was a great read with unexpected twists. I came into this thinking the "weird" was just it being an alternate history story, like many others I've read, but no, I was pleasantly surprised with the Cthulhu magic stuff. The writing was very good, and this story hit all the right places in the best way possible.
Mckayla HebnerRoyal Road
★★★★★ 5.0
Truly worth the read, a great sci-fi western with a mystical twist. Well written characters and a well done conclusion. 10/10, and now I'm just filling in space till I hit the 50 word limit because rules are rules and they should apply fairly to everyone. Or else what's the point, sure I just wanted to give a glowing review, but some people might just wanna be nasty. So I'll just keep rambling till I hit the word limit and the amazing review is still the first thing you see. But seriously, this is a fun read if you like solid action adventure with a twist.
BubblepunkRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
This story was a nice discovery on Royal Road. It is written with profesional standards, follows a clear schedule and delivers a good plot alongside interesting characters. The setup is what any space western should be, classic Wild West shenanigans with a scifi tech. The formula is simple and made this story one of my favorite amongst the recent ongoing stories.
NotThisOneRoyal Road
★★★★★ 4.5
A very fun read, I finished this novella in two days and I've bought it on kindle to support the author.
The setting itself was exactly what you want from a western, with truly likable and human characters covered hard-edged exteriors built up by the grit they've had to endure. That said, the characters could do with a bit more sense to spread between themnselves since they can't seem to stop themselves from falling into every damned-fool trap put before them.
Which brings me to the plot, the plot is... Present and plain. You can see what is going to happed from a mile off, and that both builds and kills the tension. It kills the tension because you can clearly see what is going to happen as clearly as a veteran cop saying, "I'm a week from retirement." Making the reader distance themselves from characters, and builds tension because you really want to see those exact events pay off.
The latter of which only works because of the characters, they are fantastic. They don't stray very far from their archetypes, but in a novella they are executed to near perfection. They live and breath off of the page, at the very least I couldn't wait to see them go through their journeys and get their just desserts.
Which leads me to the ending:
The ending is the only real bad note in this novella that I can't let go of, it is disappointing since the main antagonist wasn't resolved. Despite the main antagonist being struck insensate he hasn't gotten his comeuppance, the justice for his many many crimes is left in limbo since the story ends while transporting him to the courts where his justice is to be served. Which is a very bitter note to end on in my opinion, it takes away from the earlier climax.
A note that could be excused if it fed into the overarching plot, but it does not. There is nothing after this novella, and I am disappointed that the villain didn't meet a hard enough end. Something that is one of the cornerstones of westerns.