Gunslinger: The Dragon of Yellowstone

Despite a fun concept, Knight’s third novel set in his Mythic West (after Sharpshooter: The Tale of Billy the Kid and the Tennessee Raid) underwhelms with half-baked worldbuilding and superficial characterization. In an alternate 1878 in which humans and monsters coexist, 13-year-old Beth Armstrong has a life-changing encounter with Western legends Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane. The pair have come to Colorado to investigate the state’s corrupt governor, who’s been stealing money from the U.S. Army, but Calamity Jane also takes the time to teach Beth a few things about gun handling. When Jane is killed on her mission, her ghost revisits Beth and offers the teenager her revolver. Beth grows up to become an adept shot herself, deploying that skill against adversaries both human and otherwise. Eventually, she sets her sights on the dragon of the title, which arrived in the U.S. through a rift from the Norse world Jotunheim and which appears to be targeting a U.S. fort. Beth is a one-note action heroine who lacks interiority and there’s no genuine suspense about the outcomes of her battles, as victory is all but assured. Readers may enjoy the fast-paced fire fights, but the plot falls flat. (Apr.)