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The Buntline Special

(Weird West Tales #1)

Mike Resnick

3.47 · Rating details · 1,230 ratings · 187 reviews

Welcome to a West like you've never seen before, where electric lights shine down on the streets of Tombstone, while horseless stagecoaches carry passengers to and fro, and where death is no obstacle to The Thing That Was Once Johnny Ringo. Think you know the story of the O.K. Corral? Think again, as five-time Hugo winner Mike Resnick takes on his first steampunk western t ...more

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Paperback, 320 pages

Published December 1st 2010 by Prometheus Books (first published January 1st 2010)

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3.47 ·

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· 1,230 ratings · 187 reviews

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Dec 02, 2010 Stephen rated it it was ok

Shelves: weird-west, 2006-2010, alternative-history, science-fantasy, punked, retellings-reimaginings-and-mashes

My expectations were erect and fully engorged going into this story. A steampunky Tombstone meets Terminator, complete with android sex machines, magic, zombies, and even a vampire…my inner nerd was swooning.

And then...well...Shit!!

Like getting doused with ice water, my happy quickly shrunk and went limp, which is a tough thing to adknowledge, espcially since Mike Resnick is one of my favorite storytellers. Yet, despite having all of the ingredients for a fun-loaded page turner, the book never ...more

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Aug 15, 2013 The Shayne-Train rated it really liked it

So, sometimes the Goodreads reviews from trusted reviewers can steer you away from time-wasting drivel. And other times, you take a chance and think: "Did they read a different fucking book? This was AWESOME!" This time is most definitely the latter.

You want Western? Oh it's dripping with it. Gunfights and faro layouts and cathouses and horse-rustlers and meticulously maintained facial hair and Indian medicine men and Federal marshals. Oh, and Doc fuckin' Holliday.

You want sci-fi? How about cybo ...more

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Feb 18, 2012 Neal Litherland rated it did not like it

The Buntline Special is one of the worst examples of either Steampunk or Weird West that I've ever come across. With characters/historical figures as rich as the Earps and Doc Holliday, you'd think this wouldn't be an issue... but from a pure lack of description of characters and the town, to the blandest shoot outs I've ever read, the Special falls flat on its face.

Additionally, The Buntline Special violates one of the key rules of alternative history; ignoring the ripple effect. Tombstone is a ...more

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Feb 28, 2011 Mike (the Paladin) rated it did not like it

I suppose read "sort-of" might be more appropriate. I just couldn't get into this book, so I skimmed through to see how he tied it up. If you can use that phrase.

This was a somewhat interesting idea with it's total (steam punk) rewrite of history and the gimmicks included. I have never found a steam punk novel I liked. I read a synopsis and think I ought to like a given book but in the end (so far) I never have. Part of me thinks that this might have worked better as a graphic novel. Oh well. So ...more

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Jul 16, 2010 Danielle The Book Huntress (Back to the Books) rated it really liked it

Recommends it for: Fans of steampunk westerns

Shelves: weird-west, steampunk, fantasy, owned-copy, alternate-history, famous-literary-historical-characte, funny-read, male-pov, 2011-reading, bbb-review

This one was a fun, rollicking read. I love westerns, and I think Resnick did great with this different view of the history of Tombstone involving the Earps, Doc Holiday, Bat Masterson, and the Cowboys. Recommended to western fans who like a little weird, steampunk fantasy vibe.

Full review to be posted on Bitten by Books website: http://bittenbybooks.com.

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May 11, 2012 Anna rated it did not like it

Shelves: steampunk, the-unfortunately-unrelished, science-fiction

When my boyfriend came to me( a horrified look on his face) and told me I had to read this book, I wasn’t aware that he was asking me to read it so I could be scarred for life.

To be frank, I can’t even find something good about this book that isn’t stretching the truth. It seems, despite how prolific Resnick is, he writes like Stephenie Meyer. That is to say, he writes but doesn’t seem to bother with things like improvement. Come to think of it, he doesn’t bother with things like creating a coh When my boyfriend came to me( a horrified look on his face) and told me I had to read this book, I wasn’t aware that he was asking me to read it so I could be scarred for life.

To be frank, I can’t even find something good about this book that isn’t stretching the truth. It seems, despite how prolific Resnick is, he writes like Stephenie Meyer. That is to say, he writes but doesn’t seem to bother with things like improvement. Come to think of it, he doesn’t bother with things like creating a coherent narrative, or anything else that you discuss if you participate in a basic fiction writing workshop.

Characterization was practically nil, which is made even more pathetic by the fact that Resnick was working with more than just pre-made characters—he was working with real people. Everything that happened to them was written as if it was no consequence. Even worse, Bat Masterson’s part in the story was completely useless. If you read the back of the book it seems to emphasize his part—as well as Johnny Ringo’s (who actually has something to do with the half-hearted and decidedly incoherent pseudo-plot). However, this is not the case. In fact, Bat’s part seems to be the sort of fluff that I was always taught to cut because editors don’t like it, and it only hurts the quality of your narrative. Obviously Resnick didn’t get that memo.

Speaking of characterization, I was also incredibly disappointed to find that Geronimo was portrayed as childish and, above all, two faced (as we see at the end of the book). Unfortunately, Resnick seems to think the stereotypical approach to Native Americans is in vogue for Weird West books. Unfortunately for him, he missed that memo, as well. Even the medicine man that helps Doc and the rest of the crew is not only the worst sort of two-dimensional, but just as stereotypical. I was half expecting to hear them throw around stiff ‘How’s and ‘You pale-face’ and other such nonsense.
Frankly, I’m glad this tree murder is a fast read—it’s not at all exciting, but the horrid writing makes it easy for your eyes to skip whole pages. I found myself having to go back and reread multiple times. However, it was all for naught, really, since I’d missed absolutely nothing. Not that any of it made sense.

That said, I would strongly warn any steampunk/weird west/etc. enthusiast away from this crime against literature. Go watch Brisco County, Jr. if you want something in the same basic genre, and you won’t feel like you’ve killed brain cells by the end of it. And don’t be like me and feel confident about it just because Goodreads suggested it—the site seems to go by genre rather than quality. This sorry excuse for a book has none of the latter. But, then again, what else could I have expected when the book advertised with a ridiculous amount of cleavage on the cover?
...more

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Feb 17, 2015 Eric rated it did not like it · review of another edition

Despite the fact that I had hard time putting it down, this book was awful. It was so awful, that I ended up rage reading it to see if it ever improved. It didn't.

The most egregious problem for me was the lack of characterization. This was especially true for the female and Native American characters in the book. Women could be dived into four categories: prostitutes, robot prostitutes, former prostitutes, and women who can't understand why their men like prostitutes. The depiction of Native Am ...more

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Aug 26, 2014 Harris rated it did not like it

Shelves: library-book, ebook, fantasy, usa, fiction

So, apparently, me and “steampunk” have really not been getting along that well. This novel is no different; a boring account of the Gunfight at the OK Corral spruced up with superfluous fantasy elements that have no real effect on the story in an alternate history setting that falls apart under the least scrutiny. Really pretty bad, it can’t even rise to the level of dumb fun. I don’t think I can think of anything that really worked, from the absurd premise to the ridiculous puns drawing on his So, apparently, me and “steampunk” have really not been getting along that well. This novel is no different; a boring account of the Gunfight at the OK Corral spruced up with superfluous fantasy elements that have no real effect on the story in an alternate history setting that falls apart under the least scrutiny. Really pretty bad, it can’t even rise to the level of dumb fun. I don’t think I can think of anything that really worked, from the absurd premise to the ridiculous puns drawing on historical figures names (i.e., the Bunt Line, (view spoiler)), and certainly not the boring story telling and lackluster writing.

The Buntline Special has a typically goofy, standard steampunk premise. It’s the Weird West and science and magic coexist in a gumbo of weird genre mashing and retells the old story of Tombstone (Arizona? “Tombstone Territory?” Who knows) with gatling pistols and werebats. However, these elements are mixed so poorly you might well break a tooth on all the contradictory elements. Why was Tombstone chosen as this hotbed of mad science by Edison and Ned Buntline (a two bit hack rather than a captain of industry as presented)- there is no reason. The familiar events of the OK Corral are clumsily shoehorned into this bizarre world of robot prostitutes, “Indian curses,” and zombies, along with historic figures far less interesting than their wikipedia entries, even if they have robot arms now.

The alternate history premise is so patently nonsensical and lazy, I could not suspend my belief for an instant, let alone an entire book. So, apparently, indigenous Americans can use magic and fought European invaders to stalemate, leaving them in control of all territory west of the Mississippi. Fair enough. However, the historical connotations of this major change are all but ignored and the setting, as presented, makes not a lick of sense; why, if capable of power strong enough to check “Manifest Destiny,” did they draw the line at the Mississippi River, what about the eastern peoples? Why was Tombstone founded in the same place with the same name with the same people in this wildly different world? How are things so practically similar in an America without, say, the Louisiana Purchase, the California Gold Rush, or the Missouri Compromise? The Civil War, Texas, and the “Mexican border” are casually referenced, leading me to think that the history is basically unchanged and that Mexico exists as normal, an absurd notion if the US could not expand past the Mississippi river. It’s almost as if the author himself forgets his own premise half of the time. Maybe I’m being picky,* but if the book fails to render any feeling other than bewilderment, something is lacking.

At the very least, atmosphere should be drawn in this iconic Western setting, but the writing is so unappealing and bland, it does not even manage that. Aside from all this set dressing, the familiar story brings nothing new in the telling. Finally, the frankly appalling treatment of women and minorities detract even further. In spite of possessing magical power sufficient to beat back the western powers, like turning into giant snakes or cursing people, the Apache are depicted as shiftless inscrutable primitives who apparently like to throw their lives away for no reason. The less said about the steam powered prostitutes, the better. Don’t bother. There’s got to be better.

*but it really does bug me! According to the book, the Mexican border is described as a few dozen miles south of Tombstone, as in real life- if the US has a treaty with the native tribes to stay east of the Mississippi, how could this border, which was created by the 1853 Gadsden Purchase, exist? Why would the US government purchase territory from Mexico in land that they apparently cannot occupy? Was there still a war with Mexico? Why? Were the Mexicans/the Spanish also kept from expanding north due to native magic? Why keep the same border? ...more

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Jan 23, 2011 Ranting Dragon rated it really liked it

Shelves: benni

http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-bunt...

The latest book by the prolific Mike Resnick is The Buntline Special, a standalone novel that gifts the events leading up to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral with a steampunk treatment. In this fantasy world—depictions of which are supplied by the talented illustrator, J. Seamas Gallagher—the United States cannot expand beyond the Mississippi River due to the magic-wielding Medicine Men of the Apache Indians, led by Geronimo. Thomas Edison, inventor extraor http://www.rantingdragon.com/the-bunt...

The latest book by the prolific Mike Resnick is The Buntline Special, a standalone novel that gifts the events leading up to the gunfight at the O.K. Corral with a steampunk treatment. In this fantasy world—depictions of which are supplied by the talented illustrator, J. Seamas Gallagher—the United States cannot expand beyond the Mississippi River due to the magic-wielding Medicine Men of the Apache Indians, led by Geronimo. Thomas Edison, inventor extraordinaire, is dispatched to Tombstone to discover scientific methods to counter the Indians’ magic, and Doc Holliday and the Wyatt Earp crew are tasked with protecting Edison.

Witty banter
Sparse with descriptions and overflowing with witty banter, The Buntline Special delivers dialogue to die for. When zombie Johnny Ringo observes that the consumptively ill Doc Holliday looked as if a strong wind might blow him away, Doc replies, “A strong wind might…But a dead gunslinger won’t.” Credit the dialogue for propelling the novel forward at such a spine-bending pace.

Historical figures reimagined
Though there may be little proof that the real Big Nose Kate ran a brothel, what’s a western without a kickass madam? For that matter, what’s a steampunk western without robot prostitutes and the gentlemen who love them? The whole Earp crew is present, as is the Clanton gang, not to mention Johnny Ringo, who has been brought back from the dead to make life difficult for our protagonist, Doc Holliday. And perhaps because Nikola Tesla has been done to death in steampunk fiction (or that Tesla’s only 25 years old in 1881), as mentioned above, Resnick chooses instead to feature the bright-eyed Edison, with mechanical arm enhancements, of course.

Then there’s batty Bat Masterson and the talented Ned Buntline, the manufacturer who realizes all of Edison’s funky ideas and crafts the titular Buntline Special that resolves the climactic gunfight. Even if you don’t already know these folks (or can’t be bothered to Google them), Resnick provides a handy appendix with short biographies of the real life counterparts.

Why should you read this book?
Do you love rollicking adventures? Appreciate the wry gunslinging attitude? If you don’t mind a book that reads like a movie script, The Buntline Special is vying for a space on your book shelf. ...more

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Dec 06, 2012 ᴥ Irena ᴥ rated it it was ok

Shelves: alternate-history, magic, paranormal, steampunk, vampires, wizards-mages-or-sorcerers, zombies, steampunk-wild-west

2.5 stars
A number of things I am interested in should have been enough for me to like this book. But it felt more like: Oh, we need vampires. Got it. What next? Zombies? Do we have zombies? No? Here you go. What about automatons? Ok, here take these whore automatons. And put some well-known names in the story as well. And another thing, even though I know it is an alternative reality I couldn't accept the idea of Thomas Edison as a good natured, well-meaning inventor only interested in his inve ...more

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Aug 03, 2013 Katina French rated it really liked it

I'm a little confused by so many poor reviews of this book. Not having read anything else by Mike Resnick, maybe there's a big disconnect between his style here and the rest of his work. Or possibly, fans of real Old West history were expecting something in a more solidly plausible alternate history vein, as opposed to this which is more pure steampunk Weird West fantasy.

I like a book that delivers what it promises, and The Buntline Special does. It's pretty much what would happen if they decid ...more

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May 05, 2016 Sadie Forsythe rated it it was ok

Ermahgerd, was that book ever dull. I mean boring to the boringth degree! The writing is fine, if stark, but simply nothing happens. It's all talk, talk, talk—let me describe these anachronistic inventions to you, invitations to drinks and meals, greetings, threats and 'I'm not afraid to die' or 'I'm already dying' quips—talk, talk, talk and very little actual doing, even less actual narrative and/or development. I suppose Resnick figured we all know who Earp, Holliday and Ringo are so no need t ...more

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Jan 09, 2012 Jacob Proffitt rated it it was ok

While I expect to find a lot of hand-waving in this kind of fantastical alternate history, this book simply had too many elements that required a suspension of any kind of common sense. Robotic whores, electronic tracking devices, electricity with no known source, bullet-proof brass, zombies, vampires, shamanistic magic... It's like Resnick threw darts at a list of elements from other fantastical-type books and hoped it'd appeal to lots of people as a result. Resnick is a talented author and the ...more

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Dec 24, 2017 David Schwan rated it really liked it

A steampuck retelling of the famous shootout at the O.K. Corral. Some parts of the story worked well and one seems somewhat contrived. The Bat Masterson story arc exploited a pun on his name yet as a character he was dissapointing.

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Dec 06, 2010 James Martinez rated it really liked it

So how do you breathe new life into a story that has been told as many times as the shootout at the Ok corral? Mr. Resnick does a great job by adding some steam punk style inventions by Thomas Edison that are built by Ned Buntline and you have a pretty good starting point. Add to that real Indian magic that has kept the white man at bay, an undead gunslinger and a Bat Masterson that actually turns into a giant bat and you have a very interesting retelling of a well traveled story. If you like we ...more

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Mar 04, 2011 Craig rated it really liked it

This is a funny, steam-punkish, alternate-history retelling of the gunfight at the OK corral with Thomas Alva Edison, Geronimo, magic, a vampire, and enough other stuff thrown in to fill the kitchen sink twice over. It's very cleverly executed; a really fun volume!

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Mar 02, 2016 Rachel rated it really liked it

really sweet. love the wild west meets steampunk.

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Jan 06, 2011 Emily rated it it was ok

Great dialog. However, I kept waiting for something to happen, and when it did, it was the end of the book. That was not what I expected.

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Jan 22, 2018 David Radspinner rated it did not like it

Shelves: own, steampunk

Had to abandon about half-way through. I typically hate not giving books a full go but this just could not keep me engaged enough. Perhaps this was a "young adult" book and no one told me. The premise was sound; fictional retelling of the wild west with the famous Tombstone cowboys but with a Steampunk twist. As an Arizona native, I'm very familiar with the story and thought I would love this. I did not. The store plays out much like a cartoon, with random characters assigned historical names an ...more

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Jun 08, 2018 melydia rated it really liked it

I'm not a huge fan of westerns, alternate history, or steampunk, but I am a huge fan of Mike Resnick so I decided to trust him. And I was not led astray. It's 1881 and Thomas Edison lives in Tombstone, Arizona, designing fantastic inventions for Ned Buntline to construct. The Earps are in town, and Bat Masterson and Doc Holliday and a bunch of other famous characters from the time period, plus cyborgs and zombies and vampires. Because why not. It's not really steampunk - it's all electricity, no ...more

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Sep 06, 2017 Benjamin Kahn rated it liked it · review of another edition

Shelves: steam-punk

It was a decent read. I liked the integration between the technology and the old west. I started to find Doc Halladay a little tiresome after awhile, and there was a little too much talk and not enough action. I understand that Resnick was following the course of historic events, but then you're basically just inserting technology into real incidents, and it becomes a little redundant. The armour and advanced guns had no real impact on the shootout at the OK Corral, so then what does it matter? ...more

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Jul 25, 2018 Racheal Paquette rated it really liked it

How did I not read this sooner?! The year is 1881 and in this Weird West Tale, the United States of America ends at the Mississippi river. Medicine men have prevented forward expansion and the government wants to change this. Enter Doc Holliday, Wyatt Earp, Bat Masterson, and Thomas Edison who make up a crazy cast of characters! The wild West gets weird in this book and I loved it! I also loved how Doc Holiday is the main character here! Can't wait for the next one!

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Dec 11, 2017 Gray Mouser rated it liked it

An agreeable read, but nothing more.

The book suffers from the constriction of replaying events in tombstone and the O.K. Corral shoot-out. In a completely invented setting, the liberties Resnick took with the historical characters would be just part of the alternate world background. Following the historical plot, the deviation from the historical characters and the steampunk science clash too much for me to enjoy the book completely.

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Apr 21, 2018 Maria rated it liked it

Shelves: gift, alternate-history, fantasy

Steampunk version of the Shoot out at the Okay Corral.

Why I started this book: Birthday gift from my brother, and since I was flying home this month I thought that I should read the book.

Why I finished it: I don't know that much about the Okay Corral and this is my second time reading Steampunk... that was both to my advantage as the other reviews attest. Popcorn fiction, turn off your brain and enjoy.

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Aug 20, 2017 Joel J rated it it was amazing

I really enjoyed this book. The blend of magic/steampunk /and the wild west was a refreshing change. The only thing that made me happier than reading this was finding out that there are 3 more books. This one was an adventure all its own and doesn't need to the others to be enjoyed. A well-imagined take on classic western history

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Nov 26, 2017 Donald Armfield rated it really liked it

Shelves: steampunk, zombies, western

I don't understand why all the bad review/ ratings this book is getting. I'm already jumping into the next of the series.

Resnick's version of Doc Holliday is a very funny character with snazzy lines that stand out as diss and sarcasm. All the genres hold on line with one another west, steampunk and zombie lore.
I guess I'm just a fan of Resnick and look forward to what's next.

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May 15, 2018 Kim Fitzpatrick rated it it was ok

This was my first adventure into weird west novels. I will be honest, I really didn't care for this one. The author had so many interesting individuals to work with from history and made it very anticlimactic. I don't think I'll finish the series.

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Dec 13, 2018 Julie rated it really liked it

Shelves: 2018

An alternate history where Edison lights up Tombstone with the help of Buntline's mechanical genius. A group of lawmen are called on to keep them alive in a conflict that ends up in a shootout near the ok corral.
This book was a lot of fun.

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Oct 20, 2018 Carmen rated it it was ok

Glad it was short.

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Jul 06, 2017 Michael Rhode rated it liked it

Shelves: own

Goofy steampunk fun. Don't expect much, and just enjoy the alternative OK Carrol.

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About Mike Resnick

Mike Resnick

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Michael "Mike" Diamond Resnick, better known by his published name Mike Resnick, is a popular and prolific American science fiction author. He is, according to Locus, the all-time leading award winner, living or dead, for short science fiction. He is the winner of five Hugos, a Nebula, and other major awards in the United States, France, Spain, Japan, Croatia and Poland. and has been short-listed ...more