TWO-GUN WITCH

O’Connell offers a 19th-century Western set in a fantasy realm.

The American Civil War is over, but in this novel’s version of history, elven clans fought alongside Native Americans, and dwarves sided with the Union. The elves and Indigenous people lost, and most were killed or pushed onto reservations. Talen, an elf who survived, is the last of her clan, now working as a bounty hunter for the Magistrate by hunting humans who’ve been “stained,” or corrupted by dark magic. She’s a dual caster, more often called a “two-gun witch,” able to brandish magic-based guns called “spell irons” with both her hands (most casters can only use their right) as well as cast appearance-changing “glamours” and other basic spells. When her latest bounty case, a young, disabled, mixed-race woman named Margaret Jameson, turns out not to be stained, Talen begins to unravel a broader conspiracy to wield dark magic against innocents. Talen and Margaret become friends and soon join Talen’s formerly enslaved old flame, Wilfred, who crafts magical weapons. The three travel across the United States, facing bigotry involving race, species, gender, and ability. And although Talen wields her spell irons better than anyone, she remains plagued by the trauma of war. The premise makes for a compelling allegory of racism and the ugliest aspects of American history. However, the ending and the revelations of the villain feel thin after all the narrative buildup. The meat of the story is Talen’s journey to regain her empathy and hope after a yearslong period of nihilism, and her thoughts absolutely sear with self-flagellation; by the end, which leaves room for a sequel, she sees a way to forgive herself: “She stood at a crossroad, several paths before her. Each pulled at her heart, her mind, her soul or all three.”

A cinematic, fantastical adventure rooted in a complex protagonist’s fight for her soul.