D. J. Butler (1)

With Crecheling, D.J. Butler defies YA genre stereotypes to create a dystopian future that is vibrant and dangerous, where characters act like real people, and where death and pain are real and unavoidable, even for his heroes. The result is a story that is gripping, characters that are sympathetic, and a plot that grows under momentum that increases until the last pages.

For the most part, I avoid reading young adult fiction, including those that might otherwise consider because they are in show more genres I might enjoy (i.e. science fiction or fantasy), especially in recent years when YA has exploded as a genre. It seems like I can't turn around without bumping into the last young adult dystopian/urban fantasy romance, complete with zombies, vampires, or oppressive Nazi types. Some are probably very good, but so many seem dripping with the angst that irritated me even when I was a young adult (or, as is probably a better label, a teenager) myself that I'm turned off by the characters. Because of that, I probably would never have picked out Butler's Crecheling except that I had already read his City of Saints (steam punk set in the old west) and his Rock Band Fights Evil: Hellhound on My Trail (urban fantasy, I think), and found myself thoroughly entertained. Still, it took a few months to pick it up.

It didn't take long to regret my delay. Crecheling starts of with a coming-of-age feel, with Dyan preparing to leave her childhood an accept a role in the utopian community that has raised her. There's hope, a romance, and a perfect society, and, to be honest, it seems like a decent place to live.

Except that it's nothing like what it seems, and as the pages turned, the stakes grow and Dyan's coming-of-age tale becomes something much more dangerous, more of a "will I survive?" tale that is more credible and more interesting. At its heart, Butler appears to examine the question that so many dystopian novels address in one way or another--can a perfect society be created without abusing the humanity of its members--but it's easy to forget that there's a moral question at play while his heroes are fighting to stay alive. No, it's not The Hunger Games, but rather something more subtle and credible than a spectator sport with life or death stakes. Yes, life or death is on the line, but in a way that can be believed, sans the faux romance (yes, there's still romance--we're talking about teens, here. It's just not so forced).

I ran into Butler at Salt Lake Comic Con this last month, and he says that he's working on a sequel to Crecheling (I think he said Urbane is the working title). Butler's writing never really gives you the whole picture, and you never really know more than the characters, which isn't much. But the effect is like a flashlight in a dark room--you see glimpses of a vast and detailed world, one that provides a setting, but never gets in the way of the story. Butler's proved himself in his previous novels, and I look forward to Urbane. show less

If there were a genre for a book that includes the Old West, an alternate American history, a rebel Mormon kingdom, a slave-free Confederacy, more than a bit of steam punk, fantasy, and an all star cast of historical-larger-than-life-and-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction characters, I don't know what it would be called, but City of the Saints by D.J. Butler has invented it.

And did I mention that it was explosive, fast, and action packed?

On the eve of the American Civil War, the Kingdom of show more Deseret is the destination for for diplomats, spies, and explorers, Pinkertons, criminals, and mountain men as agents of Queen Victoria, the United States, the Confederacy, and Mexico converge on Salt Lake City. War is imminent, and each is seeking an edge.

I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened City of the Saints. I met Dave Butler at Salt Lake Comic Con in 2013, and then ran into him again at Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE)earlier this year. The first time I met Butler, he had been on a panel discussing themes in Lord of the Rings. Then, at LTUE he started off a panel on folklore in modern fiction by informing the other panelists that he was in the mood for a good debate...which it was.

I couldn't help but like Butler's style, and I opened his book that night, not sure what to expect, but with promises from Butler that I would enjoy it.

And Butler did not oversell. From the first pages, City of the Saints is fast paced, with a swirling and full cast of colorful action figures. Pulling a whose who of the mid-nineteenth into the ranks of his characters, Butler cleverly saves himself time in character development by leveraging the very real lives of some of the most vibrant characters of the time. From Captain Richard Burton to Edgar Alan Poe, Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) to Porter Rockwell, Butler weaves in nods to American history, western lore, and Mormon heroes, villains and misfits, including Eliza R. Snow, John D. Lee, Brigham Young, and John Moses Browning, whose guns are among the most famous, even today.

This isn't to say that Butler doesn't develop his characters. In fact, Butler does very well building a large cast, multiple protagonists, streaming the plot lines together, and building on the relationships each has with others. For any novelist, its a feat. For a first time novelist, it's most impressive.

And despite the setting in the early Mormon west, this is not a "Mormon" book. Quite the contrary. Featuring swearing Irish, mad scientists, and an almost endless supply of thuggish Pinkertons, it's a mix that defies a simple description, niche, or market, but is well-written, engaging, and, surprisingly, self-published.

Yeah, I know. Self-published. I don't get it. Well written, a romp to read, and thoroughly and carefully conceived: I guarantee I'll be reading another Butler book soon. show less

I like accountants, yet we see them too little in books. As a stereotype, they're seen as observant, boring, numbers focused, and dependable. And they can figure things out. All of this plays beautifully into this SF setting.

Author Butler has created an expansive book universe with some intricate plotting and questions of just who is the villain or hero. The aliens are just that - alien, and I applaud an author who can make them something different and not humans in alien bodies. There are show more interesting family dynamics, mysteries to resolve, and more.

The pacing is good, though there are portions that unfold with a slowness and gravitas that take a while to embrace. The plot is twisty enough to keep me guessing, and the descriptive writing is fun to follow.

But I also applaud an author who can make an accountant a hero. show less

I have been known to use hyperbole. I have also been known to love two books with equal passion even when they have absolutely nothing in common, whether one be a time-tested classic (like, say, Anna Karenina) and the second all fun (think Larry Correia).

I use no hyperbole, then, when I say that [a:D.J. Butler|5422196|D.J. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1325445380p2/5422196.jpg] hits the sweet spot with his Rock Band Fights Evil series opener [b:Hellhound on My show more Trail|13349450|Hellhound on My Trail (Rock Band Fights Evil, #1)|D.J. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325370749s/13349450.jpg|18569717]. It may not withstand the test of time, but I'd pick it up over [b:Ulysses|338798|Ulysses|James Joyce|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1346161221s/338798.jpg|2368224] almost any a dry summer afternoon.

If there's one thing that delayed me from picking Hellhound up earlier than I did, it was the cover. But don't let the comic book-like art on the cover dissuade you. [b:Hellhound on My Trail|13349450|Hellhound on My Trail (Rock Band Fights Evil, #1)|D.J. Butler|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1325370749s/13349450.jpg|18569717] has more in common with the [b:Monster Hunter International|2570856|Monster Hunter International (MHI, #1)|Larry Correia|https://d.gr-assets.com/books/1266930931s/2570856.jpg|2581372] series: guns, monsters, and magic, and a rip roaring adventure more fun than a barrel of zombies...and maybe even including zombies, too, as well as demons, monsters, and any number of versions of evil and mythical creatures.

Don't be deceived, though. While Butler's Hellhound seems straightforward, it is anything but simpleminded. Rather, Butler seems bent on proving that fun can be intelligent. Whether you get that the title is riffing on Robert Johnson's blues classic or that the incarnation of the devil is a play on the Hebraic translation of Beelzebub or not, the book is a romp to enjoy.

And just because his lead character might be one beer from a DUI, it doesn't mean that the supporting cast can't be witty, intelligent, and articulate, either. This doesn't mean you should expect them to spout Shakespeare, but you can at least plan on laughs and no wasted dialogue.

One of my favorite exchanges happens between Eddie and Mike as they try to open a door. Eddie has been pulling all sorts of items out of his pockets, including duct tape.

"Man of action has to be prepared," Eddie sniffed.

"Maybe you should MacGyver open the door."

"You MacGyver open the door," Eddie chuckled. "I'm gonna MacGuyver me a little Baal Zavuv."

"I don't think MacGyver used guns."

Eddie's eye skewed sideways and then he gritted his teeth and blinked. "I don't think MacGuyver was ever on Hell's Ten Most Wanted list."

Delivered during snappy, non-stop action, the lines feel fluid and made me smile.

Then there's the narcoleptic "wizard" on the team, constantly dozing off in the midst of crucial moments of the fight. Butler writes him spouting cliches...but never to complete them. Rather than finish the cliche, the wizard breaks off half way through, once you've pegged which cliche it is, and finishes with "and so on" or "et cetera" or something like that.

"A stitch in nine, et cetera," he says. And because it becomes almost a verbal tick for the character, it adds to the color and character depth. I found it very clever.

If there's one thing that I would have liked to see more of, it's a bit more attention to detail on some of the details that seem to be lost in the rush of action. Mike, the protag, has a death wish and is on the verge of suicide, and has a pretty dark background. Which, of course, is part of the reason he makes a great addition to the band of the doomed fighting Hell. But Butler brushes past it so quick I almost missed it. Perhaps an updated and expanded draft would fill it in a bit more?

Hellhound on My Trail is short and fast, one long action scene, really. It's so fast, I almost read it in a single sitting, and would have if I didn't have work the next day. You can pick it up singly, in ebook, or in a collection with other installments in Rock Band Fights Evil in paper back. It's worth it. It's not Tolstoy, but if you like Correia, and I do, this is a fantastic read. show less