Karen S. (MKSbooklady) reviewed Spirit of Steamboat (Walt Longmire, Bk 9.1) on + 983 more book reviews
A very sweet (for the lack of a better word) Longmire story. WWII airplane aficionados will probably enjoy this a lot. Longmire, Lucian and a few others going together to save a young girls life on Christmas Eve, 1988. A quick read. I was disappointed that my favorite character, Henry was not in this, but it's still a good story. A quick read.
Frank H. (perryfran) reviewed Spirit of Steamboat (Walt Longmire, Bk 9.1) on + 1221 more book reviews
I really enjoyed this short novella from Johnson. It tells the story of a very harrowing trip that happened back on Christmas Eve 1988 on an old WWII B-25 bomber named Steamboat. The story starts out with an unexpected visit to the Absaroka County, Wyoming Sheriff's office from a young woman looking for Lucian Connally, the ex-sheriff. Walt Longmire seemed to know this young lady but couldn't place her until she mentioned Steamboat. This brought back to his memory the fateful trip from 1988. A young girl had been severely burned in a traffic accident. Her parents were killed and her grandmother accompanied her on an emergency helicopter flight to Durant but she had to get to Denver ASAP or she would die. However, a blizzard was happening on that Christmas Eve and the helicopter could not go on. But there was an old B-25 bomber in the hangar at Durant that had been converted to fight forest fires. Could anyone there fly it? Longmire knew that Lucian had flown these aircraft during WWII so he was drafted to make this emergency flight in the blizzard, in this old aircraft on its last legs, and with only one leg. Could they make it in time to save the young girl and would she survive the flight?
This short novel was filled with action and told some of the backstory of both Walt and Lucian. It is really a good addition to the Longmire saga and anyone reading that series should definitely include this as part of the Longmire cannon. High overall recommendation.
This short novel was filled with action and told some of the backstory of both Walt and Lucian. It is really a good addition to the Longmire saga and anyone reading that series should definitely include this as part of the Longmire cannon. High overall recommendation.
Andrew K. (kuligowskiandrewt) -
Ive been a fan of Craig Johnsons Longmire series of novels long before they were adapted for television. Craig has created a world with interesting people, intermingling in a modern-day version of what still feels like The Old West. However, my previous experience with Longmires Wyoming has been through full-length whodunit novels. I wondered how well this would adapt to the shorter novella.
I shouldnt have worried. Craig Johnson made sure that his novella, Spirit of Steamboat, differentiated itself from his other Longmire works by more than just length. The author first realizes that he must eliminate subplots except for the overriding one of how does this flashback tie into present-day events. Then, Mr. Johnson changes formulas from his usual work, moving from a procedural murder mystery to a thriller for the purposes of this book. What he does NOT change is his fine sense of characterization, pacing, and the ability to place the reader into any scene with a description that neither skimps on words nor gets overly detailed.
The book is set during the Christmas season I encourage the reader to grab a copy, and put it aside until December. Then, set aside enough time to plow through approximately 150 pages in a sitting, because you will not want to put this one down in the middle.
RATING: 5 stars.
DISCLOSURE: I received this book free of charge from the publisher without obligation, although I'm sure that a fair and unbiased review would be appreciated.
I shouldnt have worried. Craig Johnson made sure that his novella, Spirit of Steamboat, differentiated itself from his other Longmire works by more than just length. The author first realizes that he must eliminate subplots except for the overriding one of how does this flashback tie into present-day events. Then, Mr. Johnson changes formulas from his usual work, moving from a procedural murder mystery to a thriller for the purposes of this book. What he does NOT change is his fine sense of characterization, pacing, and the ability to place the reader into any scene with a description that neither skimps on words nor gets overly detailed.
The book is set during the Christmas season I encourage the reader to grab a copy, and put it aside until December. Then, set aside enough time to plow through approximately 150 pages in a sitting, because you will not want to put this one down in the middle.
RATING: 5 stars.
DISCLOSURE: I received this book free of charge from the publisher without obligation, although I'm sure that a fair and unbiased review would be appreciated.
