The Rise of Ransom City (Half-Made World, #2)

by Felix Gilman

In The Half-Made World, Felix Gilman took readers deep into a world on the cusp of forging an identity. The Line, a cult of Industry, and the Gun, a mission of Chaos, were engaged in a war for dominance. The Line was winning city by city, enslaving the populations it conquered. A doctor of psychology, Liv Alverhuysen, was caught in the middle, unknowingly guarding a secret that both sides would do anything to have.

Now, in the amazing sequel Rise of Ransom City, Liv is lost on the edge of the world with Creedmor, an agent of the Gun, and the powerful Line will stop at nothing to find them. But Harry Ransom, half con man, half mad inventor, is setting the edge of the world aglow. Town by town he is building up a bankroll and leaving hope in his wake because one of his inventions is actually working. But his genius is not going unnoticed, and when he crosses paths with the two most wanted outlaws in the "unmade world," his stage becomes even larger and presents an opportunity more lucrative than any of his scams or inventions combined.

• ISBN10: 0765329409
• ISBN13: 9780765329400
• Publish Date: 27 November 2012
• Publish Status: Out of Stock
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Tor Books
• Format: Hardcover
• Pages: 368
• Language: English

Reviews

[layawaydragon]

I won a copy through a giveaway on Layers of Thought.

I liked and enjoyed this one much more than the first book, Half-Made World. I wanted to pick it back up again as soon as I was forced to put it down and was fully engaged the whole way through. It took the best parts of Half-Made World and fixed everything else. It didn’t feel too long or that characters were dragging their feet throughout the tale. It wasn’t the same shit over and over.

It’s not a true sequel following Liv and Creedmore and I’m grateful for this. The only thing I missed from their tale is learning WTF they found. There’s enough of them to get the gist of their journey and it worked for me. I think I was burned out on their perspectives from Half-Made World. I wasn’t itching to catch up with them; I was happy with Ransom, but it was cool tying up their story as well. Well, most of it. Seeing bits and pieces with so much changes, makes me willing to give them another shot.

Ransom is such an interesting character and I love the way it’s told through his autobiography. Is he a reliable narrator? No more than most people (have you read about our memories and how our brain works?!?!) and that’s part of the fun.

The Gaslamp aspects are also more prominent since he’s an inventor and meets people like himself. [Spoiler] was a wonderful addition and I love how they just burst into the scene. What a kickass character.

The ending wraps up Ransom’s life so far and EMC’s journey getting it together. But it’s wonderfully open. Instead of loathing the lack of closure, I wouldn’t have it end any other way. It’s an adventure and I was wrapped up in the feeling of heading out and making your own place in the world.