[.ca] The Ballad of Bill Badass and the Rose of Turkestan (ISBN 1587154854)

Wonderful!:
BALLAD is brilliant, as is its author, William Sanders. This book is a must-read for any fan of contemporary literature. A fascinating blend of SF/Fantasy, Horror and social commentary, BILLY takes you to places you'll love -- heights of which you've only dreamed, and depths of darkness in which you might fear to tread. But Sanders safely guides you through it all with the talent and imagination of a master storyteller. The book contains everything that makes life worthwhile: true love, heroism, motorcycles and monsters. Who could ask for anything more?

Really fine action fantasy with authentic colors:
This guy has a very solid feel for motorcycling, sex, love, trouble, fights, dirty politics, and (as far as I can tell) Native American spirituality - and his writing is superbly wry and witty. The fantasy monster itself is a little hokey, but just read around it - this author is one of the best discoveries I've run across.

Passionate and exciting contemporary fantasy:
Fortunate SF readers will have encountered William Sanders' earlier novels _Journey to Fusang_, a fine, funny-serious, alternate history about a North American colonized by the Chinese instead of the Europeans, and _The Wild Blue and the Grey_, another alternate history about Indians from an independent state as pilots in World War I. Even more fortunate folk may have encountered some of Sanders' other work, published in a variety of categories. Sanders has recently returned to writing SF, mostly in shorter forms. He has published such excellent stories as "Elvis Bearpaw's Luck", "The Undiscovered" (which was nominated for both the Nebula and the Hugo), and "Jennifer, Just Before Midnight". He has also published a new SF/Fantasy novel, _The Ballad of Billy Badass and the Rose of Turkestan_. Even more recently he has published a fine mystery, _Smoke_, and an excellent science fiction novel, _J._ -- both are very well worth finding. This is a very fine contemporary fantasy, with an exciting story in the forefront, as well an involving love story, plenty of humor, and even a message. The message doesn't get in the way of the story: instead, the story supports the message, and the message is a passionately presented and definitely worth hearing. The title characters are Billy Badwater, a Cherokee and a Gulf War veteran, and Janna Turonova, a doctor from Kazakhstan. Janna is in the US partly to alert people to the terrible environmental damage done in Kazakhstan by Soviet nuclear testing and toxic waste. Billy meets her at a powwow, and they fall in love. Soon Billy finds himself chasing this woman across the western U. S., and on a reservation in Nevada he finds evidence that much as the Soviets used the Asian people's land as dumping grounds and testing grounds, the U. S. has used Native American land in the same way. The fantasy element arises from a monster that is called forth by the toxic waste in Nevada. Billy, aided by Janna and some other friends, especially his dead Grandfather, is pushed to use Indian magic in battle against the monster. The story is exciting and involving throughout, and the love story is convincing and sexy.

Boy Howa!:
This gem of a genre-bending book defies catagorization. It's grand! There really is a Ballad of Billy in this book, and it goes like this: "Billy Badass was a warrior From Oklahoma way A hero of his nation Who had wore the Green Beret. He met the purtiest lady She was from a fur-off land And Billy Badass fell in love With the Rose of Turkestan" Jerry Dwayne, of Jerry Dwayne Austin and the Piss-Cutters House Band of "The Last Church of Naked City, Losers Welcome" Las Vegas, Nevada. Billy Badass is our hero's nickname. His enrollment card in the Cherokee Nation of Oklahoma states his name as William E. Badwater. And the Rose of Turkestan is Janna Turanova , of Kazakhstan, part of the former Soviet Union. A bunch of yonegs have been messin' with stuff they don't understand, causing all manner of real radioactive nightmares out in the Nevada desert. And Billy and the Rose become embroiled in the imbroglio. Notwithstanding the impending destruction of the planet, Sanders and his characters maintain a sense of humour. There are dealings with a minor bureaucrat in the INS, threatening mean and nasty things regarding Janna's VISA (the immigration status - not the Credit Card.) Bureaucrat says: "We don't just hand out the Green Card to everyone who asks. There are criteria to be met, guidelines to be followed - do you have any idea how many people want to come to America to live?" To which Billy responds "Some of us already ran into that problem." And regarding the flawed, lone law enforcement officer on the Bucktail Springs Reservation: "Leonard isn't exactly your Tony Hillerman breed of Indian cop." And this isn't exactly a typical Science Fiction/Fantasy/Horror/ Mystery/Action/Romance. It's a uniquely delightful brew!

A Cult Success That Deserves To Be Much More!:
At this moment there is no rhyme or reason to American publishing, no way of telling where the good and vital books are going to be appear. In a way that's frustrating. In another it's exciting. It makes it possible to have the sense of discovery that you get picking up and reading something like THE BALLAD OF BILLY BADASS AND THE ROSE OF TURKESTAN. It's a thriller and a love story. It utilizes Indian lore and science fiction. Set on Southwestern Reservations and in the seedier side of Las Vegas, BALLAD gives a chilling glimpse into the third world country that exists inside this nation. It's cult success is just about guaranteed. It deserves much more than that.