Frontier Earth by Bruce Boxleitner
Publisher: Ace Fiction, November 1999

A review by Alison Weinstock

"In Tombstone, 1881, there's many a person without a past. A man's business is his own, and folks don't ask a lot of questions. But Macklin is a man with no memory -- and what he doesn't remember could kill him. For he is not of this world..."

So begins the blurb on the inside front cover of this science fiction novel set in the American west. Macklin, the hero, finds himself in Tombstone, Arizona, just as the Clantons and the Earps are circling toward their confrontation at the O.K. Corral. What he doesn't know is that predatory aliens, the Kra'agh Hunters, are tracking him, to ensure their plan to turn planet Earth into their species' private game preserve.

These are particularly nasty aliens, placed in a setting which is particularly familiar to us all. It's a nice juxtaposition. I've loved both westerns and sf since I was a kid, so having the genres blend like this was, for me, a treat. Mr. Boxleitner has said he did research in Tombstone, and it shows. There is lots of historical and social detail here. He has also created an alien species with a Hunter culture which I found very interesting -- though there were aspects of these creatures which I'd consider closer to the horror genre. Maybe I'm a wimp, but some gruesome things were suggested rather effectively which I'd rather not think about.

Mr. Boxleitner has repeatedly said that he co-wrote this book with Ed Gorman, a prolific writer of westerns and mysteries, and editor of story collections. The "uncorrected proof" review copy I have credits only Mr. Boxleitner as author, but I'll take Mr. B. at his word. I've read books by Mr. Gorman, and I've heard Mr. Boxleitner speak, and it seems to me I hear both 'voices' in the writing.

As for the story, it was satisfying and intriguing. As Macklin found out about himself, and as the power struggle in Tombstone wound tighter, and as the Kra'agh closed in -- well, I couldn't put it down. I liked how a connection was drawn, but not overdrawn, between the predatory and sadistic nature of Ike Clanton and the nature of the Kra'agh Hunters. I found the descriptions vivid, frequently using sounds, smells, or touch, instead of cinematically visual descriptions. Now and then I came upon a phrase which I savored, repeating to myself. There was a good range of characters, plenty of events, all following one upon the other with the right sense of inevitability.

Some sf purists might think it's too 'western,' and more gentle souls may find it a bit violent. There are a couple images in my head which I'd rather not have. You might say it's a sort of part Mars Attacks, part The Unforgiven, and part Twilight Zone.

The story ends, not surprisingly, with a set-up for a sequel, which Mr. Boxleitner has said he's working on now. I'm not an unbiased judge, being a fan of westerns, of sf, of Ed Gorman, and of Mr. Boxleitner. But I'd have picked up this book, and bought it, and read it, no matter whose name was on the cover. Now I'm waiting for the sequel.

Amazon.com is taking preorders for Frontier Earth now.