Desa Kincaid: Bounty Hunter, by R.S. Penney – Book Review

A wonderful story, a unique magic system and technology blend, and above all a sassy heroine with nifty abilities; what’s not to love?

The story follows the adventures of Desa Kincaid, a smart-ass bounty hunter chasing her nemesis in a western-like world. And what Western doesn’t have a horse? Desa rides on Midnight and gathers along the way her own band of misfits.

Due to her energy infused objects, Desa is one of the best bounty hunters and her reputation precedes her.

The man looked her up and down, and his face tightened, his thick, black eyebrows drawn together. “I knew it!” he snapped, though his voice never rose much beyond a soft whisper. “You have the reek of a bounty hunter on you. Very few women hunters in these parts, and only one as looks like you. You’re Desa Kincaid: the Widow.”

The Ether the field binders use to harvest energy is what’s left of one of the goddesses that created the world.

“The Almighty’s a myth,” she said. “As I told you, this world was created by two goddesses: Mercy, and Vengeance. Mercy to give energy and Vengeance to take it, and Field Binding a balance between them.”

Desa’s sassy personality surfaces quite often throughout the book.

The grin on Ducane’s face promised pain. He chuckled, no doubt convinced that he had control of this situation, and shook his head. “I made you a promise, Missy,” he said. “What kind of man would I be if I didn’t keep it?”

“A wiser man than most.”

“No one embarrasses me like that, Missy.”

If you speak sarcasm as a second language, then this book is for you. I could include more quotes in this review but I don’t want to copy-paste the entire book.

“How can you defy the Synod?”

“Do it long enough, and it becomes remarkably easy.”

Conclusion

I read a lot of fantasy ( in case you haven’t noticed) and I often come across the same old tropes, which I don’t mind as long as the story is entertaining. But when an author creates new mythology and new superpowers I have to do a little happy dance. In this story,

Desa Kincaid is a field binder. She can absorb energy from the Ether (that no one knows what is, but everyone can train to feel it) and infuse objects with this power and use them as tools or weapons.

Also, I was impressed with the cinematic style R.S. Penney used when describing fight scenes. I’d like to see this book turned into a movie!