This book was a complete surprise for me. It was not what I have expected from the short description. And it was not one of the genres I usually read. I always thought that science fiction was not quite for me. The Buffalo Kid made me curious to read more both of its author and of this genre.
But it would be not quite true to put this book onto the Science Fiction shelf only. I think it could well be put onto the shelves with books discussing social issues, politics, humanity, books about trust, forgiveness, prejudice, pride, compassion, friendship, and love. And of course mystery. There is quite a lot of it spiced with a generous portion of suspense.
The second half of the book was my favorite. The flow was natural and it kept me hooked. I finished the last quarter in one sitting.
This is what I liked about the book: the characters, the plot and the story. All characters, including the supposedly un-human one(s), have their challenges and grow through the story of the book. I loved all the settings and how one of them was hidden behind visible. (I won’t give out details here!)
The only critique points I have is that the beginning was a bit slow and there were four or more backstories revealed. And too many voices in the book (if I remember right: four first voices and all others in third). Although, I must say that I probably would have a difficulty to reduce to two as I initially thought would be best. At the end of the book I agreed that at least three were necessary: two first ones and a third voice for all the other characters. Or all just in first. For example, one of the characters was presented as first voice most of the time, but in one short chapter her thoughts and feelings were giving in the third voice. This was a bit confusing.
But there was one intriguing thing about so many voices in one book: I had to guess who this was. The backstories at the beginning were like introduction: Hi, I am …. And then you had to recognize who was talking. That was definitely fun. Thinking of this, I guess only first voices would make more sense.
So, all in all, five stars for the book. I would definitely recommend to read it to anyone who likes suspense, not too dark mystery, and a very intriguing science fiction, which I could even imagine to have taken place. You never know…
