City of the Saints by D.J. Butler

City of the Saints Reviews

• 
  Daniel Burton

  If there were a genre for a book that includes the Old West, an alternate American history, a rebel Mormon kingdom, a slave-free Confederacy, more than a bit of steam punk, fantasy, and an all star cast of historical-larger-than-life-and-truth-is-stranger-than-fiction characters, I don't know what it would be called, but City of the Saints by D.J. Butler has invented it.
  
  And did I mention that it was explosive, fast, and action packed?
  
  On the eve of the American Civil War, the Kingdom of Deseret is the destination for for diplomats, spies, and explorers, Pinkertons, criminals, and mountain men as agents of Queen Victoria, the United States, the Confederacy, and Mexico converge on Salt Lake City. War is imminent, and each is seeking an edge.
  
  I wasn't sure what to expect when I opened City of the Saints. I met Dave Butler at Salt Lake Comic Con in 2013, and then ran into him again at Life, the Universe, and Everything (LTUE)earlier this year. The first time I met Butler, he had been on a panel discussing themes in Lord of the Rings. Then, at LTUE he started off a panel on folklore in modern fiction by informing the other panelists that he was in the mood for a good debate...which it was.
  
  I couldn't help but like Butler's style, and I opened his book that night, not sure what to expect, but with promises from Butler that I would enjoy it.
  
  And Butler did not oversell. From the first pages, City of the Saints is fast paced, with a swirling and full cast of colorful action figures. Pulling a whose who of the mid-nineteenth into the ranks of his characters, Butler cleverly saves himself time in character development by leveraging the very real lives of some of the most vibrant characters of the time. From Captain Richard Burton to Edgar Alan Poe, Samuel Clemens (aka Mark Twain) to Porter Rockwell, Butler weaves in nods to American history, western lore, and Mormon heroes, villains and misfits, including Eliza R. Snow, John D. Lee, Brigham Young, and John Moses Browning, whose guns are among the most famous, even today.
  
  This isn't to say that Butler doesn't develop his characters. In fact, Butler does very well building a large cast, multiple protagonists, streaming the plot lines together, and building on the relationships each has with others. For any novelist, its a feat. For a first time novelist, it's most impressive.
  
  And despite the setting in the early Mormon west, this is not a "Mormon" book. Quite the contrary. Featuring swearing Irish, mad scientists, and an almost endless supply of thuggish Pinkertons, it's a mix that defies a simple description, niche, or market, but is well-written, engaging, and, surprisingly, self-published.
  
  Yeah, I know. Self-published. I don't get it. Well written, a romp to read, and thoroughly and carefully conceived: I guarantee I'll be reading another Butler book soon.
• 
  David

  Normally I read run of the mill epic fantasies by the likes of Tolkien, Jordan, Sanderson, Brooks, Goodkind, Feist, and Eddings ( I know these are not really "run of the mill", you get my meaning... ) but I was looking for a change of pace and genre. I decided to read another series by D.J. Butler, Rock Band Fights Evil, and was thoroughly impressed by the writing style and action, and how quickly I was engaged in the story. I thought if he could get me to like Horror, why not try Steampunk/Alternative History? I was not disappointed.
  
  Set in the years leading up to the American Civil War, these four books tell a story of political intrigue, personal revenge, and even a little passion/romance thrown into the mix. Using alternate versions of significant historical figures and events, Butler re-imagines the power plays and struggles that shaped the country and lead to war, creatively reshaping the country in the process.
  
  It was very fun to see steampunk and clocksprung devices used to advance the storyline and plot. An excellent read, and well worth your time! We need more of it!!!
• 
  Jason James King

  I don’t feel I could summarize the plot as well as the author, so I’m going to steal a condensed version of his description:
  
  “1859; war looms over the United States. Intelligence agents converge on the Kingdom of Deseret in the Rocky Mountains. Sam Clemens, leading the U.S. Army’s expedition aboard his amphibious steam-truck the Jim Smiley, has a mission: to ensure that the Kingdom, with its air-ships and rumored phlogiston guns…enters on the side of the United States and peace.”
  
  You see why I wanted his description?
  
  Wildly original, D.J. Butler’s City of the Saints gives readers a delightful alternate version of frontier history, specifically as it revolves around the Mormon Kingdom of Deseret (Present day Salt Lake City, Utah).
  
  Butler brings to life historic personalities like Mark Twain and Edgar Allen Poe and makes them kick-ass awesome by turning them into spies and assassins fighting to prevent The Civil War.
  
  But wait, there’s more:
  
  Airships, phlogiston Guns, robot scarabs that eat people alive, vibro blades that can cut through anything and MACHINE GUNS! Yes, I said machine guns!
  
  Butler spins an action-packed tale full of interesting characters, historical facts, masterfully crafted prose, and snappy, witty, dialogue. This book is a gem, and one of the most original pieces of fiction I’ve ever read. It reminded me a lot of the “Through the Looking Glass” episodes of Star Trek in which established characters are cast into alternate and sometimes opposite roles.
  
  I recommend this book to anyone who likes steampunk or alternate history, or just an original and entertaining story. A warning: if you are a Mormon (and I am), make sure that you have a solid sense of humor, and don’t get offended by things like Eliza “Roxy” Snow being a sexy spy and assassin. Because who knows? Maybe she was. But most likely not.
  
  DJ Butler is truly a master of the writer’s craft!
• 
  Laura

  When I started reading this book, I inmediately thought of
  Cat Rambo's Altered America, because the setting is pretty much the same - and that was a disappointing fact.
  Too "Wild Wild West" for my taste.
  
  Also all the characters make turns to narrate their portion of the story, and jumping from one to another one in each chapter made me feel a bity dizzy.
  But I must say that the author managed to provide a crystal clear characterization of each character, which helped a lot, so overall it was not a hard-to-follow kind of story.
  
  By the way this is an action packed book.
  Actually one of those stories which begin at a rather slow pace, but things start to happen fast and faster, until the very end when they get completely crazy. So the last chapters were so hard to believe that I kept frowning while I read them.
  I think the author meant to hook the reader, but in my case it backfired.
  
  So.
  Not a bad book, just not the kind of book I like.
  That's why the 2-stars rating ("it's ok") and not more (3 as "liked it").
• 
  Douglas

  When I picked this up from the author at the Salt Lake Fan X, he described it as "Mormon Steampunk", and so it was. This book's genre hits all my apathy in fiction buttons: Sreampunk, alternate history, name dropping famous historical figures. Thus I find it the outright talent and skill of D. J. Butler that I thoroughly enjoyed it.
  
  Butler drops in famous names from history, such as Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, Brigham Young and others, and presents them well enough that it's fun. I especially enjoyed his portrayal of Twain and Porter Rockwell (Rockwell is a colorful figure from Latter Day Saints history and is entertaining enough to read about just on his own). Both came out as I would imagine them.
  
  Butler's pacing makes for a great ride as well. There may be moments we can take a breath, but he has us diving right in again. In all this was fun, hilarious at times, and even gripping. Well done overall! I recommend this to just about anyone!
• 
  Devin

  Also posted at:
  https://devinhurd.herokuapp.com/singl...
  
  I give D.J. Butler full credit for fearlessly providing much of his own onomatopoeia sound effects. The steam powered contraptions and devices usher in a colorful world of sounds consistently rendered throughout this novel.
  
  The description of the plot for CITY OF THE SAINTS sounds completely bonkers. You've got Mark Twain as an agent of the United States (under his birth name, Sam Clemens). Edgar Allen Poe is an agent for the soon-to-be seceding Southern States. The prophet and leader of the Kingdom of Deseret Brigham Young and the amazing flying machines of Orson Pratt. And a full cast of historical figures in a truly off-the-wall alternate history where steam powered trucks cross the plains like cruise ships. Or at least cruise ships with the added excitement of Shoshone attacks. Each character takes on their own story arc as competing interests try to enlist the Mormons and their advanced technology in the coming war.
  
  The reality is that this plot is only crazy on the surface. Underneath we have an ensemble cast of characters that the reader can readily identify with. And there are plenty of complicated action sequences rendered with real skill. A brilliantly entertaining read with a high density of cultural and historical references deliberately mangled.
• 
  Dawn Vogel

  (This review originally appeared at HistoryThatNeverWas.com)
  
  City of the Saints by D. J. Butler is a alternate history steampunk tale of a technologically advanced United States on the eve of the Civil War. With characters including Samuel Clemens, Edgar Allan Poe, Richard Burton, and Brigham Young (and many of his Mormon associates), it’s a wild, multi-point of view ride.
  
  In this alternate history, the Kingdom of Deseret has airships and a devastating weapon that promises the government who has it the capacity to claim battlefield superiority. As the Northern and Southern states race toward a likely war, both sides have dispatched representatives to go to Deseret and offer the Mormons various prizes in exchange for sharing their technology with said representatives’ side. The British have also gotten involved, because war in America will impact them as well. But there are also hidden personal agendas and past events that complicate the travel and negotiations. When the circumstances shift, things go sideways, forcing the participants to look to new, unplanned alliances.
  
  It can be tricky to use historical figures as the main characters in a novel, but Butler manages these personalities well. Probably the more difficult part for the reader is that the multiple points of view can be a bit dizzying. The three main representatives (Clemens, Poe, and Burton) each have an assistant, and these six characters each have their own point of view sections. But overall, that works to tell the entire story, as there’s not much overlap between what each character is doing, even when they are in the same general location. My bigger complaint is that none of the female characters get a point of view section, and I’d love to get to read some parts of this story from their perspective.
  
  If you’re a fan of alternate history steampunk tales like Wild, Wild West, the Deadlands roleplaying game, or books by Gail Carriger, you may enjoy this take on mid-nineteenth century America and some of its more colorful personalities.
• 
  Josh

  Overall this was a decent read. I wasn't sure what to expect not having read any of DJ Butlers works. Some parts were very good, even comical. I loved how Porter Rockwell was written. I also really enjoyed how Sam Clemens was portrayed. At first, it was a little hard to wrap my head around the subtle changes in historical figures but I was eventually able to get past it. I did have a hard time following some of the action and it seemed to me that there were pieces missing. Perhaps it was just me that was missing pieces. Also, these people must be made of some tough stuff to take the abuse (gunshots, stabbings, brutal beatdowns) and yet still be able to continue on.
• 
  Craig Jr.

  This book was a slow start for me. Also I wasn't a fan of the narration at all. There are many interesting things in the story, and it's quite complex, but I feel it's too complex to follow. The author kept switching between characters every chapter, and the characters weren't interesting enough for me to remember who was who until much later in the book. However, as events were progressing, it became a lot more entertaining and I did enjoy the second half of the book much more than the first half. The audio narration was made better when I turned it from "normal" to "fast" on my mp3 player. The narrator was too slow, and whenever there was the Irish character in the scene, he did his Irish accent the entire time, including standard narrative, which made for a frustrating listen, but as I said, it was made better when I turned the speed to fast.
• 
  Charl

  In his afterward, the author describes this as a "rollicking, gonzo action steampunk adventure", and I'd say that's a perfect description. Entertaining from start to finish, I recommend it to any fan of the genre.
• 
  Chuck Curtis

  The old American West was a nice change of venue from London. Not enough of this out there but this was enjoyable and relatable.
• 
  David Hickenbotham

  The premise and setting are awesome, and the characters are great.
  
  Unfortunately I'm not sure I enjoyed the story all that much. I certainly didn't enjoy it as much as I thought I would. It's hard to pin down exactly what I had a problem with.
  
  I think the pacing was too uneven for me and the story got bogged down at times with its own cleverness and fantastical weirdness. The prose was a little more dense than I normally read as well, which made it harder to plod through.
  
  Still, I have to give the author kudos for writing a wacky story featuring historical Mormon characters. It was fun. Most of the time.
• 
  Darrell

  "I do worry about persecution," Young admitted, and he pounded the side of the Strider's carriage with his balled fist. "And I am right do to so! More than Gentile bullets, though, or Gentile tar and feathers, I worry about Gentile trade goods. I worry about my children and grandchildren, and the seductive power of material things. The first step on the road is fornication pants [Levi jeans], Mr. Clemens. The second is fornication. And at the end of that path, my people will cease to exist, not because they have been murdered but because they have become your people, and snuffed out their own unique lamps to do so."
  
  City of the Saints takes place in an alternate history on the brink of the American Civil War. Since the Mormons have airships and ray guns, several spies have come to the Great Salt Lake City to enlist their help. Edgar Allen Poe is trying to get Brigham Young to enter the war on the side of the South, while Samuel Clemens is trying to get Young to be on the North's side. Richard Burton, on behalf of England, is trying to prevent the war from breaking out at all.
  
  There's no slavery in this alternate timeline since Eli Whitney invented clocksprung technology that made slaves unnecessary. So, it's not entirely clear why the North and South want to go to war. All we get for motivation is a passing reference to tariffs and railroads.
  
  Each of the main characters seems to have a homicidal sidekick. Poe has the dwarf Jed Coltrane, Clemens has Tamerlane O'Shaughnessy, Brigham Young has Orrin Porter Rockwell, John D. Lee has Bill Hickman, and Eliza R. Snow even has Annie Web. Only Richard Burton seems to get the short end of the stick with his sidekick being the cowardly Absalom Fearnley-Standish.
  
  Mormon history buffs will appreciate references made to the Deseret alphabet, the Dream Mine, the Mountain Meadows Massacre, Danites, and the Battle of Crooked River. The Mormons during this time period also practiced polygamy and didn't have anything against drinking liquor.
  
  The only other Mormon steampunk novel I've read is Ghosts of Columbia by L.E. Modesitt in which he lightly pokes fun at Mormons for always showing up late. Perhaps in response to that, the Mormons in City of the Saints are always checking their watches, obsessed with being on time.
  
  The story is told from the point of view of six different men. At least one woman's point of view would have been a nice addition. Also, after the action scenes finish playing out, the ending was rather abrupt. I would have liked to see a bit more denouement. A lot of the humor in this book is based on characters misunderstanding what each other is saying, which isn't really my thing, but I did enjoy this book overall. It's mostly focused on action with characters repeatedly being saved at the last minute by other characters showing up just in the nick of time. In spite of that, our heroes do take quite a beating and not all of them survive to the end.
• 
  Scott William Taylor

  If you've gone to any writing conferences in Utah during the past couple of years, you've probably seen this book. With a kind of steampunky look, it's a pretty straightforward cover. With the addition of A Scientific Romance in Four Parts as a subtitle, you may think you can ascertain what the book is about.
  
  If you don't know anything about the book, you have no idea! This book is like nothing I've ever read before. It's difficult to even explain it now that I'm done reading it.
  
  But I'll try. The setting is pre-Civil War America. The story begins in Wyoming where several teams of spies are headed to the Kingdom of Deseret, basically Brigham Young's Mormon territory. One set of spies represent the Northern State's interests, the other set, the South. Each has a mission and everyone seems to hate the Pinkertons.
  
  Butler uses real characters, Samuel Clemens, Edgar Allen Poe, Richard Burton, Brigham Young, Porter Rockwell, Eliza R. Snow, John D. Lee, Orson Pratt, Bill Hickman and Ann Eliza Webb. He weaves their lives with those of colorful fictional characters and creates a story that is massive in its imagination. It's part western, part James Bond, part steampunk and yes, there's a romance or two.
  
  City of the Saints is actually a collection of four short novels combined into one volume. It's big book, but the pace of the story makes it a fast read, at least it did for me. I have several favorites in the book, but one scene I especially loved. It was the introduction of Pratt's airship as it hovered over a canyon as seen from below. I thought the description very, very cool.
  
  There's gunfights and sabotage, affairs and mysticism, betrayal and religion (not the same thing...) and more. It is one wild ride!
• 
  Daniel

  Perhaps had I never met Sarah Hoyt of D.J. Butler, I might never have heard of “steampunk,” one of the many varieties of “speculative” fiction. And since the latter had married a law school friend of mine and wrote in that genre, I decided to explore it in this fast-paced bit of “good pulp fiction” for which the author has “always had a soft spot”.
  
  Set in 1859, this novel brings together two great American writers of the Nineteenth Century as well as numerous figures from LDS history (I had to confirm this with my Mormon friends as I read). We have steam trucks and airships, phlogiston guns and clocksprung horses as well as a fictionalized account of agents of various governments trying to enlist the support of the Kingdom of Deseret (a realm helmed by a President Brigham Young from his home in the Great Salt Lake City).
  
  And it’s a lot of fun to read, the action interspersed with humorous quips, in many of which the author pokes fun at his own faith:
  
  

  [Sam Clemens (AKA Mark Twain)] was a man who prided himself on valuing industry almost as much as he valued innovation.
  
  The Mormons had both, in spades. It was too bad, he thought, that they were so hopelessly strange. They might have made good Americans.

  
  
  And there is the occasional philosophical digression like when he distinguishes a prophet from a fortune-teller. But, mostly this is a novel of action, about a group of people, with their “steampunk” technology help defeat a conspiracy within the fledging Mormon church and, in the process, become better human beings.
  
  In short, a book with all the merits of “good pulp fiction,” a good read that leaves you with a smile on your face – and a spring your step.
  
  A natural spring, not a clocksprung one.
  
• 
  Craig Nybo (Author of Allied Zombies for Peace)

  I am a long-time D.J. Butler fan. When I first saw that he had written a book called City of the Saints, I thought it was a historical fiction piece about the early settlement of the Mormons in the Salt Lake Valley during the mid 1800's. I couldn't have been more wrong.
  
  This novel is like an alternate universe in Mormon history. Imagine Salt Lake City, Utah as a steampunk mecca during the late 1850's. Imagine advanced mechanisms, weapons, and vehicles, all powered by steam and clock-works. Imagine the madman Orson Pratt as the genius inventor of many of these devices. With civil war in the offing, rivaling factions set out to do whatever it takes to get the Mormons and their technology on their side of the impending conflict.
  
  If you are a Mormon historical purist, this novel is probably not for you. However, if you love romance, violence, intriguing technology, all mixed against a mid-19th century background, definitely pick up a copy of City of the Saints.
  
  Although this novel is through and through speculative fiction, Butler still infuses the story with plenty of well-researched nuggets that Mormons especially will enjoy.
  
  If you are not a Mormon, you will still love this book. Butler does not rely on Mormon history or folk lore to create a brilliant story. Don't make the mistake of passing this novel up because you don't feel like you will get it. I assure you; you will enjoy it.
• 
  Gabriel Núñez

  Steampunk in the Old West. Alternate history. Fast-paced action. Interesting characters. A fun read.
• 
  Zachary Littrell

  If you ever wanted to read Civil War-era steampunk Mormon literature, well...this probably is the book for you.
  
  It's a fun book. It made for a pleasant distraction on an airplane ride with its intriguing first third -- Mark Twain, Edgar Allen Poe, and Sir Richard Burton are secret agents racing to the steampunk Kingdom of Deseret (Utah) to convince its ruler Brigham Young to side with them in the coming Civil War; unfortunately, there is something afoot in Utah that is set to derail all of their plans.
  
  But the really interesting premise is met by a pretty mediocre execution. The dialogue is hammy, the jokes are corndog, and the large amount of characters and plot threads begin to buckle under their own weight. Butler staggers through nearly 500 pages at a flashy but sluggish place. And it is aggravating how obvious this is meant to set up sequels when you start noticing halfway, "Hey, why do the bad guys never die?"
  
  I think this book would be especially rewarding for people more familiar than me with the Mormon Church; it's neat seeing their history recast in this bizarre mix of medieval alchemy and 1800 styles without being satirized. For better or for worse, the whole story comes off like a transcribed steampunk D&D adventure, with grandiose speeches and wild action, and I bet it was a lot more fun to write than it was to read.
  
  
  
• 
  BJ Haun

  I picked up this book at Salt Lake Comic Con 2015 as a "tip" to Mr. Butler, who had been on a number panel's I had attended and had been immensely entertaining. I also picked up it because, come on...how can you say no to a alternate history steampunk adventure where the North and the South each try to recruit the Mormon 'Kingdom of Deseret' to their respective sides in the lead-up to the civil war.
  
  Also airships. And steam-trucks. And walkers. It's pretty cool concept.
  
  I thought the book started off a bit slow, but the pacing picked up nicely as things went along. All told I enjoyed the book. Waffled a little bit as to whether I should give it 3 or 4 stars, but I'll give the author the benefit of rounding up.
• 
  Laurali

  An alternative history/steampunk story with Sam Clemens and Edgar Allan Poe? Yes please!
  
  This was a fun romp. I enjoyed the unraveling of the story, as well as the appearance of several historical figures. (A couple in roles one would not necessarily think of them in.) I found it a bit slow to get going, but once it got going it went faster than a steam-truck.
  
  A few of my favorite lines came from Clemens and Poe:
  Page 170
  "Poe shrugged. "No one reads fiction, anyway."
  Page 228
  "I was raised in Missouri." Clemens grinned. "I speak idiot."
  Page 371
  "Sell it as fiction," Sam suggested. "I think you'll find you can tell a lot of interesting truth, if you're willing to stoop to writing novels."
  
  I suspect I'll be checking out some of the author's other work soon.
• 
  James Wymore

  City of the Saints is the only Mormon Steampunk series I've ever heard of. It's four e-books, or one giant paperback omnibus. The characters are fun and compelling. The plot is an intricate pretzel of politics. Best of all, it's crammed from beginning to end with neo-Victorian machines, which I love. A true Steampunk tale, it has both fantasy and retro-sci-fi in an inextricable braid. I highly recommend it to anybody who is willing to mix whimsy with Utah history and many new shades of color to beloved historical figures. If you can handle Eliza R. Snow as an assassin, then you will not be able to tear yourself away from this incredible, "scientific romance."
  
• 
  Lori Holuta

  I continued with Volume 2 of this series out of sheer curiosity to see if the storyline would improve or collapse under its sheer weight. The first 2/3's of the book were as confusing as the previous book - the last 1/3, finally, the plot hit its stride and was quite an enjoyable rollercoaster.
  
  The characters, while definitely unique and detailed, are problematic. I couldn't make myself accept already-famous real life characters re-tooled into these guys. It just didn't work on a level I could roll with.
  
  Bizarrely, I will keep reading the series. It's like watching a really big, impressive fancy train in a slow motion wreck.
• 
  Bear

  Wowee! The City of the Saints was an incredibly fun read. Set in the Kingdom of Deseret, (or just the Kingdom, as it is called in the book)Circa 1859, this book was a clever blend of wild west adventure, historical fiction, and steam punk sensibilities. The City of the Saints is loaded with characters right out of the history books; Edgar Allen Poe, Samuel Clemens, Richard Burton, and Brigham Young, to name a few, all of them fully realized in roles that one can imagine they would have pursued had actual history happened just a bit differently. I highly recommend the read!
• 
  František

  Great steampunk action romp full of historical characters set into the Mormon Kingdom of Deseret. Characters were nicely fleshed-out, and I quickly found my favorites (dwarf Jed Coltrane and Irish hitman Tam O'Shaughnessy were top).
  
  My only criticism would be that for people unfamiliar with Mormon history many connections fall flat. For me it took several hours of self-study on Wiki and TV documents to get familiar with about 15 names author threw at me in first 2-3 chapters and expected me to know who they were.
  
  All in all, very enjoyable read.
• 
  John Olsen

  I really enjoyed this over-the-top steampunk version of the old west, with Great Salt Lake City and the Kingdom of Deseret. The author was able to pull in a lot of historical figures and give them very non-historical personas, which was a lot of fun.
  
  There were plenty of plot twists and secret agendas, and steampunk contraptions everywhere.
• 
  Edric Unsane

  The writing was okay, but I felt that this book just had too many book genres vying for a share in the spotlight that I just could't keep interested in the book. I feel that City of the Saints could have been much better, but it was just run-of-the-mill writing and story being crippled by the sense that the author may not have had the skill to pen their ideas into something good.
• 
  Carrie

  This book is just so much fun. The only spoiler I would give is that if you are a relative of John D. Lee, this will probably not be your cup of tea. Overall, it's a fun romp with characters that you know and it's magical to see how the author has woven them all together. Hats off to the author to finding yet another way to make Eliza R. Snow cooler.
• 
  Maddie Peters

  I really loved this book. It was face paced and full of action and adventure. I felt like D.J. really captured the personalities of the historical characters, which made me enjoy the book even more. I must say, Porter Rockwell was my favorite character. Really just a good book.