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thomaswjoyce's review against another edition
5.0
Kelso again delves into the Slave State with Moosejaw Frontier. But this begins in 19th century America where drifter Juan is imprisoned by the racist inhabitants of Moosejaw because of the colour of his skin. During his imprisonment, Juan reflects on his seemingly dual existence as a futuristic Time Detective. But the story soon veers off in a wildly imaginative direction when Kelso introduces himself as a character, a failing and reluctant writer who is revealed to be responsible for the creation of Juan and his target, Raymond Hogg, and indeed the rest of the slave state. Kelso nails the voices of the characters, from the 19th century Americans to the contemporary Time Detectives and the dark and evil writing professor McLeod. He also does a good job of keeping the different timelines and storylines in a cohesive narrative. Which is all the more astounding as, later in the book, Kelso reveals that he wrote the entire story as one draft, from start to finish. He admits that he feels he cannot write mainstream fiction, and we the readers are the better for it, as it means he has embraced the freedom to write these kind of surreal and unique stories. This is another wonderful and brave step on Kelso's progression as a writer of fantastic prose which fans of his other books will find instantly entertaining and immensely enjoyable.
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