Wayfarer by K.M. Wyland

From Amazon:
In this heroic gaslamp fantasy, superhuman abilities bring an adventurous new dimension to 1820 London, where an outlaw speedster and a master of illusion do battle to decide who will own the city.

Think being a superhero is hard? Try being the first one.

Will’s life is a proper muddle—and all because he was “accidentally” inflicted with the ability to run faster and leap higher than any human ever. One minute he’s a blacksmith’s apprentice trying to save his master from debtor’s prison. The next he’s accused of murder and hunted as a black-hearted highwayman.

A vengeful politician with dark secrets and powers even more magical than Will’s has duped all of London into blaming Will for the chilling imprisonments of the city’s poor. The harder Will tries to use his abilities to fight crime, the deeper he is entangled in a dark underworld belonging to some of Georgian England’s most colorful characters.

Only Will stands a chance of stopping this powerful madman bent on “reforming” London by any means necessary. Unfortunately, Will is beginning to realize becoming a legend might mean sacrificing everything that matters.

Wayfarer begins with Will as a young apprentice seeking to rid his master of debt. He's heart-warming, if not a bit foolish at times. While trying to find better paying work, he stumbles across men who believed "the plague" was real. Gossip about unusually gifted or changed people who lived through miracles, it seemed. But Will denies that it exists...until he falls deeper into adventure than he ever dreamed. Adventure called Dr. Silas and Mr. Fitzroy.

Will's family died in the workhouse because his master only managed to save one, Will Hardy. He has plans and goals, but by the end of the book his life has taken on a new purpose and vision, even if it takes a whole adventure to refresh his mind. Will learns that sometimes people beneath your level in life can provide sweet friendship, and sometimes people above his station can give him vision and greater goals. And there are evil people in all ranks of life.

I love Will's relationship with Tom. Because Will grew up with no parents or siblings, Tom was his family and did his best to provide for Will like a father, while also training his apprentice. Indeed it was a task at times and would soon become more overwhelming than Tom probably imagined. Will's friendship with Rose teaches him to care for another in the way he would a younger sister. His protectiveness and Rose's independent ways creates an amusing bond at times. In Will's relationship with Mr. Fitzroy and Mr. Monarch, Will learns how people can be taken advantage of, what loss is, and how at the end of all things your social rank means nothing except that you treat all as equal in God's eyes.

Will unintentionally takes on the qualities of Spiderman (with a few limitations ;), and though charged with murder, he matures into a wiser young man and a good friend and brother. I love the friendship themes throughout this book and the sacrifices made and the character growth of Will were encouraging to read.

A Man Called Outlaw by K.M. Weiland

From Amazon
All his life Shane Lassiter had revered the man who stood in place of the father he had never known. Nathaniel Wilcock had taken Shane into his own home, loved him as a son, and placed within his grasp one of the largest ranches in the Wyoming Territory.

But Shane had heard the family saga. He knew the whispers about the fugitive gunman who stood against Wilcock during the land wars that had rocked the valley almost thirty years ago. In Nathaniel Wilcock’s eyes, the gunman was nothing better than a vigilante and an outlaw, and as such he had died. To the people of Hangtree, he was a hero—a martyr who had stood against corrupt power and injustice.

When Wilcock’s greed moves him against the only woman Shane has ever loved—a woman who holds the secret that could resurrect everything for which the outlaw fought—Shane finds himself forced into a place not so very different from that of the western outlaws thirty years ago. He must make a decision, the shadow of which will forever be cast over the lives of all those he loves. It is a decision between truth and power—between honor and life—between right and wrong.
After reading two other books by K.M. Weiland, I think I have come to the conclusion that her books must be read in one sitting. I read the other two in 1-2 days, and this one I read in 1 day. The intensity of the story and the characters makes it nearly impossible to put her books down, and actually it is easier to follow the flow of the book when read at at once (or over a short span of time).

Shane Lassiter grows up knowing Nathaniel Wilcock, as his only father. What Shane doesn't know is the history behind the man called outlaw. This story was an interesting one for me to read. I haven't read many western stories in recent years, but I so enjoyed the history and the characters. Typical of westerns, as well, there are a lot of deaths and shootings mentioned (as a caution to younger readers). However, I appreciated the main character's struggle with right and wrong, and his willingness to finally stand up for what was right--like his father did. The villain's character was portrayed very well (i.e. there is pretty much no reason to end up liking him, except maybe for one statement), especially his ability to verbally manipulate others.

While reading the story, I neglected to pay much attention to the dates at the beginning of most chapters, and thus I was slightly confused as to how the stories merged with one another later on. I think it might have been easier to follow had the chapters been more clearly marked, but I think most of that was due to the fact that I didn't pay attention to chapter markings.

I must comment on the ending, though. *spoilers*
I read two books when I was much younger that ended up with the main (good) character either turning themselves over to the law or dying as a result of their previous character flaws (though they lived a reformed live in the main part of the story). They are not books I would read again by choice simply because of the ending. A Man Called Outlaw is a book that has a similar ending, and though it leaves some room for imagination, it's still not my favorite way to end a book. However, this is one story that I would read again, because it's a gentler ending with a sense of remaining justice and mercy.
*end spoilers*

There is redemption and justice are clearly demonstrated in this story. However, I would have liked to have seen justice meted out to,,,well, the justice system. While the law force was manipulated by one man (as the rest of the surrounding farms were), the law refused to stand up for right when called out on it. But it does accurately portray real life, because not all evil here on earth receives its judgment here. However, there is a day when all wrongs will be made right, and this story points to that very well.

Favorite Quotes

“We fight—” he roared, “not for justice alone, not for truth, not even that we might protect our interests and our families! We fight because our God has summoned us as soldiers! Because we must obey that call to arms! Life is a battlefield, salvation our armor, faith our coat of arms. We are enlisted in a war that must be won— we are engaging an enemy that must be conquered. Either we fight, or we perish. There is no middle ground!”

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Why was it that she lit up inside like a sunrise whenever he squashed down his pride enough to dredge up the conscience that [character name] had tried so hard to twist?

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How could she ever forget that old promise? That thorn in my heart. She looked back up, her gaze on the door through which Shane had disappeared. “I gave my word. I’m not likely to forget.”

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“A ragged cover doesn’t mean the text isn’t all right.”

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Even the greatest of saints had suffered terrible things. She knew that. But they had great faith to sustain them. She raised her face again. I don’t.

Dreamlander by K.M. Weiland

From Amazon:
What if it were possible to live two very different lives in two separate worlds? What if the dreams we awaken from are the fading memories of that second life? What if one day we woke up in the wrong world?

In this fantasy thriller, a woman on a black warhorse gallops through the mist in Chris Redston’s dreams every night. Every night, she begs him not to come to her. Every night, she aims her rifle at his head and fires. The last thing Chris expects—or wants—is for this nightmare to be real. But when he wakes up in the world of his dreams, he has to choose between the likelihood that he’s gone spectacularly bonkers or the possibility that he’s just been let in on the secret of the ages.

Only one person in a generation may cross the worlds. These chosen few are the Gifted, called from Earth into Lael to shape the epochs of history—and Chris is one of them. But before he figures that out, he accidentally endangers both worlds by resurrecting a vengeful prince intent on claiming the powers of the Gifted for himself. Together with a suspicious princess and a guilt-ridden Cherazii warrior, Chris must hurl himself into an action adventure battle to save a country from war, two worlds from annihilation, and himself from a dream come way too true.
Dreamlander is an incredible book. While running an intense plot line, this story has so many sweet, convicting moments that I could identify with. I loved how the two worlds connected with one another, yet remained separate as well. The characters of Allara and Chris are ones that many readers will quickly relate to. As a Christian, I quickly identified the Biblical allusions and plot structures. I love how the flaws and virtues make each character who they are. Human nature has consequences, but there is always redemption for those who seek it. The characters wrestle with themselves, each other, and with trust in the Garowai (God-like figure). Evil was evil, humanity was human, and the "higher-being" was God-like. This book is sequel-worthy, and I'm hoping it comes out soon!

"That cliff you're trying to hang onto is crumbling, Allara. It's time to let go." One of the themes of his books letting go of fear and allowing One more powerful to take control. Fear does not mean the absence of courage, but rather the bravery to take action despite those fears--even if it means losing something we love. Anothe theme is this: Our best efforts do not necessarily end in healing for ourselves or others; sometimes the "worst" has to happen, so Another may bring the results we so much desire.

A powerful book. Well done, Ms. Weiland.

Favorite Quotes

When Chris looked at her, she had the eerie feeling he was seeing past all her defenses, straight to the core of her, and whatever it was he saw there— the anger, the fear, the weakness— he accepted it without judgment.

//

Kindnesses were dangerous. They shattered defenses and left the receiver naked and vulnerable.

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She studied his face in the flicker of the light. “You have your good points.” 

He raised his eyebrows. “I do, do I?” 

The back of her neck warmed, but she held his gaze. “You’re smart, you’re brave. Stubborn.” 

“That’s a good point?” 

“As one stubborn person to another, take it for what it’s worth when I say yes.”

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She’d learned the hard way that hope was the sharpest weapon of all.

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He opened that long-closed door in his soul, just a crack. A crack was more than enough to let him know his family still had the power to break him with his grief.

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When had something so simple as belief become so wrenchingly unachievable?

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She would choose faith over fear, no matter how much she had to sacrifice. She would believe the God of all was true to His promises. 

“Prove to me,” she whispered. “Prove to me You’re real. Give me a reason to believe.”

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“Here.” He lifted the jiswar into her arms. “You have the distinct appearance of a woman in need of something warm and furry.”

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“Take care of yourself.” His face softened. “Don’t jump off the cliff until somebody’s around to catch you.”