Review of Chancy
Posted: 27 Mar 2025, 18:35
[Following is an official OnlineBookClub.org review of "Chancy" by Charles Sanford.]
Do you like to read stories about the Wild West? Would you like to know how, in 1867, mining towns were built in Nevada to procure gold and silver? Would you like to know about the various types of people that traveled across America to build and settle in these towns? If you answered yes to these questions, you will enjoy reading Chancy by Charles Sanford.
This story started with a bang! Several men were lazily waiting for a stagecoach when a gunslinger walked in and tried to rob them. A flurry of action happened, and, voila, I was introduced to the Wild West. More action ensued during their trip to Nevada. A gang of bandits, riding horseback, ambushed the stagecoach in an attempt to rob the passengers. The pace of the story was amped up, and I was enthralled.
Several of the story’s main characters were in this stagecoach. They came from different walks of life but shared a desire for new opportunities that the mining towns provided. Bravery was a trait that they all shared. When this hearty group arrived in the mining town of Royce, Nevada, they joined other strong characters who had already laid a good foundation for this town’s development. Lots of money was to be made.
Chancy, Amos, Daisy, Cadel, Renee, Cass, Fred, Gwen, Jethro, and Kerry were some of the characters involved in running Royce, a mining town with a population of more than 2000 people. Chancy, a Union cavalry veteran, traveled to Royce to set up a dry goods store. Amos, a blacksmith, and his wife, Daisy, were freed slaves who moved to Royce to pursue Amos’ dream of setting up a blacksmith shop. Cadel was a miner with previous experience working at Cornish tin mines in Britain. Renee ran Royce’s classiest brothel. Cass started up Royce’s only newspaper. Fred, a conniving banker, influenced the successes and failures of Royce’s businesses. Gwen, Fred’s daughter, was used by her father to investigate Chancy’s background. Jethro, another Union cavalry veteran, operated an armed stone-hauling outfit and moved bullion for Royce’s mining companies. Kerry, an Irish gambler, migrated to Royce to try out his luck in Royce’s many gambling establishments.
The town of Royce’s neighborhoods were divided by race: Whites, Blacks, and Chinese. Chaos was commonplace in Royce, especially in the bars and gambling establishments. This chaos was often settled by gunfights. Mining accidents were brutal and resulted in death or infirmity. Amidst clamoring for unions, there were social tensions among the miners. The town also had to keep watch for the gunslinging Bracken Gang, who robbed anyone at any time. This story had many gunfights, a fair amount of profanity, and a few racist incidents. This was the harsh reality of the times.
I enjoyed the author’s style of writing. The plots were varied. The character development showed the characters’ previous histories, motivations for moving to a mining town, plans, struggles, and daily lives. The action was intense. French, Irish, and Southern Black accents were successfully portrayed by using clever phonetic spelling. This made the characters more interesting and genuine. The plots were reasonably paced, and I never felt bored. The author’s descriptive sentences gave me good visuals of the Nevada landscape, the dangerous conditions of the mines, the processes used for mining gold and silver, the architecture and furniture used by Royce’s inhabitants, and the personal thoughts of the characters.
I enjoyed reading this story. It was vivid, exciting, and entertaining. I learned how mining was done during the Gold Rush period and how towns were developed. However, this story could use another round of editing as I noticed 11 minor typos. In all honesty, this did not affect my enjoyment of reading this book. The errors were neither blatant nor annoying. I gave this story a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
******
Chancy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon
Do you like to read stories about the Wild West? Would you like to know how, in 1867, mining towns were built in Nevada to procure gold and silver? Would you like to know about the various types of people that traveled across America to build and settle in these towns? If you answered yes to these questions, you will enjoy reading Chancy by Charles Sanford.
This story started with a bang! Several men were lazily waiting for a stagecoach when a gunslinger walked in and tried to rob them. A flurry of action happened, and, voila, I was introduced to the Wild West. More action ensued during their trip to Nevada. A gang of bandits, riding horseback, ambushed the stagecoach in an attempt to rob the passengers. The pace of the story was amped up, and I was enthralled.
Several of the story’s main characters were in this stagecoach. They came from different walks of life but shared a desire for new opportunities that the mining towns provided. Bravery was a trait that they all shared. When this hearty group arrived in the mining town of Royce, Nevada, they joined other strong characters who had already laid a good foundation for this town’s development. Lots of money was to be made.
Chancy, Amos, Daisy, Cadel, Renee, Cass, Fred, Gwen, Jethro, and Kerry were some of the characters involved in running Royce, a mining town with a population of more than 2000 people. Chancy, a Union cavalry veteran, traveled to Royce to set up a dry goods store. Amos, a blacksmith, and his wife, Daisy, were freed slaves who moved to Royce to pursue Amos’ dream of setting up a blacksmith shop. Cadel was a miner with previous experience working at Cornish tin mines in Britain. Renee ran Royce’s classiest brothel. Cass started up Royce’s only newspaper. Fred, a conniving banker, influenced the successes and failures of Royce’s businesses. Gwen, Fred’s daughter, was used by her father to investigate Chancy’s background. Jethro, another Union cavalry veteran, operated an armed stone-hauling outfit and moved bullion for Royce’s mining companies. Kerry, an Irish gambler, migrated to Royce to try out his luck in Royce’s many gambling establishments.
The town of Royce’s neighborhoods were divided by race: Whites, Blacks, and Chinese. Chaos was commonplace in Royce, especially in the bars and gambling establishments. This chaos was often settled by gunfights. Mining accidents were brutal and resulted in death or infirmity. Amidst clamoring for unions, there were social tensions among the miners. The town also had to keep watch for the gunslinging Bracken Gang, who robbed anyone at any time. This story had many gunfights, a fair amount of profanity, and a few racist incidents. This was the harsh reality of the times.
I enjoyed the author’s style of writing. The plots were varied. The character development showed the characters’ previous histories, motivations for moving to a mining town, plans, struggles, and daily lives. The action was intense. French, Irish, and Southern Black accents were successfully portrayed by using clever phonetic spelling. This made the characters more interesting and genuine. The plots were reasonably paced, and I never felt bored. The author’s descriptive sentences gave me good visuals of the Nevada landscape, the dangerous conditions of the mines, the processes used for mining gold and silver, the architecture and furniture used by Royce’s inhabitants, and the personal thoughts of the characters.
I enjoyed reading this story. It was vivid, exciting, and entertaining. I learned how mining was done during the Gold Rush period and how towns were developed. However, this story could use another round of editing as I noticed 11 minor typos. In all honesty, this did not affect my enjoyment of reading this book. The errors were neither blatant nor annoying. I gave this story a rating of 4 out of 5 stars.
******
Chancy
View: on Bookshelves | on Amazon