There is another west.
Much wilder.
“Once on my name was Martha Jane Canary. That’s Calamity Jane to you. And this here’s the story of how the one become the other. And about the Green Man what rode through hell with me to do it.”
Calamity: Being an Account of Calamity Jane and Her Gunslinging Green Man is a violent reimagining of a frontier legend and her alien gunslinger as they face off against extraordinary enemies in the Wilder West.
A temperamental, teenage outcast and a hardened, alien gunslinger burn their way across the West—living as outsiders, killing like outlaws, and surviving calamities of their own making. An unexpected pair of underdogs, they confront savage spacemen, avenging posses, and native tribes on the warpath—reframing the frontier legend of Calamity Jane with a gritty and witty sci-fi twist.
Escape to a Wilder West than you’ve ever imagined.
Saddle up with Calamity Jane and her gunslinging Green Man.
Read (or listen) to the first chapter for free!
Fifteen-year-old Martha Jane Canary is brutally attacked, but her desperate screams draw forth the Green Man, an alien gunslinger whose roar shatters the night. As he dispatches her attackers with otherworldly force, he reveals himself as both protector and mentor, teaching Jane she must never let a man violate her—and igniting her transformation from Martha into the legend, Calamity Jane.
Jane’s calamitous saddle-slang.
Fifteen-year-old Calamity Jane has a sharp tongue and a saddlebag full of slang—especially when hollering at her alien gunslinger. Here’s your guide to the high-plains lingo of Calamity, from above snakes to riding the river.
The quotable Calamity Jane.
One reader put it best: “There’s so much she says that ought to be on cross-stitch.” Calamity Jane is sharp, salty, and endlessly quotable—so check Goodreads for a full list or keep an eye on your own copy for these gems straight from her saddle-worn mouth.
Book club resources.
One of the best parts of a great book is sharing it with friends. If your book club is riding into Calamity, you’ll find discussion questions, a Spotify playlist, author insights, and media extras below to spark conversation—and if you’d like to schedule a virtual visit, just reach out and let’s make it happen.
The word is out about Calamity!
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A violence-laced but enjoyable romp.
Jordan’s weird western snatches the best adventure and suspense elements from both genres and distills them to their essences, creating a violence-laced but enjoyable romp.
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A fresh sf twist to a coming-of-age tale of a Wild West legend.
This first novel adds a fresh sf twist to a coming-of-age tale of a Wild West legend. Told from Calamity Jane's point of view, this gritty story blends the right amount of hard trials and humor, giving readers a revitalized perspective on a familiar folklore heroine.
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A Nook Press Presents selection for October-November 2016
— Barnes & Noble
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Do not miss this jewel of a book.
A brilliantly imagined adventure crossed with a story of trust and faith and all the things of the universe we think we understand but don't—there's action and humor and pathos ... so much heart in these pages.
— Emily Carpenter, author of Amazon bestselling Burying the Honeysuckle Girls, The Weight of Lies, and Gothictown.
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![A black and white ink drawing of a domestic dog, possibly a husky, reading a book with one paw on the open pages and an orange mug nearby.]()
I loved, loved, loved this book!
This is the first sci-fi/western I’ve ever read and I can’t get enough. The action scenes in this book are wildly imaginative and well constructed [and] the characters have great development as you grow with them ... Truly a 5-star read and should be on everyone’s shelf.
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So fresh and sharp.
At times I was in stitches from laughing so hard and at others I was captured by the action. Highly recommended for those looking for something new and unique, especially if you are looking to broaden your genre selection and expose yourself to something that might not cross your radar otherwise.
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![A middle-aged man with glasses, a short beard, and a bald head, wearing a black t-shirt with white stripes, smiling against a bright blue background.]()
Calamity is a lesson on how to do it right. Highly recommended.
— Peter David, New York Times best-selling author of Artful
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![A circular logo featuring a black dragon with wings, set against a mountain and forest background with a full moon. The logo includes the text 'Social Creative V Fictions Literature Since 2015' at the top and 'RisingShadow' at the bottom.]()
An extraordinary sci-fi Western romp.
JD Jordan's Calamity is a satisfyingly gritty, intense and entertaining novel that deserves the attention of speculative fiction readers ... It's something different, because it offers a fascinating glimpse into the early life of Calamity Jane. It's quite an extraordinary sci-fi Western romp.
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![Logo of a tree with orange leaves and black branches, partially disintegrating into the shape of a speech bubble or cloud, with the text "Luque Gallón" below.]()
Far and away the most creative work of fiction I have read in years.
It is incredibly imagined, beautifully rendered, and hauntingly real. Calamity Jane herself is a fine mix of insecurity, fierce spirit, audacity, tenderness, tenacity, love, and hate. JD Jordan has done everything right in this debut novel. It is fast paced and immensely creative.
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Mount up and enjoy the ride!
Writing in the vernacular of the Wild West—and nailing it in a way that will appeal to historical purists while also tickling fans of Firefly and Deadwood—Jordan gives us Calamity Jane's origin story with a sci-fi twist ... Rooting for her and her laconic, gun-slinging green man during their adventures is as easy and satisfying as taking a dip in a spring-fed pond on a hot summer day.
— George Weinstein, author of bestselling novel Hardscrabble Road
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A Western ‘coming of age’ story with a twist.
The twist being aliens. Green ones, grey ones, mean ones, and peaceful ones. Throw in ranchers, cattle barons, Indians, one orphaned teenage girl and you have quite a collection of characters. The dialogue is fully immersed into the Western cowboy vernacular ... from Page One you are in the Old West ... this novel will appeal to speculative Sci-Fi fans and to the more open-minded fans of the Western genre ... a fun read.
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This is a rare one.
The mix of Sci-Fi and Western reminds me of a cult classics like Firefly, but with Jordan’s own unique twist on the mashed up genre. He pulls you along with the characters and story, and we get to play in his sandbox. Check it out, and then go pester JD to write the next one ASAP.
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![The text 'ABYSS' and 'APEX' written in a stylized font with a black background, with their reflections below.]()
Every single western cliché you’ve ever read gets turned on its head.
I devoured this in one sitting, and I’m not even fond of Westerns. It feels very real: a hell of a trick for the author to pull off in his debut novel.
And once you finish Calamity, continue the adventure…
