NOTE: I received a free eBook copy of this book from LibraryThing's Early Reviewers (July 2023).
ANOTHER NOTE: When I first heard about this book, I was dating a guy named Dalton, so the title naturally jumped out at me. Not long after I acquired a copy of this book, Dalton dumped me and broke my heart. I will do my best to not let this unfortunate turn of events have an adverse effect on my review of this book.

In this sci-fi Western, a modest settlement of humans on a "backwater" colony planet faces existential threats from the native inhabitants of their mostly-desert planet. Dalton Kane, the reluctant sheriff of a mid-sized city on Molorthia Six, has his hands full not only with the conflict at hand, but also with the quirky settlers, a tragedy in his past, and the arrival of one Chumley Fanshaw. J. S. Bailey builds a strange world that is somehow eerily reminiscent of Earth, in that some human problems never change. I liked that the cast of characters was both racially diverse and included a non-binary character in a key secondary role. The primary conflict in the novel takes several twists and turns through the introduction of new tribes of opposing forces that made me question whose side I was on and kept me on my toes as I read. The ominous plot is punctuated with moments of dry humor and wry narration that lighten the mood effectively. There is an air of an environmentalist message in "Dalton Kane and the Greens," but it is never preachy. Though the novel manages to wrap up its central plot neatly, its Epilogue (which takes place on another planet) leaves the door open for a future sequel in which we'll surely learn the fate of one interesting hamster. Not being a big sci-fi genre reader, I am pleased to say that this book held my attention from beginning to end, and I will keep my eye out for the sequel. ( )

Dalton Kane and the Greens by J.S. Bailey
The Adventures of Dalton Kane #1

Unique, intriguing, well-developed world filled with aliens, humans, sentient carnivorous tree-like beings, and…a whole lot more. I was a bit on the fence for the first part of the book but as the story progressed, I found myself drawn into the story and caring about the outcome of the characters in Richpoint on Molorthian Six.

What I liked:
* The space-cowboy vibe with unique weapons of defense
* The plot, pacing, setting, world building, and my ability to relate to the characters
* The quirkiness that was almost comedic at times but was oh so very real in threat level at others
* The friendship that developed between Dalton and Chumley and learning more about their pasts – almost liked Chumley more than Dalton
* The look at good and evil as well as kindness and how each of these impacted the story and its characters
* Meeting the supporting characters and wanting to know more about them – would like to know more about more than one of them!
* The shapeshifter element along with the cube the shapeshifter had
* Thinking about the difficulties and stresses there must be living on a planet like Molorthian Six
* Being able to thoroughly dislike the bad guys while seeing good in some that were considered evil
* Knowing that there is going to be another book in the future

What I didn’t like:
* Who and what I was meant not to like
* Thinking about what creates evil people and wondering how they can do the evil they do

Did I enjoy this book? Yes
Would I read more in this series? Yes

Thank you to NetGalley and the author for the ARC – This is my honest review.

4-5 Stars ( )

This space cowboy western sci-fi is delightful, deliciously creative and original. The characters are perfectly imperfect, quirky and believable. The good guys are noble and the bad guys are dastardly villains. This ingenious mix of genres, the plot and characters could not have been better conceived.

The only thing I did not like was coming to the last page, the last word of the story, the last letter of the last word. After having loved the story, I felt deserted and bereft to have finished it. My next step is to collect every other book J.S. Bailey has written. Don’t hesitate, add this one to your reading list—right now. ( )