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Gunsmoke 1: The Novel
Sherriff Matt Dillon wonders whether Dodge City's popular new doctor may be in cahoots with a gang of bank robbers, in the first installment in a western series based on the long-running, venerable TV series. Original.
- GenresWesterns
Mass Market Paperback
First published December 1, 1998
15 people want to read
About the author
Gary McCarthy
105 books13 followersGary McCarthy is the author of fourteen American historical novels and thirty-four westerns published by many of New York's major publishing houses. He has over three million books in print and continues to research and write his Canyon Country novels.
Growing up with horses and living in California, Nevada and Arizona, Gary is well suited to writing about the American West. He received his B.S. degree in Animal Science and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics. He has a keen interest in Native American cultures, especially the Hopi, Navajo, Havasupai and Haulapai who live in Northern Arizona.
Gary and his wife Jane live in Arizona and have often ridden horses and hiked in the Kaibab and Coconino National Forests. Gary is always looking for new stories set in the American West and considers the research to be among his most favorite pursuits.
Growing up with horses and living in California, Nevada and Arizona, Gary is well suited to writing about the American West. He received his B.S. degree in Animal Science and an M.S. in Agricultural Economics. He has a keen interest in Native American cultures, especially the Hopi, Navajo, Havasupai and Haulapai who live in Northern Arizona.
Gary and his wife Jane live in Arizona and have often ridden horses and hiked in the Kaibab and Coconino National Forests. Gary is always looking for new stories set in the American West and considers the research to be among his most favorite pursuits.
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Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews
October 14, 2023
This is a good story. It is written as an episode of the TV show. Personal drama, outlaws that get jailed, shootouts, and some humor. The author got Doc and Matt spot on, in my opinion. Miss Kitty, not so much. She gets upset at being called a husky. No, she wouldn't get weepy over that, just pissed.
Where the author really messed up was with Festus. Action and dialog were good, but a couple of items were off. First, the author has Festus reading a newspaper and a dime novel. Second, he is on a fast horse. Everyone who knows Gunsmoke knows 1) Festus can't t read. He is illiterate. And 2) Festus always rides his mule Ruth. There was no good reason in the story he would change mounts.
Makes you wonder, did the author even watch this show? If you're going to write a story based on popular TV characters, you should watch the show some because the readers most certainly did.
Where the author really messed up was with Festus. Action and dialog were good, but a couple of items were off. First, the author has Festus reading a newspaper and a dime novel. Second, he is on a fast horse. Everyone who knows Gunsmoke knows 1) Festus can't t read. He is illiterate. And 2) Festus always rides his mule Ruth. There was no good reason in the story he would change mounts.
Makes you wonder, did the author even watch this show? If you're going to write a story based on popular TV characters, you should watch the show some because the readers most certainly did.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
January 25, 2011
If you're not a fan of Gunsmoke then this review may be a little pointless for you I suppose. If you read this simply as a western, it's at best mediocre. I like some westerns but I haven't been on a "western kick" for a while. I picked this up more for an overwhelming nostalgia that "got me" when I watched a couple of Gunsmoke movies on Encore's Western channel recently.
I got this out of the library...I also own a couple of this series I picked up at one of my favorite used book stores. I hope the others are better than this one.
While I actually remember the Gunsmoke radio program (it was on until 1961) my primary memories are of the TV series. My mother loved it, and while he never said much about it I believe my dad liked it (my dad never said much about anything). I grew up watching this program and while in the end it wasn't what it had been I hated to see it end.
This book might be said to have been loosely based on the later part of the show. One of the "in town" episodes that in my opinion centered far too much on Festus and the "crew". Doc has a heart attack at the open of the book and without giving a "spoiler" (which would be hard here as there's not a lot to spoil).... Matt decides he needs to find a younger doctor who can help Doc out. he draws a young "doctor" in a medicine wagon who's more a lady's man than a medical man. The book manages to work in a little dialog that isn't "too far off" and a little gun play. But at least as far as I'm concerned fails both as a simple western and it fails big time as Gunsmoke.
We've talked here often about good books that get made into mediocre or bad movies. What we have here is sort of the flip of that. Gunsmoke was a quality TV (and radio) series that lasted for 20 years (and at 635 episodes is still the longest running drama that's been on TV) (Law and Order has been on 20 years but produced 456 episodes) being written into a poor western novel. The book has so many flaws that it almost pains me....okay, I still like Gunsmoke, Matt Dillon was one of my heroes as a kid. This guy not only doesn't capture "who" Matt is, he doesn't even know "what" Matt is. He treats Matt as a town Marshal...Matt was a Deputy United States Marshal who worked from Dodge. Half the episodes concerned Matt making a trip to transport or pick up federal prisoners.
So, a very disappointing book on several fronts...I hope the others (that I bought) are better.
I got this out of the library...I also own a couple of this series I picked up at one of my favorite used book stores. I hope the others are better than this one.
While I actually remember the Gunsmoke radio program (it was on until 1961) my primary memories are of the TV series. My mother loved it, and while he never said much about it I believe my dad liked it (my dad never said much about anything). I grew up watching this program and while in the end it wasn't what it had been I hated to see it end.
This book might be said to have been loosely based on the later part of the show. One of the "in town" episodes that in my opinion centered far too much on Festus and the "crew". Doc has a heart attack at the open of the book and without giving a "spoiler" (which would be hard here as there's not a lot to spoil).... Matt decides he needs to find a younger doctor who can help Doc out. he draws a young "doctor" in a medicine wagon who's more a lady's man than a medical man. The book manages to work in a little dialog that isn't "too far off" and a little gun play. But at least as far as I'm concerned fails both as a simple western and it fails big time as Gunsmoke.
We've talked here often about good books that get made into mediocre or bad movies. What we have here is sort of the flip of that. Gunsmoke was a quality TV (and radio) series that lasted for 20 years (and at 635 episodes is still the longest running drama that's been on TV) (Law and Order has been on 20 years but produced 456 episodes) being written into a poor western novel. The book has so many flaws that it almost pains me....okay, I still like Gunsmoke, Matt Dillon was one of my heroes as a kid. This guy not only doesn't capture "who" Matt is, he doesn't even know "what" Matt is. He treats Matt as a town Marshal...Matt was a Deputy United States Marshal who worked from Dodge. Half the episodes concerned Matt making a trip to transport or pick up federal prisoners.
So, a very disappointing book on several fronts...I hope the others (that I bought) are better.
Displaying 1 - 2 of 2 reviews