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Journal of the Gun Years
Back East, they told tall tales about Marshall Clay Halser, the fearless Civil War veteran who became known as the “Hero of the Plains” for his daring exploits in the Wild West. But the truth, as revealed in his private journals, is even more compelling.
A callow youth in search of excitement, Halser travels to the raucous cow towns of the frontier, where his steady nerve and ready trigger finger soon mark him as a gunfighter to be reckoned with. As both an outlaw and a lawman, he carves out a legendary career. But fame proves to be the one enemy he can never outdraw–and a curse that haunts him to the bitter end . . . .
346 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 1991
About the author
Richard Matheson
742 books4,886 followersBorn in Allendale, New Jersey to Norwegian immigrant parents, Matheson was raised in Brooklyn and graduated from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1943. He then entered the military and spent World War II as an infantry soldier. In 1949 he earned his bachelor's degree in journalism from the University of Missouri and moved to California in 1951. He married in 1952 and has four children, three of whom (Chris, Richard Christian, and Ali Matheson) are writers of fiction and screenplays.
His first short story, "Born of Man and Woman," appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1950. The tale of a monstrous child chained in its parents' cellar, it was told in the first person as the creature's diary (in poignantly non-idiomatic English) and immediately made Matheson famous. Between 1950 and 1971, Matheson produced dozens of stories, frequently blending elements of the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres.
Several of his stories, like "Third from the Sun" (1950), "Deadline" (1959) and "Button, Button" (1970) are simple sketches with twist endings; others, like "Trespass" (1953), "Being" (1954) and "Mute" (1962) explore their characters' dilemmas over twenty or thirty pages. Some tales, such as "The Funeral" (1955) and "The Doll that Does Everything" (1954) incorporate zany satirical humour at the expense of genre clichés, and are written in an hysterically overblown prose very different from Matheson's usual pared-down style. Others, like "The Test" (1954) and "Steel" (1956), portray the moral and physical struggles of ordinary people, rather than the then nearly ubiquitous scientists and superheroes, in situations which are at once futuristic and everyday. Still others, such as "Mad House" (1953), "The Curious Child" (1954) and perhaps most famously, "Duel" (1971) are tales of paranoia, in which the everyday environment of the present day becomes inexplicably alien or threatening.
He wrote a number of episodes for the American TV series The Twilight Zone, including "Steel," mentioned above and the famous "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"; adapted the works of Edgar Allan Poe for Roger Corman and Dennis Wheatley's The Devil Rides Out for Hammer Films; and scripted Steven Spielberg's first feature, the TV movie Duel, from his own short story. He also contributed a number of scripts to the Warner Brothers western series "The Lawman" between 1958 and 1962. In 1973, Matheson earned an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his teleplay for The Night Stalker, one of two TV movies written by Matheson that preceded the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Matheson also wrote the screenplay for Fanatic (US title: Die! Die! My Darling!) starring Talullah Bankhead and Stefanie Powers.
Novels include The Shrinking Man (filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man, again from Matheson's own screenplay), and a science fiction vampire novel, I Am Legend, which has been filmed three times under the titles The Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth and once under the original title. Other Matheson novels turned into notable films include What Dreams May Come, Stir of Echoes, Bid Time Return (as Somewhere in Time), and Hell House (as The Legend of Hell House) and the aforementioned Duel, the last three adapted and scripted by Matheson himself. Three of his short stories were filmed together as Trilogy of Terror, including "Prey" with its famous Zuni warrior doll.
In 1960, Matheson published The Beardless Warriors, a nonfantastic, autobiographical novel about teenage American soldiers in World War II.
He died at his home on June 23, 2013, at the age of 87
http://us.macmillan.com/author/richar...
His first short story, "Born of Man and Woman," appeared in the Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction in 1950. The tale of a monstrous child chained in its parents' cellar, it was told in the first person as the creature's diary (in poignantly non-idiomatic English) and immediately made Matheson famous. Between 1950 and 1971, Matheson produced dozens of stories, frequently blending elements of the science fiction, horror and fantasy genres.
Several of his stories, like "Third from the Sun" (1950), "Deadline" (1959) and "Button, Button" (1970) are simple sketches with twist endings; others, like "Trespass" (1953), "Being" (1954) and "Mute" (1962) explore their characters' dilemmas over twenty or thirty pages. Some tales, such as "The Funeral" (1955) and "The Doll that Does Everything" (1954) incorporate zany satirical humour at the expense of genre clichés, and are written in an hysterically overblown prose very different from Matheson's usual pared-down style. Others, like "The Test" (1954) and "Steel" (1956), portray the moral and physical struggles of ordinary people, rather than the then nearly ubiquitous scientists and superheroes, in situations which are at once futuristic and everyday. Still others, such as "Mad House" (1953), "The Curious Child" (1954) and perhaps most famously, "Duel" (1971) are tales of paranoia, in which the everyday environment of the present day becomes inexplicably alien or threatening.
He wrote a number of episodes for the American TV series The Twilight Zone, including "Steel," mentioned above and the famous "Nightmare at 20,000 Feet"; adapted the works of Edgar Allan Poe for Roger Corman and Dennis Wheatley's The Devil Rides Out for Hammer Films; and scripted Steven Spielberg's first feature, the TV movie Duel, from his own short story. He also contributed a number of scripts to the Warner Brothers western series "The Lawman" between 1958 and 1962. In 1973, Matheson earned an Edgar Award from the Mystery Writers of America for his teleplay for The Night Stalker, one of two TV movies written by Matheson that preceded the series Kolchak: The Night Stalker. Matheson also wrote the screenplay for Fanatic (US title: Die! Die! My Darling!) starring Talullah Bankhead and Stefanie Powers.
Novels include The Shrinking Man (filmed as The Incredible Shrinking Man, again from Matheson's own screenplay), and a science fiction vampire novel, I Am Legend, which has been filmed three times under the titles The Omega Man and The Last Man on Earth and once under the original title. Other Matheson novels turned into notable films include What Dreams May Come, Stir of Echoes, Bid Time Return (as Somewhere in Time), and Hell House (as The Legend of Hell House) and the aforementioned Duel, the last three adapted and scripted by Matheson himself. Three of his short stories were filmed together as Trilogy of Terror, including "Prey" with its famous Zuni warrior doll.
In 1960, Matheson published The Beardless Warriors, a nonfantastic, autobiographical novel about teenage American soldiers in World War II.
He died at his home on June 23, 2013, at the age of 87
http://us.macmillan.com/author/richar...
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 99 reviews
May 27, 2012
Richard Matheson is one of those insufferable talents who can marshal his considerable gifts, seemingly at will, to craft engaging, high quality tales in any genre he damn well pleases. It’s ridiculous, I mean how is that even fair?
After cementing his legendary status in the fields of horror, fantasy, SF, even military fiction, Matheson decided to take a shot at a western.The result: a monumental work that embraces and incorporates all of the well-worn trappings of the genre, while simultaneously eviscerating the tropes and preconceptions at the heart of the western.
In other words, a classic…of course!
Matheson’s novel is a demythification of the archetype of the western gunslinger, and a peeling away of the veneer of the romantic perception of life on the western frontier in the latter half of the 1800's. Matheson dresses up his main character in the cliché’s of the classic pistoleer, and than proceeds to bushwhack away the heroic hyperbole to create an all too human story of an all too human man. In so doing, Matheson also explores the theme of the interplay between reputation and reality, and how fame can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, enslaving the man to the shadow of the legend.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Told in epistolary fashion, as a recounting of the personal diary of the main character, with an overarching framing device involving the discovery of the private journal, the novel recounts the life of Marshall Clay Hauser, the “Hero of the Plains,” reputed to be one of the deadliest gunmen to ever go heels. Through Clay’s straight-forward entries, with occasional historical context provided by the author, we learn of Clay’s first experience with killing as a Union solider in 1864. In a pivotal battle in which the Union was outflanked, Clay, with 30 bullets, “shot down nineteen Rebels, killing eleven…throwing such confusion and dismay into the Southern ranks that they began to waver” and almost single-handedly turned the tide in favor of the Union.
From that auspicious beginning, we follow Clay’s remarkable life’s journey, a path filled with violence, bloodshed, loss and pain that litter the Western U.S. During the narrative we come to see Clay’s predominant character traits include a natural restlessness (i.e., a desire for a life more exciting than farming), a preternatural speed and accuracy with a gun, and an complete lack of whatever gene is responsible for fear.
I know, sounds like your stereotypical gunman, right? Read on, my friends, because what Matheson accomplishes is anything but typical.
THOUGHTS:
To explain how Matheson brilliantly inverts the classic western using the clichéd attributes of the gunfighter embodied in Clay Hauser, I’m going to make reference to the 1992 Clint Eastwood film, Unforgiven, because I assume more people are familiar with that work than this one. However, before I get to Clint, I think it is important to note that Matheson’s book was published in 1991, a year before Eastwood’s film. I have never heard that Matheson’s novel was any inspiration to Eastwood, but given the strong similarities in tone, message, and style, it would not surprise me.
Anyway, in Unforgiven, so many aspects of both Clint Eastwood’s character, and those of his fellow stars, meet the classic surface sketch of the western outlaw/lawman, and yet the portrayals were completely stripped of all romantic or mythic characteristics. None of the characters in Unforgiven fit into the role of hero or villain, except as shadings along the long gray area in between. They were completely human, flawed and mortal.
That is what Matheson accomplishes here, but in many ways he goes beyond what Eastwood accomplished because the novel format gives Matheson more canvas to work with in applying nuance to the narrative. Matheson deliberately eschewed trying to present this as some literary art piece, and is careful to use both the cadence and style of the typical western so that he can more effectively distort it from within.
The man has a serious excess of skills.
In sum, this is terrific novel that helps to redefine the genre in which it places itself. In fact, the only reason I’m not giving this 5 stars is because Clint stole a bit of Matheson’s thunder with his film, muting some of the freshness and originality of this noirish view of the western which has become so familiar to me now.
Hey, it's Clint so I think Matheson will be okay with that.
4.0 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
After cementing his legendary status in the fields of horror, fantasy, SF, even military fiction, Matheson decided to take a shot at a western.The result: a monumental work that embraces and incorporates all of the well-worn trappings of the genre, while simultaneously eviscerating the tropes and preconceptions at the heart of the western.
In other words, a classic…of course!
Matheson’s novel is a demythification of the archetype of the western gunslinger, and a peeling away of the veneer of the romantic perception of life on the western frontier in the latter half of the 1800's. Matheson dresses up his main character in the cliché’s of the classic pistoleer, and than proceeds to bushwhack away the heroic hyperbole to create an all too human story of an all too human man. In so doing, Matheson also explores the theme of the interplay between reputation and reality, and how fame can become a self-fulfilling prophecy, enslaving the man to the shadow of the legend.
PLOT SUMMARY:
Told in epistolary fashion, as a recounting of the personal diary of the main character, with an overarching framing device involving the discovery of the private journal, the novel recounts the life of Marshall Clay Hauser, the “Hero of the Plains,” reputed to be one of the deadliest gunmen to ever go heels. Through Clay’s straight-forward entries, with occasional historical context provided by the author, we learn of Clay’s first experience with killing as a Union solider in 1864. In a pivotal battle in which the Union was outflanked, Clay, with 30 bullets, “shot down nineteen Rebels, killing eleven…throwing such confusion and dismay into the Southern ranks that they began to waver” and almost single-handedly turned the tide in favor of the Union.
From that auspicious beginning, we follow Clay’s remarkable life’s journey, a path filled with violence, bloodshed, loss and pain that litter the Western U.S. During the narrative we come to see Clay’s predominant character traits include a natural restlessness (i.e., a desire for a life more exciting than farming), a preternatural speed and accuracy with a gun, and an complete lack of whatever gene is responsible for fear.
I know, sounds like your stereotypical gunman, right? Read on, my friends, because what Matheson accomplishes is anything but typical.
THOUGHTS:
To explain how Matheson brilliantly inverts the classic western using the clichéd attributes of the gunfighter embodied in Clay Hauser, I’m going to make reference to the 1992 Clint Eastwood film, Unforgiven, because I assume more people are familiar with that work than this one. However, before I get to Clint, I think it is important to note that Matheson’s book was published in 1991, a year before Eastwood’s film. I have never heard that Matheson’s novel was any inspiration to Eastwood, but given the strong similarities in tone, message, and style, it would not surprise me.
Anyway, in Unforgiven, so many aspects of both Clint Eastwood’s character, and those of his fellow stars, meet the classic surface sketch of the western outlaw/lawman, and yet the portrayals were completely stripped of all romantic or mythic characteristics. None of the characters in Unforgiven fit into the role of hero or villain, except as shadings along the long gray area in between. They were completely human, flawed and mortal.
That is what Matheson accomplishes here, but in many ways he goes beyond what Eastwood accomplished because the novel format gives Matheson more canvas to work with in applying nuance to the narrative. Matheson deliberately eschewed trying to present this as some literary art piece, and is careful to use both the cadence and style of the typical western so that he can more effectively distort it from within.
The man has a serious excess of skills.
In sum, this is terrific novel that helps to redefine the genre in which it places itself. In fact, the only reason I’m not giving this 5 stars is because Clint stole a bit of Matheson’s thunder with his film, muting some of the freshness and originality of this noirish view of the western which has become so familiar to me now.
Hey, it's Clint so I think Matheson will be okay with that.
4.0 stars. HIGHLY RECOMMENDED.
November 22, 2020
I believe that he is right. All this time, I have been telling myself that the skills I have to offer continue to be of value. Now I wonder if this is so. It may be that the day of the so-called "gunfighter" is on the wane; that, soon, it will be little more than the memory of a brief period in time when masters of the handgun ruled the frontier.
Richard Matheson is mainly known for his horror fiction, particularly Hell House and I Am Legend, but did you know he also wrote several Western short stories and novels? I didn't, but I'm glad I checked this one out. Journal of the Gun Years tells the story of the fictitious Western gunfighter Clay Halser. It starts with Clay's time fighting in the American Civil War, where he first proves himself adept with a rifle, and follows him in his post-war years as he moves west and evolves into one of the most deadly and storied gunfighters of the Western frontier.
Though this book is action-packed, featuring numerous duels and shootouts, it is also very well-written, and has depth beyond that of a traditional Western novel in its exploration of the human toll of the rough life of a frontier lawman and gunfighter. Clay's lifestyle and the choices he makes affect not only him, but also eventually his family and his friends. The atmosphere became somewhat depressing as the story went on, and after a point it became obvious to me that this story was a tragedy. That being said, it features solid characters, an authentic representation of frontier life, and a breakneck pace that made it hard to put down. This isn't your typical romanticized Western novel. It's gritty, and ruthless, and real. For that reason alone, if nothing else, it's worth checking out. Recommended!
Richard Matheson is mainly known for his horror fiction, particularly Hell House and I Am Legend, but did you know he also wrote several Western short stories and novels? I didn't, but I'm glad I checked this one out. Journal of the Gun Years tells the story of the fictitious Western gunfighter Clay Halser. It starts with Clay's time fighting in the American Civil War, where he first proves himself adept with a rifle, and follows him in his post-war years as he moves west and evolves into one of the most deadly and storied gunfighters of the Western frontier.
Though this book is action-packed, featuring numerous duels and shootouts, it is also very well-written, and has depth beyond that of a traditional Western novel in its exploration of the human toll of the rough life of a frontier lawman and gunfighter. Clay's lifestyle and the choices he makes affect not only him, but also eventually his family and his friends. The atmosphere became somewhat depressing as the story went on, and after a point it became obvious to me that this story was a tragedy. That being said, it features solid characters, an authentic representation of frontier life, and a breakneck pace that made it hard to put down. This isn't your typical romanticized Western novel. It's gritty, and ruthless, and real. For that reason alone, if nothing else, it's worth checking out. Recommended!
July 29, 2011
A truly remarkable western that is special because it shatters the romantic view of the old west. This is a not story about heroic white hat heroes, their villains, shootout type western. It has alot of violence,action expected from violent times but it makes the violence, the talent for killing for the gunfighter Clay Halser look meaningless, mundane thing he must do. It doesnt celebrate the violence, people famous for killing even as Lawman.
The greatness of the novel is the way Matheson writes the journal narrative and makes Halser story very human, a story of a man that wanted more exciting life than being a farmer. He didnt wanted to become the legend the papers made him into and struggled to escape the curse of fame and his talent for killing. He becomes so real that you almost think he is a real historical figure.
I rate novels 5 stars only if they are the best of their kind. This story becomes great because of the fresh storytelling that makes Clay Halser personal story look very human,mundane and a great historical document of those times like the best historical fictions.
The greatness of the novel is the way Matheson writes the journal narrative and makes Halser story very human, a story of a man that wanted more exciting life than being a farmer. He didnt wanted to become the legend the papers made him into and struggled to escape the curse of fame and his talent for killing. He becomes so real that you almost think he is a real historical figure.
I rate novels 5 stars only if they are the best of their kind. This story becomes great because of the fresh storytelling that makes Clay Halser personal story look very human,mundane and a great historical document of those times like the best historical fictions.
July 15, 2023
7,5/10
Me apetecía leer algo sobre el salvaje oeste y este libro cumple de sobra con lo que buscaba, cortito entretenido y con buena ambientación.
Basado en la vida de Will Bill Hickok y en formato de diario, esta novela nos cuenta las andanzas de un joven que fue convertido en personaje público por la prensa de una forma exagerada, y cuya fama no fue capaz nunca de asimilar y que le acabó llevando hasta un pozo de penurias del que nunca pudo salir.
El modo en el que está escrito es su mayor virtud, ya que seremos testigos de primera mano de los vaivenes y las dificultades que le tocó vivir por ser un "famoso" vaquero de la época.
Si buscas una novela con una gran profundidad, pues se te quedará corta, si buscas algo ligero, entretenido y que te ofrezca un punto de vista diferente al clásico del héroe del oeste, creo que lo disfrutarás.
Me apetecía leer algo sobre el salvaje oeste y este libro cumple de sobra con lo que buscaba, cortito entretenido y con buena ambientación.
Basado en la vida de Will Bill Hickok y en formato de diario, esta novela nos cuenta las andanzas de un joven que fue convertido en personaje público por la prensa de una forma exagerada, y cuya fama no fue capaz nunca de asimilar y que le acabó llevando hasta un pozo de penurias del que nunca pudo salir.
El modo en el que está escrito es su mayor virtud, ya que seremos testigos de primera mano de los vaivenes y las dificultades que le tocó vivir por ser un "famoso" vaquero de la época.
Si buscas una novela con una gran profundidad, pues se te quedará corta, si buscas algo ligero, entretenido y que te ofrezca un punto de vista diferente al clásico del héroe del oeste, creo que lo disfrutarás.
August 5, 2013
Hickok was right," he said, "I am not a man anymore. I'm a figment of imagination. Do you know I looked at my reflection in the mirror this morning and did not even know who I was looking at? Who is that staring at me? I wondered. Clay Houser of Pine Grove? Or The Hero of the Plains?" he finished with contempt.
After the Civil War, coming home to run his nagging mother's farm is not what young Clay Houser has in mind. He doesn't know exactly what he wants, but he knows what he doesn't want.
I told him I am not certain save one thing - I will not let myself be tied down but will live a fast, exciting life of some kind, that is for dead sure!
After a barroom "incident," Clay heads West. Eventually, he will end up working both sides of the law, as one of the deadliest gunfighters ever spawned by the frontier, and as marshal to lawless towns in Texas and Kansas.
His exploits quickly become the stuff of legend.
He was Hercules in boots, Samson with a brace of pistols.
But, living up to a legend can take a toll, and Matheson presents an interesting look at one character's struggle to separate the stories from the man.
After the Civil War, coming home to run his nagging mother's farm is not what young Clay Houser has in mind. He doesn't know exactly what he wants, but he knows what he doesn't want.
I told him I am not certain save one thing - I will not let myself be tied down but will live a fast, exciting life of some kind, that is for dead sure!
After a barroom "incident," Clay heads West. Eventually, he will end up working both sides of the law, as one of the deadliest gunfighters ever spawned by the frontier, and as marshal to lawless towns in Texas and Kansas.
His exploits quickly become the stuff of legend.
He was Hercules in boots, Samson with a brace of pistols.
But, living up to a legend can take a toll, and Matheson presents an interesting look at one character's struggle to separate the stories from the man.
September 27, 2012
Ah, a Western. It is time to conjure up your conception of the heroic gunslinger, the moral Marshal that tames the chaos of the Western cowtown with a rifle at his shoulder and a Derringer in his belt. He’s the fastest gun in the West, the sweetest tough in the whorehouse, and the deadliest match for the bad guys. Whether you’re a fan of Louis L’Amour, Wild Bill Hickok, or John Wayne, or you’ve simply lived in America between 1902 and 1992, you know this guy. But what Matheson sets out to prove is: you don’t know this guy; You know the myth.
Clay Halser, our hero, is shot dead in the first three pages. His last moments on earth are in conversation with our narrator, a journalist who’s kept up with the Halser legend over the span of his career -- the gun years. His “record book”, a journal at this point spanning many volumes, is edited and published for our edification, so that we may learn the real man behind the myth. He began as a regular kid, hopped up on the excitement of the Civil War, disappointed that the war ended too soon, in search of the adrenaline rush of shots firing. He was a natural shot, but hot-tempered and irrational. After a scuffle at the local saloon, Clay heads West for freedom and adventure. And he has it. Along the way he develops from boy to man, from amateur to master, and a legend grows adjacent to him. But as the legend reaches home to great acclaim, Clay finds there is no homecoming for the man.
I pulled this book from my own collection -- I’m always intrigued by authors who ignore the career constraints of genre, and though I’m not specifically a Western fan (Cormac McCarthy is a topper on my list, but his is a Western literature, not a “Western”), I admire Matheson for his ability to speak on the genre directly through the genre. He’s best known for his horror and sci-fi/fantasy titles like Stir of Echoes and I Am Legend, and he’s written some excellent scripts for The Twilight Zone. Like Dan Simmons and China Mieville, there doesn’t seem to be a genre that can slow him down. I think he’s raised the limits of what we expect a Western to do here -- not only is there plenty of gunfire and bloodshed, whiskey shots and fallen women, there’s also character development, catharsis, and a vulnerable, sympathetic hero. At times I even forgot I was reading a Western, I was so involved in following the mental progression of our hero. I’d recommend this to the Western series reader as an exploration of the formula, but I’d also recommend it to genre-bender buffs and fans of McCarthy, Olmstead, or other more sophisticated Western authors.
Clay Halser, our hero, is shot dead in the first three pages. His last moments on earth are in conversation with our narrator, a journalist who’s kept up with the Halser legend over the span of his career -- the gun years. His “record book”, a journal at this point spanning many volumes, is edited and published for our edification, so that we may learn the real man behind the myth. He began as a regular kid, hopped up on the excitement of the Civil War, disappointed that the war ended too soon, in search of the adrenaline rush of shots firing. He was a natural shot, but hot-tempered and irrational. After a scuffle at the local saloon, Clay heads West for freedom and adventure. And he has it. Along the way he develops from boy to man, from amateur to master, and a legend grows adjacent to him. But as the legend reaches home to great acclaim, Clay finds there is no homecoming for the man.
I pulled this book from my own collection -- I’m always intrigued by authors who ignore the career constraints of genre, and though I’m not specifically a Western fan (Cormac McCarthy is a topper on my list, but his is a Western literature, not a “Western”), I admire Matheson for his ability to speak on the genre directly through the genre. He’s best known for his horror and sci-fi/fantasy titles like Stir of Echoes and I Am Legend, and he’s written some excellent scripts for The Twilight Zone. Like Dan Simmons and China Mieville, there doesn’t seem to be a genre that can slow him down. I think he’s raised the limits of what we expect a Western to do here -- not only is there plenty of gunfire and bloodshed, whiskey shots and fallen women, there’s also character development, catharsis, and a vulnerable, sympathetic hero. At times I even forgot I was reading a Western, I was so involved in following the mental progression of our hero. I’d recommend this to the Western series reader as an exploration of the formula, but I’d also recommend it to genre-bender buffs and fans of McCarthy, Olmstead, or other more sophisticated Western authors.
December 1, 2012
i'm sort of sad i can't give this a more enthusiastic yes. matheson has given me a lot over the years. his touch is all over film and television: he penned screenplays for the roger corman-poe cycle i loved so well growing up. he also famously wrote a significant portion of the classic twilight zone episodes and some of the most memorable: nightmare at twenty thousand feet, the doll, the invaders, and little girl lost among them. for that alone, i might have loved him. but then of course there is I Am Legend, justly regarded as a classic vampire novel, and then the remarkably disturbing The Incredible Shrinking Man, which bears but passing resemblance to the films that have shared and changed its name. those were fantastic novels that really made emotional impressions on me. and he also wrote the teleplays that brought my favourite newspaperman, carl kolchak to life.
so, you know, i want to love everything the guy ever did.
but i can't say that's true. in fact, if i look at his bibliography it seems to me that i'm not really a fan of his later work. he published hell house in 1971, and i thought it was good but lacked the tension and impact of his earlier stories and novels. and journal of the gun years is a much later work -- twenty years later. i guess i should give thanks it's not Hunted Past Reason.
all that to say there is still some substantial charm here. i like tales of the west, and he's adept at character. there are a bunch of wild escapades, and those are hard to resist. but the structure is clunky as all get out, and i was really surprised at some of the choices he made -- at times it strikes me more as a creative exercise, a working out of a character that will be the backbone of a substantial novel that it really isn't.
i always wonder how much of the output that beloved writers publish in their later years is new work, and how much is stuff that they put away for a rainy day because it wasn't quite right, and then forgetting there were problems they just submit it to their agents for publication when they start to run out of money. matheson also wrote constantly and steadily, repurposing as he went through tv and film and magazines and novels. it would have been a remarkable feat if all of it was as good as the shrinking man.
so, you know, i want to love everything the guy ever did.
but i can't say that's true. in fact, if i look at his bibliography it seems to me that i'm not really a fan of his later work. he published hell house in 1971, and i thought it was good but lacked the tension and impact of his earlier stories and novels. and journal of the gun years is a much later work -- twenty years later. i guess i should give thanks it's not Hunted Past Reason.
all that to say there is still some substantial charm here. i like tales of the west, and he's adept at character. there are a bunch of wild escapades, and those are hard to resist. but the structure is clunky as all get out, and i was really surprised at some of the choices he made -- at times it strikes me more as a creative exercise, a working out of a character that will be the backbone of a substantial novel that it really isn't.
i always wonder how much of the output that beloved writers publish in their later years is new work, and how much is stuff that they put away for a rainy day because it wasn't quite right, and then forgetting there were problems they just submit it to their agents for publication when they start to run out of money. matheson also wrote constantly and steadily, repurposing as he went through tv and film and magazines and novels. it would have been a remarkable feat if all of it was as good as the shrinking man.
April 21, 2022
Journal of the gun years, one of the best westerns I've read in ages, its got action a plenty. Kind of a train wreck in slow motion though.
Young small town kid Clay Hasler union civil war hero, even has the medals. Pretty much single handedly saving his comrades from slaughter by cannons with fine marksmanship and taking out the crews. He heads west after the war with a somewhat quick trigger finger bouncing between Marshall, hired gun, gambler, drifter. An eastern reporter finds his journal after his demise and fills in the gaps telling his story.
Young small town kid Clay Hasler union civil war hero, even has the medals. Pretty much single handedly saving his comrades from slaughter by cannons with fine marksmanship and taking out the crews. He heads west after the war with a somewhat quick trigger finger bouncing between Marshall, hired gun, gambler, drifter. An eastern reporter finds his journal after his demise and fills in the gaps telling his story.
November 9, 2019
Other than a couple of awkward bits, this was pretty good and kept me reading. It's the story of a man who becomes a Hickock level famous gunfighter and his slow breakdown. The unique part of it is that it's told essentially in diary form, through the supposed entries of the main character, Clay Halser. However, there are also supposed commentaries from Halser's friend, which are written in italics. The book essentially starts with the ending, then goes back to the beginning and writes its way toward that end. One awkward piece is how, supposedly, Halser's first entries start out barely literate but get better over time as he matures. Unfortunately, Matheson must have given up on that idea pretty quickly because there's only one really semi-literate entry in Halser's journal, and the rest stays pretty much the same style throughout. This was a device that wasn't needed and wasn't really used except in the first entry.
September 18, 2017
This is the journal of former marshal Clay Halser, found after his death, and published by a journalist. It's a fairly standard modern Western, in that we find the romance of the Old West isn't at all what we imagined.
Clay's career starts slowly, and he does have a natural talent for being quick on the draw. But as tales of his exploits get out and get published, they're embellished. And what happens is that Clay is forced to live up to those embellishments as people come looking to "try" him. And eventually the real Clay feels compelled to live up to the Clay of legends. And that's a burden no man can manage.
Western films have been breaking down romanticized notions of the West for years, so this is just more of the same. Perhaps the biggest sin the book commits is that it never once surprised me. Even structurally, it begins with Clay's end, so there's no tension or fear or...anything.
And the journalist who published it (and claimed to be a friend of Clay's, though he's barely mentioned), inserts himself into the narrative often--giving us back-story and clarifying things. I suppose he could have found out these details using his journalistic talents, but it still felt as though he knew more than he should. So his appearances aren't welcome, but, rather, suspect. And I don't think that was a narrative trick Matheson was employing. (Now if this were a Gene Wolfe novel...)
So, it was okay. But sad. And not-surprising.
Finally, I listened to this on CD, and the narrator is remarkably, horribly bad--easily the worst I've ever heard. It's like they got one of the early "talking" computer programs to narrate it. He's stiff and pronounces every word--and sometimes every syllable--carefully. The occasional glimpses of emotion sound like a computer trying to simulate emotion. "You. Go. A. Head. And. Draw. Your. Gun. You. Son-of-a. Bitch." This would only be acceptable if we find out at the end that Clay was an android. But (spoiler alert) he's not an android.
Clay's career starts slowly, and he does have a natural talent for being quick on the draw. But as tales of his exploits get out and get published, they're embellished. And what happens is that Clay is forced to live up to those embellishments as people come looking to "try" him. And eventually the real Clay feels compelled to live up to the Clay of legends. And that's a burden no man can manage.
Western films have been breaking down romanticized notions of the West for years, so this is just more of the same. Perhaps the biggest sin the book commits is that it never once surprised me. Even structurally, it begins with Clay's end, so there's no tension or fear or...anything.
And the journalist who published it (and claimed to be a friend of Clay's, though he's barely mentioned), inserts himself into the narrative often--giving us back-story and clarifying things. I suppose he could have found out these details using his journalistic talents, but it still felt as though he knew more than he should. So his appearances aren't welcome, but, rather, suspect. And I don't think that was a narrative trick Matheson was employing. (Now if this were a Gene Wolfe novel...)
So, it was okay. But sad. And not-surprising.
Finally, I listened to this on CD, and the narrator is remarkably, horribly bad--easily the worst I've ever heard. It's like they got one of the early "talking" computer programs to narrate it. He's stiff and pronounces every word--and sometimes every syllable--carefully. The occasional glimpses of emotion sound like a computer trying to simulate emotion. "You. Go. A. Head. And. Draw. Your. Gun. You. Son-of-a. Bitch." This would only be acceptable if we find out at the end that Clay was an android. But (spoiler alert) he's not an android.
March 9, 2017
Richard Matheson takes a compelling approach to the traditional western tale of a tough-as-nails gunslinger and conveys it from the inside out. Journal of the Gun Years takes the form of an annotated journal written by Clay Hauser, a directionless soldier fresh out of the Civil War who's forced to flee his bucolic hometown after an argument over cards ends in a fatal shooting (his first journal was one he scavenged off a Confederate soldier's corpse). Clay heads westward, endeavoring to keep his pride and short temper in check, but in time his valor and skilled shooting elevates him from desperado to lawman (and sometimes back again). After an unscrupulous sociopath springs him from a jail cell, Clay pursues his destiny throughout the brutal West, taming towns, fighting range wars, and fostering an international reputation that is enhanced to mythic heights (much in the same manner as ‘Wild Bill’ Hickok) by both the tabloid press and the yellow-backs loosely based on his exploits.
Journal of the Gun Years is tightly plotted and suspenseful; the language is so genuine that Clay Halser becomes increasingly real as the story progresses. Matheson deftly depicts Clay’s deterioration from a potentially great man overwhelmed by his own larger-than-life image. By the end of this affecting novel, the iconic gunslinger has been so lionized as to be empty, lonely, and frightened with nary a friend of which to speak. The story grips readers as Clay’s life runs the gamut, every violent incident in his checkered career leading him further along the path toward a sad demise in an anticlimactic showdown with a young roughneck out to make a name for himself (In case you’re worried that I just spoiled the ending for you, don’t be; Clay bites the proverbial bullet in the foreword).
Journal of the Gun Years is a winner, actually a Spur Award winner for Best Western novel published in 1991. There’s enough gritty action and western drama here to satisfy genre fans, and more depth than most other western novels offer.
Journal of the Gun Years is tightly plotted and suspenseful; the language is so genuine that Clay Halser becomes increasingly real as the story progresses. Matheson deftly depicts Clay’s deterioration from a potentially great man overwhelmed by his own larger-than-life image. By the end of this affecting novel, the iconic gunslinger has been so lionized as to be empty, lonely, and frightened with nary a friend of which to speak. The story grips readers as Clay’s life runs the gamut, every violent incident in his checkered career leading him further along the path toward a sad demise in an anticlimactic showdown with a young roughneck out to make a name for himself (In case you’re worried that I just spoiled the ending for you, don’t be; Clay bites the proverbial bullet in the foreword).
Journal of the Gun Years is a winner, actually a Spur Award winner for Best Western novel published in 1991. There’s enough gritty action and western drama here to satisfy genre fans, and more depth than most other western novels offer.
September 19, 2022
Editado originalmente en 1991 e inédito en España hasta hace un par de años, "Diario de los años del plomo" ("Journal of the Gun Years") es otra joya a descubrir en nuestro país del enorme Richard Matheson, que a pesar de alcanzar la fama gracias a un buen puñado de obras maestras de género fantástico también cultivó el western o el policiaco, facetas desconocidas por su falta de publicación en su mayoría por estos lares. La novela es el diario de Clay Halser, un pistolero que ha conocido la fama en los tiempos del salvaje Oeste y que fallece al principio de la novela a manos de un chaval con ansias de celebridad por matar a una leyenda viva. Un periodista publica su diario personal y poco a poco conocemos su inicio en el mundo de la violencia, siendo casi un crío, por matar en una partida de cartas, teniendo que huir de su localidad natal y desarrollando posteriormente su innato talento con las armas en ocasiones fuera de la ley, y en otras ejerciendo el papel de marshal. La visión de Matheson sobre el mito que devora al ser humano, inspirado en parte en "Wild" Bill Hickock (que aparece en el libro en un par de momentos) se asemeja a otras obras desmitificadoras sobre las leyendas del Oeste que surgieron por aquella época, como la también majestuosa "Querido Billy" de Larry McMurtry o, por supuesto, la película "Sin Perdón" de Clint Eastwood. Mientras Halser lee la versión ficticia de si mismo que se publican en las novelas de la época (donde se exageran, cuando no se inventan, directamente sus hazañas) se ve reflejado en un espejo deforme que muestra una mitología de la vida real cuyo único parecido con esta es que la vida valía muy poco y se segaba muy rápido. La enésima perla de su autor, del que ojalá terminen por editarse el resto de sus obras en castellano al completo más pronto que tarde.
March 19, 2026
Journal of the Gun Years, which is otherwise a passable Western potboiler, is made slightly brittle by author Richard Matheson's attempts to stretch it into a more ambitious form without ever really committing to it. It tells the story of a rather cliché revisionist-Western gunslinger as he becomes famous and then swallowed by his fame, growing increasingly embittered and doomed by his fateful path into violence.
The novel is capably told, if a bit juvenile in its character depth, but the format by which Matheson tells the story – the gunslinger's plain-speaking journal entries linked together by a journalist's interjections and backstory – feels undercooked, with plot and character developments summarised in a passage rather than allowed to grow through storytelling. The reader will feel a bit of simmering frustration throughout at its failure to fill their belly, even if there will be moments when the pot boils and they feel sated. The sort of reader candidate looking to pick this title up nowadays – a Western fan looking to hoover up some of the lesser titles – will find it perfectly pleasant, if a bit depressing. It satisfies the Western itch for a short while, but you'll soon be roaming for a more substantial meal.
The novel is capably told, if a bit juvenile in its character depth, but the format by which Matheson tells the story – the gunslinger's plain-speaking journal entries linked together by a journalist's interjections and backstory – feels undercooked, with plot and character developments summarised in a passage rather than allowed to grow through storytelling. The reader will feel a bit of simmering frustration throughout at its failure to fill their belly, even if there will be moments when the pot boils and they feel sated. The sort of reader candidate looking to pick this title up nowadays – a Western fan looking to hoover up some of the lesser titles – will find it perfectly pleasant, if a bit depressing. It satisfies the Western itch for a short while, but you'll soon be roaming for a more substantial meal.
August 8, 2022
Matheson is a massive talent and this is well-written, a fine western, but it’s so melancholic I found myself exhausted by it. I am also greatly peeved by the reviews that claim this novel upended the genre. This was published in 91 and is clearly in the lineage of SHANE and THE SHOOTIST both more famous and influential on the genre than this one. By 91 this kind of western was not revolutionary. It was in vogue. Still a very good book that I might have enjoyed more had it found me at another time. Read mostly on a sleepless night.
January 14, 2024
A Western that sets out to subvert the tropes of the immortal gunfighter, this epistolary novel succeeds greatly. The real magic is that even in the subversion there is a helluva’n action story here. Clay Halser is a character laden with pathos. Even when he understands who and what he is, and has the desire to escape it, he cannot. Everywhere you go, there you are. Fun and tragic.
May 3, 2020
A great western from one of my favorite authors, Richard Matheson. I've spent a lifetime trying to get through all his books and stories. You'll never read a bad one.
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December 22, 2020Pium y más pium.
March 20, 2021
All this time I have been telling myself that the skills I have to offer continue to be of value. Now I wonder if this is so.
It's only after finishing this book and doing some preliminary research that I realize that the author of My Very First Western is actually the same author as I Am Legend. Wild.
Anyway, so after talking with some library co-workers about video games and my obsession with Red Dead Redemption 2, I realized I had never, everevereverever, read a western. My grandpa had the obligatory wall of Louis L'Amor that I remember as a kid, and even though I was a voracious reader that read anything between two covers I never touched them. I asked my co-workers if there were any westerns that weren't so....pulpy. My coworkers thought that was a funny question, because of course all westerns are pulpy. Everybody knows that. Not willing to say die, I turned to some literary friends of mine, and was rewarded with a whole slew of book suggestions. From those suggestions I followed Goodreads' suggestions for even more. This was one of those "even more" suggestions, and I was delightfully surprised with how it turned out.
First, let's talk format. As the title indicates, this is told in journal format. Normally this sort of format sort of annoys me because of how choppy the story ends up being, but I think the author does a good job of smoothing that over by including the commentary from the person presenting the journal. The book sort of takes that "found journal" trope, where in the first chapter the finder runs into the journal writer, Clay Halser, late in his life, and after a drink and a sudden turn of luck, finds himself in possession of Clay Halser's journal he kept meticulously since he was young and in the war. The finder then "presents" this journal to us, the readers, by hand selecting entries throughout Clay's life that portray the man as a man and not the legend that he had become, and includes some commentary about the passages themselves and Clay's life in general. The author's attention to detail led to the early, young entries being poorly written and rather superficial, while the late in life ones are much longer, better written, and introspective. I thought that was a nice touch as well.
So Clay Halser leads a rough life. He spent time at war as a teenager, came back to his family home and just never really fit in again, and left home to find his fortune. He drifts around awhile, bartending, stagecoach guarding, and falls in with several men who had an impact on how Clay develops as he gets older. He becomes a great shot, and it's thanks to his shooting and an overzealous reporter that Clay Halser, The Legend, is born in the eyes of the public. Clay then, unknowingly, starts chasing this legend that has been made of him, leading him first into fame, and then into failure. The late in life journal entries in particular are sad to read, as Clay confronts the man he's become.
I really enjoyed this book! It obviously had your stagecoach robberies, your gunfights, your "I'm Marshal Of This Town Now" segments, but it also had a lot of quiet moments where Clay ruminates on what it means to be a gunslinger. I like getting into the minds of main characters a lot, and really enjoyed watching Clay mature through the eyes of his journal. I'm glad this was my first western, because now I feel motivated to seek out more.
It's only after finishing this book and doing some preliminary research that I realize that the author of My Very First Western is actually the same author as I Am Legend. Wild.
Anyway, so after talking with some library co-workers about video games and my obsession with Red Dead Redemption 2, I realized I had never, everevereverever, read a western. My grandpa had the obligatory wall of Louis L'Amor that I remember as a kid, and even though I was a voracious reader that read anything between two covers I never touched them. I asked my co-workers if there were any westerns that weren't so....pulpy. My coworkers thought that was a funny question, because of course all westerns are pulpy. Everybody knows that. Not willing to say die, I turned to some literary friends of mine, and was rewarded with a whole slew of book suggestions. From those suggestions I followed Goodreads' suggestions for even more. This was one of those "even more" suggestions, and I was delightfully surprised with how it turned out.
First, let's talk format. As the title indicates, this is told in journal format. Normally this sort of format sort of annoys me because of how choppy the story ends up being, but I think the author does a good job of smoothing that over by including the commentary from the person presenting the journal. The book sort of takes that "found journal" trope, where in the first chapter the finder runs into the journal writer, Clay Halser, late in his life, and after a drink and a sudden turn of luck, finds himself in possession of Clay Halser's journal he kept meticulously since he was young and in the war. The finder then "presents" this journal to us, the readers, by hand selecting entries throughout Clay's life that portray the man as a man and not the legend that he had become, and includes some commentary about the passages themselves and Clay's life in general. The author's attention to detail led to the early, young entries being poorly written and rather superficial, while the late in life ones are much longer, better written, and introspective. I thought that was a nice touch as well.
So Clay Halser leads a rough life. He spent time at war as a teenager, came back to his family home and just never really fit in again, and left home to find his fortune. He drifts around awhile, bartending, stagecoach guarding, and falls in with several men who had an impact on how Clay develops as he gets older. He becomes a great shot, and it's thanks to his shooting and an overzealous reporter that Clay Halser, The Legend, is born in the eyes of the public. Clay then, unknowingly, starts chasing this legend that has been made of him, leading him first into fame, and then into failure. The late in life journal entries in particular are sad to read, as Clay confronts the man he's become.
I really enjoyed this book! It obviously had your stagecoach robberies, your gunfights, your "I'm Marshal Of This Town Now" segments, but it also had a lot of quiet moments where Clay ruminates on what it means to be a gunslinger. I like getting into the minds of main characters a lot, and really enjoyed watching Clay mature through the eyes of his journal. I'm glad this was my first western, because now I feel motivated to seek out more.
June 10, 2024
**** 3.9 STARS **** words 72,384
I love Westerns. They are some of my favourite films. Yet, despite this, I haven't read that many books in the Western genre. But, being a big fan of Richard Matheson, I'm bound to read at least one book in every genre - Matheson can seemingly write in any genre - and it'll be a very good book, no doubt.
The best Westerns typically don't go into too much detail regarding back story or characterization. They tend to show you a brief window into the lives of the 'hero', or 'anti-hero', depending on whether you're watching a Classic Western or a Spaghetti Western, usually. My absolute favourite Western film is Once Upon a Time in the West. Very much a Spaghetti Western, which I definitely prefer.
In Journal of the Gun Years, we are told a story, through the epistolary form, of the life of a man over a 10 year period. We get a lot of slow character moments, which, as I mentioned earlier, are not what I'm looking for in a Western. However, we occasionally get incredible high points detailing the build-up to violence and the violence itself. This is where the book truly shines for me.
Despite the occasional slow parts I really liked Journal of the Gun Years. Richard Matheson, as ever, is on top form when it comes to dialogue. It's just a shame he didn't write many Western novels.
I love Westerns. They are some of my favourite films. Yet, despite this, I haven't read that many books in the Western genre. But, being a big fan of Richard Matheson, I'm bound to read at least one book in every genre - Matheson can seemingly write in any genre - and it'll be a very good book, no doubt.
The best Westerns typically don't go into too much detail regarding back story or characterization. They tend to show you a brief window into the lives of the 'hero', or 'anti-hero', depending on whether you're watching a Classic Western or a Spaghetti Western, usually. My absolute favourite Western film is Once Upon a Time in the West. Very much a Spaghetti Western, which I definitely prefer.
In Journal of the Gun Years, we are told a story, through the epistolary form, of the life of a man over a 10 year period. We get a lot of slow character moments, which, as I mentioned earlier, are not what I'm looking for in a Western. However, we occasionally get incredible high points detailing the build-up to violence and the violence itself. This is where the book truly shines for me.
Despite the occasional slow parts I really liked Journal of the Gun Years. Richard Matheson, as ever, is on top form when it comes to dialogue. It's just a shame he didn't write many Western novels.
August 12, 2024
Al empezar este libro, y después de unas cuantas páginas, pensé que estaba ante una obra menor (menos famosa, de menos impacto, llámalo x) del autor. Una especie de relato del oeste para un guion que no culminó en una película de serie Z. Un vaquero con la mecha muy corta, que descubre que tiene un talento casi sobrenatural (aunque ni se encoge, ni sobrevive a un cataclismo mundial) para sacar el revólver más rápido que su oponente y oler el peligro. Batallitas varias, incluso un duelo al estilo Ok Corral, y de golpe y culatazo de winchester, el libro cambia. Y se convierte en una profunda descripción de la bajada a los infiernos de un tipo que parece indestructible, al enfrentarse a sus demonios. El estrés de tener que enfrentarse con cualquiera que busque matar al pistolero más famoso del oeste; el delirium tremens causado por el exceso consumo de alcohol; los remordimientos por los amigos que él mismo ha matado o ha sido causa directa de su muerte. Todo éso va minando su salud mental y física para descubrir cómo llega a lo que se cuenta en el primer capítulo.
No la consideraría una obra maestra, ni tal vez en el top 10 de los westerns, pero sí un libro entretenido, bien escrito y con muchísima más profundidad de la que podría parecer a primera vista.
Y por hoy ya está bien, que tengo una buena mano en el faraón y sin tan siquiera sacar la carta que llevo escondida en la manga.
No la consideraría una obra maestra, ni tal vez en el top 10 de los westerns, pero sí un libro entretenido, bien escrito y con muchísima más profundidad de la que podría parecer a primera vista.
Y por hoy ya está bien, que tengo una buena mano en el faraón y sin tan siquiera sacar la carta que llevo escondida en la manga.
January 8, 2022
A look at the character of the famous gunfigher from the gunfigher's point of view. While others see him as a glamorous legend, his life is actually lonely, sad, and crushed with PTSD and regret.
I prefer my Westerns with a lot more fantasy and violence (and fantasy violence), but this was an interesting twist on the classic gunslinger myth.
I prefer my Westerns with a lot more fantasy and violence (and fantasy violence), but this was an interesting twist on the classic gunslinger myth.
January 12, 2020
This book is kind of laid back. I like the way it's written in almost a serialization. Each tale could have been printed in an issue of a magazine. I just enjoyed seeing Matheson stretch his legs a bit and tackle a new genre. I think he did well with this. He makes sure the "hero" isn't a hero and just a man.
August 28, 2023
This book starts off slowly, rambling through seemingly disconnected vignettes. Nothing is very interesting, as Matheson doesn’t build much interest in either a plot or any depth of character. At the midpoint, the pace and my interest picked up, coinciding with some resemblance of plot and picking up threads that were interspersed in the first half. In the end, I enjoyed it but it comes off fairly average with many other westerns covering similar ground more effectively.
February 13, 2026
This is a western that is a bit grim and stark, but manages to be realistic and plausible without being deconstructive or hostile to the old west. Matheson tells a sadly believable story of how it really was in the west, without it being a deliberate attempt to tear down the legend.
This is the story of Clay Hauser from youth to his death, taken from a series of fictional journals that he kept over his life, as related by a reporter. Clay starts out in the Civil War, rides the outlaw trail, tames several towns, and over time becomes a legend. He is a sort of pastiche of Bill Hickock and Wyatt Earp, a blending of both with similar backgrounds and situations. He even ends up touring with a play of his life, doing a speech about his life.
Its pretty well written, but in a dark, sad way. Clay is basically a good enough guy, but very flawed and is drawn into some pretty bad stuff by bad associates, desperation, and frustration or anger.
This is the story of Clay Hauser from youth to his death, taken from a series of fictional journals that he kept over his life, as related by a reporter. Clay starts out in the Civil War, rides the outlaw trail, tames several towns, and over time becomes a legend. He is a sort of pastiche of Bill Hickock and Wyatt Earp, a blending of both with similar backgrounds and situations. He even ends up touring with a play of his life, doing a speech about his life.
Its pretty well written, but in a dark, sad way. Clay is basically a good enough guy, but very flawed and is drawn into some pretty bad stuff by bad associates, desperation, and frustration or anger.
March 13, 2016
While browsing through the bookstore years ago, the blurb on the cover of this novel caught my eye, "The best novel I read last year." The quote was from Stephen King, no less. When I saw that the author was Richard Matheson, I was very surprised since I primarily knew Matheson as a writer of horror. Westerns have not really been an element of my previous reading history but I decided to give it a try and, man, was I glad that I did! I now rate this novel as one of my top three all time favorites.
Matheson's approach is to take the traditional story of the life of a gunslinger in the old West and look at it from the inside out. The novel takes the form of a journal written by Clay Hauser from his beginning as a frightened soldier in the Civil War to his inevitable destiny in a small mining town. From outlaw to lawman (and sometimes back again) during this ten year period, Matheson does a wonderful job in depicting the deterioration of a potentially great man. I felt genuinely sad at the end of this powerful novel.
I've been recommending this novel throughout the Internet for years now, whenever I get the chance. I thought that people would have been more influenced towards reading more western themed books by the success of Lonesome Dove. (Another of my top three favorites, by the way.) People should stop being afraid to explore new avenues of literature. Because that's exactly what this novel is, Great Literature!!
(This review is a re-edit of one I did on Amazon years ago.)
August 6, 2013
A Journal of the Gun Years is a change from the norm for highly acclaimed horror and suspense writer Richard Matheson. Matheson writes this book from the perspective of an author that has picked up the journals of a dead gun fighter named Clay Halser. This author, Frank Leslie, was present at the death of Halser. He takes Halser’s journals and uses them to piece together the life of the infamous gun fighter. Halser’s journey starts with a battle in the Civil War fighting for the Union. Matheson shows his amazing writing skill to create a genius story of the sometime outlaw sometime hero. While most of Matheson’s readers are probably mostly interested in horror or science fiction, he does not alienate them with this western them. In fact, the book is written as any classic Matheson novel only in an old west setting. It is genuinely a fascinating story that has you rooting for Halser all the way through. In traditional western style he uses lines in replacement of the “adult” words. It has some sexual innuendo, but would be fine for a teen to adult in my opinion. I highly recommend this novel.
May 14, 2010
I'm in Bishop, California right now (total cowboy country for sure) and felt the need to be reading a Western novel for that very reason. Now I have never read a Western, so this review is not based on previous Westerns read, just on if I enjoyed it or not.
While hitting a local used store I found this book. It seemed to be a no-brainer for me to pick it up. I wanted a Western, and I love Matheson. Duh. This was the book to read!
Well, I read it in one day! Sure, it's only 216 pages, but those pages just fly by with excitement, interesting characters (we need a book on Henry Blackstone!!!), and just all around fun writing (until all the bad things start happening to our star, Clay).
I can't think of anything negative to say about the book other than I am hoping "Frank" will be issuing more of these journal entries. In the meantime though I will have to satisfy myself with Matheson's MEMOIRS OF WILD BILL HICKOK!
While hitting a local used store I found this book. It seemed to be a no-brainer for me to pick it up. I wanted a Western, and I love Matheson. Duh. This was the book to read!
Well, I read it in one day! Sure, it's only 216 pages, but those pages just fly by with excitement, interesting characters (we need a book on Henry Blackstone!!!), and just all around fun writing (until all the bad things start happening to our star, Clay).
I can't think of anything negative to say about the book other than I am hoping "Frank" will be issuing more of these journal entries. In the meantime though I will have to satisfy myself with Matheson's MEMOIRS OF WILD BILL HICKOK!
June 12, 2012
This is a western novel written by an author famous for horror, fantasy, and sci-fi. It is written in journal format but also "edited" by a journalist friend of the infamous, gunslinging quick-draw, murdering gambler, lawman of a cow-town, who happens to live a life quite similar to Wild Bill Hickock, himself. Not eloquently written but that would make this story seem less intense. I enjoyed the analysis that the journalist uses trying to understand the downward spiral of, the easily bored, Clay Halser. While we have all heard similar stories of most of the real historical characters of the wild west, this book shares the horrible toll that such a life of notoriety can take on a person's sanity. Quite good, I would give this book a 3.8 out of 5.0. I would recommend it for people who truly like westerns.
March 14, 2009
Gripping western fiction delivered in Matheson's clarion-clear and unencumbered prose. I admired the format, which presented the conclusion of the story first, leaving the reader in the unrelenting grip of Halser's equal parts grinding and deadly life.
Most of all, Matheson makes me think. He's been doing it ever since the first time I watched one of his Twilight Zone episodes or picked up a copy of the "I Am Legend" horror collection. His stuff makes me think mainly about humanity. It starts me asking questions. There's no dumbing-down or smugness about it. He just puts it out there, brilliantly.
Keep an eye out for the reissue in April.
Most of all, Matheson makes me think. He's been doing it ever since the first time I watched one of his Twilight Zone episodes or picked up a copy of the "I Am Legend" horror collection. His stuff makes me think mainly about humanity. It starts me asking questions. There's no dumbing-down or smugness about it. He just puts it out there, brilliantly.
Keep an eye out for the reissue in April.
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