Gunman's Rhapsody

Rating:
Summary: Of course he's a good writer, BUT ...
Review: this is not an original story here. We all know the characters and the places; there is no real depth of character or any new spin on the Earp story. This book is like any other western story ever told but without detailed description of the setting or the characters. Only the Earp brothers get much character description and except for Wyatt, its pretty sparse. The chapters are really short and don't flow smoothly. There is nothing new here. If you want to read a good western about Wyatt Earp and Tombstone look elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Much Better Than Your Average Western History Novel
Review: This was a really good book. I have read a lot of books on Wyatt Earp and his travails in Tombstone. It is factually quite accurate, and this talented writer adds a great human touch by injecting into the background of his story both the use of the Josie romance (as a real motive for the Behen efforts to get Wyatt using the cowboys) and by using newpaper clippings of other world events that were going on at the same time in the world. And it will be hard to forget his almost poetic reporting of that shootout near Fremont Street on that cold October day. Robert Parker is always great at character studies and this is no exception. Virgil, Doc, Morgan, Ike, Curly Bill, Ringo, and even Bat and Allie get the bright light shone in their direction. It begins with Dodge City and ends immediately after the Vendetta Ride. Marvelous book.

Rating:
Summary: Different
Review: Touching lightly on the historical charactors, Parker delves deep into the scarred and fetid remains of Wyatt Earp's heart. There isn't a penetrating re-opening of Wyatt's past but, rather, a very intimate look into the man's hidden demons, his love for family and hidden penchant for, however unintentional, causing pain to those closest to him.

Parker hits a heavy blow to the traditional western with his relaxed narrative and dialogue driven story. As good, 'cept different, than any Spencer novel.

Rating:
Summary: A great portrayal of Wyatt Earp...
Review: Western literature has been sorely neglected lately. But Parker does a great job of bringing the old west to life in this re-telling of the saga of Wyatt Earp and the OK Corral.

This is a refreshing portrayal of an individual devoted to his principles and backed up by his brothers and their guns. A real masterpiece of western fiction.

I think this would make a great movie, despite the fact that its been done in other versions many times.

Worth the money!

Rating:
Summary: A great portrayal of Wyatt Earp...
Review: Western literature has been sorely neglected lately. But Parker does a great job of bringing the old west to life in this re-telling of the saga of Wyatt Earp and the OK Corral.

This is a refreshing portrayal of an individual devoted to his principles and backed up by his brothers and their guns. A real masterpiece of western fiction.

I think this would make a great movie, despite the fact that its been done in other versions many times.

Worth the money!

Rating:
Summary: Parker finally writes his western and its about Wyatt Earp
Review: When the Custer Battlefield was renamed for the battle of the Little Big Horn and sealed history's final verdict on that vainglorious Indian killer, Wyatt Earp assumed the mantle of the most ambiguous "hero" of the Old West. Robert B. Parker enters into the debate on whether or not Earp was anything more than a thug wearing a badge with "Gunman's Rhapsody." Carefully crafted and sparsely written, this is one of Parker's best novels in years, refreshing in its style even though its subject matter is one of the most often told tales of the West. Wyatt, Virgil and Morgan Earp have moved their families to Tombstone, Arizona where the boys because involved in not only law enforcement but gambling and other profitable enterprises. However, when Wyatt meets Josie Marcus, the girl of Johnny Behan, everything changes. Behan is a Democrat and Sheriff of Tombstone, while the Earps are Republicans and Virgil the City Marshall, so when Wyatt wins Josie, there are going to be consequences. Just because Behan is too much the politician/coward to come at Wyatt straight on, does not mean the Earps are safe. History has recorded the details on who did what to whom, and now Parker provides his take on the whys and wherefores.

This is Parker's first "western" novel, although it has been clear from his last couple of Spenser and Stone novels that he has become enamored of the genre: "Potshots" is basically the Spenser crew doing "The Magnificent Seven." However, there is only a faint echo of Parker's Spenser novels: when Bat Masterson shows up, his relationship and banter with Wyatt is reminiscent of Spenser and Hawk, and there are a couple of moments where Doc Holliday shoots off his mouth in a familiar fashion. What Parker's heroes share in common is their "code," and although Wyatt's primary motivations are his love for Josie and the feud it causes with Behan, along with his closeness with his brothers, it becomes clear there are rules he lives by and things he will or will not do.

Ultimately, I am not so much curious about why Parker chose to write a western as I am about the fact that he picked historical figures in the most celebrated gun fight in American (and American cinematic) history. Parker puts the Gunfight at the O.K. Corral and what follows in the context of Wyatt's relationship with Josie. In Parker's retelling of the tale, that affair becomes the primary causal factor for everyone who is killed or wounded throughout the novel and a defining element for presenting Wyatt as a heroic figure. The Wyatt Earp I know from history was prone to violence, partial to pistol-whipping people and lucky enough to have peddled his side of the story to the Eastern Press. As drawn by Parker, the character is much more of a noble figure with his ruthless pragmatism and fierce family loyalty. If Parker is trying to do more than find a historical antecedent to Spenser, the point is either not at all obvious or just totally lost on me. Finally we are left with wondering why Parker did not just write a western with original characters. Given the fresh start he has given his writing career with "Gunman's Rhapsody," I have to hope that is his next move instead of going back to dressing up westerns in his detective novels.