Recommend me a good "riflemans" fiction book....

[L_Kilkenny]

As some of you may of guessed I'm a big Louis L'Amour fan. Been so for 30+ years. But after years of reading his stories(some of them dozens of times) they are starting to run together and to be honest, most of the stories are about "pistolaros" .

Can someone suggest a line of fiction books or an author that maybe involves rifle work as opposed to the tradition story lines of quick draws and stand up fights. Maybe a little less the good guy, super tough, super fast, reluctant hero stuff. Heck, after years of reading L'Amour Id be happy to read a story about ugly, scrawny, back shooter! LOL.

BTW, descriptive "bedding" in books bores me. Nothing ruins a good story like adding a love interest I'd like it if it were kept to a minimum. Time period can be any from early american to present.

LK

[Rusty]

Go to www.pineapplepress.com and look over the list of books they have that they call "Cracker Westerns." These books are all written along the lines of something Louis L'Amour would write. The difference is they take place in Fla. There are several authors and they are all good. I've read "Guns of the Palmetto Plains" twice myself.

There is also another book that covers about 110 years in the making of Florida called "A Land Remembered" by Patrick D. Smith. This book starts with a family that left war torn Georgia to remove themselves from the war and ends with the Great Grandson passing away in 1950's era Florida.

[Blaine]

Stephen Hunter wrote the Bob Lee Swagart trilogy.... The ex sniper who manages to keep life interesting for himself (to say the least)... I like all Hunter's books.

[slimster]

+1 and amen to the Steven Hunter books. Swagger was a "common man" type hero, and the books are full of interesting plot twists. Not westerns, but excellent reads. Also recommend Hunter's "Hot Springs" about Bob Lee's daddy, an Ark. State Trooper during the roaring twentys, an excellent gangster tale.

[madman4570]

THE SHOOTING SEASON by Steve Copling also "Point of Impact" by Stephen Hunter

"Death in the Long Grass" may not be Fiction but it was Awesome!!!

[mescalero1]

Death in the Long Grass
Death in the Silent Places
Peter Hathaway Capstick

[mescalero1]

Sorry,
You said fiction, these are non-fiction.

[C. Cash]

Though we talk it to death, Lonesome Dove is a good one if you haven't read it.

[mescalero1]

madman4570,
If you liked Death in the Long Grass
you will like Death in the Silent Places

[rhead]

The Long Rifle by Stewart Edward White. The Last Trail, Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey.

[AJMD429]

Anything by James Thom - all authentic historically correct. The 'gunniest' would be 'From Sea to Shining Sea' or 'Longknife' although 'The Red Heart' and 'Panther in the Sky' are pretty action filled. His novels are historic fiction about real individuals and events during the Revolutionary to Civil war period. Also 'Sign Talker' is the best account of the Lewis and Clark expedition I've ever read.

[Rustolium]

Kinda OT, but I like Harry Turtledove. He does alternate history. The best series is about the South winning the War of Northern Aggression. It tarts out fine, but I'm not liking where it's ending up.

[SMOKE JENSEN]

Try the Last Mountainman, First Mountainman, Blood Bond,Last Gunfighter,etc. All series by William W Johntone.Just as good if not better than L'Amour,who I have read for 40 years.



Smoke Jensen

If you read them you will see where I got my nickname from.

[JerryB]

"The Frontiersmen" by Allan W. Eckert, it is the story of Simon Kenton. It covers the American wilderness of the 1700's, you can actually smell the smoke from the flintlocks and campfires. Try it, you'll like it.
The book Rusty mentioned about Florida is the only one that I have read that lets you feel the life of the Florida cowboys and the ranches like it really was.

[Rusty]

Right on the button Jerry, In Fact Allan Eckert has several books about that time period. I think they're written in order. I remember "The Wilderness Road" being in there somewhere.

The first Steven Hunter Book I read was "The Master Sniper" which took place in WWII. The one about Bob Lee's father sounds like a good read too.

[Ysabel Kid]

Well, from my board name here, I have to admit I am partial to the J.T. Edson "Floating Outfit" series. These were written 40+ years ago. I started reading them in college, and loved them. My favorite character, the "Ysabel Kid", is half Comanche, half Irish-French Creole, and a rifleman first and foremost. Edson's novels follow a core set of characters, and you really end up "knowing" them. Lots of rifle work. In fact, Edson's description of period firearms is second to none. Though women getting into fights tends to appear once in every other book - with the requiste ripping of their blouses - that is the limit of the "bedding" found in these. They are first and foremost action stories - and stories about the strong bound of the main characters. Any love interest is touched on briefly and superficially.

Personally, I recommend starting with "The Ysabel Kid", but some may say I'm a wee bit biased!

[mescalero1]

You think?

[Ysabel Kid]

You think?

Possibly...

[Ysabel Kid]

You think?

Or, taken another way, "not often"!

Or, perhaps, "as little as possible!"

[L_Kilkenny]

Some great suggestions here boys. I'm gonna start making notes and do some looking around. Might even have to save this thread in favorites.

LK

[L_Kilkenny]

The Long Rifle by Stewart Edward White. The Last Trail, Spirit of the Border by Zane Grey.

I tried reading a Zane Grey book a year or so again and picked it up again last night. To tell the truth it PO'd me. It's called "The Deer Stalker". It's about a anti-hunting Park Ranger that protects a deer herd in his park that are starving due to over population. They want to start hunting and he is mad. He also whines about the killin of of cougers which lead to the over population (as if hunting won't solve the problem). Kinda sours a guy on Zane Grey books.

LK

[MrMurphy]

H. Rider Haggard.

They're in Africa, but he's all about rifles and using them. Some mention of pistols but when it gets down and dirty, double barrel expresses and Winchester .44 leverguns tend to "get it done".

King Solomon's Mines, She, and the follow-on book to King Solomon's Mines (can't remember title at the moment) have a lot of good stuff in them and are very 'readable' fiction. Those three are commonly found in a 3-in-1 book at bookstores, but any of his stuff is good.

[1894cfan]

Death in the Long Grass
Death in the Silent Places
Peter Hathaway Capstick

You forgot one, Death in the Dark Continent!

[DixieBoy]

...and they say we shooters don't read anything but Guns and Ammo ! (Hey, I read Handloader too...)

I'm happy to see some of my favorites noted here. I read American history most of time, and when I do read fiction I still want the historical accuracy in the backdrop. That goes a long way towards making the story more readable.

A few of the guys here mentioned Allen Eckert. Try his "That Dark and Bloody River." Eckert has been criticized because he "fleshed out" much of his work with dialogue which is most likely to be close to what would have been said during specific times, but there was no one there to actually document it. I say, so what ?

I've jumped around in the book noted above, and one of the sections which knocked my socks off was his recounting of Lewis Wetzel's exploits. Wetzel lived in the Ohio River Valley, and had experienced much grief in his young life from Indian attacks. He turned to hunting them, and developed the skill of learning to load his flintlock while on the run. Very useful for turning the tables on an enemy while being pursued. Incredible stuff.

I also like the Stephen Hunter books, even if he gets all of his firearms input from others. The book about Bob Lee Swaggert's dad, Hot Springs, is really good. About the only real goof that I've spotted in a Hunter book was when he had Bob Lee unearthing a cached rifle he'd hidden in the woods near his Arkansas home. It was a Ruger Mini - 14, and Hunter goes on about how Bob Lee chose it for its accuracy. Ooops ! Hey, I like Mini - 14's, and I've owned three of them over the last decade. But very few of us who've owned them will ever brag from the rooftops about their accuracy. Small potatoes really. Hunter's books are still pretty enjoyable.

I'm going to check out some of you guys' recommendations. - DixieBoy

[mescalero1]

1894cfan,
I have heard of it, but never come across a copy.
Is it as good as the other two?

[1894cfan]

1894cfan,
I have heard of it, but never come across a copy.
Is it as good as the other two?

Yes, it covers hunting Africa's big five, lion, leopard, elephant, Cape buffalo and rhinoceros. "In Death in the Dark Continent, Capstick brings to life all the suspense, fear and exhilaration of stalking ferocious killers under primitive, savage conditions, with the ever present threat of death."

[mescalero1]

In another post, I speak of we have a Jaguar in my area, if things escalate beyond the status quo, I may have to eliminate the Jag.
I remember from Capstick, that Leopards, the Jag is a relative, is the only animal, that hunts homo sapien for sport!

[1894cfan]

In another post, I speak of we have a Jaguar in my area, if things escalate beyond the status quo, I may have to eliminate the Jag.
I remember from Capstick, that Leopards, the Jag is a relative, is the only animal, that hunts homo sapien for sport!

They also run in four "wheel" drive when they do their business on ya!

[mescalero1]

Yes,
much to my dismay, I am aware of that.

[Doc Hudson]

I don't recall the authors, but Double D puts out some good Western novels that are not the standard stories of stern, steely-eyed town-tamers.

Three that come to mind are:

Charlie and the Sir
Jilly's Canal
Sheep Herding Man.

I also MOST HIGHLY recommend the short story collection published by Kevin Gonzales, The Hanukkah Gun and Other Stories.

[Doc Hudson]

H. Rider Haggard.

They're in Africa, but he's all about rifles and using them. Some mention of pistols but when it gets down and dirty, double barrel expresses and Winchester .44 leverguns tend to "get it done".

King Solomon's Mines, She, and the follow-on book to King Solomon's Mines (can't remember title at the moment) have a lot of good stuff in them and are very 'readable' fiction. Those three are commonly found in a 3-in-1 book at bookstores, but any of his stuff is good.

I'm also a great fan of Sir Henry Rider Haggard!

I have print editions of some of his best known novels, but all or nearly all of his works can be found at the Gutenberg Project: http://www.gutenberg.org/browse/authors/h#a365

I don't remember the title of the novel, but one of the Alan Quartermain novels starts in England and Quartermain takes part in a driven grouse shoot. He gives a bit of detail of the shells he had loaded for the shoot and some detail about the shotguns used by Quartermain and another character.

To get a tiny taste of Haggard's style, read the first paragraph of my post on this thread: http://www.levergunscommunity.com/viewt ... rd#p189415

[Pete44ru]

Any/all of Steven Hunter's books - +4

He even gets into reloading - rarely written/read about in fiction, nevermind somewhat accurately (pun).

.

[rhead]

H. Rider Haggard.

They're in Africa, but he's all about rifles and using them. Some mention of pistols but when it gets down and dirty, double barrel expresses and Winchester .44 leverguns tend to "get it done".

King Solomon's Mines, She, and the follow-on book to King Solomon's Mines (can't remember title at the moment) have a lot of good stuff in them and are very 'readable' fiction. Those three are commonly found in a 3-in-1 book at bookstores, but any of his stuff is good.

I believe the followup to King Soloman's Mines is Allen Quartermain, He, Goode, and Curtis journey to another lost city where Goode and Curtis find wives and Allen dies. I think that that book also contained the witch doctors prophecy along with the return of his shilling that he would die in a faraway land but his name would live forever because the fire could not burn his quill. I always found Han's view of Heaven amusing. Eternal fires that never needed fuel was part of the Hotentot idea of Heaven.
Librivox is currently working on audio versions of his books.

[piller]

In another post, I speak of we have a Jaguar in my area, if things escalate beyond the status quo, I may have to eliminate the Jag.
I remember from Capstick, that Leopards, the Jag is a relative, is the only animal, that hunts homo sapien for sport!

They also run in four "wheel" drive when they do their business on ya!

As Capstick asked, who says smoking is bad for your health. This was in reference to his having to go after a Leopard which a client had gut-shot. He waited to smoke a cigarette hoping that the time would calm his nerves and allow the Leopard to bleed out and maybe die. The time spent smoking ended up saving him from a mauling.

[PaulB]

Another vote for Stephen Hunter's books. The Bob Lee Swagger ones are about long range shooting. The ones about his Dad, Earl Swagger, are not so much.

I've heard about Louis Wetzel, do want to read about him.

Don't forget about "Unintended Consequences"! Lots of long range in there, and the best book about shooting ever!

There's some long range work in Bill Brannon's "Let Us Prey", but it is a brutal book so I can't recommend it...

[Pathfinder09]

I like the "Plainsman" series by Terry C. Johnston. This series covers the US calvery and the Indian wars after the civil war. Lever guns were just coming onto the scene. Great Stuff.

[MrMurphy]

Rhead, Allan Quatermain doesn't involve a shilling or a quill, but there is the part about the great rock being shattered and Umslopogaas's mighty blow.

"The woodpecker"...... he managed to find a "sporting" use for a halberd.....

[rhead]

Rhead, Allan Quatermain doesn't involve a shilling or a quill, but there is the part about the great rock being shattered and Umslopogaas's mighty blow.

"The woodpecker"...... he managed to find a "sporting" use for a halberd.....

It has been a while since I read them. They were getting ready to leave on safari and all the porters were having their fortunes told by the witch doctor. Hans got Allen to have his told and and that was the reading for him. They run together a little after a few decades.