Deadwood Books

A warning first, about this otherwise exciting and well-done novel. It is graphic, violent, and contains a lot of foul language. Frankly, I almost stopped reading the book, because at times the language becomes almost septic. I'm glad I did finish it, however, because it is well-written and thought-provoking.

Ben Benson is an ineffectual nebbish who just wants to be a writer. The Perfect Revolution is actually his journal, and because this novel is written in journal form it has an immediacy that a straight third party story would not have. It is also painful, rough, and violent as Ben makes his journey from a grunt on the ground in Iraq (in 2013!) to the streets of damaged USA.

Who are these "Perfect Soldiers"? Yes, they are conscienceless robotic killers under the control of one man, General Prescott of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, but are they more? And why is this revolution allowed to happen in the "land of the free and the home of the brave"?

As we watch Benson's combined moral descent along with professional ascent, we might wonder what we would do given the evironment and choices given to Benson. The story at times is visceral and gut-wrenching, but we also wonder what kind of a "gutless wonder" IS Sergeant, then Lieutenant, then Captain, then Major Benson? And what kind of depressing dispirited place is the United States?

Oscar Deadwood is one day going to be a very good author, and this is a very well done first novel. This story could NOT be published in Bewildering Stories, and frankly, it took some work to find a publishable excerpt (coming later), and even the one we have is very dark and violent.

Unlike the other reviewers on Amazon, I couldn't give this novel 5 stars, but 4? Yes, certainly.

Benjamin Benson is a sergeant in the US Army of 2013. He is stationed on the border between US controlled Iraq and a still belligerent Iran. He's a grunt, sad sack, an everyman. And "The Perfect Revolution" is his memoir.

Deadwood's first novel is told in a tightly focused voice. Not only do we learn everything through the eyes of Benson, we learn it in journal entry chunks. Our narrator is only a handful of hours ahead of the reader at any point in the narrative. This gives the reader a sense of blindness, of not knowing what lies around every turn, which just makes the whole thing more disorienting.

I've never been in the military, and know precious little about life as a soldier. I like the fact that Deadwood writes from a viewpoint where many of the conventions and much of the jargon of military life are simply taken for granted. He makes no grand attempt to educate the reader about minutia. Much like any diarist, Benson tells us what happens and how he feels about it.

Into this seemingly standard tale of war come the Perfect Soldiers. As described by Deadwood (through Benson) these robotic additions to the Army are part Terminator, part mafia enforcer, and all menace. They are the unaccountable Black Ops troops that we all know the Army has. But by endowing them with extraordinary - and often very creepy - technological abilities, their accompanying sense of danger is multiplied several fold.

Soon enough, the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs - General Prescott - brings all his troops, including his Perfect Soldiers, back home and uses them to effect a coup. Benson is dragged into the mechanics of this Perfect Revolution, forced at each turn to commit ever greater atrocities. What's fascinating about this book is how Deadwood shows a person who has a conscience do unconscionable things. We watch the turmoil within Benson and we hope for his redemption; we hope at least that he will seek redemption. Deadwood dares us to hate his "hero", but it's hard to do. I found myself rooting for this tool of destruction, which is an unsettling feeling.

I wish Deadwood had given us more secondary characters for Benson to play off of. He gives us such a vivid look into the internal nature of expanding evil. I would have liked to have seen the external effects more clearly. On the other hand, since this future United States devolves so quickly into an Orwellian nightmare, maybe we learn all we need to know about Benson from his thoughts. His impact on the outside world is little more than the tally of those he has exterminated.

I'll just say one more thing, about the pacing. That sense of driving at night, with no headlights, on a curving road carries through, from the first chapter to the last. I certainly didn't enjoy the scenery; who could? But I enjoyed the journey.

I must preface my review by stating that I'm not usually a fiction fan but " the Perfect Revolution" is an interesting title and the recommendation of a close friend caused me to read this ,Oscar Deadwood, book.
This is not a warm and fuzzy feel good story. It is an apocalyptic and frightening story of life as we have known it ending. Oscar Deadwood , is able to make it real and believable with his use of very real geopolitical , economic , social ,and psychological realities that we all can recognize.
The technologies , Deadwood , uses are for the most part all available in one form or another right now. Example , implanted micro chip are being used on hospital patients and livestock today.
In conclusion I found "the Perfect Revolution" well written and compelling. I plan to recommend this and other , Oscar Deadwood , books to my friends and family.

This is a book that will be very hard to put down. I just dont have the time to critique the book to the N'th degree, but I feel that if you are a reader of speculative fiction you will find a unique experience here not dependant on your personal politics. It is an "end times" sort of work, but don't expect the usual trimmings around that sort of fiction. Oscar manages to carve a path all his own here.

Oscar Deadood's "The Perfect Revolution" brings us to the not so distant future, and the battlefronted borders of wartorn Iraq-Iran. I don't want to spoil the stellar plot and storyline, but by my interpretation, the book reads very much in the heart of 80s SF we've come to know and enjoy, ones which have become timeless classics. In this case, my interpretation based the book solely on Military SF and Technothriller. The prose and narrative was refreshing to say the least. If you've ever read a Deadwood short story, you'd know what I mean. But the dark SF he is most often known for is put aside here with some realism: realism in the case of a collapsing economy and having to drop out of college, realism concerning the war in the Middle East, realism concerning the sociological---very little but done nicely---elements, realism with politics in this future/political change, which is the foreword for this story's coup d'etat. These are all real social changes which are happening now or, you better hold on, not too far down the road in real life. Come, let's be honest. In the Bush Administration, these particular times we live in and all, how long until we are in Iran? And with the United States investing billions and billions of dollars into their defense systems and military, are cyborgs for soldiers or robotlike marines not a possible future? Let's take a look at how our economy is now; it is on the verge of collapsing, as was the case with Russia in 1989, and we may have to fill our "own" status quo with super soldiers.

When I read this book I quickly thought of authors such as Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle, only better. Oscar Deadwood makes it happen in the case of his protagonist, Benson, who happens to be a writer. And he throws in the militant adjunction through speculative fiction which makes this novel shine. Another interesting element is that Oscar Deadwood breathes life into his Benson character and the overall storyline by using entries from a journal (sort of like a day in the life of a writer-turned-soldier without choice) and the perfect soldiers. With everything that's going on in the Middle East, and how this war and insurgency we're in now (ala Vietnam the sequel), I think it's safe to say that we can all envision this. He uses a character from Michigan, someone who whether military or blue-collar can associate with (Sergeant Benson) on a human level. As Benson is there, and transformed throughout the course of the novel, so are we. We are moved by a 220 page novel that is not only a semi-portent, but quite possibly our future if we're not careful. Highly recommended.

I started listening to these audiobooks a few years ago. I love themall, you really do feel like you are there.

The characters are great! Jim Gough really brings them to life.

Ralph Compton does a very nice job telling the stories of the old cattle drives. I have read them all. It is tough to keep writing again and again using the same plot. This is compton's 14th. trail dr. book and there are 3 more as I count. All of these drives are inner twined with violant grudges, stampeds, rustlers and all the other unforseen haps. Buy them all, and buy all of the Compton stories written by Robert Vaughan, some of which are The Dakota Trail, The Alamosa Trail, and The Bozman Trail. There are other Compton books by Robrt Vaughan to and they are all excellant.

This rendition of the old west, the "cowboy life", and the genre of the era is well defined in this novel. This is the first book that I have read by Ralph Compton and I cannot wait to start from the beginning of the Trail Series. After reading this, I only wish there was still a time and place where ranchers, cowboys, and trail riding were of common place. It makes you wish you were a part of it.

Good shots per month, with a good mix of characters depicted. Would rather have the show on TV than the calendar on the wall. I gave the calendar as a gift for Christmas to my brother, another Deadwood fan.

The calender for the HBO series Deadwood comes from stills of the second season. Gorgeous images framed in wood edged gold showcase. However, they only have three of Ian McShane. ARGH!! Al would not be happy about that and would have some choice words! 12 month calender.

Frankly, with Deadwood cancelled, as of this writing, these are a good investment. Sure to be a high priced collectors items before you can say Al Swearengen.

very recommended for your Deadwood Fan.

Compton writes a very good story in the style of Zane Grey.
Thrilling fast-paced tales of the old west.

As Cas Everett returns to Deadwood it is with reluctance due to the 'law' being unwelcome in this out-of-control frontier, gold mining sinkhole of a town. With a lifelong profession of bounty hunter and law enforcer, he will not at all be welcome.

Cas has returned home to Texas for a visit, only to find his entire family has been murdered and their home torched to the ground. For most of his adult life Cas has lived as a bounty hunter, chasing only the worst criminals to either kill or incarcerate. Someone from his past has decided to get back at him by murdering his entire family. But remorseful Cas sees only one way to handle this and that is by returning to Deadwood Gulch to settle up with the evil people involved.

Along the way the writer, John Edward Ames, doles out not only interesting facts of the west but equally facts on Deadwood. The book is very well written holding the reader's attention. As another in the long list of "Ralph Compton" westerns this one scores a success.

Recommended.

Semper Fi.

It's a wonderful story, people over 40 will enjoy it a lot as they recognize the thoughts, the situations, the dreams. It's not necessary to be in Australia, you could be anywhere... I'd like to send an email to the author, if that is possible to congratulate her.... .... I'm doing the same but here in Brazil. I saw the film first, then looked for the book it was based on... Thanks a lot for this book.

"Choose Your Own Adventure" books ROCK! I rememberspending many a late night in bed with a flashlight reading theselittle literary gems endlessly, trying to make sure I'd tried every possible story option. These books come out once a month like clockwork and I'd be first in line with my allowance to purchase the latest in the series. All the books are terrific, but I particularly remember liking "Who Killed Harlowe Thrombey" and "The Mystery of Chimney Rock". These blooks are long out of print, but well worth the search!

THis is a great book. If you like Kerouac and Burroughs and those kinda' beat street hipsters, you'll like this cool book about Hank's misadventures blowing sax on the streets of S.F. Hey Monk, how ya doing? Ace backwords

Nat Love was a cowboy with great courage,and bravery to be one of the only black cowboys of his time.in this book he describes his amazing life,some parts of this story are fake but i belive that is not true.he was a very experienced Cowboy,and was very famouse for his time in life.Nat Love is a person that inspired me to do whatever I want to do.I love this story and i belive you will too.

This boxed set brings together three of the best Chick Bowdrie stories:

South of Deadwood - Chick is sent to retrieve a captured leader of a deadly gang. Deadwood is way outside of Texas, and Chick must bring him back cross country. The only problem is that the rest of the gang is still at large and gunning for Chick. Louis L'Amour does an introduction on the town of Deadwood.

A Trail West - A gang has kidnapped the daughter of a Texas judge to keep him from sentencing one of their own in prison. Chick is sent to retrieve her. Or die trying! This one ends up in Arizona. Louis L'Amour does and introduction on women of the west (which was very interesting) (BTW-this one is out of print now and can only be obtained with this set).

Where Buzzards Fly - Chick is sent to investigate a big robbery that has happened in west Texas only to find that the robbers have been murdered (all fourteen of them) and the loot has vanished without a trace. Chick must trail them with his mind and his wile. Louis L'Amour does an introduction on gunfighters (some of which he had actually met).

All three dramatizations are well cast. The special effects are excellent. The audio is crisp and clear and easily understood in the noisy environment of a car. Well worth the purchase price. Run time: 180 minutes.

I'm really not one for Westerns. Or mysteries. Or Western mysteries. I usually stick to histories, biographies, the classics and, every now and then, science fiction and fantasy. But as one who's lived in and continues to work in Deadwood, South Dakota, where Lucky Strike is set, the novel was something of a mandatory read.

And it was worth it.

As a history buff, Lucky Strike appealed to me for its well-researched, nuanced detail. The book is set in both 1870s and modern Deadwood, and Griffith has captured - for me, anyway - the sense of both, largely through detail. Anyone with even a passing interest in the history of Deadwood, the Black Hills and Dakota Territory should find the setting pretty fascinating. As a nominal Deadwood resident, its portrayal of modern Deadwood was just as interesting to me.

If anything could be picked on, it would probably be Griffith's somewhat clunky writing style and her occasional tendency to use some pretty kitschy metaphors. Then again, so does J.K. Rowling. But, just as with Rowling's Harry Potter series, the stylistic faults didn't detract me from the overall narrative flow.

An excellent (albeit quick) read, the book is definitely worth it, especially for its low price: one of the benefits of finding an author who hasn't been picked up by a big publishing house yet.