Tales from Deadwood

by Mike Jameson

Book Overview

An infamous and lawless cesspool where a man is as likely to strike it rich as he is to lose everything, Deadwood is now playing host to Wild Bill Hickok and Calamity Jane, both of whom are in town and set on causing their own brand of mischief.

• Format: Mass Market Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0425206750
• ISBN13: 9780425206751
• Release Date: November 2005
• Publisher: Berkley Publishing Group
• Length: 248 Pages
• Weight: 0.30 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.7" x 4.2" x 6.7"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Grade 12 and higher

Customer Reviews

TALES FROM DEADWOOD by Mike Jameson

TALES FROM DEADWOOD is the first in a series of three novels featuring a lavish mixture of dime-novel mythology, historical fact, plenty of action, and a whole lot of the Old West, which sums to an original and fresh novel. It chronicles the lives of several men and women who make their way to Deadwood, South Dakota in search of wealth on the newly discovered gold of the Black Hills, including all of the regular players: Wild Bill Hickok, Charley Utter, Al Swearengen, Calamity Jane; and a few new ones as well. Dan Ryan is the central character in the story, and the novel opens with him defending a wagon train from an Indian attack. He, along with the other men in the party, repel the attack, and Dan makes a new friend in the process. He and Bellamy Bridges decide to partner up, and when they finally reach Deadwood they purchase a claim. The relationship between Dan and Bellamy--plus a few whores, a madam, a gambler, and an old general--is the main storyline, but it isn't the only storyline. The other plotline follows Wild Bill Hickok and his entourage as they travel from Cheyenne to Deadwood. Wild Bill doesn't make it to Deadwood before the end of the novel, but Mr. Jameson does an admirable job of painting him as a strong, courageous, patient, and kind man who protects his friends and shows uncommon patience with his admirers. TALES FROM DEADWOOD is not a rip-off of HBO's Deadwood, but instead it is a story that stands on its own merits--the characters are portrayed significantly different, and the storyline focuses on places and people the television series does not. It is a traditional western with enough action, lore, and suspense to please the core readership of the genre, but the characters and simple, sparse prose is done with the economy and expertise that will also appeal to nearly anyone who enjoys a well-told tale. -Gravetapping

Enjoyable all the way.

Very good reading, a page turner, will definetly leave you wanting to read the other two in the series. My advice, buy the other two when you get this one. Pretty close to actual historical events. Great Read

Nicely Done!

This is pretty well done for one of those writer-for-hire Western book series. (You know the ones, where each "novel" is written by a different anonymous contract writer but always under the same fictitious name? No, Virginia, there is no 'Mike Jameson' -- that's why the book is copyrighted by 'The Berkley Publishing Group' instead of by an actual person.) Usually the first book of this type of series is contracted out to a really good writer. The ones that follow in the series tend to vary in quality, so it's a very good idea to give those the old first page test before plunking down the bucks for them. (If a writer can't write a great first page, he damn sure can't write a whole book.) But whoever wrote this one seems to know his game. The citizens of Deadwood are historically true to life and the made-up ones mesh perfectly into the scheme of things as well. Fans of the TV series 'Deadwood' will be very much at home here. Hickok, Calamity and Al Swearengen are all there, though mainly as background. A generally fine entertainment and a nice start in a potentially fine series. Whoever this first 'Tales from Deadwood' novel's author really is, I hope he (or she) gets more work soon. 'Tales from Deadwood 2: The Gamblers' is due out in May 2006. Hope it's as good.