Journal of the Gun Years

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 show more 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. show less

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 show more 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.) show less

Really enjoyed this. Liked the story telling style of "reading" Clay's diary and also having the secondary commentary from the writer who found it. I had only every read Matheson's I am Legend. Nice to see his work in different genres

A novel whose protagonist is fairly closely based on Wild Bill Hickock. Idea is that a journalist is present at the gun fighter's death and finds his journal. Makes much of the difference between real events and those imagined by the dime novel authors. Has the usual modern revisionist interest in alcoholism and prostitution. Depressing.

Reads like Non fiction, I had to google Clay Hasler to see if he was real.

Quand Clay Halser, le "Prince des Pistoliers", se fait tuer par un fier-à-bras en quête de célébrité, il n'a qu'une trentaine d'années, mais a déjà l'air d'un vieillard. Un reporter met alors la main sur le journal intime que le célèbre pistolero écrivait depuis la fin de la guerre civile. Sa lecture est l'occasion de découvrir ce qui se cachait réellement derrière le héros de l'ouest : d'abord gamin en fuite, puis hors-la-loi, et enfin marshall, Clay finit par attirer l'attention des journalistes, qui amplifient ses exploits et en font une légende.

Et c'est là que commence la descente aux enfers. Car quand on est une légende, il faut en être à la hauteur, et c'est pas facile tous les jours, surtout quand on n'est en show more fin de compte qu'un homme un peu doué avec les armes à feu : il y a les bravaches qui rêvent d'entrer dans la légende à leur tour, par la voie la plus rapide, en tuant celui qui en est déjà une; il y a les puissants de la région, qui n'aiment pas qu'un redresseur de torts remette en question leur domination, et sont autrement plus subtils et plus dangereux que des truands de bas étage; et il y a ceux qui pervertissent ses exploits et entretiennent une campagne calomnieuse, cruelle blessure pour celui qui en est venu à croire à sa propre légende... Le quotidien d'une légende de l'ouest, c'est d'être perpétuellement sur ses gardes et de voir ses amis crever l'un après l'autre, sans grand remerciement de ceux qu'elle protège. Quelques années de ce régime finiront par user physiquement et psychologiquement notre protagoniste, qui se reconvertira en acteur jouant ses prétendus exploits, en joueur professionnel, en alcoolique et finalement en cadavre.

En bref, on peut reprocher à ce roman une première moitié assez ennuyeuse, mais la deuxième moitié, avec la déshumanisation progressive du protagoniste et la réflexion sur le statut de célébrité, vaut amplement le détour. show less