The No-Gun Man by L Ron Hubbard Book and Audio Review

STORY SYNOPSIS: As a young man Monte Calhoun was as wild as they come, thinking the measure of a man was how hard he could drink and how straight he can shoot.  But several years of schooling back East have changed him.  Now, as steadfast and principled as a young Jimmy Stewart, Monte has become The No-Gun Man.


The East Coast has civilized him, and he’s bringing some of that civilization home to Superstition, Arizona . . . even if it means refusing to avenge the murder of his own father.  Monte’s come back for one reason—to rescue his younger brother from this lawless land and take him back East.


But out here in a land of frauds and outlaws and ambushes, a man’s principles have a way of folding under pressure—especially in the face of gunfire.  And Monte’s no different.  It’s only a question of how far he’ll be pushed before he starts pushing back . . . with a vengeance.

Also includes the Western adventure, Man for Breakfast,in which the victim of a robbery will leave no stone unturned and no outlaw alive in his search for justice—even as he faces bullets, a hanging rope, and a startling revelation. 

 

 

Hailing from the western states of Nebraska, Oklahoma and Montana, Hubbard grew up surrounded by grizzled frontiersmen and leather-tough cowboys, counting a Native American medicine man as one of his closest friends.

When he chose to write stories of the Old West, Hubbard didn’t have to go far to do his research, drawing on his own memories of a youth steeped in the life and legends of the American frontier.

 

 

HISTORICAL FACT

THE DOUBLE EAGLE 

In 1795, the highest denomination coin in the US was the gold Eagle with a face value of ten dollars.

In 1850, the face value of the Eagle was doubled and increased to twenty dollars and thus the “Eagle” became the “Double Eagle.”

Double Eagles were in circulation until 1933.

 

 

In 1933, President Franklin D. Roosevelt stopped the coinage of gold and made it illegal to own.

Thus no 1933 Double Eagles were ever legally released, although some were stolen and over the years several were recovered.

 

 

In the summer of 2002, a 1933 Double Eagle was found and auctioned off for $7,590,020, which shattered the old record of $4,140,000 paid at a public auction for an 1804 silver dollar.

 

My Review:

This is a great story. I loved that no matter how hard Monte tried he could not escape the wild west. He was destined to take revenge on his father's killer. There was a lot of history in the story, especially about the money of the time and the history of guns. It was also interesting to read about the kinds of alcohol that were common then, that you can still get today. The author definitely grew up on the frontier and I could tell that he knew what he was talking about. Towards the end when Monte started to get his revenge I could picture the bullets flying. The audio cd was a great addition to the story and I could close my eyes and visualize the gun fights and the nooses. I highly recommend this story in both formats. It was fun to read a chapter and then to hear it by different performers. The sound effects are worth listening alone. I am giving both formats of this story a 5/5. I was given copies to review, however all opinions are my own

Gun Boss of Tumbleweed by L Ron Hubbard Audio and Book Review

Story description:

Mart Kincaid, a man in the Clint Eastwood mold, may be the fastest gun in the state, but his life is not his own. It belongs to Gar Malone, a rancher driven by his thirst for power and more land. Now Gar wants the Singing Canyon spread, and blackmails Kincaid into running its owners off. But that means driving away Sally Drake, and that’s the last thing Kincaid wants to do. It’s time to settle up, once and for all, with the blackmailing Malone.

Also includes the Western adventure Blood on His Spurs, in which two men have to find a way to end their feud . . . or pay a high price in blood and money.

Most of the Westerns published in the all-fiction magazines of the first half of the twentieth century were written by authors more familiar with the streets of New York than the cattle trails of Texas. Hubbard bucked the trend, and in the process changed the face of the Western adventure. He grew up in a time and a place where the Old West, though fading, still lived. His unique knowledge of the frontier, of its ways and its people, made him an authentic voice of this unique American experience.

My Review:
This was a really good western and how in the old west a gun and a posse can rule the land. I really enjoyed the wire and the different ways of communication. There is a glossary at the end of terms and a great section on L Ron Hubbard. Sally was a great character and I loved her "female hysterics". There is so much going on in this story. There is blackmail, romance, horses and betrayal. The audio version was amazing as I heard Sally's hysterics, the horses and of course the gun fights. I also really enjoyed the different characters and the different accents. Even the narrator added a sense of wonder to the characters. He was definitely a storyteller, and a very good one. I highly recommend this cd and book to all western fans. I also liked the added bonus story "Blood on His Spurs". This is a western author that can not be missed. I am giving the book and multicast cd a 5/5 each. I was given a copy to review, however all opinions are my own.

Shadows from Boot Hill by L. Ron Hubbard Review

 

STORY SYNOPSIS: Every man walks with a shadow . . . but what happens when he acquires a second one? Just ask Brazos—a dead ringer for Jack Palance who’s a cold-blooded killer for hire with blood on his hands and a posse on his tail.

Desperate for cash, Brazos accepts $200 to gun down a local man named Brant. He’ll earn every penny . . . but in the end there’ll be the devil to pay. 


Because to put a bullet in Brant means putting one in his partner as well—an eerie stranger schooled in the black art of witchcraft. This is one killing that brings with it a deadly curse—and a second shadow.

As Brazos is about to discover, the Wild West doesn’t get any wilder than when a man is damned to live—and die—in the Shadows from Boot Hill.

Also includes the Western adventures The Gunner from Gehenna, in which a plot to steal a miner’s gold reveals how a good man can go bad . . . and a bad man can do good, and Gunman!, the story of an aging gunfighter turned lawman who shows his town what a real man is made of.

 

 

A note from L. Ron Hubbard, written many years ago, that could as well be addressed to you, today’s reader:

 

“Dear Range Boss: Four million of my words have been published in fifty different magazines. . . . Just now I’m larruping fantasy fiction more than anything else, though I’ve been writing Westerns for some time, too. Hope your readers like Shadows from Boot Hill.

 

The Old West was superstitious in the extreme and . . . reeks with more fantasy than The Arabian Nights.”

 

 

 HISTORICAL FACT 

SUPERSTITION 
IN THE WILD WEST 

 

The Old West was very superstitious.

 

For example the horseshoe was used to protect and attract good and thwart bad fortune in many homes of the Old West.

 

Here are some horseshoe basics you need to know:
  
To hang a horseshoe with the ends pointing upwards is good luck as it catches all sorts for any good luck.

 

 

  


To hang it with the ends pointing down, is bad luck as all the good luck will fall out.

So make sure you hang your horseshoes properly!

 

Horseshoes were also considered lucky because they were made by blacksmiths

A blacksmith could not only heal the sick, but when a couple was married by one, their marriage would be a happy one.

 

 

REVIEW:  “L. Ron Hubbard was a master storyteller from the American 'Golden Age'. He especially excelled in the American West.

 

One of the distinctions Hubbard held was the ability to find new approaches to the well known material of gunslinger heroes and villains.”—Midwest Book Review

My Review:

This was a great book and I loved all of the references to the southwest. I have always loved Witch Doctors since I was little and one was on Scooby Doo. I was surprised that this is listed as a western in the back of the book, because I would call it a science fiction western with a paranormal twist. The "shadow" was a great edition to the story because we all have that shadow or voice that we need to deal with. There was so much history in the book, and I never knew that blacksmiths could perform marriages. Boot Hill is an actual place and it definitely makes sense that there would be "shadows" causing trouble. The glossary at the end was very useful and it helped me with the western lingo. There is also a section about the author that was very interesting to read. There are also two other stories that are well worth the read. I was also given the opportunity to listen to the audio drama. I LOVED the different voices, the sound effects, and how it all fit together perfectly. This multicast performance is the best way to listen to books on cd. I am giving the book a 4/5, and the Audio Drama a 5/5. I was given copies to review, however all opinions are my own.