Customer Reviews

Brimstone

5 star:		(36)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(6)
2 star:		(6)
1 star:		(1)

 

 

Brimstone by Robert B. Parker is the third in a series of western novels dealing with the characters of Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch (see the movie, Appaloosa, starring Ed Harris & Viggo Mortensen). Cole and Hitch are gunslingers that move from one town to another, taking jobs as sheriffs, deputy sheriffs, and even as lookouts in the local bar, keeping an eye out for trouble and then dealing with it.

Continuing where Resolution left off, Brimstone follows Cole and Hitch's search across the state of Texas for Ms. Allie French, who seems to have a problem saying no to any man with a sexual itch. Though Cole doesn't abide by Allie's actions, he is in love with the woman and is determined to give her another chance. Hitch as usual is along for the ride and to protect Cole's back. After a year of searching, the two men find Allie working as a prostitute in a low-life saloon that's in a no-name town and she's just about at the end of her rope. They have to kill four men to get her back. The three of them then ride further and take up residence in Brimstone, where Cole and Hitch become deputy sheriffs and Ms. Allie takes up playing the organ for the Church of the Brotherhood that's run by the charismatic Brother Percival. It isn't long, however, before Ms. Allie is doing more than playing the organ. As if Cole didn't have enough to deal with, there's also an ex-outlaw named Pike, who runs the best saloon in town and has plans for taking over the community and running it his way. Finally, there's an Indian named Buffalo Calf, who's killing settlers in the area and appears to have a grudge against Pike, who used to be an Indian fighter for the Army before he changed to a more profitable career. Cole and Hitch are going to have their hands full with this situation, especially when Pike brings in twenty-five hired guns to deal with Brother Percival and then the two deputy sheriffs. But Cole, being who he is, won't back down and doesn't mind if the odds are a little one sided. Hell, he likes a challenge!

As usual, Mr. Parker weaves an excellent story with a multitude of interesting characters that paint a picture of the old West. In fact, what makes this series so darn good are the lead characters of Cole and Hitch. These are the type of characters that quickly become friends with the reader, and you find yourself not only rooting for them, but wanting to learn more about them as fictional creations and to follow their onward journey. There's also the delightful banter between Cole and Hitch, especially when Hitch starts to tease Cole about being famous and having everyone treat him as if he was a hero. Hitch, on the other hand, is hardly noticed by anyone and brings that to his partner's attention more than once. And, after more than fifty novels (including the "Spenser" and "Jesse Stone" series) Mr. Parker's prose is lean and mean. He uses the bare essentials to convey dialogue, keeping the majority of sentences short and precise, and the description of characters and locations to a minimum, offering the reader just enough information to help in aiding their imagination.

Nothing is ever wasted in a Parker novel, and the books are always fast reads. As I've often said about the "Spenser" novels, each book is like visiting with an old friend for a couple of hours. You get to play catch up on how your friend has been doing for the past year and to find out what he's now up to. Such is the case with Brimstone. You get to sit down for a while with Cole and Hitch, watching as they do their thing, which is basically shooting the bad guys and making a small western town a much better place to live.

I don't know if there will be a fourth novel in what Mr. Parker calls the Appaloosa trilogy, but I certainly hope so. Though I'm not a big fan of the "western" genre, I am a big fan of the Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch novels. I also hope that Ed Harris and Viggo Mortensen will return with a theatrical version of either Resolution or Brimstone. These are two excellent actors who captured the characters of Cole and Hitch perfectly and brought new life into the western movie. So, if you enjoy reading a good western or watching one, do yourself a favor and pick up the Appaloosa trilogy in hardcover or paperback, or the movie of Appaloosa on DVD. This is about as good as it gets!

I just finished Brimstone by Robert B. Parker. I may be at a disadvantage in that I haven't read the two prior novels, Resolution and Appaloosa so there may be points in Brimstone that deal with the back story that I was completely oblivious to. However, I didn't feel that I enjoyed Brimstone any less because of this, and I have something to look forward to in reading the first two novels.

I can't remember when I've enjoyed two characters more than I did Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. Parker does a masterful job in scripting the dialog between these two individuals, making the banter seem natural and organic. The storyline is also natural. Allie French has Cole tied up in knots emotionally. Cole finds Allie doing what is necessary to survive, and watch Cole deal with this is interesting and adds a very human string to the story.

As the characters make their way to Brimstone with the hope of settling down to a more normal life, you just seem to know that that ain't happening.

With wonderful characterization, great and natural dialog, and a terrific story you can't go wrong in investing your time reading Brimstone.

I'm looking forward to the movie.

Peace to all.

Picking up a year after the events of "Resolution," "Brimstone" follows the continuing adventures of Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch, the two guns-for-hire as they search for Allie French, the woman who stole Virgil's heart in the town of Appaloosa. After finding her in a town brothel, the trio heads to the Texas town of Brimstone. But it ain't long before trouble finds them yet again.
A better-handled sequel than "Resolution," "Brimstone" returns some of the funny banter between Hitch and Cole, while creating a great story with great heroes and villains, strong character development, and several twists and surprises that will keep readers entertained until the climax. Fans of Robert B. Parker's previous novels will find much to enjoy in "Brimstone."
Grade: A-

Brimstone is the third book in Robert B. Parker's Appaloosa Western trilogy. Normally known for his "Easterners," particularly those starring Spenser, Parker steps into the Old West and successfully claims some of the dusty streets and cow towns as his own. The books don't read like Louis L'Amour or Larry McMurtry novels, nor do they really spend a lot of time in the hard country where much of the danger comes from the savage land. These books mostly take place in towns where the ideas of law and justice are vague things.

The trilogy revolves around two men, Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. Virgil and Everett had been friends for years and have become legendary town tamers. Virgil works on self education and maintains himself through rigid iron discipline. Everett trained at West Point as a military officer, then went his own way and tends to accept things as they come.

This friendship is the cornerstone of these books. I love the way it shows up in their conversations and in the way they face down different dangers together. I love tough guy books and these are two of the toughest you'll find.

The first novel, APPALOOSA, was made into a movie starring Ed Harris as Virgil and Viggo Mortensen as Everett. Renee Zellweger stars as Allie French, the conniving woman who winds up getting Virgil all twisted up inside for the first time in his life.

The second book deals with the reconciliation between Virgil and Everett after the events of the first novel. But the third book has them finding Allie working as a prostitute in a small town. Even after freeing her, Virgil doesn't know what to do with her.

I don't much care for Allie as a character. She's too manipulative and shallow to interest a man like Virgil Cole. I didn't understand the attraction in the first book, though I could understand his efforts to save her from herself. However, she's actually even worse in the third book and much of the weakness she displays is kept off screen in this novel. Virgil is aware of it but doesn't deal with it, and Parker doesn't force the reader to acknowledge it until near the end of the book. By that time, Virgil and Everett had more pressing problems.

There was no mystery where the danger comes from in this novel either. But I wished there was more background provided for Brother Percival, and more about his relationship with Pike. I like the addition of Pony Flores to the crew and hope that if Parker continues writing novels about Virgil and Everett that Pony puts in an appearance as well.

There aren't any real surprises in BRIMSTONE, but Parker keeps the pages turning at a gallop with just enough action and threat. And I'd love to see these novels turned into a trilogy of movies.

Parker is past old in the tooth as an author. From his earliest works to Brimstone, Parker has followed a well worn genre standard. And with this latest Virgil Cole installment, he does nothing to alleviate from that path. Not that its a bad thing. Its that Brimstone feels unthoughtful.

In my mind the story here is very loose. Parker has set up a scenario where Cole and Hitch come to a new town. Prove themselves quickly, the bad guys really escalate matters, and then they have a showdown. While this is happening, the two banter about this and that.

I cant help but compare this book to the late great Zane Grey who plied his trade 80 years ago. His Riders of the Purple Sage so far and away towers over Brimstone, its hard to do anything but look on this book by Parker as a disappointment. And the fact that Grey followed up that masterpiece with at least one totally different sequel that I know of, while Parker follows almost exactly the same formula over all three stories in this series just shows what a massive gulf their is between a great genre western writer and Parker who is doing this as mostly a change of pace.

The banter in the meantime is very reminiscent of the 87th Precinct work of McBain. That author had the gift for getting his characters to talk and expand the story. Here, Parker keeps up with the same dialog from one book to the next. They talk about EXACTLY the very same things. From the trademark mis-speaking of a word by Cole, to Hitch correcting him, to talk about women, to talk about obscure military and philosophical books that Cole is reading along the trail and Hitch has read 20 years ago, but can quote seemingly any passage.

Lastly, the romance feels like a cheap 70's romp. I keep imagining Cole ( and this is totally against the rest of his characater ) running around as a Kenny Rogers or Burt Reynolds 2 dimensional cut out character when it comes to the woman he is persuing.

The writing is good enough here so that its not a complete disaster. But its close.

I'll start by saying that BRIMSTONE is a real page-turner, the type of book you can finish on a single Redeye flight from L.A. to N.Y. It is also the sort of book that you can leave on the plane after it lands without any feelings of remorse.

BRIMSTONE is the third novel in a series following two footloose Old West gunmen named Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch. Cole and Hitch sometimes play lawman, and sometimes outlaw, depending on their mood. In this book, the two partners are searching Texas from top to bottom for Cole's long-lost love, a girl named Allie French. They find her working as a prostitute, and after prying her from the cold, dead hands of her pimp, end up in a burgeoning border town called Brimstone, where they take up jobs as lawmen. This puts them in immediate conflict with the town's two rival powers, a religious fanatic named Percival who wants to close down all the saloons and brothels in Brimstone, and Pike, a saloon-and-brothel owner with a large army of gunmen at his command who doesn't particularly feel like being closed down. To make matters more complicated, a mysterious Indian is lurking on the edge of town, killing just about everyone he can get his knife on for reasons nobody understands -- or if they understand, is willing to explain.

The problems with this book are mainly related to Parker's writing style. They say a man's novels reveal more about himself than his characters, and if this is true, it's clear that Parker fantasized ceaselessly about being an invincible he-man whose main purpose in life was to dominate other, weaker men. Honestly, Parker seems to be capable of creating only one kind of protagonist. This character is absolutely fearless, tough as nails, never short a comeback and always the baddest man in the room. He's so bad, in fact, that in any confrontation there's never the slightest doubt who will win, which may flatter Parker's invincibility-fantasy but ultimately serves to kill any dramatic tension before it can even get going. The hero is always killing or beating up someone "without any apparent effort." You know in every scene with 100% certainty that not only will the good guys win, they won't even be challenged or tested in any way, because how could anyone defeat them? In BRIMSTONE, Virgil and Everett are always reminding their opponents that "you may outnumber us, but none of you is Virgil Cole or Everett Hitch." Strange, but I was under the impression that a .45 slug really didn't care about the reputation of the man it killed. Anyway, by the end of the book, I half-wished Val Kilmer would stroll in through the saloon doors with a jingle of spurs and a smile and reply: "True, but neither of you Huckelberries is Doc Holiday."

Another problem with the book is the plot, or rather the lack of one. There isn't an actual necessity for much of what happens in the story past a certain point: the entire climax of the book happens largely because Cole and Hitch are too egocentric to accept the compromise they've worked out with Pike, so they double-cross him and force a final showdown. Call me old-fashioned, but I hate it when a hero breaks his word, especially an Old West hero, even if it is to a loathsome crook. Furthermore, the novel's main sub-plot, featuring the Indian, is actually far more interesting than the quarrel between Percival and Pike. But the worst aspect of BRIMSTONE is the dull delivery of the action sequences. Using the Hemingway style is effective for a lot of things, but it falls utterly flat when describing a gunfight.

I'm not saying BRIMSTONE is all bad. Despite the frequent Old West cliches, and despite Parker's shameless rip-off of Hemingway's style, there is no question that some of the interplay between Hitch and Cole is clever and enjoyable, that most of the story moves swiftly, and that all-in-all it is a fairly absorbing, escapist and fast-paced read that shows a genuine love of the Old West. But it fails completely to deliver anything unexpected, or to test its heroes in any way. And a book that doesn't push its protagonists doesn't push the reader. In the end, BRIMSTONE smells more like yesterday's popcorn.

Theres really nothing to say about this book. If youve read Appaloosa, than youve read the entire series. Some bad guy tries to take over a lawless town for himself, Hitch and Cole deal with him, the end. This series either needs to end or be put in a completely different direction. Worth checking out if you enjoy the series, otherwise stay away.

Third in the series starting with Appaloosa, then Resolution, this continues the saga of Cole & Hitch.
I like the way this book showed a deeper Virgil Cole, with considerable sense of humor. It's a quick read, won't change your life I guess, but I rate it well worth the money.
I pre-ordered this, and if there is a hint of a continuation of the series I'll order that right now.
Yep, I liked this book, and I bet you will too!

If you like westerns, you will love this book. Its funny, exciting, quick moving and even a little romantic in its own way.

This is the best, and I've heard, last in the series.

Virgil Cole is Hawk esque, and its neat to see him in charge. There is a bit more 'westerning' in this novel, fording rivers, cattle drives, tracking, indians, etc. Hearing its the last novel, its almost like Mr. Parker wanted to give it a little more of a western feel, making sure he got things in that weren't in the previous books.

I'll be sad if there arent more, but how many books can one guy put out a year? It reminded me of The Walking Drum by Luis L'Amour and other classic westerns-this will easily go down in the same category.

Let me just say from the outset that I have never been a great fan of westerns! No, I don't have anything against them - they are a very legitimate genre of fiction with a wide fan base, & I have the greatest respect for western authors, just I have for all good authors of all other genres. Having said that, I must admit I was blown away by Brimstone. I have been an avid fan of Robert B Parker for as long as I can remember, but until Brimstone, have only been exposed to his great talent for writing crime fiction. Brimstone changed all that! But because I have known only Parker's crime novels, I quickly found myself comparing Cole & Hitch to Spenser & Hawk - you just can't avoid it. And therin lies the greatness of this most gifted writer. In my opinion (and I realise that others may disagree) Brimstone is quite simply, as good as any crime novel Parker has written. And certainly just as exciting. I'm not going to go into the storyline in this review - plenty of other reviewers have covered that nicely - but suffice to say that Cole & Hitch are two of the coolest characters ever to get into the saddle. These two are what I always, as a child, envisaged cowboys to be like. They are tough, they drink & cuss, they shoot bad guys, and they are mates who stand by each other, no matter what. And yes, they are also basically honour bound. They may have no trouble killin' when it's needed, but not indiscriminate killin', and it seems that those they do shoot, are ones who in one way or another, deserve it. Oh, and they're also pretty good with the ladies too. Brimstone was a real eye-opener for me, and I loved every minute of it. Since finishing Brimstone, I have also gone on to read Resolution & Apaloosa. Great stuff; highly recommended!