The Winter Wolf: Wyatt Earp in Alaska [Hardcover]

Richard Parry (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: October 1996

Alaskan writer Richard Parry makes his historical fiction debut with an exciting novel of Wyatt Earp and the Alaskan gold rush. Much has been written about Earp's days in Tombstone, but Parry carries the saga to Skagway and Nome, where Earp and his third wife went to strike it rich.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

In real life, the aging Wyatt Earp traveled with his third wife, Josephine (Josie) Marcus Earp, to Skagway and Nome, Alaska, trying to strike it rich in the Klondike Gold Rush of 1898. Parry (Ice Warrior) exploits this little-known historical fact in a fast-moving, appealingly offbeat western. The legendary marshall is forced to return to law enforcement to aid Frank Leslie, a friend from his Tombstone days. Haunted by the events of the OK Corral, which left one brother dead and another crippled, Wyatt is also stalked by more immediate danger. Nathan Blaylock, the son he never knew he had, is sent by the dying wish of his vengeful, drug-crazed mother to kill Wyatt. The story follows Wyatt and Josie in Alaska, as well as Nathan as he pursues his deadly mission. Other historical characters include con-man Soapy Smith ("the scourge of Skagway") and the Spoilers (a criminal ring determined to corner Alaskan gold by any means). The inevitable confrontation between father and son packs genuine emotional wallop. Parry, who lives in Alaska, skillfully evokes both era and place. The novel, which launches a series that will carry Nathan into the 20th century, should please both fans of westerns and of historical fiction.
Copyright 1996 Reed Business Information, Inc.

From Booklist

It's 1897, and the days of the OK Corral are a memory, but notoriety is still a burden for hard-up Wyatt Earp. He and his second wife, Josie, are heading north to Alaska to make their fortune in the gold rush. Circumstances conspire against him, however, and he must settle for law-related jobs. At every turn, he's wary that an old nemesis may be coming up behind him, but the greatest danger zeroing in on Earp is the son he didn't know he had. Earp's first wife left $20,000 in a San Francisco bank to be released to the 16-year-old only when he could produce proof that he had killed his father. This fanciful mix of fact and fiction combines real-life characters and actual facts from Earp's life with the invented notion that the ex-lawman had a son intent on killing him. It's a good yarn and well told by first-time novelist Parry. Wes Lukowsky

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Hardcover: 380 pages
• Publisher: Forge; 1st edition (October 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 031286017X
• ISBN-13: 978-0312860172
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 5.2 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (7 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,659,080 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The Serial Novel lives - and opens a great vista on Alaska., October 26, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: The Winter Wolf: Wyatt Earp in Alaska (Paperback)

As an author myself, I am distressingly short on time for pleasure reading. This book was worth the time! Having discovered it while teaching at University of Alaska, Fairbanks last summer, it gave me all kinds of insight and background into the terrain, the spirit, and the history of Alaska, an almost indescribably fascinating place. Louis L'Amour was my mentor, and I think he'd have been impressed both with Richard Parry's detailed historical research, and his capacity for keeping a story moving. Parry also proves my point that the SERIAL novel is a GREAT form of literature and entertainment. This book whetted the appetite for Book II!!!

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars The best book I've read all year!, May 1, 1998

By 

Randy Lamfers ([e-mail]) (Bay area, CA.) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Winter Wolf: Wyatt Earp in Alaska (Paperback)

I read over 100 books a year, and I rank them from 1 to 10. If I get one "10" a year, I'm happy. This is a Definite 10. This book has it all, action, adventure, and a great coming of age story set in Alaska. I don't normally read westerns, but I think anybody will enjoy this one.

2.0 out of 5 stars Interesting Story, Badly Written, March 11, 2011

By 

Miss Nancy J. Doman (Garden Grove, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Winter Wolf: Wyatt Earp in Alaska (Paperback)

This story has so much potential, but the writing is terrible and undermines much of my pleasure in it. Take, for example, this sentence: "Beating the air with fletched feathers, the owl silently moved off with its catch." Since "fletched" means "provided with feathers", Parry is telling us that the owl's feathers were--feathered.

This kind of carelessness continues as the story progresses. A one-armed man wipes his hat on his sleeve, a trick I'd like to see sometime. These frequent and irritating lapses of style and believability are undermining my interest in the story, which does have potential. I'm regretting having bought this book and its sequel, "Wolf's Cub", on a recent used-book-store foray.

To those who want a well-written Western, I'd recommend Dorothy Johnson, Elmore Leonard, or Larry McMurtry.