Customer Reviews

The Winter Wolf: Wyatt Earp in Alaska

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(1)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

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!!!

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.

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.

Parry makes this an interesting read. It's easy to move through the book quickly. There may be one point where you feel that the read slows but it's difficult to put down the book. Be sure you have an image of the geographic layout of the west coast.

This is the story of Wyatt Earp and his son, maybe, that he knows nothing about. Nathan Blaylock is the supposed son who is looking for Wyatt to kill him. Blaylock has been left a letter by his mother, before she died, stating that $20,000.00 dollars is his if he provides proof he killed Wyatt Earp. This book is how Nathan, Jim Riley and friends try to find Wyatt. The chase leads them through San Francisco, up to Alaska. There are many adventures and gun fights along the way. Do they find Wyatt in the end, do they kill him???? Have to read to find out. A well written book that gets you involved with the characters. You are sad when something happens to some of them. Keeps you attention. Think you will like this book. Really just fiction but after all most are just fiction.

I have been reading books on Wyatt Earp for some time now, fiction and non-fiction. Richard Parry's Winter Wolf was a very good "What if" type of book. I was kept involved with the characters from the start of the book till the end. The real figures from Wyatt Earp's past helped to bring a feeling of reality to the story. Made me kind of sorry to know it was fiction.

It certianlly got me to wondering what might have happened if Wyatt had a son. I look foward to his next book and I am sure the readers of Winter Wolf will also. This is a book well worth the time.

I typically read at least one book per week. This book is the best I've read in over two years. I normally don't pick up western themed novels, but after watching several Earp movies recently I gave it a shot. I was not disappointed. I have recommended it to all my reading partners - and all have come back with similar experiences.