Shotgun

Shotgun #1

by C. Courtney Joyner

In this Western adventure, a Civil War hero becomes part man, part killing machine, and all vengeance.   Dr. John Bishop thought he’d seen his share of death on the battlefields of America’s great Civil War. Then his quiet life was shattered when a gang of outlaws invaded his home, killed his family, and tortured him within an inch of his life. John Bishop’s soul may have died that day, but his mangled body lived on.   A beautiful Cheyenne named White Fox nursed him back to health—and a gunsmith outfitted him with a special shotgun rig where his left arm used to be. A strap across one shoulder fires it, while the chip on the other fuels his quest for vengeance.   Now the man called Shotgun rides deep into the Colorado winter to find and kill the men who murdered everything he once held dear. The hunt will lead him straight to the heart of a fiendish criminal conspiracy—and force him to confront the violent legacy of his own outlaw brother, a crazy-mean cuss who’d steal the horns off the devil himself.

320 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2013

About the author

is a screenwriter and director with over 25 produced movies to his credit, including the cult films PRISON starring Viggo Mortensen, CLASS OF 1999 directed by Mark Lester, and the new RETURN OF CAPT. NEMO. A graduate of USC, Courtneys first produced screenplay was THE OFFSPRING starring the legendary Vincent Price. His other scripts have included TV movies for CBS, (DISTANT COUSINS), the USA Network (BETRAYAL, GUILTY AS CHARGED), and Showtime (WHITE RUSH). He has written action films (VIETNAM, TEXAS and NAUTILUS) as well as a number of films for Charles Band's Full Moon company, released by Paramount, including installments in the very successful PUPPET MASTER series and TRANCERS 3 starring Academy Award winner Helen Hunt and Tim Thomerson. He also directed this film, as well as the H.P. Lovecraft adaptation, THE LURKING FEAR. Staying in the horror vein, Courtney co-wrote all 13 episodes of the series WILLIAM SHATNER'S FRIGHT NIGHT for the SyFy Channel.

As a film journalist, his articles have appeared in WILDEST WESTERNS, ROUND-UP, FANGORIA, THE HOLLYWOOD REPORTER, and others. He has written chapters for such non-fiction books as JOHN FORD A LIFE IN FILM, THE CINEMA OF H.P. LOVECRAFT, THE BOOK OF LISTS: HORROR, and DUKE: WERE GLAD WE KNEW YOU.

His latest movie book is THE WESTERNERS INTERVIEWS WITH ACTORS, DIRECTORS AND WRITERS, which was published by McFarland in November to excellent reviews. He will be following it with a new book of interviews, VOICES OF THE WEST.

His short story Bloodhound was included in Express Westerns' FISTFUL OF LEGENDS, and his story Two-Bit Kill will be appearing in the new anthology LAW OF THE GUN from Kensington in November. He is currently finishing his first western novel, TRACKING THE DEVIL.

Courtney is a member of the Western Writers of America, the Horror Writers Association, and The International Thriller Writers. He lives in Los Angeles.

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Reviews

[Clark · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was a typical western about an outlaw in search of gold. The main character Bishop who is known around town for the shotgun he uses as an arm comes in handy when they are trekking through the snow covered forests. I thought that it was hard to track the different parts of the story because the book would switch scenes very quickly. The character Bishop also was a very mysterious character I wanted to know more about his past in the civil war. I also thought that the girl white fox kind of came out of no where. I enjoyed this book a lot I thought it was very action packed and it does have a sequel which I am excited to read which will probably explain the parts missing in the first book.

[Justin Decloux · Rating 4 out of 5]

C. Courtney Joyner gets it.

The great screenwriter of CLASS OF 1999 and a Western Film expert, C. Joyner takes everything I love about the Western genre and boils it down to its barest, most exciting essentials, without a word wasted. There's action scenes aplenty, great banter, and every character gets multiple beats.

It ends fairly abruptly, due to a twist near the end, so it's a good thing I have the next two volumes sitting on my shelf!

[Randy · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a 3.5. I liked the story but some description was a little confusing. It bothered me a little that the cover art and description didn't jibe with the actual story.

[Darren · Rating 5 out of 5]

TITLE: Shotgun
AUTHOR: C. Courtney Joyner
GENRE: Western
PAGES: 320
If I am going to be honest, I LOVE a good revenge tale. Back in 2005, I really got into westerns, a lot. Like that was just about the only thing I read that year. I went through a lot of the greats; Louis L’Amour, Zane Grey, Ralph Compton, Ralph Cotton, Max Brand, Matt Braun and I can go on and on. I am always on the lookout for a good tale of revenge, especially if it is a western. I guess you can say there is a level of brutality in a western that you do not see in modern tales.
So, when I saw the cover for C. Courtney Joyner’s SHOTGUN, I knew I was in for a good time. Let’s face it, the dude has a shotgun where his right arm should be. What is not to like about that? Finding out how said gun fires made it even better.
John Bishop is a man on a mission. He wants to kill those responsible for the death of his wife and child, not to mention his lower right arm. He rides with White Fox, a Cheyenne squaw who has vowed to help him in his quest. Bishop was a former Army doctor and is being hunted by (and consequently hunting) Major Beaudine, the man who killed his family and took his arm. Add to this a blind captain, the rumor of a fortune of gold, and an army that is terrorizing the area and you get a book that moves at the speed of a bullet.
The characters are well developed. The writing is sharp. The pace is fast. This book is great for a weekend red. If you are a fan of westerns, this is not to be missed. If you are a fan of revenge tales or treasure hunts, this is no to be missed.

[Eric Guignard · Rating 5 out of 5]

REVIEWED: Shotgun
WRITTEN BY: C. Courtney Joyner
PUBLISHED: December, 2013

Shotgun is the first full-length novel by C. Courtney Joyner, who has, however, published in just about every other medium over a 25 year career of horror, western, and other genre fiction. Shotgun is a non-stop shoot-em-up Western with a touch of steampunk (i.e. the technologically-forward shotgun attached to the stump of his arm), romance, and pathos. Well-grounded in historic context, this is revenge killing at its finest, escalating over a cache of gold in which numerous parties ally to fight it out for the hidden grand wealth. Don’t expect closure in every plot point by the ending though... this book is wide open to a much anticipated Part Two!

Five out of Five stars

[Haley Whitehall · Rating 1 out of 5]

I like westerns with a connection to the Civil War. This book was with the cowboy having his arm replaced with a shotgun. So I guess you could say the cover drew my attention.

Unfortunately I could never get into the story. It jumped around a lot. There is so much going on with gangs and Indian woman and other action that I got lost. I waited for it to all flow together and it never really did for me.

[James Wazorick · Rating 2 out of 5]

More like 2.5 stars. Having multiple story lines that move back and firth in time are common techniques, but this story died the do it well, at least fur me. Too many characters that don't contribute that much to the plot. I was disappointed that the relationship between Bishop and White Fox wasn't developed more, and was disappointed by the ambiguous ending. A good effort that fell short for me.

[Barry · Rating 2 out of 5]

Interesting premise poor very disjointed execution. Poor

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

An original premise and lots of action--some of it surreal.

[Martha Peebles]

Good book, well written, good story keeps you turning pages to see what happens next.