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The Man With No Name #1
A Fistful of Dollars
The Man with no name came within an inch of losing his life , that was when he ceased to be dangerous and became lethal
160 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1972
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Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews
July 3, 2018
I saw the movie about twenty years ago, so no danger of me conflating the film with this novelization.
The Man With No Name--also called the stranger or Americano in this book--an expressionless, almost emotionless gunslinger, arrives in violence-pocked San Miguel, Mexico. Juan de Dios gleefully tolls the bells every time another widow grieves. Piripero makes the coffins. Silvanito tends bar. Everybody else in town seems to be a member of the Baxter family, the Rojo family, or dead.
The Baxters and Rojos are crime families. One family are gunrunners and the other are bootleggers. Since they specialize in different fields, they usually leave each other alone, but they are the dominant rivals controlling the town, so friction is bound to occur.
The Man With No Name recognizes this. He offers to help one family by attacking the other. Ramon Rojo returns to town after a notorious and bloody double-cross, he becomes the central villain of a forlorn and deadly escalation of events. The stranger plays both ends against the middle until he has incited an outright gang war/blood bath between Ramon and the Baxters. But The Man With No Name isn't totally unsympathetic because he helps reunite a family victimized by one of the gangs.
Judging this as a novel, it's a bit more mystical than the typical hard-nosed Western. The first forty pages are so read more like a parable or allegory than literal action. That probably suits the dreamy Spaghetti Western film style that preceded this novelization. Eventually the book takes on a more realistic, grittier quality which is more effective. There's a certain sunbaked, bloody charm to the stranger's ability to manipulate warring factions to maximize his personal profit.
Although this book can trace its roots to Dashiell Hammett (whose The Glass Key and Red Harvest inspired the Dollars film trilogy) it probably goes without saying that this novelization doesn't measure up to Hammett's books. But if you like those old noir books or the Kurosawa samurai movies or Italian Westerns that followed them, you will still enjoy this.
The Man With No Name--also called the stranger or Americano in this book--an expressionless, almost emotionless gunslinger, arrives in violence-pocked San Miguel, Mexico. Juan de Dios gleefully tolls the bells every time another widow grieves. Piripero makes the coffins. Silvanito tends bar. Everybody else in town seems to be a member of the Baxter family, the Rojo family, or dead.
The Baxters and Rojos are crime families. One family are gunrunners and the other are bootleggers. Since they specialize in different fields, they usually leave each other alone, but they are the dominant rivals controlling the town, so friction is bound to occur.
The Man With No Name recognizes this. He offers to help one family by attacking the other. Ramon Rojo returns to town after a notorious and bloody double-cross, he becomes the central villain of a forlorn and deadly escalation of events. The stranger plays both ends against the middle until he has incited an outright gang war/blood bath between Ramon and the Baxters. But The Man With No Name isn't totally unsympathetic because he helps reunite a family victimized by one of the gangs.
Judging this as a novel, it's a bit more mystical than the typical hard-nosed Western. The first forty pages are so read more like a parable or allegory than literal action. That probably suits the dreamy Spaghetti Western film style that preceded this novelization. Eventually the book takes on a more realistic, grittier quality which is more effective. There's a certain sunbaked, bloody charm to the stranger's ability to manipulate warring factions to maximize his personal profit.
Although this book can trace its roots to Dashiell Hammett (whose The Glass Key and Red Harvest inspired the Dollars film trilogy) it probably goes without saying that this novelization doesn't measure up to Hammett's books. But if you like those old noir books or the Kurosawa samurai movies or Italian Westerns that followed them, you will still enjoy this.
July 23, 2012
A pretty good adaptation of Sergio Leone's classic spaghetti western.The book stays faithful to the plot of the movie.
August 6, 2020
I read this as an e-book, so I assume all the typographical issues were due to the work being OCR'ed.
If that is not the case, this really needed a good editor.
From the last chapter:
‘Too dangerous for you?’ Silvanito asked as Pepperoni pushed by him, went to look at the bodies, measuring them with his eyes, smiling. End of quote.
No pepperoni was harmed during the reading of this book, I promise!!!
Pipipero, look sharp mate!
Anyway, I believe this is the first novelization of the Man with no name series. It wasn't that bad, it fit the spaghetti western movie style.
I still have 2 more books in the series to read.
I may attempt to get to them before the end of the year.
The man with no name lets his pistols do the talking, while he squints ferociously at his enemies.
Gotta give it to them, the author really rammed Clint's description home. :)
If that is not the case, this really needed a good editor.
From the last chapter:
‘Too dangerous for you?’ Silvanito asked as Pepperoni pushed by him, went to look at the bodies, measuring them with his eyes, smiling. End of quote.
No pepperoni was harmed during the reading of this book, I promise!!!
Pipipero, look sharp mate!
Anyway, I believe this is the first novelization of the Man with no name series. It wasn't that bad, it fit the spaghetti western movie style.
I still have 2 more books in the series to read.
I may attempt to get to them before the end of the year.
The man with no name lets his pistols do the talking, while he squints ferociously at his enemies.
Gotta give it to them, the author really rammed Clint's description home. :)
August 12, 2019
a novelization of the movie, by Frank Chandler. The book stays close to the movie and captures quite a bit of the feel of the movie. The Man With No Name is more of a hero in this one than he is in later movies and books. This was the first of the three movies starring Eastwood and known as the Dollar trilogy as well.
July 17, 2017
Interesting western with a few twists and turns as the man with no name takes on the bad guys.
August 11, 2018
Read so long ago but enjoyed it
May 22, 2020
It's not a literary classic but is a really easy read
July 27, 2018
Ha sido mi primera novela Western y entro con buen pie en el género. Es la novelización de la película del 64 protagonizada por el señor Clint Eastwood, ahora, ¿Qué tan apegada es a esta? Pues no lo sé, la vi solo hasta el momento en que el protagonista sin nombre llega a casa de los Rojo.
Por si misma, la novela cuenta una historia sencilla y algo cliché si la leemos con mentalidad moderna, pero en aquellos años fue toda una sacudida para el género en cuanto el modo de actuar del protagonista, pero es entretenida y una vez da el click uno no para de leer para saber que hará El hombre sin nombre en aquel pueblo asolado por dos familias, una dedicada al contrabando de alcohol y la otra a las armas.
Sin embargo, ya sea como están desarrollados en la novela o por cómo han cambiado los tiempos, no me preocupe en demasía por el resto de personajes, como buen ejemplo la familia desunida por la lujuria de uno de los antagonistas. Además, considero el dialogo final un poco soso y quede con la expresión “ya? En serio, solo eso?” Eso si, la imagen del señor Eastwood no abandona nunca (risa).
“When a man with a forty-five meets a man with a rifle – you said – the man with the pistol is a dead men. Let’s see if it’s true” <--- Protagonista. SO MANLY!!!!
Por si misma, la novela cuenta una historia sencilla y algo cliché si la leemos con mentalidad moderna, pero en aquellos años fue toda una sacudida para el género en cuanto el modo de actuar del protagonista, pero es entretenida y una vez da el click uno no para de leer para saber que hará El hombre sin nombre en aquel pueblo asolado por dos familias, una dedicada al contrabando de alcohol y la otra a las armas.
Sin embargo, ya sea como están desarrollados en la novela o por cómo han cambiado los tiempos, no me preocupe en demasía por el resto de personajes, como buen ejemplo la familia desunida por la lujuria de uno de los antagonistas. Además, considero el dialogo final un poco soso y quede con la expresión “ya? En serio, solo eso?” Eso si, la imagen del señor Eastwood no abandona nunca (risa).
“When a man with a forty-five meets a man with a rifle – you said – the man with the pistol is a dead men. Let’s see if it’s true” <--- Protagonista. SO MANLY!!!!
August 9, 2017
This book followed the movie very closely and that's a good thing. It was a good book but I gave it a lower rating because, for me, the sentence structure just seemed a little off or strange. I'm not sure I can explain it but the sentences didn't flow very well for me so I didn't enjoy it as much as I could have. But, if you liked the movie, you will like this book.
January 21, 2020
A fantastic novel a fantastic read and a fantastic movie. Really enjoyable and everything as you have seen on the big screen
November 4, 2020
This was a wild west shootem up made into a spaghetti western. One family rules the town and in a unfair poker game, takes a wife. Then all is war, blood and guts. Not to mention the stolen gold.
September 3, 2025
Okay novelisation of a pretty good film.
November 1, 2024
I'm really a big fan of those Eastwood spaghetti western. Recently, while looking for movie novelisations, I (just for fun, I didn't expect to find anything) searched for this one here.
The book goes very closely along the lines of the movie (I think there were a few additions, but they didn't hurt), and the story telling was good.
Going to keep the book, and surely will read it again.
I'm already working on the next one.
Certainly these 3 books aren't high literature, and if I wouldn't love the movies (and have the voices and the pictures actually in my head, when reading them), I would think they would get only 3 stars.
The book goes very closely along the lines of the movie (I think there were a few additions, but they didn't hurt), and the story telling was good.
Going to keep the book, and surely will read it again.
I'm already working on the next one.
Certainly these 3 books aren't high literature, and if I wouldn't love the movies (and have the voices and the pictures actually in my head, when reading them), I would think they would get only 3 stars.
July 18, 2016
Read this way back in the seventies , wish I still had it . I remember several more in the series but they tended to repeat themselves .
January 27, 2016
It could never be as good as the film could it? After all it was written after the event.
Displaying 1 - 15 of 15 reviews