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Buckhorn #1
Buckhorn
Johnstone Country. Frontier Spirit Lives Here.
The masters of American frontier storytelling return with the saga of a bold, fearless western legend. When you’re a gun for hire, the difference between right and wrong is settled with a bullet . . .
BUCKHORN
Crater City, New Mexico, is a bustling mining town brimming with the stench of men hungry to get rich the old fashioned way—killing the competition. Dennis Conroy is the owner of the biggest saloon in town, and he needs a few good sharpshooters to help protect surveyors laying out a route for a spur railine before his rival Hugh Thornton beats him to it. Joe Buckhorn’s handy with a gun so he takes the job. Against his best advice, he’ll also take a liking to the boss’s daughter, which doesn’t go over well with her father. Worse, Buckhorn starts wondering exactly what kind of man he’s working for. Before the sun goes down much blood will be spilled and a lot of men will be blasted into the middle of next week.
Joe Buckhorns aims to be sure he’s not one of them.
Live Free. Read Hard.
www.williamjohnstone.net
The masters of American frontier storytelling return with the saga of a bold, fearless western legend. When you’re a gun for hire, the difference between right and wrong is settled with a bullet . . .
BUCKHORN
Crater City, New Mexico, is a bustling mining town brimming with the stench of men hungry to get rich the old fashioned way—killing the competition. Dennis Conroy is the owner of the biggest saloon in town, and he needs a few good sharpshooters to help protect surveyors laying out a route for a spur railine before his rival Hugh Thornton beats him to it. Joe Buckhorn’s handy with a gun so he takes the job. Against his best advice, he’ll also take a liking to the boss’s daughter, which doesn’t go over well with her father. Worse, Buckhorn starts wondering exactly what kind of man he’s working for. Before the sun goes down much blood will be spilled and a lot of men will be blasted into the middle of next week.
Joe Buckhorns aims to be sure he’s not one of them.
Live Free. Read Hard.
www.williamjohnstone.net
394 pages, Kindle Edition
Published February 27, 2018
224 people are currently reading
116 people want to read
About the author
William W. Johnstone
1,040 books1,390 followersWilliam W. Johnstone is the #1 bestselling Western writer in America and the New York Times and USA Today bestselling author of hundreds of books, with over 50 million copies sold. Born in southern Missouri, he was raised with strong moral and family values by his minister father, and tutored by his schoolteacher mother. He left school at fifteen to work in a carnival and then as a deputy sheriff before serving in the army. He went on to become known as "the Greatest Western writer of the 21st Century." Visit him online at WilliamJohnstone.net.
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Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews
March 25, 2023
A gunslinger goes to work for a saloon owner, protecting his interests from his rivals. He falls for the Boss's daughter. There's a lot of shooting and riding.
Not too bad.
Not too bad.
March 6, 2021
Compared to the epic sci-fi I usually tackle, this was a very quick read. A fantastic story told at a break-neck pace with likable good guys and unlikable villains. This is the first western I've read since my youth, and it was a blast imagining the scenery you'd find in the series Deadwood or films like Unforgiven and Django Unchained. I really enjoyed the character Joe Buckhorn and how he's in a seemingly/possible transitional state from hired gun outlaw to hired gun good guy. All of the people he meets on this journey affect him in some way, and he does the same to them. Looking forward to reading the other Buckhorn novels, and many more stories by William W. Johnstone.
March 26, 2018
I thought Buckhorn was a pretty good read. I look forward to more of this series. I give this one 4 stars.
June 16, 2022
A thoroughly brisk but generic read. I acquired a cheap back catalog of westerns and historical novels recently and figured I'd start with this. Now, I'm somebody who loves a good old fashioned Western, and the past three odd years of being hemmed up inside and constrained by draconian political fiascos have left me yearning for a simpler, more fantastical time.
Buckhorn is exactly what you'd expect it to be almost every step of the way, so whether or not you like it is going to depend entirely on what you're expecting out of the genre. If you're looking for some kind of riveting deconstruction of the gunslinger's lifestyle, then you'd probably be better off looking elsewhere. If you want an excellently written, endlessly engaging, traditional Western tale about spitting hot lead and spilling warm blood then... you'd probably also want to look elsewhere.
But if you, on the off chance, find yourself craving the Macdonald's cheeseburger equivalent of a western paperback, then you could do a lot worse. Buckhorn is a solid, traditionally masculine protagonist who is unique only in that he's half native American and uncannily skilled with a gun. The plot is predictable but snappy, moving along like a well-paced late night TV western, but it ends with a bit of whimper.
Buckhorn is exactly what you'd expect it to be almost every step of the way, so whether or not you like it is going to depend entirely on what you're expecting out of the genre. If you're looking for some kind of riveting deconstruction of the gunslinger's lifestyle, then you'd probably be better off looking elsewhere. If you want an excellently written, endlessly engaging, traditional Western tale about spitting hot lead and spilling warm blood then... you'd probably also want to look elsewhere.
But if you, on the off chance, find yourself craving the Macdonald's cheeseburger equivalent of a western paperback, then you could do a lot worse. Buckhorn is a solid, traditionally masculine protagonist who is unique only in that he's half native American and uncannily skilled with a gun. The plot is predictable but snappy, moving along like a well-paced late night TV western, but it ends with a bit of whimper.
September 1, 2019
I have become increasingly frustrated and disappointed with this round of ghost writers writing under the name of William Johnstone. Johnstone was one of our better western writers, but since his death, one of his relatives—I’m assuming a nephew—JA Johnstone, himself the writer of western novels, has been managing William Johnstone’s literary estate, and publishes dozens of new novels under his name every year. Dead men don’t write novels. This new round of westerns published under Johnstone’s name have not been written by the former master, but instead any number of writers presumably paid by the Johnstone estate to keep the legacy alive. Some of these novels have been better than others. For example, the first novel of the Flintlock series is what I consider even today one of the best westerns I’ve ever read. Since then, I have been repeatedly disappointed, to the point I will no longer purchase any of these newer novels and these countless new “series,” including Buckhorn. Now, some of these plot lines and characters may have been Johnstone’s idea, but let’s face it; he didn’t write them, and they should not legitimately carry his name.
As for Buckhorn, the story is fairly interesting. Buckhorn is half white, and half Indian, and he’s been stereotyped and ridiculed so much that he pretty much blows it off at this point in his life. He is a hired gun who fights for whomever will pay him the most money, and if that includes working for the bad guy, then so be it. Here, Buckhorn finds himself in a dispute between two competing businessmen who are vying to build the first railroad through Crater City. Buckhorn begins by working for the unethical one, and once he realizes what his employer has been up to, out of a newfound sense of honesty and integrity, he decides to expose his former employer and right the guy’s wrongs. The story is okay, but the action is limited and entirely unsatisfying. To this day I consider Ralph Cotton the best at describing fight scenes—Louis L’Amour the best at describing fist-fighting and boxing scenes. Here, the most we get is the typical cliche: “Buckhorn skinned leather and shot the guy.” I mean, really? That’s it? What most bothers me about these new ghost writers is that they simply have no grasp of the nuances of quality writing. Not everything has to be or should be explained and spelled out to the reader. Sometimes we can figure out what people are doing and thinking just by what they say. The writer doesn’t need to tell us what they say, and then explain it to us. For example, here’s one passage from the book:
“Buckhorn looked at Flood and Jimmy and asked, “Is that the way it happened?”
Sullen silence was their only answer. As far as Buckhorn was concerned, that reaction was enough to confirm that Tim was telling the truth.”
There’s no reason for the author to write anything after the word “answer.” I’m not an idiot. I’ve read all the great literature of the world, and I am capable of interpreting the meaning of this dialogue without the author telling me what Buckhorn meant. This occurs countless times throughout this novel, and others like it. These ghost writers are amateurs at best, and frankly, I just cannot read many more novels from them. I keep holding out hope I’ll come across one of these written by the writer of Flintlock, so perhaps I’ll give these one or two more tries, but I’m losing patience. In between, I’ll pick up a L’Amour masterpiece, or read The Shootist, just as a reminder of what great western writing really is. Better yet, I’ll read True Grit once again, perhaps the great western ever. For now, I do not recommend Buckhorn. I like and respect the character, but not those who brought him to life.
As for Buckhorn, the story is fairly interesting. Buckhorn is half white, and half Indian, and he’s been stereotyped and ridiculed so much that he pretty much blows it off at this point in his life. He is a hired gun who fights for whomever will pay him the most money, and if that includes working for the bad guy, then so be it. Here, Buckhorn finds himself in a dispute between two competing businessmen who are vying to build the first railroad through Crater City. Buckhorn begins by working for the unethical one, and once he realizes what his employer has been up to, out of a newfound sense of honesty and integrity, he decides to expose his former employer and right the guy’s wrongs. The story is okay, but the action is limited and entirely unsatisfying. To this day I consider Ralph Cotton the best at describing fight scenes—Louis L’Amour the best at describing fist-fighting and boxing scenes. Here, the most we get is the typical cliche: “Buckhorn skinned leather and shot the guy.” I mean, really? That’s it? What most bothers me about these new ghost writers is that they simply have no grasp of the nuances of quality writing. Not everything has to be or should be explained and spelled out to the reader. Sometimes we can figure out what people are doing and thinking just by what they say. The writer doesn’t need to tell us what they say, and then explain it to us. For example, here’s one passage from the book:
“Buckhorn looked at Flood and Jimmy and asked, “Is that the way it happened?”
Sullen silence was their only answer. As far as Buckhorn was concerned, that reaction was enough to confirm that Tim was telling the truth.”
There’s no reason for the author to write anything after the word “answer.” I’m not an idiot. I’ve read all the great literature of the world, and I am capable of interpreting the meaning of this dialogue without the author telling me what Buckhorn meant. This occurs countless times throughout this novel, and others like it. These ghost writers are amateurs at best, and frankly, I just cannot read many more novels from them. I keep holding out hope I’ll come across one of these written by the writer of Flintlock, so perhaps I’ll give these one or two more tries, but I’m losing patience. In between, I’ll pick up a L’Amour masterpiece, or read The Shootist, just as a reminder of what great western writing really is. Better yet, I’ll read True Grit once again, perhaps the great western ever. For now, I do not recommend Buckhorn. I like and respect the character, but not those who brought him to life.
September 23, 2019
I like to read the Johnstone books, although they do sometimes vary in quality since there seem to be a few different authors that write them. This novel was an enjoyable read, although the plot and characters were fairly predictable.
My biggest criticism with the writing was that the author was repetitive with a lot of phrases. He would constantly refer to prostitutes as "soiled doves", or have the gunfighters constantly say they "burned a lot of powder" or musing how "people in our line of work" will usually die violently. Maybe people during the time period talked like that, and gunfighters were all sullen fatalists, but it sure made for annoying reading. I also felt like there were a few times where the author over-explained something the character was saying or doing, as if the reader couldn't figure it out without being spoon-fed an explanation.
Overall the plot was straight forward, the characters not badly written even if stereotypical, and the main character was interesting in that he made some mistaken assumptions which had real consequences.
Probably a solid 3.5 stars, but rounded up to 4.
My biggest criticism with the writing was that the author was repetitive with a lot of phrases. He would constantly refer to prostitutes as "soiled doves", or have the gunfighters constantly say they "burned a lot of powder" or musing how "people in our line of work" will usually die violently. Maybe people during the time period talked like that, and gunfighters were all sullen fatalists, but it sure made for annoying reading. I also felt like there were a few times where the author over-explained something the character was saying or doing, as if the reader couldn't figure it out without being spoon-fed an explanation.
Overall the plot was straight forward, the characters not badly written even if stereotypical, and the main character was interesting in that he made some mistaken assumptions which had real consequences.
Probably a solid 3.5 stars, but rounded up to 4.
March 12, 2020
Not too bad for me getting back into some Western-style gun-slinging novel reading. A few twists & turns here & there throughout the story. I like that fact that this is one man's turning point in his life. He was previously a gun-for-hire without much of a conscience. But thru his flashback memories we learn that he'd been shot-to-pieces, but somehow survived. The recovery period gave him time to think about what he'd been doing with his life.
After signing on with another fella that turned out to be a bad hombre (tho we don't see that initially in the story), he begins to wonder if everything is really as it seems at first look. This is the first time that he puts into practice switching sides, deciding to carry his gun for what is right & just . . . in other words, The Good Guys.
I mostly liked this story very much! And plan to seek out some more Western genre, like some ole Louis L'Amour's to pass the time with living in my mind a whole different world than current times.
After signing on with another fella that turned out to be a bad hombre (tho we don't see that initially in the story), he begins to wonder if everything is really as it seems at first look. This is the first time that he puts into practice switching sides, deciding to carry his gun for what is right & just . . . in other words, The Good Guys.
I mostly liked this story very much! And plan to seek out some more Western genre, like some ole Louis L'Amour's to pass the time with living in my mind a whole different world than current times.
September 25, 2021
This was my first reading of the “Buckhorn” series. I debated on reading it because I generally do not like how Native American characters are depicted. However, once I started reading, I couldn’t stop.
Buckhorn is an intelligent, disciplined and principled man; the kind you would want for a friend. He self- describes himself as a half-breed and a gun-for-hire.
He knows his strengths and weaknesses and once he makes up his mind, there’s no turning back. There are twists and turns as the story unfolds and few disappointments at the end. I highly recommend this book.
Buckhorn is an intelligent, disciplined and principled man; the kind you would want for a friend. He self- describes himself as a half-breed and a gun-for-hire.
He knows his strengths and weaknesses and once he makes up his mind, there’s no turning back. There are twists and turns as the story unfolds and few disappointments at the end. I highly recommend this book.
March 13, 2023
So I don't really have a ton of experience with westerns. Ive read one Longarm book which was lackluster, and one J.T. Edison Ysabel Kid novel (pretty good). I picked this up for 50 cents at a used book store because why not? I've seen these pulpy Johnstone westerns at Walmart and always initially thought to myself "cringe and lame uninspired ghost writing". I'm happy to say that I was wrong. I read this whole book in a day. Was it innovative? No. Was it a varmint shootin, bush whackin, sasparilla sippin good time? Pshhh, you're gosh darn tootin! 🤠🐄
May 10, 2018
I love westerns, and I am surprised that people can still write them as well as authors like Louis Lamour. I love this author and have yet to be disappointed by one of his books. This one is no exception. The historical facts are accurate for the time period. I love the storyline and the descriptions that are so detailed you can actually picture things.
May 15, 2021
I don't have any other western to compare this to, but I really enjoyed Buckhorn! Joe Buckhorn was an interesting and complex protagonist. He also had some pretty intense adventures. There was also a little mystery and lots of thrill! I don't anticipate wanting to read a lot of westerns but this was a great book.
July 19, 2021
I needed a new series to read and this one has me intrigued enough to try again. Acting is spot on and appreciated the bits of music throughout. It had similar items to other westerns, but a few different themes, so that was nice. I'm looking forward to how this Buckhorn character evolves.
July 16, 2022
Rip spanking good story.
I like action and story lines. Lots of good characters. Sneaky turns in the story. Good ending. Main characters are believable. Typical lying, deceiving, not so innocent characters.
I like action and story lines. Lots of good characters. Sneaky turns in the story. Good ending. Main characters are believable. Typical lying, deceiving, not so innocent characters.
October 8, 2024
Joe Buckhorn is a half breed hired gun to help Dennis Conroy run over the people of Crater City, N M. Joe soon discovers he is Mr Conroy and finds himself in need of assistance to help clear his name. A good adventure to read.
June 27, 2019
<3!!!
Read
October 16, 2019Unbelievably bad.
October 3, 2020
It is good to see a gunfighter not go with the money but with what is right. Buckhorn may have started on evils side but with enough questions an reasoning he knew what side was right.
January 22, 2022
A great read
A great read by my favorite author William W Johnstone, The greatest western fiction writer I have ever read, Awesome!
A great read by my favorite author William W Johnstone, The greatest western fiction writer I have ever read, Awesome!
March 29, 2023
Enjoyed this book but was on the predictable side.
July 10, 2024
Good read. I'm looking forward to reading more Buckhorn adventures.
January 23, 2025
A fun, traditional white hat/black hat western centered around a good old fashioned land grab scheme.
May 1, 2016
This new series from Johnstone introduces us to the half breed gun for hire Joe Buckhorn. When a boomtown starts to get a mite hot, two rival mine owners hire guns to look after their interests - enter Joe Buckhorn. What should be a simple case of one versus the other turns more confusing and deadly when other players make their presence known, leaving Buckhorn with questions that he needs the answers to.
This new series starts strong in the appropriately named Buckhorn, introducing us to our new hero who is strong, clever and curious. I've enjoyed what I've learned of him and look forward to learning more in his future adventures. Having a half Indian character adds new dimensions and hardships for a character in that day and age, which makes for much interesting reading. Well written, fun and full of adventure.
This new series starts strong in the appropriately named Buckhorn, introducing us to our new hero who is strong, clever and curious. I've enjoyed what I've learned of him and look forward to learning more in his future adventures. Having a half Indian character adds new dimensions and hardships for a character in that day and age, which makes for much interesting reading. Well written, fun and full of adventure.
June 2, 2019
William W. Johnstone
Like all William Johnstone Western novels this is a very enjoyable read and my only disappointment was I am the happiest when the guy gets the girl or vice versa and lives happy ever after. As is usual in a Johnstone novel the bodies fall frequently in more inventive ways. The stories though are well thought out and the characters well defined. Location information seems to be well researched and to sum up a very good escape for a few hours. I don't think I have given away very much so if you enjoy the Western genre you can't go wrong with this one.
Like all William Johnstone Western novels this is a very enjoyable read and my only disappointment was I am the happiest when the guy gets the girl or vice versa and lives happy ever after. As is usual in a Johnstone novel the bodies fall frequently in more inventive ways. The stories though are well thought out and the characters well defined. Location information seems to be well researched and to sum up a very good escape for a few hours. I don't think I have given away very much so if you enjoy the Western genre you can't go wrong with this one.
October 3, 2016
Yes, another quality western from J.A. Johnstone. I have read several from J.A and only a few from William. I prefer J.A. over William. William write more historical fiction and spend more time elaborating on the details of the land, place in time, etc. where his nephew J.A. moves the plot better. This one reminded me of Pale Rider the movie, and yes, it does read like a Clint Eastwood movie. Entertaining gunslinger story with lots of action, riding off into the sunset in the end.
December 16, 2016
Great book i really enjoy the books written by William and Jo Johnstone. they always grab you and pull you in. thanks for a great read Jo.
Displaying 1 - 26 of 26 reviews