I was all set to send everything in for self publication, but I was contacted yesterday by a big dog publisher, so now I'm awaiting their verdict. (yep, they contacted me, special thanks to those of you that "know people"). If I get the nay there, then it is back to the self publication.
Best/worst Gun AUTHORS (of fiction)
- Thread starter boomer1911a1
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Lupinus
Member
I vote for a patch included in every first edition purchase 
Travis McGee
Member
Two really terrific novelists who are are dead bang on guns:
Gerald Seymour, a Brit. He writes about the IRA, SAS etc, as well as other dirty war and limited war topics that are more recent. He's in every library, check him out if you really want some good realistic thriller reading. Start with his older stuff.
Robert Ruark, another Brit, who was a "white hunter" in Africa in the 50s and 60s. His classic works "Something of Value" and "Uhuru" are just incredible. Best gun writing EVER. He is credited with coining the phrase, "use enough gun," which is the title of one of his non-fiction hunting books. His novels are about the "Mau Mau uprising" in Kenya in the 50s, and the independence of Kenya in the 60s. Great thrillers, very realistic, and gun saturated.
Ruark's books are also in every library. Don't miss them!
Gerald Seymour, a Brit. He writes about the IRA, SAS etc, as well as other dirty war and limited war topics that are more recent. He's in every library, check him out if you really want some good realistic thriller reading. Start with his older stuff.
Robert Ruark, another Brit, who was a "white hunter" in Africa in the 50s and 60s. His classic works "Something of Value" and "Uhuru" are just incredible. Best gun writing EVER. He is credited with coining the phrase, "use enough gun," which is the title of one of his non-fiction hunting books. His novels are about the "Mau Mau uprising" in Kenya in the 50s, and the independence of Kenya in the 60s. Great thrillers, very realistic, and gun saturated.
Ruark's books are also in every library. Don't miss them!
ClarkEMyers
Member
Robert Ruark was neither a Brit nor a PWH -
Robert Ruark was neither a Brit nor a PWH - though a fine writer who went down hill later in his personal life.
His memoirs of growing on and around the American South(The Old Man and the Boy and The Old Man's Boy Grows Older) are also cleaned up and dressed up to make a nicer life than he really had in a fairly rough and very poor childhood. Ruark started as a newspaper man - Grenadine Etchings his first collection has some collector value. The story goes that he went to the scenes of his, impoverished, childhood in a Rolls Royce which inspired one woman to ask "if Bob is such a successful writer why is he driving an old Packard?"
Robert Ruark was neither a Brit nor a PWH - though a fine writer who went down hill later in his personal life.
His memoirs of growing on and around the American South(The Old Man and the Boy and The Old Man's Boy Grows Older) are also cleaned up and dressed up to make a nicer life than he really had in a fairly rough and very poor childhood. Ruark started as a newspaper man - Grenadine Etchings his first collection has some collector value. The story goes that he went to the scenes of his, impoverished, childhood in a Rolls Royce which inspired one woman to ask "if Bob is such a successful writer why is he driving an old Packard?"
MudPuppy
Member
Correia, man, that's inspirational.
(I've re-lit the fire to wrap up Poison Summer.)
I'll be buying a copy (and patches) when available!
Lights Out ever make it between covers? Another book I loved was Red Army by Ralph Peters--but haven't liked anything else of his. He doesn't go into the gun/weapon details though, but still manages to capture the "being there" element, imho.
(I've re-lit the fire to wrap up Poison Summer.)
I'll be buying a copy (and patches) when available!
Lights Out ever make it between covers? Another book I loved was Red Army by Ralph Peters--but haven't liked anything else of his. He doesn't go into the gun/weapon details though, but still manages to capture the "being there" element, imho.
Travis McGee
Member
I stand corrected about Ruark's origins! When I read about him, it listed his residence as England, and I assumed he was a Brit because of his deft handling of the "Colonials" in Kenya.
ithacalover
Member
- Joined
- Jan 8, 2007
- Messages
- 49
Stephen King is the worst - he can't get even the simplest things right. There are characters pumping double barrelled shotguns, carrying .38 special automatics, etc, etc.
Dean Koontz is the best however - the detail and accuracy in his character's weapons is uncanny.
Dean Koontz is the best however - the detail and accuracy in his character's weapons is uncanny.
Orthonym
Member
H. Beam Piper,
*SERIOUS* gun nut, collector, etc. Read "Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen".
All of his novels and stories had all of the characters well-armed, either with firearms or ray-guns, and he always got the details right with the firearms. He understood the splatter, too, so when he offed himself, he put down drop cloths, and turned off the utilities. Some think he believed so strongly in re-incarnation that he thought suicide was just pushing the reset button.
*SERIOUS* gun nut, collector, etc. Read "Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen".
All of his novels and stories had all of the characters well-armed, either with firearms or ray-guns, and he always got the details right with the firearms. He understood the splatter, too, so when he offed himself, he put down drop cloths, and turned off the utilities. Some think he believed so strongly in re-incarnation that he thought suicide was just pushing the reset button.
Orthonym
Member
P.S.
I think Greg Bear married Poul Anderson's daughter. They had a daughter, whose name is Rylla, I believe.
(Rylla is the princess who is Calvin Morrison's sweety in the Piper novel)
I think Greg Bear married Poul Anderson's daughter. They had a daughter, whose name is Rylla, I believe.
(Rylla is the princess who is Calvin Morrison's sweety in the Piper novel)
Orthonym
Member
Oh, See This:
http://www.thedonovan.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=3679
I'm Justthisguy in those silly comments, there.
Lotsa inside jokes, there, but some study will have y'all understanding it, I think.
Umm, lotsa studyin', at The Donovans' site. Go study there; it'll do ya good.
http://www.thedonovan.com/cgi-bin/mt/mt-comments.cgi?entry_id=3679
I'm Justthisguy in those silly comments, there.
Lotsa inside jokes, there, but some study will have y'all understanding it, I think.
Umm, lotsa studyin', at The Donovans' site. Go study there; it'll do ya good.
Moondancer
Member
Dean Koontz
About Koontz, IIRC, he made a fair amount of blunders early on in his career, but it's been so long ago that I'm not positive. I just remember thinking "that's not right!" when I was reading some of his stuff.
Stephen King - really poor firearms knowledge. That's really too bad, because he's one of my favorite authors (especially his earlier works... 'Salem's Lot, The Stand, IT (one of the best novels ever written as far as I'm concerned). It seems to me that he's lost it around the time he published Gerald's Game).
I agree with posters about Hunter and Sanford: much better than average. I REALLY like Stephen Hunters Pale Horse Coming with all the barely disguised old-time gunnies in it. FWIW, the early part of the novel seemed to go on forever until Earl finally escaped and it began to grab my attention.
Ahern: obviously a gun person. The Survivalist series was good; the (too short) Takers series was better from a plot standpoint. He went into a lot of weapon detail. Books were a quick read (and in retrospect not as good as I thought originally. I bought the first five of The Survivalist through an on-line used bookstore about a year ago and enjoyed them, but not to the extent I remembered. In fact, I quit about 1/2 way through the fifth one.) Of course, he now owns/runs the New Detonics... so I gotta give him credit for that.
John Ringo: top-notch. I haven't seen any mistakes yet in the Ghost series. I just recently read the published books and notwithstanding the sex in the first one (which really didn't bother me) they are pretty good.
John Ross and Matthew Bracken: perfect score IMHO. But... they're part of us, so they should be.
Don Pendleton - read the Executioner back in the 70s when they came out. I really liked the gun stuff, but didn't know as much as I know now.
About Koontz, IIRC, he made a fair amount of blunders early on in his career, but it's been so long ago that I'm not positive. I just remember thinking "that's not right!" when I was reading some of his stuff.
Stephen King - really poor firearms knowledge. That's really too bad, because he's one of my favorite authors (especially his earlier works... 'Salem's Lot, The Stand, IT (one of the best novels ever written as far as I'm concerned). It seems to me that he's lost it around the time he published Gerald's Game).
I agree with posters about Hunter and Sanford: much better than average. I REALLY like Stephen Hunters Pale Horse Coming with all the barely disguised old-time gunnies in it. FWIW, the early part of the novel seemed to go on forever until Earl finally escaped and it began to grab my attention.
Ahern: obviously a gun person. The Survivalist series was good; the (too short) Takers series was better from a plot standpoint. He went into a lot of weapon detail. Books were a quick read (and in retrospect not as good as I thought originally. I bought the first five of The Survivalist through an on-line used bookstore about a year ago and enjoyed them, but not to the extent I remembered. In fact, I quit about 1/2 way through the fifth one.) Of course, he now owns/runs the New Detonics... so I gotta give him credit for that.
John Ringo: top-notch. I haven't seen any mistakes yet in the Ghost series. I just recently read the published books and notwithstanding the sex in the first one (which really didn't bother me) they are pretty good.
John Ross and Matthew Bracken: perfect score IMHO. But... they're part of us, so they should be.
Don Pendleton - read the Executioner back in the 70s when they came out. I really liked the gun stuff, but didn't know as much as I know now.
My favorite pulp author: William Johnstone (Ashes series) - writes post WW3 pulp with a great idea for laws. No idea if his firearm knowledge is any good as it has been a long time since I read it.
William Diehl - again no idea on the accuracy of his firearm use, but a great author.
Eric Lustbader - more entertainment - again, no idea on the gun tech.
If anyone has read any of these and can help me out on the tech I would appreciate it.
Thanks
William Diehl - again no idea on the accuracy of his firearm use, but a great author.
Eric Lustbader - more entertainment - again, no idea on the gun tech.
If anyone has read any of these and can help me out on the tech I would appreciate it.
Thanks
clutch
Contributing Member
Heck, I'm reading the first of the Mitch Rapp series and the bad guys use plastique and primacord and then there is a line following that where 'A cloud of cordite filled the air'.
I suspect Vince gets better over time but that was a bit disappointing. Reading this thread caused me to order the first book in the Rapp series for my Kindle.
Clutch
I suspect Vince gets better over time but that was a bit disappointing. Reading this thread caused me to order the first book in the Rapp series for my Kindle.
Clutch
Red Cent
Member
Richard Marcinko
Full of himself but decent reading.
Full of himself but decent reading.
Red Cent
Member
Who was the author with the hero who carries a Detonics under each armpit? SHTF type stuff.
Red Cent
Member
Read all of Sanford's books.
sm
member
James Lee Burke.
I may have overlooked seeing his name mentioned in previous posts.
I may have overlooked seeing his name mentioned in previous posts.
Dirty Bob
Member
That's Jerry Ahern, a gun writer and author of the series The Survivalist, with protagonist John Thomas Rourke. JTR seemed to mirror a lot of Ahern's preferences, including an affection for Detonics .45 pistols, the Colt Python, and the A.G. Russell Sting 1A.
Regards,
Dirty Bob
Carter
Member
Rob Thurman, which is actually the pen name for a female author.
She writes really good books (IMHO), but her main character some how manages to conceal a desert eagle and a glock in a shoulder holster. Plus, for some reason the main character has to manually chamber a round in the eagle after firing a shot, but thats only when the author is trying to add a little "cool" factor.
Other than those oddities the books are really good.
Jim Butcher has a fare amount of guns in his books but the main character knows very little about them so there aren't too many mistakes from what I remember since it never gets too detailed.
She writes really good books (IMHO), but her main character some how manages to conceal a desert eagle and a glock in a shoulder holster. Plus, for some reason the main character has to manually chamber a round in the eagle after firing a shot, but thats only when the author is trying to add a little "cool" factor.
Other than those oddities the books are really good.
Jim Butcher has a fare amount of guns in his books but the main character knows very little about them so there aren't too many mistakes from what I remember since it never gets too detailed.
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Arkansas Paul
Member
It's an old thread, but a good one to revive I think.
If you're into western books, JT Edson is spot on with guns and goes into quiet a bit of detail about them. It's what drew me to him in the first place. Everything from pocket pistols to heavy artillery in his Civil War series. It's the first place I heard of the Remington Cane gun.
Also, someone mentioned Louis Lamour earlier. It was his books that I read about the Walch 12-shot Navy revolver. That was a neat piece of hardware.
On a more modern note, William W. Johnstone's Ashes series talks a lot about guns and is fairly accurate. They were out of print for a while but the series is being published again. I heard somewhere that Johnstone died. That's too bad. I enjoy his books.
If you're into western books, JT Edson is spot on with guns and goes into quiet a bit of detail about them. It's what drew me to him in the first place. Everything from pocket pistols to heavy artillery in his Civil War series. It's the first place I heard of the Remington Cane gun.
Also, someone mentioned Louis Lamour earlier. It was his books that I read about the Walch 12-shot Navy revolver. That was a neat piece of hardware.
On a more modern note, William W. Johnstone's Ashes series talks a lot about guns and is fairly accurate. They were out of print for a while but the series is being published again. I heard somewhere that Johnstone died. That's too bad. I enjoy his books.
Apocalypse-Now
Member
i read a few of stephen king's "the gunslinger" series, and he doesn't know jack squat about guns lol
TexasBill
Member
My favorite pet peeve is Rex Stout, the author of the Nero Wolfe detective stories. Archie Goodwin, Stout's assistant and a private eye, carries a Colt . 28 revolver with a safety. Of course, Wolfe's personal car was a Heron, which didn't exist, either.
I liked Travis McGee, right up until the end, when he decided guns were bad. Not sure what happened to John D. McDonald, but I was disappointed.
I also dislike it when authors have their heroes make a big deal about disliking guns even though they carry and use them. That seems a bit dishonest to me. After all, if something saved my bacon time and again, I think I would be pretty fond of it.
I liked Travis McGee, right up until the end, when he decided guns were bad. Not sure what happened to John D. McDonald, but I was disappointed.
I also dislike it when authors have their heroes make a big deal about disliking guns even though they carry and use them. That seems a bit dishonest to me. After all, if something saved my bacon time and again, I think I would be pretty fond of it.
Johannes_Paulsen
Member
Stieg Larsson, author of The Girl With The Dragon Tattoo and its sequels, clearly didn't do enough research on the subject of guns...at one point, he refers to something like a Colt 45 Magnum. Books are otherwise a good read, though.
Joe Demko
Member
Mickey Spillane always disappointed me with the errors he made about guns. For some reason it seemed like he should know better. The last Mike Hammer novel has mountains of errors regarding Mike's trademark .45.
statelineblues
Member
Good thread to renew, especially at the start of summer reading time...
Of course, a tip o' the hat to our own Larry Correia (Monster Hunter International, Monster Hunter Vendetta, The Grimnoir Chronicles: Hard Magic)! All are excellent reads and very accurate (but, dang, these guys seem to lose ALOT of guns throughout the books)
H. Beam Piper is my favorite author, altho all his books are out of print at the moment.
I liked Roland Green's books, but haven't seen anything from him in years...
Laurel K Hamilton's early work in her "Anita Blake - Vampire Hunter" series. The heroine carrys a Firestar! Kind of suspense/vampire/romance novels. First two or three books were ok, but avoid the later books.
Of course, a tip o' the hat to our own Larry Correia (Monster Hunter International, Monster Hunter Vendetta, The Grimnoir Chronicles: Hard Magic)! All are excellent reads and very accurate (but, dang, these guys seem to lose ALOT of guns throughout the books
)H. Beam Piper is my favorite author, altho all his books are out of print at the moment.
I liked Roland Green's books, but haven't seen anything from him in years...
Laurel K Hamilton's early work in her "Anita Blake - Vampire Hunter" series. The heroine carrys a Firestar! Kind of suspense/vampire/romance novels. First two or three books were ok, but avoid the later books.
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