DEADWOOD, DAKOTA TERRITORIES, 1876: Legendary gunman Wild Bill Hickcock and his friend Charlie Utter have come to the Black Hills town of Deadwood fresh from Cheyenne, fleeing an ungrateful populace. Bill, aging and sick but still able to best any man in a fair gunfight, just wants to be left alone to drink and play cards. But in this town of played-out miners, bounty hunters, upstairs girls, … Chinese immigrants, and various other entrepeneurs and miscreants, he finds himself pursued by a vicious sheriff, a perverse whore man bent on revenge, and a besotted Calamity Jane. Fueled by liquor, sex, and violence, this is the real wild west, unlike anything portrayed in the dime novels that first told its story.
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Not nearly as interesting as the Deadwood TV series.
Excellent portrayal of the old west in the Black Hills of South Dakota. Great character building, very well written.
I didn’t like the writing style at first. A sort of conversational, casual storytelling from the point of view of Charley Utter, Wild Bill’s best friend. Then after a couple chapters, it seemed right. Don’t know if historically accurate, but it’s a good story, at times amusing, but still sad for the lack of humanity those in the Deadwood territory showed toward their fellow man.
I never could get into this book. The characters were too confusing and the plot never emerged. I really wanted to like this book, but I finally gave up.
One of my most favorite books.
Great book about the Old West. wild Bill Hickok, Calamity Jane, andallthe characters from “Deadwood” come alive,
easy entertaining read
Loved the series, loved the book – although they are different.
boring
Very similar to the tv series that I’d warched before but with a bit more insight. Violent and nasty but I’m assuming this is probably the way some of the West was back in the late 1800’s. For that insight alone, it is worth perusing.
I had never heard of Peter Dexter before, but downloaded “Deadwood” as a free sample and liked what I read, so ordered the entire book. I wasn’t disappointed. The book was funny and insightful. The writing was very sharp and similar to Larry McMurtry, but much better than McMurtry’s Calamity Jane novel. I’d recommend “Deadwood” to anyone that likes historic fiction mixed with a very wry humor. You won’t regret the time spent reading it.
Wow…this is the wild west brought to life…no hokey romanticism, just real human beings caught up in a time in history that produced legends. Charlie Utter is given voice in the story of the last days of his friend Wild Bill Hickok. Larry McMurtry fans will love Deadwood.
Couldn’t turn the page without a gross sexual reference. Didn’t want to slog through all that for any plot in the world.
Differs than the hbo series but a good read.
Dumped it. Couldn’t get thru 1st chapter, boring.
This is one of the best Westerns I ever read. I believe it inspired the movie Wild Bill.
I really did not care for the writer’s style. The fllow of the story is disjoint; there are no chapters, and the narrative jumps around constantly. It is an interesting period of history, though, and the author does mix fact and fiction well. I won’t be purchasing any more writing by this author.
Do the greatest western I have ever read
Highly creative and imaginative. A fun read-with realistic, historic overtones involving memorable characters.
First off, I am a fan of Pete Dexter. This book, however, is a departure from his norm. Some might use the new cliche, ‘historic fiction’ but that to me is lessening its value. But, It is indeed based on true historic characters and events. Fans of David Milch’s masterpiece series, HBO’s Deadwood, will find this book enjoyable but it is not a direct copy of the show. Written a decade before, it is more likely that Milch read this book as part of his background study, but I have not found that to be stated in print or otherwise. I read this book 20 years ago and as my eyes are failing, purchased a Kindle copy, as I’ll want to revisit. The book centers more around Wild Bills sidekick, confidant and cohort, Charlie Utter and his escapades in the Black Hills boomtown through to his later years in Panama City. Fans of Dexter and Milch will find gratification in this well written romp with one of the Old Wests lesser known, but extraordinarily colorful characters. Choice reading!