Brendan’s Alternate Tagline for Brothers of the Gun:
This book is my huckleberry.
Quick synopsis:
The dual biography of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday.
Fact for Non-History People:
A map drawn by Wyatt Earp of the O.K. Corral gunfight sold for $115,000 in 2004.
Fact for History Nerds:
Doc was born with a cleft palate.
My Take on Brothers of the Gun:
There are very few times I will say this as a history nerd. I was very afraid of the truth when I started Mark Lee Gardner’s Brothers of the Gun. Quite simply, I love the movie Tombstone too much. I already knew it played fast and loose with the facts, but dang it, it plays well with those fictions. I know precisely what Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday actually looked like, but I can only picture Kurt and Val. The bad news is, yes, Tombstone is as fictional as you would expect. The good news is that this book is a hell of a lot of fun anyway.
Gardner is telling the story of Wyatt Earp and Doc Holliday. I assure I need not explain any further than that. I’ll get to my critique first. Gardner’s story is not as comprehensive as others on the subject. Doc feels very much like the second fiddle which makes sense since he basically disappears from the historical record a few times. That said, by far, Gardner’s explanations of what happened, who do it, and why are the best I have read. This book is the first where the analysis lines up with what we know about all these characters (good guys and bad guys and well, let’s be honest they are all gray at best) and what their motivations might be. While I mentioned the book is not as comprehensive as others, this is not to suggest Gardner skipped his own research. I think he just decided to streamline in a lot of places. Gardner clearly did his research and presented us with what we need to know.
Ultimately, this is a must read for Wild West fans. Non-fans may feel it is a little rushed or high-level, but I don’t think anyone will complain much when they finish. It’s a great (vendetta) ride.
(This book was provided as a review copy by NetGalley and Dutton Books.)
Verdict:
A must for Wild West nerds. Buy it here!
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