Six Thrilling and Moving Books for Fans of Red Dead Redemption II
Listen, I’m as surprised as anyone that I turned out to be a gaming nerd, but when you get down to it, a good story is a good story — I don’t care if it’s in a novel or a movie or an open world western video game.
While I was recuperating from back surgery last fall, I decided to dive into the 2018 Playstation 4 hit Red Dead Redemption II, even though I had never played Red Dead Redemption. I then spent an entire week immersed in the Wild West and in the moving, thrilling tale of Arthur Morgan and his fellow gang of outlaws.
Folks, I’ve never been this enraptured. I’ve also never cried that hard as a result of a game. And for anyone else who felt this way while playing the epic, 100-hour RDR2, you know what I mean.
Inevitably, I ended up wanting to read a lot of western-style novels and nonfiction books after completing my first of many playthroughs of the game. There have been hits and misses, like in gaming, and I wanted to share a few of the best and most interesting for my fellow Red Dead Heads.
Let’s ride!
NEWS OF THE WORLD
By Paulette Jiles
Captain Kidd gives off Arthur Morgan vibes in NEWS OF THE WORLD by Paulette Jiles. This bestseller is also now a major motion picture starring the one and only Tom Hanks. I prefer the novel, as usual, but I still recommend giving the film a watch after reading it, which I highly recommend.
The relationship between elder Kidd and young Johanna is so tender and endearing, and the writing is sparse yet bountiful and visual. Jiles also wrote SIMON THE FIDDLER, published in 2020. I read this recently and also recommend you add it to your TBR list, especially if you enjoyed COLD MOUNTAIN.
THE GOOD LORD BIRD
By James McBride
If you’re someone who prefers reading fictional accounts or watching biopics when learning about historical figures, then I highly recommend THE GOOD LORD BIRD, which is James McBride’s version of militant yet devoutly Christian abolitionist John Brown and his gang’s historic raid on Harper’s Ferry in 1859.
The story about one of the catalyst events of the Civil War is told through the point of view of a black boy who Brown believes to be a girl and dubs “Little Onion.” I can’t tell you how much I adored this novel, about Brown’s gang of misfits that reminded me of Dutch’s crew, and how much it made me love John Brown even more, even if it is a fictional account of the Bible lover and gun-slinging icon.
This book is also now a SHOWTIME miniseries, but I definitely recommend the novel first and foremost.
RIDGELINE
By Michael Punke
This novel by THE REVENANT author Michael Punke tackles the real-life Rains Fall/Eagle Flies tale of settlers, genocide, and war. Through a varied third-person narrative, Punke weaves a nuanced fictional account of the Fetterman Fight, prompted by Lakota war leader Crazy Horse of the Oglala band taking up arms against the United States federal government in the fall and winter of 1866.
Though I prefer Punke’s prose in his debut, which is also a major motion picture starring Leonardo DiCaprio, RIDGELINE was still really enjoyable and it was pretty hard to put down.
HOW MUCH OF THESE HILLS IS GOLD
By C Pam Zhang
C Pam Zhang’s debut novel HOW MUCH OF THESE HILLS IS GOLD has won many awards for a reason — it’s damn good. Zhang blends Chinese symbolism with a reimaged history in Wild West California.
The writing is haunting and beautiful, the imagery unforgettable. I really can’t recommend this genre- and gender-bending novel enough.
UPRIGHT WOMEN WANTED
By Sarah Gailey
When searching for westerns to read during my Red Dead awakening, I wanted to find queer or women-centered tales and I stumbled upon a dystopian story set in a fictional future Wild West called UPRIGHT WOMEN WANTED by Hugo Award finalist and winner Sarah Gailey.
Queer librarians on horseback. Need I say more?
Though the prose leaves a lot to be desired for me personally, the concept is still super unique, and if you’re a fan of sci-fi or futuristic, gritty novels, this might be just for you.
FRONTIER GRIT
By Marianne Monson
One of the other books I found while searching for westerns involving women was FRONTIER GRIT: THE UNLIKELY TRUE STORIES OF DARING PIONEER WOMEN by Marianne Monson.
Some of these women — actually, all of them — blow me away. From an enslaved woman who fought for sixty years to be reunited with her daughter to a woman who hid her gender and became one of the greatest stagecoaches of all time, you’re going to get a dose of courage and adventure (and meet some real-life Sadie Adlers) with this nonfiction gem.
