Are there any good stories that are modern day but have the classic western themes?
Manly men, beautiful ladies, living life free of interference, fighting against the man or an evil villain who is against everything that is good. Beautiful imagery, sexy time (he he), guns, fights/martial arts, etc. You get the drill.
most of these quilfy for what you want:
https://storiesonline.net/a/Dual_Writer
so do many of mine;
https://storiesonline.net/a/Ernest_Bywater
and these:
https://storiesonline.net/a/G_Younger
Beautiful imagery, sexy time (he he)
"Brokeback Mountain" (lots of he-he sexy times!)
And don't forget Aubie, who's written many 'classic' Westerns (set in the olden day historical settings).
However, you'll find many of the same themes transposed to many PA (Post-Apocalyptic) stories.
Are there any good stories that are modern day but have the classic western themes?
Manly men, beautiful ladies, living life free of interference, fighting against the man or an evil villain who is against everything that is good. Beautiful imagery, sexy time (he he), guns, fights/martial arts, etc. You get the drill.
Lubrican has a number stories with rural settings, sometimes on a ranch. One that comes to mind is "Last Wish Blues", but there are a bunch of others.
Shamus Journals by Terriblethom might qualify.
Well let me add a few right quick.
Honkytonk Hero by Joe J.
Story link: https://storiesonline.net/s/57099/honkytonk-hero
El Paso - Joe J.: https://storiesonline.net/s/52784/el-paso-joe-j
Writer link: https://storiesonline.net/a/Joe_J
As a reference you might also want to check out the many stories in Jake Rivers open invitation Universes the link is:https://storiesonline.net/a/Jake_Rivers/universes
Sure both named stories are listed in the universes but there are a lot of good ones in them.
Even though its a T.V. Program, Longmire probably deserves a mention from what I saw of it. ( "present day" setting)
Of course for an ongoing production, WestWorld is tangentially a western, in so much as it's set in a Wild West (adult) theme park populated by Androids. (And produced by the same people behind Lost, with a comparable tendency to skip forward and backward in time.)
Longmire is more than a TV show. It's based on a series of books by Craig Johnson and they are stellar.
The TV show is great (two words ... Katee Sackhoff) but the books are better, in my humble opinion.
but the books are better, in my humble opinion.
You're not wrong. The books were really very good.
You're not wrong. The books were really very good.
That is probably why I have always preferred reading the original book instead of watching either the movie or TV shows. The reason I said original book is its surprising how many times the book gets reprinted (supposedly) after it is edited to match up with the movie or TV script. I hate when they do that to a story. Heck the story had to be good otherwise why would they want to spend all that money to make it into a movie.
That is probably why I have always preferred reading the original book instead of watching either the movie or TV shows. The reason I said original book is its surprising how many times the book gets reprinted (supposedly) after it is edited to match up with the movie or TV script. I hate when they do that to a story. Heck the story had to be good otherwise why would they want to spend all that money to make it into a movie.
The key word there is "adapted". If the books says that it was adapted from the movie, that means they did a complete rewrite based on the movie script, meaning you won't get much beyond what appeared on camera, written by 3rd rate hacks.
If the books says that it was adapted from the movie, that means they did a complete rewrite based on the movie script, meaning you won't get much beyond what appeared on camera, written by 3rd rate hacks.
Funny part is the James Bond series is one which was done right in my opinion. Its the same story, just different methods of telling the story. I don't know how they managed it but for a change I usually enjoy both versions. Many times I think the movie version destroys a good story.
I know when ever I see those reprinted (adapted) books I just pass them by. Instead I will go to a used book store and look for the original version if I want to read it.
I know when ever I see those reprinted (adapted) books I just pass them by. Instead I will go to a used book store and look for the original version if I want to read it.
Back in the days when I still bothered watching movies in theaters (recent problems with my night vision makes it impossible for me to navigate dark movie theaters), I'd always rush to read the original book before I'd watch the film. Once you've seen a movie, you always seen the movie star as each character, whereas if you read the book, you create your own vision of each character. Plus, then you can evaluate just how good a job the screenwriters did.
Heck the only ways to get the original version of a story which has been made into a movie is to either go to a library, hoping for a copy dated a few years before the movie, or go to a used bookstore looking for one that you can trade for (my usual method). Haven't been able to do that for a few years now, but the internet lets me find some darn good reading as well.
Heck the only ways to get the original version of a story which has been made into a movie is to either go to a library, hoping for a copy dated a few years before the movie, or go to a used bookstore looking for one that you can trade for (my usual method). Haven't been able to do that for a few years now, but the internet lets me find some darn good reading as well.
They don't typically remove a literary work just because a movie studio releases their own version of a story. The studios pick books which have already proven themselves, so those stories aren't going anywhere. They do go out of print, eventually, but they're still available one way or another.
But that's another reason why it's best to read the book before it's make into a movie, rather than years or decades later.
The only book tat I have ever liked that was based on a movie script was "How the West was Won" by L. Lamour. That was because it was based on a movie that was not from a book. I am like most people and don't like most books written on movie scripts based on a prior book.
I can see wanting to tell the same story as a book that has great sales records.(not those darn best seller lists of the New York Times)
But they should at least realize that there are two different mediums of telling the story. One is printed word and the other is a combined audio/visual method. Its just two different ways to tell the same story.
I can see wanting to tell the same story as a book that has great sales records.(not those darn best seller lists of the New York Times)
Sorry, but the New York Times best-seller list is based on the weekly sales by the mainstream publishers, it's not editorial comments by opinionated New York elitists, as many people imagine (you'll find those in the New York Times Review of Books).
However, recently (past ten years) the NYT best-seller lists seem to be stuck, only listing the same 10 or 20 books for years at a time (probably based on airport sales) rather than what's worth reading at any given time. As such, I rarely pay much attention to it anymore.
There's a story here on SOL about a returning vet that comes upon a shootout between a US Marshall and some bad guys where the Marshall gets killed and the MC takes over protection of the witness she was protecting. There is a leak somewhere in the FBI/US Marshalls/Homeland Security that complicates the matter. While not set in the West, it has all the characteristics of a Western - unlikely hero battling against the odds, damsel in distress, hidden traitor, good triumphs, etc.
There's a story here on SOL about a returning vet that comes upon a shootout between a US Marshall and some bad guys where the Marshall gets killed and the MC takes over protection of the witness she was protecting.
There is a potential sequel to that story. The writer has hinted he might have another story based in or around Texas this time. No idea if or when the writer plans on writing the story.
There's a story here on SOL about a returning vet that comes upon a shootout between a US Marshall and some bad guys where the Marshall gets killed and the MC takes over protection of the witness she was protecting.
that's:
https://storiesonline.net/s/13438/rebirth
Thanks. I tried searching for it but couldn't come up with a set of key words that worked.
The writer has hinted he might have another story
The writer does plan on continuing the story (well having more stories with the character, as each is stand alone, but with the same cast of characters and occasionally referencing the previous stories).
I just finished writing the second to last chapter of the next story in fact. :)
Can't believe this hasn't been suggested yet. A modern western about a boy becoming a man and taking the law into his own hands. I HIGHLY recommend it based upon what you are looking for.
https://storiesonline.net/s/55922/the-romantic-vigilante
I think Ernest's two Survivor stories would qualify as modern westerns.
https://storiesonline.net/series/1331/survivor
The first one more closely fits the standard Western genre, but both carry the theme into the modern day.