After seeing the film Shooter a few years back Ive always wanted to read the Stephen Hunter novel series. Well I finally had the time and cash and bought all 6 bob lee books and the 3 Earl swaggers. I have to say in my opinion these are some of the best novels Ive read. The characters are great, the action is amazing. Now not all are masterpieces, 47th samurai was good, but Bob lee as a swordsman? The seventh book comes out this year and I really cant wait.
-
Forum Update: We've upgraded the software to improve security, performance, and the overall experience.
👉 Read why we made the change | Support the Forum
Bob Lee Swagger/ Earl Swagger Novels
- Thread starter K-Mart85
- Start date
Register to hide this ad
hburney
Member
Stephen Hunter is as good as it gets for us gun nuts.
amd6547
Member
My public library has every one of those novels...that is how I found them, scanning the new book shelves. The Library is a wonderful thing, and mine is one of the best.
All of the Swagger books are good reads.
All of the Swagger books are good reads.
jframe
Member
Haven't read any of these yet, but they've got to be good. I mean, how can a guy with a badass name like "Swagger" not be a fun read?
imjin138
US Veteran
I am reading Havana now and plan on re-reading Hot Springs
I have read all of them ... I'm hooked...
Marshwheeling
Member
I loved Hot Springs and Dirty White Boys. Just finished Pale Horse Coming and thought it was kind of lame, a bit of a fairy tale, although it did have some enjoyable parts. I can see why some might find it amusing if they see anybody they recognize from real life among Earl's collection of gunmen.* I could only identify one. I suspect Hunter had some fun writing this one.
*In fact, that would be my question about this book: are all these gunmen modeled after real-life figures, and if so, who?
*In fact, that would be my question about this book: are all these gunmen modeled after real-life figures, and if so, who?
Last edited:
sigp220.45
US Veteran
I liked Pale Horse Coming - Charlie Askins, Ed McGivern, Jack O'Conner, and Elmer Keith. Any others? Its been a while.
Hunter's novels rock. Shooter was a good movie, but it nowhere near did justice to the novel.
Make sure you read them in chronological order based on the time line and not when they were written.
"Pale Horse Coming" should be required reading for anyone that considers them self to be a "gun person".
Make sure you read them in chronological order based on the time line and not when they were written.
"Pale Horse Coming" should be required reading for anyone that considers them self to be a "gun person".
Chili Vega
US Veteran, Absent Comrade
If I remember right, one seemed to be Bill Jordan and the other Audie Murphy.
kraigwy
US Veteran
My favorite all time lines from a book.
From TIME TO HUNT............."Daddy's Home"
From TIME TO HUNT............."Daddy's Home"
gr8AmericanBash
Member
I've read 'em all, and am in the process of going back and re-reading them.
Already knocked off the 3 original Bob Lee books, and this morning I started "Hot Springs" again.
They're all good, but I really enjoy the Earl Lee series more than the Bob Lee series.
Already knocked off the 3 original Bob Lee books, and this morning I started "Hot Springs" again.
They're all good, but I really enjoy the Earl Lee series more than the Bob Lee series.
hberttmank
Member
I've read all of the Swagger books, some of my favorite reads of all time. Point of Impact is still my favorite followed closely by Time to Hunt.
- Joined
- Mar 24, 2006
- Messages
- 3,275
- Reaction score
- 2,581
I bring the whole collection with me when I am stationed in Iraq, now Afghanistan. The books take me to adventures, (while I am stuck waiting on a chopper or convoy).
mm6mm6
Member
Love 'em!
If you're a gun guy, then you'll find Hunter's books to be a joy to read. He gets all the gun stuff right.
I highly recommend reading them in order.
Point of Impact is the first Bob Lee Swagger novel and the book that was made into the movie Shooter.
Dirty White Boys appears to have absolutely nothing to do with Point of Impact. However, it is the second novel in the series. There is one page that gets your mind wondering about its relation to Point of Impact, but that's it.
Black Light is the third in the trilogy and it is just plain amazing how Hunter intertwines the two different stories from both previous books. Black Light also introduces Bob Lee's father, Earl, in a much more revealing light.
Some of the books are all about Earl and others are about Bob Lee.
I found Pale Horse Coming to be a masterpiece. I recognized all the gun writers/heros/lawmen that Hunter was referencing and it was amazing. Imagine an 80 some year old Ed McGivern having one last try at using his double action S&W revolver against some real bad guys that need killing.
I am just remembering the lines, so they're not verbatim, but the scene where Earl is explaining to old Ed what he has to do and Ed's granddaughter is helping to get the words into old Ed's almost deaf ears.
"Granddad wants to know what his role will be."
"We're going to have him shoot the first five bad guys with his revolver, real quick. Does he think he can do that?"
"Granddad wants to know what you want him to do with the sixth bullet?"
That's awesome!
Gotta love that Bob Lee prefers and carries a 1911 in .38 Super too.
I can't wait for the next novel to come out. I even loved 47th Samurai. I learned alot about swords that I had no idea even existed.
If you're a gun guy, then you'll find Hunter's books to be a joy to read. He gets all the gun stuff right.
I highly recommend reading them in order.
Point of Impact is the first Bob Lee Swagger novel and the book that was made into the movie Shooter.
Dirty White Boys appears to have absolutely nothing to do with Point of Impact. However, it is the second novel in the series. There is one page that gets your mind wondering about its relation to Point of Impact, but that's it.
Black Light is the third in the trilogy and it is just plain amazing how Hunter intertwines the two different stories from both previous books. Black Light also introduces Bob Lee's father, Earl, in a much more revealing light.
Some of the books are all about Earl and others are about Bob Lee.
I found Pale Horse Coming to be a masterpiece. I recognized all the gun writers/heros/lawmen that Hunter was referencing and it was amazing. Imagine an 80 some year old Ed McGivern having one last try at using his double action S&W revolver against some real bad guys that need killing.
I am just remembering the lines, so they're not verbatim, but the scene where Earl is explaining to old Ed what he has to do and Ed's granddaughter is helping to get the words into old Ed's almost deaf ears.
"Granddad wants to know what his role will be."
"We're going to have him shoot the first five bad guys with his revolver, real quick. Does he think he can do that?"
"Granddad wants to know what you want him to do with the sixth bullet?"
That's awesome!
Gotta love that Bob Lee prefers and carries a 1911 in .38 Super too.
I can't wait for the next novel to come out. I even loved 47th Samurai. I learned alot about swords that I had no idea even existed.
redneckemt
Member
I started with Hot Springs read it in a day.
Then started on Pale Horse Coming, took around a week. Kept laughing to hard about the "Gun Fighters" he had, how many of them had ever heard a round fired in anger? Yet they had no remorse about shooting anybody and actually looked forward to it.
Started Havanna about a month ago. Still ain't finished it. Just can't get into it.
Then started on Pale Horse Coming, took around a week. Kept laughing to hard about the "Gun Fighters" he had, how many of them had ever heard a round fired in anger? Yet they had no remorse about shooting anybody and actually looked forward to it.
Started Havanna about a month ago. Still ain't finished it. Just can't get into it.
imjin138
US Veteran
Just finished Havana again it is pretty good, I really liked Hot Springs and Dirty White boys was good too.
Cherokee Slim
Member
I've read the entire series at least twice each. I like that Hunter gets the guns & politics right. With a Marine & State Trooper backround I get caught up in the tales easily.
Cherokee Slim
Cherokee Slim
I just finished Hot Springs again and just love the scene towards the end when the mob is outside the hospital wanting to string up the black doctor and Earl stands alone on the porch. After they threaten him he shrugs his coat off showing the .45 he has in a shoulder rig, another on his hip and a 3rd in his waistband and tells them, "In the first 2 seconds I'll kill 7 of you, the next two, seven more and the next 2 seven more. Now you boys in the back, if u get a shot at me, hope it kills me because if it dont, I might get a relaod in and kill some more." thats why lone Marine VS Racist, drunk mob is no contest.
