Strange Idea.... set in the Old West?

[Fireflywyo]

I'm not sure if this has ever been done but it's been something that I've been thinking about that I'd like to see in a novel.

Setting, the old west roughly 1865-1885 or thereabouts. Main character is 30 year old James Black who joins a Supernatural "Pinkerton" like Agency after he is saved by them during the Civil War following a supernatural "incident". His family is later hunted down and killed. He is totally mortal, with no special powers or abilities aside from what he's trained on and his Colt 44 armed with Silver Bullets. The thing is, is during his investigations, he runs into actual "Pinkertons" and doesn't like them as they represent the authorities who can't see into the truth behind things. (Thinking of a smarmy character who can act as a foil to Morgan.)

Enter his sidekick, a Chinese immigrant of great talent who is steeped in Asian mysticism and who also joins up after he is discovered by the agency during the California Gold Rush during an investigation.

Annabelle Grant, an African American woman who was born and raised in the North after her parents escaped the south and who was educated by a powerful northern family. She would be like a female version of Frederick Douglas. She's attractive, smart, and ATTRACTED to Morgan after various adventures. Given her African American heritage, she may also have a bit of mysticism applied to her as well. (Not sure how yet)

Marion Leigh, an enigmatic "wild card" with her own agenda who would pop in from time to time to spice things up. lol

Bad guys, "Ghost Riders," demons from the other side with a hidden agenda. Other bad guys and neutral characters would include other myths and legends who also "immigrate" to the new world.

To put it simply, I kind of imagined it as a cross between Have Gun, Will Travel, Maverick, the Men in Black, the Wild Wild West, "Supernatural", and, of course, the Dresden Files.

Given the need for vengeance from Black, the racial problems arising from having a "Chinaman" as a sidekick, and the colorful history of the west, I think it could it be an interesting world. Native American lore, battles, gold rushes, wagon trains, railroads, obscure mining towns, western gunfights, run-ins with famous historic western figures (at least we think, lol.. John Wesley Hardin, man or demon? jk), the possibilities are there. I've even thought of having our hero return to the "old world" to deal with things "American Cowboy Style".

Too bad I can't make this a guy a distant mortal relation to Harry. I always thought it would kind of cool if there was a story behind Harry's Colt .44 which he isn't aware of. 

[The Corvidian]

I think that the Ghost Riders were actually the American version of the Wild Hunt.

Annabelle Grant could be descended from an African tribe who can fly. Another spin could be that she has a tribe of Abatwa who work for her. The Abatwa are a type of "Fairy" native to Africa.

Perhaps the "Supernatural" Pinkertons have the immortal smith Weyland on their payroll.  

[Roaram]

I really like this idea, I would definatly give this book a try.

that said, there are a few fantasy westerns out there, and most of them are truly bad. like really bad. they either have horrible research done, or don't take full advantage of the american wests rich history, namely the native history and legends of the american natives.

plus, unlike the usual fantasy, the 1860's are not terribly long ago. for example my grandparents were just children when wwestern heros and ledgends were senior citizens. some legends say Billy the Kid died in the 1930's or 40's.  so a lot of people know just enough about the wild west to call you on a simple mistake, like if your characters use a bullet that hasn't been inveted in your timeline yet.

and I would also warn against being accidentally racist. sure, racism was a big problem in this country at the time(it still is, I know) but if your magicians are all african sorcerers and asian mystics? come on, merlin, one of the mst well known wizards of all time (not counting gandolf or harry potter) was english/celtic, as were the druids. and a host of others. my point is don't just have your magic done by some ancient chinaman, just cause he has some "chinese mystic" crap. use actual chinease fantasy stuff, research it so you know what asian wizards could do in asian myths.

by the by, I think the story possibillities would be greater if you had your characters be free lance, trying to disrupt your ghost busting pinkertons. you know, americas the land of the free, and that goes for werewolves and gobblins too.

and read louis lamour, he is to books what john wayne is to movies.

p.s. sorry for the long post, I got excited by the idea

[Keryth]

Great idea, but you should be made aware that its already been done as an RPG called Deadlands. Still, the story idea sounds fantastic and I'd definitely pick up a copy to read

[Lash Dresden]

and read louis lamour, he is to books what john wayne is to movies.

Specifically, read "Haunted Mesa" by Louis L'Amour.  It's not a western, it's modern, and it explains what happened to the Anasazi.  I think you'd like it.  (And I can't really tell you more because that would spoil it.)

ETA:  It's fiction, obviously -- Just re-read this post and realized it could look like I'm claiming the book actually explains what really happened.  And that's not the case.

[Fireflywyo]

Great idea, but you should be made aware that its already been done as an RPG called Deadlands. Still, the story idea sounds fantastic and I'd definitely pick up a copy to read

Never heard of Deadlands. However, lol, I guess everything has been done in one form or another. I guess it just comes down to making "your" thing as unique as you can.

As for Louis Lamour, he's a fantastic author. I enjoyed "Haunted Mesa" but my favorite book of his is "Flint" One good thing about writing a western is that I'm from Wyoming. We've got the Oregon/California/Mormon/Bridger/Bozeman and Pony Express Trails, numerous cavalry forts, one of the main lines of the U.P., the Powder River Country which featured some of the Great Battles of the West, Yellowstone, the Green River, Cheyenne, Yellowstone, and Fort Laramie, the great plains, and the Rocky Mountains. (Come visit Wyoming! lol)  As an historian, (M.A. in history) I'm hoping that I can avoid some of the pitfalls that some authors face due to the ignorance of their chosen historic setting.

Thanks for everyone's input. I'm sure I'll be asking for more in the future.

[Roaram]

haunted mesa is my favorite,

[Fireflywyo]

and I would also warn against being accidentally racist. sure, racism was a big problem in this country at the time(it still is, I know) but if your magicians are all african sorcerers and asian mystics? 

That's an excellent point.

Not all of the magicians in the book would be african and asian mystics. I would have a diverse group/agency that has numerous people in it. I merely thought that it would interesting to have my main character's "sidekick/secondary character" be an Asian especially given the position that Asian's held at the time. I imagined one of the stories talking place in California where Black and his Asian friend get caught up in happenings going on in the Asian community of the time where some of the racism against Asian's came into play. I thought it might be an interesting dynamic in some places. Basically, I think that in creating a secondary character's who have some sort of magical ability, that it would give Black an everyday man/ Indiana Jones mortality in which Blacks' cunning and intelligence make the difference.

Black isn't a Luke Skywalker or a King Arthur secretly hidden away at birth and destined to hold great power. He's a common man who's world has been turned upside down by forces moving on the outer edges of our world. He's thrust into this world and all the while he thinks "I don't know what the hell's going on but I'm going to find out."

"come on, merlin, one of the mst well known wizards of all time (not counting gandolf or harry potter) was english/celtic, as were the druids. and a host of others. my point is don't just have your magic done by some ancient chinaman, just cause he has some "chinese mystic" crap. use actual chinease fantasy stuff, research it so you know what asian wizards could do in asian myths."

I think if I could do enough research than I'd like to incorporate many different types of myths. As I noted above, with the growth of America and the influx of various immigrants, there would also come other things which have also come to the new world and interact with my setting in interesting and unique ways. Since this is taking place in the old West and thus after the American Civil War, imagine if some of those otherworldly forces and beings had also taken sides during the war to secretly influence the mortal world? I could make that a starting point for the overall story line or incorporate it into a subplot along the way. Either way, I think it would be interesting if these beings potentially carried their animosities against each other in the same way Americans did following that conflict. Heck, perhaps the secret war is still going on? lol

LOL. That is if I have the ability and skill to pull it off. Shrug.

Lastly, I know it sounds like a lot, and honestly, I'm only tinkering around with an idea but it seems like the more I think about it, the more I can see individual bits of the action and the overall plot slowly begin to fit in like the pieces of a puzzle creating a picture.

I appreciate the input from all of you.


 

[ballplayer72]

I love the idea!   Get to work

[LizW65]

Great idea, but you should be made aware that its already been done as an RPG called Deadlands. Still, the story idea sounds fantastic and I'd definitely pick up a copy to read

I like the idea too, but I've also heard rumors that a Wild West forerunner of the Supernatural TV show is in the works.

[The Corvidian]

Great idea, but you should be made aware that its already been done as an RPG called Deadlands. Still, the story idea sounds fantastic and I'd definitely pick up a copy to read

There are also two novels, by Mark Sumner, that take place in an old west where magic is prevalent. They are called Devil's Tower, and Devil's Engine.

What about someone who can do magic via bagpipes?

[Fireflywyo]

What about someone who can do magic via bagpipes?

Mike Carey's character uses music via a tin whistle to do exorcism magic in his book "The Devil You Know."

As for the Supernatural TV show western, I think that would be awesome. I'd definitely tune in.

[Thub]

Everything has been done.  Every Idea is just like this other thing that someone else did.  World of warcraft is just like D&D but online and with more people.

I think it is an awesome idea, and I don't mean awesome like "Dude....awesome."  I mean an idea that inspires awe.  Granted you are approaching a audience predisposed to look favorably on your idea, but it seems to me that you have a fair ammount of possitive feedback already.  Just don't screw up the "...authentic frontier gibberish."

So I am with this guy.

I love the idea!   Get to work

[Shecky]

World of warcraft is just like D&D but online and with more people.

Erm... what? WoW is just like D&D in the way that the Starship Troopers movie was just like the Starship Troopers book - i.e., there were a few words in common but absolutely nothing else.

[Thub]

Erm... what? WoW is just like D&D in the way that the Starship Troopers movie was just like the Starship Troopers book - i.e., there were a few words in common but absolutely nothing else.

Exactly my point.  They both share characteristics in only the most broad sense.  Both have elves and magic and uhhhh dragons I think... there may even be a dungeon or 2.  Other than that they are drastically different.  So if you expand the criteria for "it's already been done" enough, then everything has been done.  If no one ever did anything that has "already been done", no one would ever do anything.

See I only said "Everything has been done.  Every Idea is just like this other thing that someone else did.  World of warcraft is just like D&D but online and with more people." because it's discouraging when you have a great idea and all people do is tell you how your idea is like all these other ideas.