Book
Law of the Gun (Plainsman Series)
Nate Carlton returns from the Civil War to South Carolina and finds that Reconstruction has destroyed the life he expected to resume. Homeless and forced westward, he survives by relying on the discipline and violence he learned during the war. The novel follows the beginning of his frontier life as he encounters outlaws, predatory opportunists and the unstable aftermath of a country still marked by defeat, occupation and displacement.
Nate’s westward movement reflects the displacement created by the Civil War and Reconstruction. Former soldiers carried military habits into regions where formal law was weak and economic opportunity depended on mobility, cattle, mining and land. The novel treats his gun skill as both asset and burden: it keeps him alive but threatens to define the kind of man he can become.
More from this period
5 more top-rated novels about American Civil War
Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.
More from this period
5 more top-rated novels about Emancipation and Reconstruction
Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.
More from this period
5 more top-rated novels about Western Outlaws and Frontier Lawmen
Ranked by rating and voting volume; books already shown on this page are omitted.
More by the author
Other books by Simon Fairfax
Discover more
Authors similar to Simon Fairfax
Recommended from shared genres and periods.
Louis L’Amour
97 books
Larry McMurtry
11 books
Zane Grey
65 books
Terence Newnes
34 books
John Jakes
18 books