Gospel of the Gun

Sean Chandler
Branded Black Publishing (2008)
ISBN 9780974691350
Reviewed by Ron Standerfer for Reader Views (7/08)


Westerns have been around for a long time, and there is no better reading on a rainy weekend, especially when sitting in an easy chair in front of a warm fire.  But Westerns are pretty much the same aren’t they?  Well ---yes---and that’s what makes Sean Chandler’s “Gospel of the Gun” such a pleasure to read.  His approach to fashioning the characters and developing the plot is different than most Western writers.  For example, he is convinced that the African-American community is being underserved with quality stories about the Western frontier, which is a shame, given that freed slaves who migrated West after the Civil War played a major role in the story of how the West was won.  “Gospel of the Gun” is just one of several books Chandler has written to fill that void as well as writing hundreds and articles and reviews.  But there is more.  In this book, Chandler managed to combine the elements of church, Bible, and preaching with one of the meanest outlaw gangs to ever ride in the West.  It was not an easy task, but he managed.  How did he do it?  Read on.

At the center of the plot is the Disciples gang whose leader is Lucif Shadows (The Anointed One)--an evil, murderous, character who is backed up by twelve gunfighters with equally disagreeable dispositions.  Each gang member has his own specialty for murder and maiming, and each has been anointed with the name of one of the apostles.  The fact that Lucif insists that his “apostles” use these names in lieu of their real names goes a long way toward explaining why some believe that Lucif has slipped the surly bonds of sanity and in fact, actually believes he is Our Lord Jesus Christ. There is a thirteenth apostle, Jeremiah Irons, who is christened with the name “Judas” because it is widely believed that he had made off with the entire proceeds of a recent bank heist.  Whether or not that is true is immaterial, because Lucif believes it is true and therefore Jeremiah must die.  Thus, Jeremiah is on the run.

When it came to gun play Jeremiah is no shrinking violet himself.  Packing two murderous guns nicknamed “Heaven” and “Hell,” he managed to hold his own against Lucif’s apostles who track him down. At one point, the matter seems resolved when Jeremiah confronts Lucif himself and shoots him square between the eyes.  But after languishing in a coma for several weeks, Lucif “rises from the dead” and proclaims that the hunt for Judas is on for real this time.

Like most men on the run, Jeremiah‘s life becomes more and more complicated as time passes.  At one point, he manages to exchange identities with his travelling companion, a kindly preacher who is accidently killed during an ambush by members of the Disciple gang.  Thus, when he arrives at their destination he is immediately welcomed as the new pastor of a small church.  Jeremiah is not religiously inclined but manages to pull the charade off, even enjoying the challenge of helping the families in his congregation.  But lies pile on to lies and half lies, and the Disciple gang is hot on his trail.  It is only a matter of time before the house of cards he builds will collapse around him.  When it does, it ends with one final conflict worthy of the Gun Fight at OK Corral.

If you are looking for a yarn to take you away from your worldly cares for a few hours, “The Gospel of the Gun” by Sean Chandler is the book for you.  It is the next best thing to the Bible and cheaper than an hour with your therapist.   Read it and enjoy.  Amen!

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