The Fourth Horseman

by Randy Lee Eickhoff

Book Overview

The legend of Doc Holliday comes to light in this tragic first-person account of the Old West. After tuberculosis cuts shorts short his plans to become a dentist, Doc heads west, destined to become... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0312853017
• ISBN13: 9780312853013
• Release Date: January 1998
• Publisher: Forge
• Length: 416 Pages
• Weight: 1.65 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.3" x 6.5" x 9.6"

Customer Reviews

Purely spellbound

This is one of the best reads ever. Eickhoff leads you throught the life of one of the Old West's most well known & least understood characters.

The essential Doc Holiday read!

Excellent read, even if somewhat ficticious of the amazing outlaws life. I found myself not able to put the book down. I have recommended the book to several people and they love it too.

Think 'My Darling Clementine'

Like John Ford's classic movie of Holliday/Earp/Tombstone this is a work that uses the facts as a jumping off point for a world of fiction. Much liberty is taken with what is known of Doc's life, and much use is made of things that can not be known. Like Ford's movie this is the worst place to start if you're looking for solid info about Doc's life. But (also like the film) this is excellant entertainment if you already have the facts down and are interested in seeing what a tallented creative mind can do with a figure who will always be more myth and ghost than flesh and blood.

Outstanding!

Eickhoff has written a tour-de-force that will surely become a classic of the genre in years to come. This is an outstanding contribution to the Western genre. He has diligently researched a very difficult subject and even found examples of Holliday's vernacular. He has most certainly found the soul of Doc Holliday and laid back the veneer of legend to expose the true man. Some disgruntled individuals who do not know the historicity of the novel may show their ignorance by debunking Eickhoff's attention to detail, but that cannot take away the excellent of the work itself.

An instant classic

This book truly portrays life for Dr. Holliday. His descriptions of each moment of Holliday's adventures are beautifully rendered and put you "there". This is the life and times of the famous Doc Holliday, as if Doc had written it himself. A classic if ever there was one. I have spent years with research on Dr. Holliday and though some of the book embelishes on what is accepted fact, it could be as close to the truth as anything else written on him, possibly more so, because of the simple fact that his life is at most guesswork and what really happened will never be known. "Truth is only in the eyes of the beholder." This applies to history more than anything else. I commend Mr. Eickoff on his work and hope for the day that this book will be used as a basis for a feature film based on the life of Doc Holliday instead of his famous friend.