Shepherd Book and Western Preachers

Thursday, June 3, 2004 8:56 AM

Many of the folks I've converted have commented on what an oddity Shepherd Book is-- for a man of God, he certainly can handle himself. And as Jayne says in Our Mrs. Reynolds, "One day you're gonna tell us all how a preacher knows so damn much about crime."

Forest Harris's surpassing "Knuckleduster Cowtown Creator," intended as an aid to Western roleplaying but useful for all manner of purposes, has this to say about clergymen in the Old West:

"Traveling preachers are not what you'd call 'soft.' They generally ride mules and resemble them to some degree. Fully cognizant of the nature of their flock, they are careful to arm themselves with a horse-whip, bowie knife, and an old Colt's percussion army revolver... They are ordinarily neither hypocrites nor lunatics, but tough, single-minded men who know how to think on their feet." (p. 91)

Now, I'm not saying that Book is a perfectly typical Shepherd in the Firefly 'Verse. If nothing else, his ident card proves that much. However, it's possible that he's not as far from normal as you might think.

If you're trying to get a picture of religious men in general in a frontier situation (say, for roleplaying or fanfic), this description might be a good thing to keep in mind. Harris's book and its companion piece, "The Knuckleduster Firearms Shop" are more than worth checking out for even vaguely Western-themed roleplaying or fiction writing. They're informative and (as far as I can tell) meticulously researched.

COMMENTS: 4

Back to Blog Roll