Hubbry Logo
search
logo

William W. Johnstone

logo
Community Hub0 Subscribers
Write something...
Be the first to start a discussion here.
Be the first to start a discussion here.
See all
William W. Johnstone

William Wallace Johnstone (October 28, 1938 – February 8, 2004) was an American author most known for his western, horror, and survivalist novels.

Born and raised in southern Missouri, Johnstone was the youngest of four children. His father was a minister and his mother a school teacher. He left school when he was 15 and worked in a carnival and as a deputy sheriff. He later served in the United States Army and, upon returning to civilian life, worked in radio broadcasting for 16 years.

Johnstone started his writing career in 1970, but did not have any works published until 1979 (The Devil's Kiss). He wrote close to two hundred books in numerous genres, including suspense, horror, men's adventure, post-apocalyptic, and Westerns. His main publication series were Mountain Man, The First Mountain Man, Ashes (with Ben Raines as the protagonist), and Eagles. His own personal favorite novel was The Last of the Dog Team (1980). He also authored two novels under the pseudonym William Mason. His works have been translated into languages other than English.

Johnstone lived in Tallulah, Louisiana and later in Shreveport, Louisiana.

Johnstone died in 2004 at the age of 65. His death remained officially unconfirmed for two years.

Copyright pages of at least one book published in 2006 noted that Johnstone had died and that a "carefully selected author" was chosen to carry on his legacy. J. A. Johnstone, his niece, continues her uncle's series. The decision to continue publishing Johnstone books under his name was met with criticism by Lee Duran, a columnist with The Joplin Globe, who criticized the editing of one book, writing, "giving billing to the dead is sort of like ghostwriting in reverse with sales depending upon the name of someone who really is a ghost".

His 1993 novel Eyes of Eagles received a largely positive review from Publishers Weekly, which read, "Johnstone [...], on rare occasion, molds history to fit his tale. However, neither these liberties, nor the one-dimensional characters dampen this rousing, two-fisted saga of the growing American frontier".

Talons of Eagles, his first hardcover, was reviewed by Publishers Weekly: "Despite some interesting period lore, the narrative is padded with lengthy historical discussions and further weakened by lackluster prose".

See all
User Avatar
No comments yet.