Seth MacFarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West: A Novel Author: Visit Amazon's Seth MacFarlane Page | Language: English | ISBN:
0553391674 | Format: EPUB
Seth MacFarlane's A Million Ways to Die in the West: A Novel Description
Review
* Elicits genuine hilarity from the most unlikely material Empire on FAMILY GUY * Creative, adorable, ingenious New Yorker on TED * Combining hilarity with skilled storytelling Total Film on TED * Extravagantly talented Vanity Fair on Seth MacFarlane
About the Author
Seth MacFarlane is an animator, writer, producer, director, actor, and singer. He is the creator of the show
Family Guy and co-creator of
American Dad!, for which he also voices many of the shows’ various characters. He is the executive producer of the television series
Cosmos: A Spacetime Odyssey. MacFarlane’s film
Ted is the highest-grossing original R-rated comedy of all time, and he is the co-writer, producer, director, and star of the film
A Million Ways to Die in the West. As a singer, MacFarlane has released a Grammy-nominated album of American standards,
Music Is Better Than Words. He is a graduate of the Rhode Island School of Design.
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- Hardcover: 224 pages
- Publisher: Ballantine Books (March 4, 2014)
- Language: English
- ISBN-10: 0553391674
- ISBN-13: 978-0553391671
- Product Dimensions: 7.6 x 5.3 x 1.2 inches
- Shipping Weight: 11.4 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
I've had a great appreciation for history over the years, and the more I've learned the happier I am to be living in the future. The past is generally a tableau of horrible things happening and becoming slightly less horrible as time goes on. Slavery, for example, morphed into Jim Crow laws, and eventually to something like 1 out of 8 every eight black males being in prison or on probation, so that's progress...of a sort. I suppose. Or consider women throughout history! We've gone from the likes of Elanor of Aquitaine and Elanor Roosevelt, as well as other women not named Elanor, to women like Sarah Palin. So...yeah...the inexorable march of progress...I guess.
Anyhow, the Old West was a particularly awful time and place, and I've never understood why people romanticize it as much as they do. Thankfully this book, by Seth McFarlane, best known for "Seth McFarlane's Cavalcade of Cartoon Comedy", is a lovely panacea to that belief.
The story centers on Albert, technically a sheep farmer (for some rather odd sheep, it must be said), but mostly a professional coward. Think of Rincewind but in the Old West. We follow him on his adventures as he experiences life, love and getting shot in the ankle. Along for the ride are characters like Edward, the humble cobbler, and his girlfriend, a rather enthusiastic prostitute whose command of sex-talk is somewhat lacking.
The book is VERY MUCH along the lines of what you'd expect from McFarlane. Swearing? Oh, yes. Weird situations. Oh, yes. Anachronisms aplenty? Oh, yes. Now if you like all those things you'll be happy, if not, you probably won't bother buying this book, or even reading this review, so there's that.
A Million Ways To Die In The West by Seth MacFarlane
A Million Ways To Die In The West begins with a bang. The story establishes Albert Stark as a self made coward living in the old west. His occupation as sheep herder has brought him to a deadly gunfight which begins Chapter One. A history of hatred for sheepmen among cattle ranchers began as a result of sheep grazing close to the ground and ruining pastures. This, among other contributions to the well being of the main character, leads to hilarious misfortunes that only Seth MacFarlane can conjure. Although Albert denies being chicken hearted, his profound negativity towards life and his contorted view of common sense screams otherwise. His bravery and good will are continually being tested when notorious outlaws and female counterparts cross his path. Comedy wraps around Alberts mission to leave his isolated western town and head to civilization where the belief is you no longer have to take your life in your hands through every day living. Finding his happiness and niche in life among the old Wild West develops into a high noon comedic romp.
Seth MacFarlane has become a prominent force in humor. His achievements include animator, producer, director, and of course creator of the television show Family Guy. Now he has written his first novel. Capitalizing on his strong wit, sarcasm, and jokes, Seth has used his comedic genius to explore this frontier. Fans of his style will thoroughly enjoy the quick come backs and banter that winds its way through the adventures of all the colorful characters written page after page.
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