Summary
- Publisher Macmillan Audio shared a snippet from the audiobook version of Red Dead's History, narrated by Red Dead Redemption 2 star Roger Clark.
- The upcoming book examines the decline of the American frontier and the manner in which Rockstar's hit series excels in showcasing it.
- Red Dead's History releases on August 6, 2024.
The Best War Games can share an exclusive snippet from Red Dead's History, an upcoming St. Martin's Press-published book that examines the decline of the American frontier through the prism of the Red Dead Redemption games. The excerpt comes from the audio version of the book, which is narrated by Roger Clark, the star of Red Dead Redemption 2.
Fully titled Red Dead's History: A Video Game, an Obsession, and America's Violent Past, the upcoming book was authored by Tore Carl Olsson, Ph.D., an Associate Professor and Director of Graduate Studies in History at the University of Tennessee. Since fall 2021, Dr. Olsson has been teaching an undergraduate course on the history of the Red Dead franchise, called "Red Dead America: The Real History Behind the Popular Video Games."
The Historical Context of Red Dead Redemption 2
While Red Dead Redemption 2 has its own unique story to tell, much of the context surrounding the narrative is based on 19th century U.S. History.
Red Dead's History Book Starts With a Trivia Question
His upcoming book, announced in March 2024, tackles that very same subject. The Best War Games can now exclusively share an excerpt from the audio version of Red Dead's History, narrated by RDR2 Arthur Morgan actor Roger Clark. The six-minute snippet covers the audiobook's introduction, which starts with a trivia question asking listeners if they can recognize a scene from one of the Red Dead Redemption games involving the Pinkerton detective agency, a group of outlaws in a farmhouse, and some gnarly horrors that resulted from that combination.
Red Dead's History introduction spoilers ahead.
But that turns out to be a trick question, with Clark explaining that the scene was actually plucked from the pages of real American history, specifically those pertaining to the James–Younger Gang led by Frank and his brother, Jesse James. The latter is the very same outlaw who inspired the names of the original Team Rocket members from Pokemon. Dr. Olsson characterizes the gang's triumph over the Pinkerton agents as "one of the great underdog upsets in the history of American crime and punishment," a label that sounds all the more epic when read by Clark in his iconic gravely voice.
The author then remarks how the gang's clash with the Pinkertons sounds like it could have very well been part of Rockstar's hit series, noting how this underlines the great lengths to which the developer went to accurately capture the feeling of the Wild West era in the Red Dead Redemption games. All of this serves as a microcosm of the book itself, as Dr. Olsson notes that Red Dead's History is largely geared toward exemplifying how the franchise frequently excels at "showcasing the contours" of both outlaw and typical American life at the turn of the 20th century.
Red Dead's History is scheduled for release on August 6. It can already be pre-ordered from Amazon, starting at $14.99 for its Kindle version. The audiobook and hardcover editions are priced at $17.71 and $27, respectively, as of this writing.
Red Dead Redemption
Red Dead Redemption is an open world action adventure game developed by Rockstar San Diego and released in 2010. The second game in the franchise and a spiritual successor to Red Dead Revolver, Redemption showcases the decline of the American West, taking place in 1911. It follows the former outlaw John Marston, who is attempting to lead a normal life, but is coerced by the US Government into helping bring his former allies to justice.
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