Morgan Kane is a fictional

western Western may refer to: Places *Western, Nebraska, a village in the US *Western, New York, a town in the US *Western Creek, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western Junction, Tasmania, a locality in Australia *Western world, countries that id ...

character and

antihero An antihero (sometimes spelled as anti-hero) or antiheroine is a main character in a story who may lack conventional heroic qualities and attributes, such as idealism, courage, and morality. Although antiheroes may sometimes perform actions ...

, created by Kjell Hallbing under the pseudonym Louis Masterson. The Morgan Kane series has become the biggest success in modern

Norwegian Norwegian, Norwayan, or Norsk may refer to: *Something of, from, or related to Norway, a country in northwestern Europe * Norwegians, both a nation and an ethnic group native to Norway * Demographics of Norway *The Norwegian language, including ...

leisure reading literature. The 83 books in the series have sold 11 million copies in Norway alone, in addition to having been published in ten other countries - totalling 20 million copies sold. Since 2011, the Morgan Kane series has been available also in the shape of eBooks published by WR Entertainment. The first book, ''Without Mercy'', was published in 1966, and the series is currently on sale in its 15th print edition. The current print edition is published by Aller Forlag.

The Life of Morgan Kane

Morgan Kane was born in 1855, somewhere along the Santa Fe Trail. His parents, Brendan and Gwen Cairn were Irish immigrants - they were killed by an Indian attack when Morgan was two weeks old. Only 16 years old, Kane kills for the first time when he stabs Walsh, a drifter who contributed to the death of his parents. In 1874, he became a scout for the cavalry and fought in the Indian wars. He left the Army and tried prospecting for gold in

South Dakota South Dakota (; Sioux: , ) is a U.S. state in the North Central region of the United States. It is also part of the Great Plains. South Dakota is named after the Lakota and Dakota Sioux Native American tribes, who comprise a large porti ...

without much luck and he enlisted in the cavalry again, serving under General Custer. He fought in the

Battle of the Little Bighorn The Battle of the Little Bighorn, known to the Lakota and other Plains Indians as the Battle of the Greasy Grass, and also commonly referred to as Custer's Last Stand, was an armed engagement between combined forces of the Lakota Sioux, Nor ...

, where General Custer was killed. Soon after the Sioux victory at Little Big Horn, Kane left the cavalry and became a

gunslinger Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the t ...

, riding with

Billy the Kid Billy the Kid (born Henry McCarty; September 17 or November 23, 1859July 14, 1881), also known by the pseudonym William H. Bonney, was an outlaw and gunfighter of the American Old West, who killed eight men before he was shot and killed at th ...

and his gang of outlaws. Leaving the gang Kane maintained himself as a

bounty hunter A bounty hunter is a private agent working for bail bonds who captures fugitives or criminals for a commission or bounty. The occupation, officially known as bail enforcement agent, or fugitive recovery agent, has traditionally operated outsid ...

. By the end of the 1870s, Kane used the nickname "El Gringo" as a gunfighter in the

Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...

New Mexico ) , population_demonym = New Mexican ( es, Neomexicano, Neomejicano, Nuevo Mexicano) , seat = Santa Fe , LargestCity = Albuquerque , LargestMetro = Tiguex , OfficialLang = None , Languages = English, Spanish ( New Mexican), Navajo, Ke ...

and Sonora,

Mexico Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...

territories, where he joined up with a gang controlled by "El Coyote". After a battle with El Coyote, he left the gang and in 1881 was recruited by the Texas Rangers. He joined the Texas Rangers, and in 1882, he met his future wife, Linda Swift. He was subsequently appointed a

U.S. Marshal The United States Marshals Service (USMS) is a federal law enforcement agency in the United States. The USMS is a bureau within the U.S. Department of Justice, operating under the direction of the Attorney General, but serves as the enforce ...

. After meeting Linda Swift again while on a mission, Kane eventually married her. He turned in his U.S. Marshal star and settled down to raise horses on his own ranch. After two years of marriage, Linda was murdered, and Kane set out to find his wife's killers. He returned to serve as a U.S. Marshal, fighting many historic gunslingers including the Clanton,

Johnny Ringo John Peters Ringo (May 3, 1850 – July 13, 1882), known as Johnny Ringo, was an American Old West outlaw loosely associated with the Cochise County Cowboys in frontier boomtown Tombstone, Arizona Territory. He took part in the Mason County ...

, Dalton Brothers, Marion Hedgepeth, John Wesley Hardin, The

Wild Bunch The Wild Bunch, also known as the Doolin–Dalton Gang, or the Oklahombres, were a gang of American outlaws based in the Indian Territory in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. They were active in Kansas, Missouri, Arkansas, and Oklahoma Terr ...

, Sam Carey and

Tom Horn Thomas Horn Jr., (November 21, 1860 – November 20, 1903) was an American scout, cowboy, soldier, range detective, and Pinkerton agent in the 19th-century and early 20th-century American Old West. Believed to have committed 17 killings as a ...

. However soon Kane's superiors worried about his use of extreme violence, his excessive consumption of alcohol and at times, his mental disturbance, and his uncontrolled rage. By the close of the 1890s, he was transferred to

Alaska Alaska ( ; russian: Аляска, Alyaska; ale, Alax̂sxax̂; ; ems, Alas'kaaq; Yup'ik: ''Alaskaq''; tli, Anáaski) is a state located in the Western United States on the northwest extremity of North America. A semi-exclave of the U.S. ...

, and was later fired. After being fired, Kane traveled the U.S., having many different jobs, including a job as a special agent and bodyguard for

Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...

. Kane was also involved in the invasion of

Cuba Cuba ( , ), officially the Republic of Cuba ( es, República de Cuba, links=no ), is an island country comprising the island of Cuba, as well as Isla de la Juventud and several minor archipelagos. Cuba is located where the northern Caribbea ...

. After that Kane is set to hunt for The

and ends up collaborating with Butch Cassidy and Sundance Kid instead of arresting them. Kane's health began to decline, and in 1910 he supported and fought with

Pancho Villa Francisco "Pancho" Villa (, Orozco rebelled in March 1912, both for Madero's continuing failure to enact land reform and because he felt insufficiently rewarded for his role in bringing the new president to power. At the request of Madero's c ...

during the Mexican Civil War. It was here that he met his unknown son, "Diablito", Paco Galàn. Together they traveled to Europe where Diablito became a famous matador. Later, Kane traveled back to America, where he was again reinstated as a U.S. Marshal. In the last book Louis Masterson wrote, Kane was shot and killed by enemies in a deserted city on the Mexican border, facing overwhelming odds.

Characteristics

, The books depict Morgan Kane as a womanizing character with

sociopathic Psychopathy, sometimes considered synonymous with sociopathy, is characterized by persistent antisocial behavior, impaired empathy and remorse, and bold, disinhibited, and egotistical traits. Different conceptions of psychopathy have been ...

tendencies, with a star-shaped scar and damage to tendons which has paralyzed the ringfinger on his gun hand. The paralyzed finger is fixed to his middle finger with a leather strap. * Born: Autumn 1855, somewhere along the Santa Fe Trail * Height: 6 feet 3-4 inches (192 cm) * Weight: About 165 pounds (75 kg) * Hair: Dark, a white streak of dead hair on right temple * Eyes: Smoke grey * His clothing emphasizes function and practicality before style or image. In town, he prefers dark suits with long jackets, covering his gun holster. * Handsome with distinct features * Unshaven and suntanned * Wears a single gun holster * Draws his gun in 0.4 seconds (two-fifths of a second) * Weaknesses: women, alcohol and gambling * Weapons: Numerous, including the

Colt Paterson The Colt Paterson revolver was the first commercial repeating firearm employing a revolving cylinder with multiple chambers aligned with a single, stationary barrel. Its design was patented by Samuel Colt on February 25, 1836, in the Unit ...

, Walker Colt, .45 Colt Peacemaker, Smith & Wesson No. 3 Revolver, 1873

Winchester rifle Winchester rifle is a comprehensive term describing a series of lever action repeating rifles manufactured by the Winchester Repeating Arms Company. Developed from the 1860 Henry rifle, Winchester rifles were among the earliest repeaters. The Mo ...

and

Krag–Jørgensen The Krag–Jørgensen is a repeating bolt-action rifle designed by the Norwegians Ole Herman Johannes Krag and Erik Jørgensen in the late 19th century. It was adopted as a standard arm by Norway, Denmark, and the United States. About 300 we ...

rifle.

Books

English language print books

These books were published by English publisher

Corgi The Welsh Corgi ( or Corgi, plural Corgis, or occasionally the etymologically consistent Corgwn; ) is a small type of herding dog that originated in Wales. The name ''corgi'' is derived from the Welsh words and (which is mutated to ), mean ...

starting in 1971: 1. Without Mercy
2. The Claw of the Dragon
3. The Star and the Gun
4. Backed by the Law
5. A Ranger's Honor
6. Marshal and Murderer
7. Pistolero
8. The Monster from Yuma
9. The Devil's Marshal
10. Gunman's Inheritance
11. Revenge
12. Storm over Sonora
13. The Law of the Jungle
14. No Tears for Morgan Kane
15. Between Life and Death
16. Return to Action
17. Rio Grande
18. Bravado
19. The Gallows Express
20. Ransom
21. The Butcher from Guerrero
22. Killing for the Law
23. Duel in Tombstone
24. To the Death, Senor Kane!
25. Hell Below Zero
26. Coyoteros
27. The Day of Death
28. Bloody Earth
29. New Orleans Gamble
30. Apache Breakout
31. Blood and Gold
32. Southern Showdown
33. Bell of Death
34. The Demon from Nicaragua
35. Revenging Angels
36. The Vultures of Sierra Madre
37. Dead Man's Shadow
38. El Gringo
39. El Gringo's Revenge
40. Harder Than Steel
41. Killer Kane

eBooks

1. El Gringo
2. El Gringo's Revenge
3. Without Mercy
4. The Claw of the Dragon
5. The Star and the Gun
6. Backed by the Law
7. A Ranger's Honor
8. Marshal and Murderer
9. Pistolero
10. The Monster from Yuma
11. The Devil's Marshal
12. Gunman's Inheritance
13. Revenge
14. Storm over Sonora
15. The Law of the Jungle The book series has been made available as eBooks since 2011 by publishing house WR Entertainment. Within three weeks of release, the first three ebooks held the top three best sellers on iTunes in

Norway Norway, officially the Kingdom of Norway, is a Nordic country in Northern Europe, the mainland territory of which comprises the western and northernmost portion of the Scandinavian Peninsula. The remote Arctic island of Jan Mayen and the ...

Aftenposten ( in the masthead; ; Norwegian for "The Evening Post") is Norway's largest printed newspaper by circulation. It is based in Oslo. It sold 211,769 copies in 2015 (172,029 printed copies according to University of Bergen) and estimated 1.2 milli ...

's headline, "Morgan Kane makes comeback as best-seller", reported that books were being published in both English and Norwegian, with a new book being released every 2–4 weeks.

Film adaptation

In 2011 WR Entertainment acquired worldwide screen rights to adapt the Morgan Kane story for film. In 2016, it was announced Mark Huffam was attached to the film as producer.

References

External links

Links to Norwegian web sites:
«www.morgankane.no - Aller Forlag»
Links to International web sites:
Who Is Morgan Kane?
- Official website for the upcoming Morgan Kane movie.
«www.facebook.com/WhoIsMorganKane»
The Morgan Kane Facebook page. {{DEFAULTSORT:Kane, Morgan Book series introduced in 1966 Literary characters introduced in 1966 Characters in novels of the 20th century United States Marshals Service in fiction Fictional characters of the Texas Ranger Division Fiction set in the 19th century