A Century of Great Western Stories

Rating:
Summary: Hold your horses!
Review: This book is going to explode a lot of misconceptions some people hold about those who write westerns. For one, the stories, written by some of the best and well-known writers in this genre, are chock full of character.

Take the opening story, by L'Amour. The dynamic person here is Angie Lowe, a woman who stands up in defense of her family to the Apache chief Cochise. If your expectations were for old fashioned cowboy and Indian yarns, this story and the others in the book will give you a lively time while they help set you straight.

All of the thirty stories in this anthology are loaded with emotion and tension, as well as authentic detail. After all, their periods of time and rough settings sit right on the hinge of change for America.

Not only will the reader get to sample the benchmark works of Owen Wister, Jack London, Max Brand, Luke Short, and Zane Grey, but, more importantly, there's the chance to meet the new torch-bearers of this alive and well genre: Elmer Kelton, Marcia Muller, Loren Estleman, Ed Gorman, John Jakes, and Peggy Simson Curry.

Many of the names of the living artists here should be familiar as masters in the mystery genre. They bring to their western writing the skills and focus that made their other fiction stand out in the crowd. Their works have action, dynamic conflict, and heros and heroines able to keep you turning the pages.

Take Ed Gorman's "Wolf Man," for instance. Here his established ability to write intense tales showcases live wolves, and he makes the reader not only care, but keep turning the pages to the gripping conclusion of his tale.

The short story is an American invention that traces its origin back to Poe. The best of them function as mini-novels, with character development and fully-developed stories. These stories ARE the very best of their kind. Add to that the dynamic growing pains America had during the era of these stories and you have the makings for spell-binding reading. Get this book for yourself, your library, or for those who think they have a handle on westernwritings -- watch that bubble pop to the reader's delight.