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CELEBRATING THE BLAZING SIX-GUN ACTION OF THE WESTERN GENRE

IN BOOKS, MOVIES, TV, AND ANY OTHER MEDIA AT HOME ON THE RANGE...

Thursday, February 2, 2023

WESTERN NOVELS—FARGO: HELL ON WHEELS

WESTERN NOVELS
FARGO: HELL ON WHEELS
JOHN BENTEEN
REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST 
This tale has the lowest body count of any Fargo novel I've read so far. Gee-whiz, Neal Fargo only kills three people before the end! Though, to be fair, he does cripple or severely beat up several others.

Despite having less overt violence than most Fargo novels, it's another strong story. Fargo is hired to help a small railroad that is being sabotaged by a larger competitor. He realizes he can't single-handedly guard miles of track, so he instead decides to take the battle to the bad guys, beginning a sabotage campaign against the big company. He takes care to make sure no one innocent is hurt while blowing up water towers, bridges and spurs.

Along the way, he survives a couple of attempts to kill him and eventually faces off against a fast-draw artist who heads up security for the bad guys. The novel concludes with a desperate hand-to-hand fight against the main bad guy while aboard a train that's racing towards a head-on collision with another train. Though the overall body count is unusually low for a Fargo novel, good storytelling and the intensity of that final fight on the train still make this one another winner in the series...

Monday, January 23, 2023

WESTERN NOVELS—GUNSIGHTS

WESTERN NOVELS
GUNSIGHTS 
ELMORE LEONARD
REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST 
In 1887, Dana Moon was an army scout and Bren Early was a calvary officer--both tasked to rescue a woman captured by Apaches. This mission violently plays out in a way that makes them famous--and also makes them a deadly enemy. In 1893, the two men find themselves on opposite sides in a range war between a mining company and homesteaders.

Reporters covering the events expect the two men to meet in battle. But Dana and Bren have no intention of killing one another. Violence ensues anyways, caused both by their mutual enemy and by a thuggish, dishonest deputy sheriff.

This is a fun novel. Not surprisingly for an Elmore Leonard novel, it's full of unique characters and sharp dialogue. The story is puncuated with violence while unexpected and (in one case) bizarre plot twists zigzag throughout. All this comes together to form a very entertaining Western.

Wednesday, January 11, 2023

WESTERN NOVELS—GUNS OF LEGEND #7 IN SATAN'S CIRCUS

WESTERN NOVELS
GUNS OF LEGEND #7
IN SATAN'S CIRCUS
BRODY WEATHERFORD
REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST 
Tomcat Meyer, the lawman who was introduced as a supporting character in Colorado City Kill, takes center stage as the protagonist in this book. He's tasked by Allistar Legende to find a guy named Sid Graves and bring him to Legende.

The purpose of this is fairly clear. Graves testified against a New York City mob boss. Legende arranged for him to get a new identity out West—a sort of Wild West version of the Witness Protection Program.

But Graves is now making waves. He's getting involved in gambling and gunfights, and building a reputation that could bring him to the attention of assassins working for the New York mob...What's unclear is Graves' motivation. Why is he apparently setting himself up to get killed? 

This is the premise for a fast-paced and extremely entertaining Western. There's plenty of action and several unexpected plot twists. Perhaps the greatest strength of the story are the characterizations. Every person Tomcat encounters, even if they are only around for a chapter or two, is given a unique personality. I've rarely encountered a book in which I've enjoyed meeting each and every character so much. Whether its a despicable villain such as the albino killer Cormac Paige or a well-dressed and well-spoken gentleman farmer named Bachelor Bates, all of them both advance the plot and add to the novel's unique atmosphere.

The novel comes to a fantastic conclusion, involving an outlaw lair, an apparently hopeless situation, and a last-minute rescue involving some unusual weaponry.

Five of the seven Guns of Legende books have featured Frank Landry and Emily O'Connor as the main characters. They are absent from this book. Frank and Emily are strong protagonists and I have no problem with them being the series' usual heroes. But I'm glad to see an occasional book in which other agents of Allistar Legende get thrust into the spotlight. The series as a whole as built up a wonderful cast of regular and semi-regular characters. All of them deserve a chance to shine.

Sunday, January 8, 2023

WESTERN NOVELS—RODEO RIDERS

WESTERN NOVELS
RODEO RIDERS
Connected only by the theme of the rodeo, Rodeo Riders was a paperback original series cobbled together and packaged by Signet. In 1996, author Mike Flanagan wrote what is essentially the first Rodeo Riders novel, The Broncbuster. While only unofficially part of the series, the same characters and 1872 Texas setting appear again in Rodeo Riders #5 Busted Ride.

If you include The Broncbuster, Flanagan wrote a total of five Rodeo Riders novels, with beloved Western wordslinger Dusty Richards providing the fourth book in the official series (and quite possibly the best), The Natural—a modern day rodeo tale featuring not a bronc—busting cowboy as the hero, but a famed rodeo announcer traveling the circuit.

Nicely packaged, the series is worth owning for its excellent cover art...

THE BRONCBUSTER (1996)
MIKE FLANAGAN
On His way to manhood, Will Paxton learned a bronc doesn't care if you're young or old when you climb on its back, and a man set on killing you doesn't care if you're old enough to wear the gun strapped on your hip...

RODEO RIDERS #1
COWBOY UP (1999)
MIKE FLANAGAN
Life can be a wild ride... Sometimes all you can do is keep hanging on...The Old Bull... Ex-rodeo champ Jack Lomas is a stubborn old rancher of the ornery sort. He does things only one way... his. A lifetime of hard work and regret has taught him some tough lessons. But is it too late for this old dog to learn some new tricks? The Young Buck... Clay Tory is a fiery young ne'er-do-well with a taste for trouble and who's just fought the law for the last time. Given a choice between juvenile hall and working for Jack, he chooses the ranch...and finds something inside of himself that's worth fighting for. And when a pack of cattle rustlers sweep through the area, Jack and Clay find out that sometimes the only way to stay on your feet is to have someone to lean on....

RODEO RIDERS #3
FINAL RIDE (2001)
MIKE FLANAGAN
It's all about holding on... For two years, Clay Tory has been tearing up the rodeo circuit under the guidance of veteran rancher Jack Lomas. Unfortunately, things aren't going so well back home at the ranch. Years of hard work and stress have taken...

RODEO RIDERS #4
THE NATURAL (2002)
DUSTY RICHARDS
There's a lot of tough competition in the rodeo arena-from the man behind the microphone to the cowboys and cowgirls that ride, rope, and climb on the bucking stock. The Natural puts you in the boots of famed rodeo announcer Brad Turner, racing his horse Golden Boy into the arena and welcoming the crowd to a pro rodeo performance in Jackson, Mississippi. You'll hit the road with Brad as he criss-crosses the country struggling with life, love, and business on the pro rodeo circuit. You'll meet Zola Johns, the rebellious, barrel racing beauty with her eye on the prize of winning a national championship, and Shoat Krammer, the young rough-and-tumble rookie that's the real natural coming up the hard way. Tough, gritty, and written with the authenticity of a lifelong rodeo veteran, two-time Spur Award-winning author Dusty Richards tells a tale so real, you'll be dusting the dirt from the arena off your Wranglers before you're done.

RODEO RIDERS #5
BUSTED RIDE (2002)
MIKE FLANAGAN
Texas, 1872. Looking to make enough money to start his own ranch, Will rode wild horses until they were fit for sale. But when folks started placing bets on who would be tamed-man or beast, Will discovered a gold mine that would become an American institution—the rodeo.

Saturday, December 10, 2022

WESTERN NOVELS—A GUN FOR JOHNNY DEERE

WESTERN NOVELS
A GUN FOR JOHNNY DEERE
WAYNE D. OVERHOLSER
REVIEWED BY TIM DEFOREST
Star City is a decaying town run by Bull Tatum, the local big rancher. When Bull's son accidentally dies in a fight with the hot-headed Johnny Deere, the townspeople force Johnny to make a run for it rather than risk a confrontation that could put the entire town at risk.

Soon, a paid gunslinger is on Johnny's trail, but Johnny soon gets tired of running.   This leads to a strong story backed up by some very sharp characterizations.

The novel covers about nine months and during that time, Johnny's gradual growth into a more mature adult is handled realistically and with empathy. I also enjoy the way he is shown to win gunfights using intelligent and unexpected tactics.

Johnny's character arc is counter-pointed by alternating chapters set back in Star City, where the one town citizen Johnny thinks of as a friend proves to have his own treacherous agenda and gradually degenerates into a manipulative and murderous villain.

When Johnny meets a woman he wants to marry, he decides he must first return to Star City to resolve the situation. He knows he has to confront Bull Tatum, but has no idea he also needs to deal with the man he considers to be his best friend.