Showing posts with label western. Show all posts
Showing posts with label western. Show all posts

Tuesday, May 10, 2022

Fatal Encounter ★★✬☆☆

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot, & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Fatal Encounter
Series: The Adventures of Bass Reeves Deputy US Marshal #1
Authors: Charles Ray
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 119
Words: 41.5K





Synopsis:



Bass Reeves, the first black US Marshal, regularly deals with outlaws in the Indian Territories of the late 1800's. After a Texas Ranger enters the Territories going after a gang and gets killed, it is up to Reeves to track down the desperado and bring him to final justice.




My Thoughts:


I wanted to like this western. However, the writing was mediocre and the story not much more than “and then he tracked the bad guy down and killed him”. Throw in the authors perpetuation of the Noble Savage myth and well, liberal ideology about race plays a big part of the story.


I won't be reading any more though because of just how mediocre and banal this was. It wasn't exciting, it wasn't tense and writing was pedestrian at best. I won't waste more time on an author who can't write better than this. Plus, Bass Reeves was a real man and he deserves something better than this to represent everything he stood for and what he did.


★★✬☆☆


Monday, January 10, 2022

Jerico's Garrison Finish ★★☆☆☆

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Jerico's Garrison Finish
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 2 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 86
Words: 23K





Synopsis:


Jim Orchard is a hard worker, a tough man and one with a lot of ability. He's also a soft touch and whenever someone appeals to him for aid, he gives it even if they give no actual proof of the need they claim to have. Jim wants to marry Sue Hampton. Thankfully, Sue has a head on her shoulders and has set a goal for money that Jim must accumulate for their house and future children before she'll marry him.


The book opens with Jim having made that money but on the trip back to Sue losing it all. His only chance of getting the money before the date comes due that Sue has been patiently waiting for, for years mind you, is win a horse race, riding a horse that left its owner a broken man and who nobody else has ever been able to ride.


To complicate things, a rival rancher, Gary Munn, has decided that he wants to marry Sue himself. He also has brought in an eastern racing horse to slyly win the race and become the richest man in the region.


Jim tames the horse, wins the race and gets Sue to marry him.




My Thoughts:


Well, this is the last Max Brand story I'll be reading. Not because of anything egregiously wrong but because of the complete and utter mediocrity of it all. I've been reading Brand's stories since May of 2020 and almost none of them rose above a mere competency. The only reason I've kept on so long with him is because he was the only western writer I had on tap and I like keeping my reading rotation fresh with a plethora of genres. Unfortunately, instead of keeping things fresh, every time I saw Brand's name coming up I began to dread it. Like broccoli, which I won't eat as an adult, not even if you pour cheese sauce on it. So I finished this story, thought to myself “Well, that was pretty stupid and unenjoyable” and as such I realized I was done with Brand.


While the synopsis might make Sue sound like a gold digger, she's actually the only wise person on this story. Unfortunately, she has a very small part. When she and Jim are married, she'll be the one making things work, even if Jim does the actual work. She's a saint for marrying him as far as I'm concerned. Jim is one of those people I can't stand, the irresponsible generous man. It's not that he is “too kind”, he's not. It's that he thinks money can solve everyones problems and gives no thought to those depending on him to keep his money for his own needs. He's the kind of guy who would give his last dollar to the Salvation Army bell ringer, while his kids are at home starving. Thankfully, almost losing Sue seems to have changed him slightly by the end of the book.


Gary Munn was just a total jerk. He wanted to see Jim destroyed from before the story was even started and as such he tried to destroy his reputation, both in the community and with Sue. He bet everything he owned on his horse and since it lost, his evil deeds rebounded on his head and he reaped the just rewards.


Unfortunately, none of those characters was enough to overcome Brand's blandness. I do admit I'd like to try to find some authors to keep the western genre going, but it'll probably take some effort on my part. I'm not a huge fan of hard work when it comes to my hobby. I might try to chase down some standalone Louis L'Amour books, but we'll have to see.


ps,

I had no idea what a “garrison finish” is. I had to go look it up in the Merriam-Webster dictionary. It stated: “a finish in which the winner comes from behind at the end”. If I had known that when I stated the book it totally would have destroyed what tiny bit of tension there was.


★★☆☆☆


Monday, December 13, 2021

The Way of the Lawless ★★✬☆☆

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: The Way of the Lawless
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 2.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 260
Words: 70K





Synopsis:


Andrew Lanning has been raised by his Uncle Jasper to know how to shoot just like the gunmen of the days when the West was a little younger and wilder. Unfortunately, Andrew is a bit too gentle and soft. But when he’s confronted, he takes an adversary down with one punch. Thinking he’s killed the man, he runs. But when he’s being hunted by a posse, and realizes they aren’t playing fair, he kills the leader, and thus begins his life as a desperado.


After running from the law, bounty hunters, hooking up with a gang of criminals and then surviving their backstabbing ways, Andrew gets help to go East and be with his lady love. Easy Peasy.




My Thoughts:


A young man is forced into being a desperado because of the corruption of the law and the ineptness of anyone able to do something about it and because of greed, pride and arrogance on the part of others.


That sums it up. So not much else to say. He rides around having small adventures and facing off against others who are as pigheaded as himself. It might use words that say other than pigheaded, but that's the reality.


Gotta admit, Brand is starting to feel like a tiny pebble in my reading shoe. Every time I read a story by him something niggles at me and I shift my foot around trying to tell myself it'll get better. I think I'm going to give Brand one more book and then I'll be done.


★★☆☆



Wednesday, October 27, 2021

The Long, Long Trail ★★★☆☆

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: The Long, Long Trail
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 258
Words: 76K





Synopsis:


Jess Dreer's father was lynched for supposedly murdering a man. When it turned out that another man had committed the crime, Jess waited for the Law to arrest the man who killed his father. When the Law did nothing, Jess killed that man and has been on the run from the Law ever since.


When Jess runs into the Valentine family, all he wants is to keep on running. But the niece of Morgan Valentine hasn't seen a man she can't plumb and Dreer is no different to her, until he reveals depths she's never imagined. Her flirtings have gotten a man shot and her cousin in trouble with a clan out of the Ozarks. Jess gets wrangled into dealing with the hired gun the clan has hired to kill the young Valentine and in the process gets caught and put in jail.


He eventually escapes, is warned by Miss Valentine of a plot by the clan to kill him and the book ends with him and her riding off into the dawn.






My Thoughts:


Not bad, not bad at all. Unfortunately, almost as soon as I'd read it I'd forgotten it too. I actually had to go to a booksite to remember what this was about to be able to write the synopsis. Pretty sad eh?


I don't have anything to say. It's a Max Brand western written by someone in the 1920's for magazines. It is almost literally reading fodder and not meant to have stuck around as long as it has.


★★★☆☆



Tuesday, September 28, 2021

The Last Mammoth ★★★✬☆

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot, & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: The Last Mammoth
Series: ----------
Authors: Manly Wade Wellman
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 139
Words: 40K





Synopsis:


From the Publisher


Sam Ward was yearning for adventure when a Cherokee man arrived from a distant village with a tale of a monstrous hairy creature threatening his land. The formerly peaceful beast went rogue upon the death of its mate, and the chief of the Twilight People sent Otter to ask for help. Sam's quest quickly turns dangerous with new challenges and new enemies, but using their wits, skills, and courage, Sam and Otter finally face Giluhda, last of the living mammoths.




My Thoughts:


I was introduced to Manly Wade Wellman back in my middle grade days through his Silver John series, of which the library had several. In my desire to expand my reading circle I remembered those fantasy stories (or urban fantasy maybe?) and went alooking. Well, there don't appear to be any ebook version of Silver John and the hardcovers run up to $900, which is so out of my price range. Therefore I had to settle for some other stuff by Wellman and this is the first of the prizes I found.


This is an action/adventure Western about a woolly mammoth going mad and trying to destroy an indian village. The omens tell them they must find a white man to help kill the mammoth and so they gt our main character. He has a nice rifle given him by Daniel Boone and so of course it gets destroyed near the beginning of the story. Can't have the hero doing something silly like shooting the dang mammoth through the eye or something.


Overall, the interaction between the hero and his indian guide and friend was pleasant to read about. Seeing two brave men face danger together and overcome it is so much better than a lot of what gets written today.


At only 139 pages, this can slip into almost anyone's busy reading schedule, no matter who they are. Do you remember when books were regularly under 150 pages. Bookstooge remembers, and approves!


★★★✬☆


Monday, September 27, 2021

Gunman's Reckoning ★★★☆☆

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Gunman's Reckoning
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 293
Words: 73K





Synopsis:


Donnegan is a gunman riding the rails. Surviving one attempt on his life, he comes into contact with Colonel Macon and his lovely daughter. Macon hires Donnegan to go to a gold town and bring his heir back home to the young woman, or to shoot him down so Macon can take control of the gold town.


Donnegan falls in love with the daughter but determines to do what the Colonel asks. Once at the town he realizes the heir is in love with a woman there and that he is a wastrel and neerdowell. The town is run by some man who everybody is afraid of. Donnegan takes down the heir so as to return him to the Colonel only to have the colonel show up. Eventually Donnegan faces down the Man of the Town only to realize it is his long lost older brother.


Everything works out in the end and Louis Macon and Donnegan end up together while the brother lives, the heir and Macon get theirs and it's happily ever after.




My Thoughts:


The alternate title for this story is Donnegan and I have to admit, that is a much more fitting title than the one included in this collection.


While Donnegan is a murdering hellhound, he at the same time holds to a code of chivalry which would appeal to any 16 year old. This story made no sense to me whatsoever and Donnegan was almost 2 different people. I understand that people can be internally split about things, but man, this was just too much.


At the same time, this felt like one of the best stories by Brand that I've read yet. The whole gold town setting worked out great, Donnegan as a master manipulator pushing people's buttons and not just a stupid gunman made things interesting. One minute I'd be wishing Donnegan would hang and then the next I'd be cheering him on. That just made for an odd reading experience.


★★★☆☆




Sunday, August 08, 2021

Bull Hunter ★★★☆☆

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Bull Hunter
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 180
Words: 52K





Synopsis:


Bull Hunter is a bull of a man and beholden to his uncle and 2 cousins. They took him in when he was orphaned and has spent his life being slow, told that he's slow and being made fun of for his size. One day his uncle comes home busted up from a fight and tells the boys (men, but you know tough old birds always refer to men younger than themselves as boys) that he sure wishes one of them would go after the gunslinger who shot him and kill him.


Bull, always wanting to show how much he loves his family, sets out on foot, through a snow storm, over a mountain, to catch the gunslinger. He chases the man down, while on foot, only to discover that he's been put in jail and is going to be hanged. Nobody but Bull Hunter is going to kill that outlaw, so Bull proves that he is innocent of the crime and then faces off against the gunslinger. Bull realizes that the gunslinger is the kind of man who couldn't have done what his uncle described and they end up becoming friends. The gunslinger is also a bank robber but decides to go on the straight and narrow while teaching Bull how to be a quick draw.


Bull eventually goes his own way because he wants to support himself. He finds out about a wild horse big enough to handle his size and gentles it. This puts him in conflict with another fellow who wants the horse for himself and if he can't have it, nobody can. He hires Bull, pulls shenanigans to get Bull into a gunfight and the gunslinger shows up and watches Bull do his first quickdraw. The gunslinger then supports Bull against a room of gunmen and they ride off into the sunset.




My Thoughts:


This story started out in such a way that it reminded me of Flowers for Algernon. Not that Bull is actually stupid, but he's been told it so often and for so long that he believes it and believes that his relatives have his best interest in mind. Thankfully, Bull simply goes higher and higher and there is no descent like in Flowers.


This was the kind of men's adventure story wrapped in a western coat that I wanted. A man doing the right thing and getting the rewards for it. Straight forward honesty overcomes twisted devious deceptivity. While that's not how it is in this fallen world, that's how it should be and I for one enjoy a booster shot of that kind of thinking.


This time around there was no love triangle and in fact Bull doesn't have a romantic interest at all. This is more about him growing into being a man and Brand really stays focused on that. I was just fine with that.


★★★☆☆




Friday, July 16, 2021

Black Jack ★★★☆☆

 


This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Black Jack
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 264
Words: 76K




Synopsis:


Black Jack, the notorious outlaw, is shot escaping a bank robbery by a young man hiding in the shadows. A woman sees it happen and her and her brother adopt Black Jack's infant son as the woman will never have children of her own. The brother claims that blood will tell and that the infant son will grow up into an outlaw.while the sister claims nuture will tell and raises the boy as her heir.


The boy's history is hidden from him and he is told he comes from a proud and ancient line. The brother and sister have a bet that the boy will or will not kill by his 25th birthday and that is when he will become the woman's heir.


The brother, wanting the inheritance for himself, sends information anonymously to the boy letting him know of his true heritage. The boy loses it and strikes out on his own, determined to live the straight life. With everybody knowing his father, the boy is let go from honest work time and again. He ends up hooking up with an old familiar of his father's and the old gang.


The boy meets a girl but won't bend his neck to live straight. The girl meets with the boy's Aunt, reconciles them to each other and the brother is revealed as the scumsucker he is.


The End™




My Thoughts:


This was a bit longer than some of the other books by Brand and I must admit it felt longer. I didn't even bother with names in the synopsis because each character is the embodiment of a western stereotype rather than an actual character.


I definitely had to roll my eyes a couple of times when the boy thought about his father and how he had to “avenge” his death, even though the father died robbing a bank. It was a young man thinking about ideals and ideas without the experience necessary to temper those ideals into reality.


The brother and sister played well off of each other. She was the hardworking owner who made the ranch become prosperous while the brother was the spendthrift who blew through his inheritance and relied on his sister's benevolence to keep up his lavish lifestyle. How many times have we seen people who are family who are completely blinded to the faults that are obvious to everyone else? It's sad but man does it ring true to life.


My main issue is that the honorable ideals presented by Brand are not tempered by experience. I realize I've said that phrase twice in this review but it does bear repeating. I've been those youthful ideals. I've felt all the feelings, thought all the thoughts, so I know where Brand is writing from. However, such ideals are almost like iron, they have their flaws. What is needed is something to temper it and turn that iron into steel. I don't think Brand is ever going to produce steel :-/


★★★☆☆




Wednesday, May 26, 2021

The Man Who Forgot Christmas ★★★☆☆

 


This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: The Man Who Forgot Christmas
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 83
Words: 22K







Synopsis:


Two men break out of prison. One of them, a thief, rightly belongs there. The other, falsely accused of murder, doesn't. They hold up a coach and steal money from the man who setup the murderer. The thief is shot and they barely make it to a house. The daughter of the house falls in love with the murderer and the thief falls in love with her.


The local sheriff knows the murderer, as he helped arrest him. But he also knows the charges were false. The thief, in a paroxysm of anger and jealousy, sends an anonymous note to another sheriff claiming the murderer is the one who did the hold up and stole the money. The thief has a change of heart on Christmas day and goes out in a blaze of gunfire with the sheriffs, taking all the blame on his shoulders so his friend can live happily ever after with the girl.




My Thoughts:


I think it is safe to say that Max Brand has a thing for love triangles that are doomed before they even start. What sets these apart from the love triangles in modern urban fantasy is that these are not female wish fulfillment but the grim fulfillment of male dominance. Much like the Rock'em Sock'em Robots, Brand's love triangles are not about lust and fuzzy feelings but duty and kickass men duking it out until only one is left standing. We're talking pure, distilled testosterone folks.


The title is taken from the thief forgetting that the day he gives his life for his friend is Christmas Day. He gets a stocking and it has some things that he remembers from his childhood and makes him change his mind and thus the book ends the way it does. It was actually pretty schmaltzy and filled with “the spirit of Christmas”. I could almost hear the Muppets singing in the background, sigh. I've never understood why people write about generic “christmas” when the very name tells you the reason for its being.


I don't know how far along I am in this “Works of Max Brand” collection but while it's better than nothing, I can say that Max Brand is not a western author that I'll seek out more of when I done. Where's my Indians and Cowboys and the Wild West? I want scalps and outlaws and sixguns. While a few of Brands books have had those, like Crossroads, that doesn't seem to be the majority. Oh, I just checked and I'm only 22% done with this collection. So Brand has a lot of space to improve my opinion of him.


★★★☆☆




Sunday, March 14, 2021

Crossroads ★★★✬☆

 

This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission

Title: Crossroads
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 276
Words: 76K





Synopsis:


Dix van Dyke gets on the badside of a mexican political mover and shaker, one Sheriff Onate. Kills the man's brother in self-defense and Onate now has him in his sights.


Dix meets Jac Boone, better known as Jacqueline and she has the lucky cross that Red Pierre left her. She uses it to win at gambling but leads a lonely life as everyone who tries to get near her succumbs to the bad luck and dies. Dix is looking for adventure after getting run out of town and decides that Jackie and her bad luck to others is just the thing for him. Jac ditches him though, as she doesn't want him to die. Dix chases after her.


Onate hires a killer indian, El Tigre, to hunt Dix down, after forcing the governor put a price on van Dyke's head. El Tigre owes his life to Onate and so does what he says without question. He captures Jac and exchanges her for van Dyke. van Dyke saves El Tigre's life, thus putting El Tigre in a bind. Who does he owe his life too now? Onate has the older debt so El Tigre turns van Dyke into the authorities.


Jac forces the governor, at gunpoint, to sign a pardon for van Dyke and takes off with it. Onate is informed and does his best to stop her and sets up a mob to kill van Dyke in jail. El Tigre hears about the plot through his daughter Dolores and frees van Dyke. They fight their way free but El Tigre is killed. Dolores sets out with van Dyke because she is intrigued by the man who gave himself up for a woman. Jac trails them and thinks that van Dyke has hooked up with Dolores. van Dyke leaves Dolores and makes up with Jacqueline. Onate hires a bunch of mercenaries to protect him and kidnaps van Dyke's kid brother as insurance. Dolores, who has this very odd love/hate relationship with Onate, rescues the brother just to see what van Dyke will do. She goes to Onate's house and begins haranguing him about what she did and what she thinks van Dyke is going to do. She promises to stay with Onate as long as he keeps her in a lavish lifestyle as long as he's a live. All this time van Dyke is up on the roof of the house preparing to kill Onate. When he realizes what a hell of a life Onate has created for himself, he slips away and marries Jacqueline.




My Thoughts:


This was as close to a direct sequl to Riders of the Silences as you could get. The lucky/unlucky cross plays a much bigger part though. van Dyke's obsession with breaking it's power is fun to watch, even though he ultimately fails (Jacqueline leaves it by the end of the story).


The dirty politics, the personal hatreds, the romantic angles, the chases and captures, jailings and rescues, they all lined up perfectly for me. Much like a poolshark, Brand sets things up in what appears to be a haphazard arrangement only to smash them all into the pockets with one well placed shot.


Brand has a philosophy of the genders for these westerns and when I read the following paragraph, it seemed to sum it quite well. Every interaction between his male and female characters are predicated on this idea:

Chivalry wears no plumes, and knighthood bears no title, but there gallantry is a reality and not a name. To the Southwesterner a good woman is daughter or sister or mother. She can eat his food, ride his horse, draw his revolver and even share his bunk. Yet she will not draw a whisper of suspicion until by her own act she confesses that she is not of the elect. Such an act is the entry of a place like this one of Jerry Conklin's in the Double Bend.”
~ chapter II


As long as you read these stories through that lens, you will like what Max Brand writes. If you can't accept the above premise, then you're doomed to failure and might as well cast yourself into the stygian pits of darkness right now and just get it over with.



★★★




Monday, February 15, 2021

The Ghost ★★★✬☆

 


This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: The Ghost
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 23
Words: 6K




Synopsis:


Publishers Description


The gold strike which led the fortune-hunters to Murrayville brought with them the usual proportion of bad men and outlaws. Three months after the rush started, a bandit appeared so consummate in skill and so cool in daring that all other offenders against the law disappeared in the shade of his reputation. He was a public dread. His comings were unannounced; his goings left no track. Men lowered their voices when they spoke of him. His knowledge of affairs in the town was so uncanny that people called him the 'Ghost.'




My Thoughts:


Oh, this was a fun little story! The town drunk is just playing a part but it's obvious from the getgo so no spoilers there. What makes this really interesting is how he manipulates the townsfolks and the manhunter hired to catch him. It is masterfully done and you can hear the laughter in the background the whole time.


These short stories of Brand's are working out perfectly for me. Good stuff.


★★★✬☆




Tuesday, December 29, 2020

Trailin'! ★★★☆☆

 


This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Trailin'!
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 247
Words: 71K





Synopsis:


A young man, Anthony Woodbury, longs for adventure but his father is determined to see him lead the idle life of a rich gentleman. When Woodbury Senior is shot in some sort of midnight duel, he reveals that his last name is actually Pard and that Anthony's mother died giving birth to him. Anthony Pard sets out west to track down the man who killed his father, a man named Drew who Pard was once partners with.


Along the path of vengeance, Anthony tames an untameable horse, romances several women, faces down outlaws and in general shows manly western qualities. Drew is desperate to talk to Anthony but knows the young man won't give him time to talk, so he sets out his best man to capture Anthony alive. This fails and leaves the hunter with the bitter taste of defeat in his mouth. Nash, the hunter, then gangs up with the outlaws Anthony faced down and attempts to kill Anthony and the woman Nash was interested in, who appears to have fallen in love with Anthony.


At a final standoff in an abandoned cabin, Anthony is preparing for a final charge against the desperadoes when Drew rides up and under a flag of truce, tells Anthony the true story of why Drew killed Woodbury/Pard. Anthony is Drew's son, who Pard kidnapped because he couldn't have the woman who Drew married.


Nash and the outlaws leave and Anthony is reconciled to Drew and ready to marry the girl.




My Thoughts:


This was enjoyable while being a bit on the flowery side for me. Anthony Pard is definitely a Gary Stu but the author makes no bones about presenting him that way. The whole point is that his natural abilities come from his biological father, ie, the blood will tell.


Once Anthony went from Woodbury to Pard, it didn't take long to realize he'd also be going from Pard to Drew by the end of the book. It was more of a will Drew get the chance to tell his son the truth before Pard guns him down in cold vengeance than anything.


Most of the flowery stuff came when Pard was interacting with the girl. A girl who was a restauranteur and not pretty but beautiful to every man who saw her. I rolled my eyes so much I'm surprised they didn't fall out. Thankfully, those sections weren't real big so it was possible to wade through them without getting bogged down. Part of the Western Genre is the Mystique of the Feminine and while I have no problems with that per se, sometimes Brand lays it on a little thick. Sometimes he uses a delicate paint brush, but sometimes he uses a trowel. This book was more trowel than paintbrush.


Even with that and the average rating, nothing here made me want to stop reading Brand's books. So I'll keep on trucking.


Ps,

that stupid title! Do you know how difficult it is going to be in the future to track this book down based on title? I'm never going to remember to drop the “g”, add an apostrophe and the exclamation mark. Sometimes authors think they are clever and all they are doing is complicating their readers lives. I feel very put upon at the moment and life is barely worth living because of this. * sulks *


★★★☆☆





Wednesday, November 25, 2020

Riders of the Silences ★★★✬☆

 


This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot , Librarything & Bookhype by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Riders of the Silences
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 224
Words: 64K





Synopsis:


Pierre Le Rouge, an orphan, was brought up by Jesuit priests. Not only was his mind trained but his body as well. His instructor meant for him to conquer the Northern Parts of Canada and it would take a tough man to do so. Pierre finds out he isn't an orphan in a message from his father, saying he's been shot by McGurk, the legendary gunfighter and the father wants to see Pierre before dying. Pierre is the bastard of this man but quits everything and rides off to see his father. He is given a cross by his Instructor, one that has brought him luck.


Pierre finds his father and ends up wounding McGurk in a card game. McGurk had never been touched before in a gun fight and no man had survived before Pierre. Pierre also killed some other men and went down the road of outlawry. He runs away from the law and in a blizzard finds a young girl trapped beneath a downed tree. A landslide occurs and Pierre thinks the girl is dead. He is rescued by a gang of blood thirsty outlaws and joins their gang.


One of the gang, young Jack, turns out to be Jacqueline, the leaders daughter. She falls in love with Pierre but he's too dumb to realize it. Pierre becomes the best of the gang, best of fighting, best of planning, best of shooting. During this time McGurk has disappeared. Pierre, now known as Red Pierre, ends up going to a dance with Jacqueline and there meets the girl he thought had died years ago. Jacqueline is jealous and makes the girl think she is living with Pierre.


The gang, made up of seven, begin to disappear one by one and they realize McGurk has returned to exact his vengeance on them all. The girl chases Pierre into the mountains, Jacqueline chases Pierre into the mountains and Pierre is chasing McGurk. Jacqueline realizes Pierre will never love her and finds the one surviving member of the gang, who had always loved her. Pierre and the girl get together after Pierre faces off against McGurk and strips him of all manhood and dignity, by not killing him.




My Thoughts:


I was ready for a full western novel and I got one! Hurray!!


While this had elements that had me rolling my eyes (the “lucky” cross pendant being the most obvious), I still had a lot of fun reading this. Part of that fun though, was me imagining Red Pierre and McGurk as Bob the Tomato and Larry the Cucumber (see my Currently Reading post to get the images if you missed it). Imagining Bob the Tomato as a Jesuit Priest in Training had me in stitches and Larry as the menacing McGurk just made me slap my hand to my forehead.


You can't go into this expecting deep world building, complex characterization and intricate plot lines. What you are getting is an action/adventure story in a western setting with bigger than life people and situations. Of course, with what is being put out today, I question whether what is in this book can even be described as bigger than life anymore.


Another thing in this book's favor is its brevity. At just over 200 pages, I was able to devour it quickly. Sometimes a book needs to be like a bag of chips. Open, eat, done. No 3hours of prep work, no 72 minutes of sticking in the oven at 324degrees, no setting the table and bringing out the cut crystal and good china. Nothing but instant gratification. As long as you don't live on chips, or their literary equivalent, you're all set.


★★★✬☆









Monday, October 05, 2020

Hole In The Wall Barrett ★★★☆½


This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: Hole In The Wall Barrett
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 3.5 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 18
Words: 5.5K




Synopsis:

A tough guy lawyer defends a murderer who poisoned his own uncle. The lawyer does this because his wife asks him too and tells him the defendant is her lover. The lawyer wins the case, apologizes to his wife for making her think he didn't love her and promises to do better if she'll come back. She does. The lawyer then has a “private” meeting with the defendant in his soundproof room, which we see him in warming up a poker and oiling up a whip.



My Thoughts:

Brand starts out the story by clearly defining who the villain and hero are by how they look. You can tell he is being over the top sarcastic and ironic. It's not immediately obvious he's being sarcastic, but by the end when it fades out just as the husband is about to horsewhip the murderous scum who dared mess with his wife, it's all there in black and white.

How the lawyer makes the jury think his client is innocent by drinking the poison was rather neat. How he makes sure it doesn't affect him by eating raw eggs beforehand and having a doctor right outside the courtroom to pump his stomach, well, that is going above and beyond the call of duty. But he gets his client acquitted. Of course, Justice is served. That had me pumping my fist and exclaiming “Oh yeah!!!”

I am finding that these short stories by Brand are working great for me. It is just enough of a different taste from my typical SFF/Classic that it cleanses the palate but without being long enough to give me a literary tummy ache.

Technically, the title is Hole-in-the-Wall Barrett, but if I ever go searching for this title by search, there is no way I'm going to remember all those stupid hyphens. You're welcome, future me.

★★★☆½






Friday, August 21, 2020

John Ovington Returns ★★★☆☆


This review is written with a GPL 4.0 license and the rights contained therein shall supersede all TOS by any and all websites in regards to copying and sharing without proper authorization and permissions. Crossposted at WordPress, Blogspot & Librarything by Bookstooge’s Exalted Permission
Title: John Ovington Returns
Series: ----------
Author: Max Brand
Rating: 3 of 5 Stars
Genre: Western
Pages: 20
Words: 6.5K




Synopsis:

John Ovington returns to his ancestral home in Connecticut, to find a series of letters between his Great Grandfather and his fiance. Great Grandfather goes to war, the girl marries someone else and Great Grandfather vows he'll get the girl in the end.

John Ovington finds out he has a new neighbor, who looks exactly like Great Grandfather's fiance and that she is running off with a beau. She writes a series of letters exactly the same as the Great Grandfather's fiance and history begins to repeat itself.

John Ovington gets the girl and breaks the cycle that Fate had ordained for him.



My Thoughts:

For some reason, almost all the editions show this as being a full novel at over 500 pages. It is just a short story at 16-20 pages and I sure do feel bad for anyone who bought it (even for 99cents) thinking it was a full book.

The synopsis pretty much says it all. This is some sort of love, ghost, thingy, story. I tagged it western, but considering it takes place in Connecticut, probably “frontier” might have been more appropriate. I'm guessing this was for a magazine back when it was first published. It has 3 chapters and that fits with a serial short story in a magazine spread over 3 issues.

It was actually nice to read something so short and then be done. I spent 30 minutes or less reading it and then bam, finished. Truth be told, I've probably spent more time searching out the correct page number and writing this little piece than I did reading. While it feels like cheating (I'll including this as a “book” in my monthly roundup numbers), I think that including my Page Count numbers more than makes up for it.

Giddy'up!

★★★☆☆