Customer Reviews

A Century of Great Western Stories-An Anthology of Western Fiction

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4 star:		(1)
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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.

A wonderful collection of some of the best writers of western fiction - the best of the best. Informative short introductions before every story about that author. This book would make a nice gift for someone who appreciates westerns or who would like to begin reading them.

Any effort by John Jakes is well respected by this reader, as he is a master of story-telling and a stickler for historic accuracy. This compendium of short stories about the west has contributions by some great authors.

Included are some very well known's, the opening work is by L'Amour himself, but also up for the role call is Luke Short, Jack London, Max Brand, and Zane Gray. Some new to the genre but no less phenomenal are Jakes himself, Elmer Kelton and Ed Gorman among others.

In the busy life I lead it's always good to find a quality book, well-written by masters of the word.
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.

These stories illustrate the challenging times our nation was heading through as it grew and became even more diverse in size, space and culture. Each story is well-developed with quality character development and served as more than a short story, in reality each could evolve into a more lengthy and intriguing piece.

Bravos are well deserved. Don't know how I missed this one for so long. You'll enjoy the short 'intro's' by the authors before each piece.

This was a gift to a family member. The book is being enjoyed. The content and authors are excellent.

After enjoying Cormac McCarthy's stories of the American west, I decided to try to learn more about the genre. I like to use anthologies to this end, and this one is going to be a great jumping off point. I like Jake's little intros to the stories. They are all at the least very good and excellent at their best.

This is a wonderful collection of many brilliant writers. They are able to transport you, mentally, to the time of cowboys, wild horses, and raw life. I would recommend it as a must have book for every western reader. Each one takes you back as if it is the present.

This is without a doubt the most comprehensive work of quality Western fiction out there today. They're all here from Zane Grey to L'Amour, Max Brand to Jack London. But also included are writers like Donald Hamilton (of Matt Helm fame), Ed Gorman's excellent Wolf Moon (which I reviewed elsewhere on Amazon), John Jakes and Loren D. Estleman and Evan Hunter (better known as Ed McBain).

Some stories shine. I've already mentioned Ed Gorman's "Wolf Moon", which to my mind is the definitive jewel in this collection, but Thomas Thompson's "Gun Job" is at least as good, along with Max Brand's "Wine on the Desert," Max Evans's dark fantasy "Candles in the Bottom of the Pool," Loren Estleman's speculative SF "Hell on the Draw" AND John Cunningham's "The Tin Star" which was the source material for the movie High Noon. And it's not all men, either. Marcia Muller has an excellent revenge story entitled "Sweet Cactus Wine" and Peggy Simson Curry's "Geranium House" simply must be read to be believed.

Yes, some of the stories are clunky. Two or three. But that's to be expected with some of the writers who are in this collection. They were never very good to begin with, but it would have been wrong NOT to include them. L'Amour's "The Gift of Cochise" is forgettable, but it would have been nigh unforgivable not to include him, and we can understand why his story is the first in the table of contents. And, while Zane Grey's work "Tappan's Burro" is dated by today's standards it still resonates with the reader.

Overall the quality of these stories is very high. If you like good Western fiction, or just good fiction, you will definitely enjoy this collection. Give it a peek.

One of the better Collection of Western Stories for when they were first wriiten.
Not your everyday off the shelf bookstore cowboy story.

This book arrived on time as described. I haven't had time to read it yet.I am looking forward to reading it & I thank you for making the purchase of so many books so easy.

Purchased at Amazon a good company to deal with... Prompt and easy to deal with
Book neat and clean. Thanks