Readers West

I really, really liked the first Wade Everett book I read, Shotgun Marshall.

Cavalry Recruit was a story based on a young man who didn’t live up to his family expectations. Being hte youngest brother, he lived an educated life in Ohio, but was a great disappointment to his father.

Highly educated did not translate into family respect.

He then travels west, joins the army and sort of falls into heroism. My expectation was he was going ot turn into a strong character, I never felt he did.

It was worth reading, had it’s strong points, but I only give it a 2 out of 5 stars.

Another western classic, this is a little unusual theme for Louis L’Amour.

Gaylord Riley is a teenager who falls in with outlaws and aids in a couple holdups. Skilled with his guns at a young age, he and the outlaws mutually recognize he shouldn’t be heading down the outlaw trail. They help him further with money to buy cows and start a ranch. These outlaws are really good men led down owl hoot trail by a dishonest rancher.

Riley finds a perfect ranch in high canyons and begins building his ranch. Along the way he runs into a dishonest saloon owner who tries to use Riley to eliminate the area’s big rancher whose daughter he wants, buys and drives 3000 Herefords through brutal territory, gets help from his outlaw friends as well as Tell Sackett.

While a different premise from LL, well written, good villain s(I know oxymoron) and a great conclusion makes this an excellent read.

While we here at readerswest.com focus on the literature of today pertaining to the old west, something we plan to do in the future is to take a look at the movies pertaining to the Old West as well.

One of the first westerns that made an impact on many people was Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid.

Paul Newman and Robert Redford teamed up in the George Roy Hill-directed buddy flick, which is still one of our favorite movies of all time here at readerswest.com.

We won’t go into the specifics, because most of us have seen the movie more than once. If you haven’t, no matter how old you are, don’t go rent it now. Just buy it.

Newman will be remembered as a great actor and a humanitarian. Even though he played a notorious character who met his demise in Butch Cassidy and the Sundance Kid, Newman was truly one of the good guys.

See the transcript of Robert Redford’s comments here at abcnews.com

http://abcnews.go.com/WN/story?id=5914309&page=1

A 1973 western by one of the greatest of western writers, The Man From Skibbereen depicts the journey of an immigrating Irishman, Crispin Mayo. His journey starts in New York City where he quickly boards a train to the west to work on railroads, the only work he feels qualified for. Mayo falls asleep when the train stops and wakes up to find he isalone and suddenly thrust into the middle of a kidnapping attempt of General Sherman by outlaw southerners looking for revenge.

A huge muscular man, he must quickly adjust to his new world, learning to use guns to go hand in hand with his quick fists. Along the way he fights the local toughman in a high stakes match, saves a beautiful girl and runs up against several well developed villainous characters.

The Man From Skibbereen is a truly a well written story.It is action packed from beginning to end and a very good read.

One of Louis Louis L’amour strengths is not only developing unique and great heroes giving his heroes great adversaries and he succeeds with this book.

I can whole heartedly recommend this book, and give it 4 out of 5 stars!

With most books of the old west, the title is a usual giveaway as to what the book contains. With Shotgun Marshall, the title plays the story’s plot close to the vest. While at one point the Marshal does produce a sawed off shotgun for the main character, Adam Collier, to use, it is not the main theme of the book, nor is the Marshal known as a particularly good shot with a shotgun or even known to use one.

The book introduces some concepts that I haven’t seen in any of the westerns I have read in the past, a fire department in town and a police force. I’m sure both of those things have been seen in other westerns but the detail and explanation of how the departments work and were introduced was excellent. Just enough information so you have a solid understanding, but not so much info you find yourself bored with the details.

Bonanza is a town with a problem. A gang of toughs is running the town and people are being robbed left and right with every kind of sin being found within city limits.

The secondary character, the marshal, is Joe Beal. Beal is a former New York policeman who has developed a reputation as a no nonsense lawman in several western towns. Beal is called in to clean up Bonanza after the last two lawmen tried, failed and ended up dead.

Beal comes to town realizing there is a problem, looking for the man or men who are running things.

The main character, Adam Collier, is the fire chief. Collier is a former soldier, conservative man, upstanding citizen and unbeatable bare knuckle fighter who eventually has the oppurtunity to rise in the local government to right the ship that town of Bonanza has become.

Add in local saloon owner Bill Frame, thugs Booboo and Jake Powell, big time mine operator and gold tycoon Roan Spencer and it makes for an entertaining and well written story.

I had a hard time finding any flaws in this book and there wasn’t anything I didn’t enjoy. The author does an excellent job introducing the reader to the characters, giving clear descriptions of each of them. The insight that is provided to the reader is great too, showing both sides of the story from early in the story.

Light is shed on what the good guys and the bad guys are doing to accomplish their goals. Some cards are even played close to the vest with a couple of characters not having their true colors revealed until more than half way though the book.

Overall this was a really well written book and I know I’ll be keeping my eyes open from more from Wade Everett. As a side note, it appears that Wade Everett is a pseudonym of Will Cook.