Cowboy Fiction

[BOSSHOG]

I wanted to read an action packed yarn with no DNA, CSI, phones, computers, brainy investigators, fast cars or diabolic evil guys with horrible mass destructive weapons, so I picked up a Cowboy Western at random. Wow, what a good idea. A well defined bad guy, a well defined good guy, Indians, half breeds and a trail of murder, mayhem and shootem ups. Very enjoyable.

The book: Duel at Low Hawk by Charles G. West. I've never read him before but he does tell (at least one) a good tale.

[soothsayer]

1. Wish this line had made it into the Brokeback Mountain movie:

They went at it in silence except for a few sharp intakes of breath and Jack's choked "gun's goin off," then out, down, and asleep.

[Rowdyboy]

2. As I recall, the few Zane Gray books I read were pretty damn good....

and my dad, a long-haul truck driver, really loved Louid L'Amour's work.

I could use a change of pace in reading myself. I'm about to start "Aztec Autumn" by Gary Jennings. It set in the 1500's and most of the good guys are Aztec, while most of the bad guys are Spanish. Should be interesting.

[Phoebe Loosinhouse]

3. Lonesome Dove. Fantastic.

[pscot]

4. At one point in my life I was addicted to westerns

That was back in the day when gas was 25 cents a gallon, and there were tons of western novels. Some of my favorite writers were Frank O'Rourke, who wrote dozens of novels, A.B. Guthrie, a terrific writer by any standard, Ernest Haycox, Wayne D. Overholser, Frank Gruber. Louis Lamour was big later on, but he couldn't hold a candle to Guthrie, for example. Go a bit farther back and you have Zane Grey, who also wrote a series of fascinating books for boys, which modern readers will probably find jarring because of the casual racism in some of them, and Max Brand. You are guaranteed not to find a cell phone or an automobile in any of these. The frontier was a lot closer back in the fifties. Its dimming reflections produced some highly readable fiction.

You aren't likely to find these in your local library. Garage sales and used book stores are probably your best bet. Search a site like Al Libris. You never know what you might scare up. Good luck, and happy trails.

[BOSSHOG]

5. I'm reading a Louis Lamour work now

Very fluid style. I do enjoy perusing used bookstores; never know what ya might find. And there are at least three book vendors at the Farmer's Market in New Orleans on the weekends. Its like treasure hunting.

I'm alternating between Westerns, Mysteries and (my favorite) WWII non fiction works.

I recall when gas was a quarter a gallon. I was in High School in the early 70's; had a 51 Chevy truck and could get my Mom a set of dishes or silverware with about ten fillups. And 10 bucks meant an incredibly hot date. I think we can say, those were the days.