A Century of Great Western Stories-An Anthology of Western Fiction
A Century of Great Western Stories-An Anthology of Western Fiction
To illustrate the evolution of the genre, Jakes has included such legendary authors as Owen Wister, Louis L’Amour, and Zane Grey along side their more contemporary peers such as Loren Estleman and Elmer Kelton. While the stories have changed over the years, certain timeless themes of Western fiction remain constant. At the heart of the stories are ideas that have become synonymous with the American dream—the frontier spirit, individual freedoms, and man’s relationship with the land.
A Century of Great Western Stories is essentially a retrospective of western writing over the past century, but Jakes also sets out to give readers a glimpse of what the future might hold for western fiction. While trends in publishing might not always be promising, the current crop of contemporary Western authors show that the old west will always have a place in the world of fiction. Like the American dream which it celebrates, Western fiction will perservere.
Customer Review: Hold your horses!
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.
Tags: Cheap Fiction book, Literature book, Cheap Literature book, Literature and Fiction book, Fiction book
