Bearer of the Pipe

THE SPANISH BIT SAGA #24

By Don Coldsmith

Paperback edition, Bantam, March 1996

From his auspicious birth, Wolf Pup has demonstrated an instinct for the ways of the wild. Yet it is in the lodge of his grandfather Singing Wolf that he seeks his true calling: medicine man and future bearer of the story skins, the pipe, and the sacred Spanish bit. But before he can claim his destiny Wolf Pup must undertake a perilous vision quest. He must learn to see through the eyes of the deer, soar with the red-tailed hawk, sit coiled with the snake in the grass. Then a whirlwind of terror, an instant of destruction, will leave his village in ruins and chase the life-giving herds of buffalo across the horizon and beyond the People’s reach. Suddenly Wolf Pup discovers the burden of being Pipe Bearer may require the most profound and painful sacrifice of all.

As this is a generational saga it comes as no surprise that Don Coldsmith has to return to similar themes in some of the entries to this superb series. Here it’s the vision quests and the calling of a medicine man. Coldsmith tells this kind of tale so well, confusing both his characters and readers with the true meaning of these vision quests and only revealing the truth when he is good and ready.

Wolf Pup has a distraction though, a girl he hoped to marry someday is courting another, so jealously is an emotion to cope with, something that Pup struggles with. These feelings beautifully written and make Wolf Pup so very human.

Don Coldsmith also describes events in such a way that you’ll feel you are sharing the dangers, excitement and wonders with his characters. The whirlwind build up and destructive force being one of the highlights.

As I said the story may revisit certain themes we’ve read about in this series before, but Coldsmith combines them with new elements that makes the tale seem fresh and new making this a worthy entry into what has to be one of the best, if not the best, series written about the native Americans.

A Short Ride to Hell

By Paul Green

The Crowood Press, July 2017

When a Wells Fargo stage is robbed and all the passengers murdered, Sheriff Luke Callaghan is suspicious of Jackson Tate’s claim that this was the work of Apaches. He sets off in pursuit of Tate and his gang only to find himself battling a gun running Mexican bandit, Hector Salinas. Things go from bad to worse, and Callaghan is forced to defend his beloved town of Maxwell against attack, attempt to prove the innocence of his friend Matt Carver who is suspected of involvement in the robbery and rescue his sweetheart Christiana from kidnapping.

Black Horse Westerns aren’t long books, coming in at 160 pages, so all the elements of the story outlined above, and a few others, mean this fast moving tale is packed with action. In fact no sooner does one deadly encounter come to a conclusion than another starts. Amidst all this gunplay the author also manages to include a mystery element, as to who exactly informed Tate and his gang that the stage was carrying a valuable cargo.

Paul Green mixes a great cast of characters of bandits, Apaches, soldiers, lawmen, townsfolk and a very strong female role in the case of Christiana, that all may be who they say they are, or may not. The latter adding some surprises as truths are revealed as the story progresses. Green also has a neat twist waiting too, one that I didn’t see coming.

Having read a couple of Paul Green’s westerns previously, and enjoyed them, I had high hopes that this one would prove to be just as entertaining and it more than matched those earlier books, leaving me looking forward to reading another of his Black Horse Westerns very soon.

You'll notice a big difference in price in the two adds above, that's because one is for the hardback version and one for the ebook. 

Death's-Head Trail

GUNN #3

By Jory Sherman

Zebra, 1980

After getting a gold claim on Grasshopper Creek, Gunn heads towards Bannock City to stake out his claim. There, he finds plenty of gold, girls and a ruthless, gunslingin’ outlaw called “Bull” Roumal who wants it all for himself.

When Gunn’s life is threatened by a band of Bull’s gunnies, he realizes he’ll have to find Roumal and set him straight. Both hands to his holster, Gunn begins his search in the local saloon. There, he meets the sumptuous Angela Larkin who offers him pleasure, passion and a few wise words that send him off hot … on Bull Roumal’s trail…

The title of this book refers to notes sent to miners threatening their lives if they don’t leave, each marked with a Death’s Head. As expected it isn’t long before Gunn gets one of these messages too but, of course, that isn’t going to set Gunn running scared, just makes him more determined to stay and fight for what’s his.

It’s the death of two girls that really sets Gunn on the warpath in this story that is full of action, be that gunplay or sexual (Gunn is an adult western series), both of which are often described in detail. Knowing that some readers don’t like explicit sex or bad language in their books I feel I must also point out that there is plenty of the latter too.

For those who don’t mind graphic violence, sex and profanities then this book is a terrific read. Jory Sherman has long been a writer whose work is held in high regard and you are pretty much guaranteed a gripping read from him. At times the story presents a dark, bleak take on life and the ending will leave Gunn mentally scared.

I’ve only read the first three Gunn books and on the strength of this, and the two before it, I really do need to find time to read more of this series.

The Ponderosa War

THE GUNSMITH #30

By J.R. Roberts

Charter Books, July 1984

They called it Battles Mountain, but it belonged more to the bank than to the Battles family. Now, they have to get their timber down the mountain fast enough to stop the bank from reclaiming the land.

Clint Adams is just passing through North Dakota, but when the Battles brothers help him out in a fight, the Gunsmith feels obliged to return the favour – especially since they have a big, good-looking sister. Helping to fend off the unscrupulous “banker,” Clint comes head to head with a gunslinger out to make his reputation – over Clint’s dead body!

Like all Gunsmith books this is a fast paced tale that is dialogue driven. There’s plenty of action but it’s the showdown between Adams and the gunslinger, Wallmann, that provides the tension and anticipation that kept me turning the pages.

The author also manages to include a lot of information about the timber business and the various jobs that have to be done to get the trees down the mountain. None of this comes over as if you’re reading a how-to manual but as a natural part of the story that provides knowledge to the inquisitive Clint Adams.

With this book being part of an adult series there are a few explicit sexual encounters, but these are easily skipped if you don’t like to read this kind of thing and doing so won’t ruin the story. And this is certainly a very enjoyable tale that finishes with a neat ending as Wallmann and Adams come face-to-face.

Gunpowder Empire

By Matt Cole

The Crowood Press, July 2017

Raw hatred ravaged the range land!

Luke Bragg – a man with a dark past – has come to claim the sheep ranch his uncle left for him. Only once he arrives in Preston Gulch, Bragg soon finds himself in the middle of a range war with the valley’s two biggest cattle ranchers. This clash of interests, which Bragg tries to avoid, just escalates and he is the one the town thinks is the reason why. The cattlemen try to bolster their position by claiming that his sheep kill the grass by nibbling it too close and trampling the roots with their sharp hoofs. Then when the daughter of another rancher comes to town after the murder of her father, the truth about his murder sends the valley into chaos and threatens the empires that they had established with gunpowder.

This is Matt Cole’s third Black Horse Western and the first I have read. It is also the first BHW that I have read that begins with two poems. These are both about sheep and written by Arthur Chapman (June 25, 1873 – December 4, 1935). They set the mood for the book perfectly.

Matt Cole has created a great set of characters and surrounds them with mystery, the main one being who killed the rancher Flynn and why. There is also some mystery as to Luke Bragg’s past. All this grabbed my attention and encouraged me to read more.

There is plenty of action, and Bragg soon proves he’s a capable man when it comes to gunplay. Slowly the truth behind the murder is revealed and desperate men take drastic measures to keep their part in the killing hidden. Bragg has to be silenced, permanently, and a hired gun is brought in to do this which leads to an interesting proposition.

The story builds well to its violent final showdown where the truths are exposed and western justice is served, and all the story threads are tied up neatly. The final lines leaving me grinning and thinking it’s about time I caught up with Matt Cole’s two previous books.

Coyote Creek

BROCK CLEMONS #2

By Scott Harris

June, 2017

Brock Clemons leaves Dry Springs – and the people he’s grown to love – in search of his father, but his plans are altered when a brutal and shocking discovery in a creek bed leads him to new adventures, new friends and more than one near-death experience. As Brock navigates a series of eventful encounters with Indians, gunfighters and wealthy landowners, it leads him to evaluate where his heart truly lies. What did Brock find in Coyote Creek, and will he survive where it leads him?

This story is told mainly in the first person, through Brock Clemons, but every so often the author switches to the third person when telling his readers what other people, or animals, are doing. This allows him to introduce new characters to the series, some of whom have major parts to play in this tale, and others, I presume, that will have more significant roles in the third Brock Clemons adventure.

I mentioned animals in the previous paragraph, and as readers of the first book will know Clemons has a wild companion in the form of a Wolf and it’s great to see that this creature is still with him.

There is plenty of action and some tense scenes such as when the captive Clemons is taken into a Ute camp. Author Scott Harris isn’t above killing off some of his main characters either and there is one surprising and shocking death for Clemons and his new friends to deal with.

There is also a lot of soul searching for Clemons to do regarding his quest to find his father and his loyalties to those he’s left behind in Dry Springs and Scott Harris writes these mental battles as well as his action passages.

The story comes to a satisfying conclusion, but in doing so new challenges are set, thus leaving the way open for the third book in the series, one I am certainly looking forward to reading.

Midway

THE LANDON SAGA #10

By Tell Cotten

Solstice Publishing, July 2017

All Yancy Landon wants is to get married. However, there’s always somebody eager to ruin a good day, and several misfortunes occur before the big event. Throughout the day, Yancy and Cooper get tangled up with a drunk, a rebellious youth, someone looking for revenge, a shy wife, a disgruntled cowman, and a disgraceful husband.

Told in the first person through Cooper Landon this book contains the usual mix of excitement and humour, the later mainly appearing during conversation in witty one-liners, that I’ve come to expect from Tell Cotten. Combined with his well-crafted characters and excellent plot-lines makes this a must read series. If you’ve yet to try the Landon Saga books may I suggest you start with the first one and read them in order as story-threads often continue from book to book.

I also find Tell Cotten’s writing very visual, and had a great big grin on my face as I imagined Yancy’s appearance when he arrives at the church for his wedding.

There are some excellent action scenes too, including a tense and violent showdown with the person looking for revenge.

We also get to meet a few new characters, a couple of which I hope there will be more about in future books.

The Landon Saga books aren’t long, meaning they don’t outstay their welcome. In fact I find them hard to put down tales that I usually read in one or two sittings. On finishing this one, like those that have gone before it, I find myself hoping Tell Cotten won’t take too long in writing and publishing the next one.

Tell Cotten is definitely one of the best western writers working today.