KLAW

KLAW
By W.L. Fieldhouse
Tower Books, 1980

When John Klawson returned from the War to Great Ford, he found his parents dead, victims of a phony “Indian raid,” and their property confiscated by banker Warren T. Jennings. And the rest of the town was under the control of Jennings and his hired guns. Klawson vowed revenge, but Jennings struck first, sending his hardcases after the ex-soldier. In a violent battle Klawson lost his right hand and was left for dead. But he survived and was hidden by friends until his arm healed. A blacksmith fitted him with a gleaming steel claw for a hand, and Klaw, as he became known, learned all over how to use a revolver and a rifle. Soon he was ready to exact vengeance on Jennings and his crew. One by one they would die – painfully – if Klaw had his way!

Whilst America tried to inject new life into the western with the introduction of explicit adult content, the British produced books that were filled with graphic violence and brought the anti-hero more into the limelight. Some of these series such as Edge and Apache became massive successes in America too, so much so that American publishers jumped on the bandwagon and launched their own series with similar content such as Kilburn, Cutter, Hawk (not to be confused with the British series with the same name), and The Loner. I believe the three Klaw books was another of these, as was the equally violent Six-Gun Samurai series that Fieldhouse wrote alongside two other authors as Patrick Lee. 

This book has a slow start as the author fills the reader in on the Klawson’s backstory – events that lead to him facing Jennings in Great Ford. The momentum picks up after Klawson loses his hand and the blacksmith creates the claw for him. This claw is detachable and Klawson can fit other attachments in place of it, such as a modified handgun. This is where the pace of the story begins to move forward at a gallop. Revenge is all that Klawson lives for. As the death toll mounts Klawson becomes know as Klaw. Yet, unlike those anti-heroes of the British westerns, Klaw keeps some of his compassion which, at times, makes him seem like a bit of a contradiction. One minute dishing out death in a completely cold-blooded way, then showing his tender side, such as when he meets Elena and when he helps those back in Great Ford. This makes him a somewhat complex character, a man who clings onto some of his humanity. 

The action scenes are well described in all their graphic brutality. There are some excellent set pieces such as the ambush in a fort that sees both Gatling guns and cannon used effectively. The author often switches between the various groups of characters so he can include more vicious violence as we follow the men Klaw is hunting for. As you’d expect, everything comes together for a savage conclusion.

Throughout the story there is mention of an organization, one that Jennings worked for. Who they are, and what their ultimate aims are is kept vague. On finishing Klaw I was left to wonder if they will be part of the plot of the second Klaw book. I guess I’ll have to read it to find out which is something I aim to do very soon.

I started this review with my thoughts on how some American western series seemed to have been created to cash in on the success of some of the British series. I’ve always wondered if one of the British authors read the Klaw books and used them as an inspiration for his series Claw? He even seems to give a nod of acknowledgement by naming the leader of the outlaws, who are responsible for the loss of the hero’s hand, Jennings. If he didn’t, that’s one hell of a coincidence. 

THE BURNING MAN

JUBAL CADE

Book 6 of 22

THE BURNING MAN

By Charles R. Pike

Cover art by Richard Clifton-Dey

Mayflower/Granada Publishing, 1976

ebook, Piccadilly Publishing, July 2023

The negro hung from the flaming cross and watched. In front of his burning cabin the white-robed figures of the Klu Klux Klan repeatedly raped his wife. Then came Jubal Cade to spit death from his .30 calibre Spencer . . . 

When they post the reward for the capture of the Klan’s Grand Dragon, the bounty-hunters flood into St Louis. But Jubal Cade is there before them. He has seen the Klan’s savagery first-hand. And Jubal is a man who knows all about vengeance.

Cade gets involved with the Klan whilst visiting Andy Prescott, the young blind boy Jubal has taken under his wing. Cade is constantly trying to raise money so Andy can have medical care and now there’s a chance an operation will restore Andy’s sight. The money Cade could secure by bringing in the Klan’s leader would pay for that operation, and when the Klan kidnap the head of the clinic, Cade has two reasons for destroying the Klan.

The author behind the pseudonym of Charles R. Pike is Angus Wells and he brings together a lot of the series threads for this tale. Being in St. Louis brings Cade face to face with the man who has sworn to have Jubal killed, Ben Agnew. Now they have a common enemy. Can they put the past behind them for a while to take on the Klan and unmasked the Grand Dragon?

Like in many of the books written by the group of authors now known as the Piccadilly Cowboys, there is lots of references to them and the western characters they wrote about. Many of the characters names in this story are made up from combinations of these authors names and other people in the book publishing business. For instance, a fair portion of this tale takes place on a sternwheeler and this boat is named the William M. James – the author name fronting the Apache series.

Although Angus Wells wrote most of the books in this series he didn’t write the first three or create the character of Jubal Cade. Terry Harknett started the series, an author probably better known to western fans as George G. Gilman whose hero Edge is a favourite of many readers. Edge appears in person in The Burning Man, stepping out of the shadows to shotgun a man to death, saving Cade’s life. Edge and Jubal have a conversation that references a very well-known spaghetti western character a couple of times, and this exchange of words is one of the highlights of the book for me. 

I once asked Terry if he had anything to do with Edge appearing in this book and he said he couldn’t remember much about how it came about but did entertain the possibility that he wrote this section, or co-wrote it with Angus. If he didn’t, Angus captured the character of Edge extremely well, not just in action but also in his speech and gallows humour. 

The Burning Man contains lots of violent bloody action, something that Well’s excels at in his gory descriptions. With Cade being a doctor Wells has opportunities to describe in detail Cade’s attempts to save lives too. Wells doesn’t give Cade an easy ride of it either, Jubal has to endure suffering, not due to physical wounds, but mentally – to say more would be a major spoiler so that’s all I’m going to reveal here. To add some light-relief to the more brutal scenes, Well’s includes lots of groan-worthy humours comments, mainly coming from Jubal, that had me laughing out loud at times.

The Burning Man is a very good entry into this excellent series. This book is a must read for anyone following the series due to its connections with earlier books plotlines and a character Cade met in book five have roles to play in this story too. The inclusion of Edge in this story makes this book essential reading for fans of George G. Gilman’s most famous character as well as those who enjoy Angus Wells’ work.

American readers can get a copy here
British readers can get a copy here

A TOWN CALLED BASTARD

A TOWN CALLED BASTARD

By William Terry

NEL, 1971

Revolutionaries massacre a church congregation and destroy its interior. From that day onwards the town becomes known as Bastard.

Some years later Bastard is under the control of bandits masquerading as revolutionaries who kill on the slightest whim. A priest is trying to rebuild the destroyed church and the townspeople live in fear. 

A fancy hearse arrives in town, its female owner searching for the man who killed her husband. The woman promises to pay $20,000 in gold if the man who killed her husband is found and delivered to her so his corpse can be placed in the coffin the hearse is transporting. The bandit leader wants that gold, so sets out to find the unnamed killer. Could it be the mysterious man of legend Aguila? Does Aguila even exist?

Further violence will erupt when a brutal army Colonel arrives on the scene searching for an elusive rebel leader and no-one is safe from his savage methods to find the man he seeks.  

Based on Richard Aubrey’s screenplay for the spaghetti western of the same name, William Terry does an excellent job of capturing the mood and viciousness on the movie. There are a few scenes in the book that don’t appear in the movie and I don’t know whether the author added these himself or they were including in the screenplay and were omitted from the final cut of the film. 

There are some great characters to be found in this story, The Priest, Don Calos, Alvira and her bodyguard, Spectre, to name but a few. Terry captures the harshness of this tale in a very visual way and fleshes the characters out a little more than is done in the film. I seem to remember watching the movie many, many years ago and thinking it didn’t make much sense but the author fills in the gaps so it is much easier to follow. Maybe the censor was responsible for the film being uneven? 

Violence is graphic, and the author seems to have added some sexual scenes that don’t appear in the film to spice the book up, but these aren’t graphic. They do help explain why some of the characters act the way they do. There are a few neat twists to the tale before the book ends as brutally as it began.  

I must say I much prefer the book version to the film, which was also known as A Town Called Hell in some countries. 

William Terry is a pseudonym for author Terry Harknett, perhaps better known for his Edge westerns written as George G. Gilman. 

The movie starred Robert Shaw, Stella Stevens, Telly Savalas and Martin Landau. It was produced by S. Benjamin Fisz and was directed by Robert Parrish.

APACHE DEATH

EDGE

Number 3 of 61
 + 3 Edge meets Steele books + mini-series Edge: The Return, 6 books

By George G. Gilman

Cover art by Ricard Clifton-Dey

NEL, May 1972

The year is 1866. The region is the Arizona Territory. The town is called Rainbow.

The cavalry are there. So is an English gambler. So is Edge. Outside the town waits Cochise and his Apaches.

They are all together at Rainbow’s end.

This book has an extremely high death count as the Apache are determined to wipe the white man out. Farmsteads and ranches are swept aside. People are butchered horrifically. Edge arrives at one such farmstead and views the remains of the slain. Realizes one of the famers daughters has been taken prisoner but there is nothing he can do about it.

Arriving in the town of Rainbow, which is built by a Fort also called Rainbow, Edge meets the English gambler and is soon lured into a hunt for one million dollars that is buried somewhere in the vicinity. With hundreds of Apaches swarming the area, the money isn’t going to be easy to find. And then the Apaches attack the town.

George G. Gilman is still developing the character of Edge but all the main elements are to be found. He’s hard, very hard, and only believes in looking out for himself. He’s quick to act and give orders – which doesn’t go down well with the Fort’s commander. The gallows humour is there but not every chapter ends with a pun as it will in later books. The violence is extremely graphic and some of the torture scenes will make you cringe. Not many of the main, and support, characters will survive. 

Apache Death was always one of my favourites in the Edge series, and after reading it again, it still remains so. The cover art has to be one of the greatest of the entire series. 

George G. Gilman was a pseudonym used by Terry Harknett.

THE MASSACRE TRAIL

GUNSLINGER

Number 1 of 10

By Charles C. Garrett

Cover art by Chris Collingwood

Sphere, 1979

John Ryker was a gunsmith. One of the best at a time when speed and skill with a shooting iron were as vital to survival as food in your belly.

Then one day Ryker sold a man a gun – a Deringer – that later killed a President. That incident set Ryker on a vengeance trail of blood and conflict that would test his gun-skill to its farthest limits. And so, the gunsmith became a killer – one whose professional mastery of the West’s armoury of death-dealing firepower made him the deadliest around . . . 

The cover above is from my copy, which is a 1979 reprint. The book was first published in 1977 with cover art by Colin Backhouse – which you can see below. 

The Gunslinger series came from the group of British authors who would later become known as the Piccadilly Cowboys. This series was written by Angus Wells and Laurence James, the latter being the author of this book.

What set this series apart from the others is that each book features a different gun. This time it’s the Deringer and its copies known as Derringers. Each book contains loads of information about the weapons both Ryker and others use, making this series a must read for anyone who has an interest in guns of this time period.

Like the vast majority of the series written by the Piccadilly Cowboys, it’s vengeance that sees Ryker hit the killing trail. At the beginning of the book, Ryker is just a gunsmith, he’s never killed anyone before. He sells a Deringer to a man who gives it to John Wilkes Booth who assassinates President Abraham Lincoln with it. Northerners then seek out anyone who they claim helped Booth achieve his aim, and the gunsmith who sold the Deringer becomes a target. Two men ride to Ryker’s hometown and finding him away, brutally kill his father instead. Ryker now wants revenge.

I always enjoyed seeing how Ryker changes, he’s a quick learner in the art of killing. He makes mistakes that nearly see him killed. He uses information customers gave him to hone his techniques whilst having their guns repaired. People such as John Wesley Hardin and an unknown man who carries a razor in a pouch behind his neck – a man Ryker thanks for giving him an edge.

Killing his father’s murderers isn’t the end of the book by far. Ryker has dealings with a banker named Goldburgh who claims ownership to the gunsmith’s family home and his store. The sheriff of Tucson, Nolan, encourages Ryker to become a bounty hunter to get the money he needs to get out of dept with the bank. The second half of the story sees Ryker head to Desolation, a town taken over by six Confederate deserters. Can Ryker, still learning his new trade, save the town from these savage killers and get the money he needs to payoff Goldburgh?

Laurence James does a superb job in introducing Ryker and some of the support characters who will have parts to play later in the series. James blends the gun information into the story in a natural way so these sections don’t come over like someone lecturing the reader about these weapons. As expected, the book is packed with bloody, descriptive violence and it also includes a little explicit sex. Like in many of James’ books, you’ll also find a character who’s an albino. 

The Gunslinger series has always been one of my favourites to come from the Piccadilly Cowboys and I’d encourage anyone who likes their work to read this series. Whilst the paperbacks aren’t easy to find these days, you’ll be pleased to know that Piccadilly Publishing has just begun to put this series out as ebooks and The Massacre Trail is available now.

RED SUN

By William Terry

NEL, July 1972

A train carrying a Japanese delegation with a golden ceremonial sword for President Grant is robbed by outlaws led by Link and Gauche. When Gauche double-crosses Link and leaves him for dead, Link is ordered to team up with Kuroda, one of the ambassador's samurai bodyguards, who has a week to recover the sword or commit 'hara-kiri'. Kuroda will also kill Link before taking his own life. Hoping to find out from Gauche where the gang buried the loot from the train before Kuroda can kill him, Link tries to unsuccessfully escape from the samurai. Soon a truce is formed between the American and the Japanese samurai and they close in on Gauche but a new threat is waiting for them all, a band of Comanche warriors eager to take all their lives.

One of three film novelisations written by William Terry, whose real name was Terry Harknett, whom westerns fans will know better as his pseudonym George G. Gilman behind which he wrote the extremely successful Edge series. 

Terry told me that his movie novelisations were based on the screenplays and that he didn’t get to see the film before writing the book. He was also given information on who would be starring in the film so he could base his characters descriptions on them. When reading this book, it is very easy to imagine the actors in the leading roles, and hear their voices too. 

The clash of cultures makes for some humorous scenes that add a light-hearted feel to the story but it is not a comedy western. The plot is simple yet entertaining and the many action scenes can be quite brutal at times although nowhere near as graphic as Harknett’s series westerns. 

If you’ve seen the film or are a fan of Terry Harknett’s writing, then this is a must read for you. If you like stories where cultures clash then this is a tale you will probably enjoy. I also think anyone who likes westerns should find this a worthwhile read. 

Red Sun is a 1971 Franco-Italian Spaghetti Western that was directed by Terence Young (better known perhaps for his James Bond films). Red Sun starred Charles Bronson, Toshirō Mifune, Alain Delon and Ursula Andress. The original screenplay was by Denne Bart Petitclerc, William Roberts, and Lawrence Roman, from a story by Laird Koenig. 

Hot Lead - issue one

Issue one of Hot Lead, a new hardcopy western fanzine is now available via Amazon.

This first issue contains 60 pages and all about the books written by a group of writers known today as The Piccadilly Cowboys. Inside you will find an interview with Terry Harknett, who wrote mostly as George G. Gilman and under this pseudonym put out the following three series, Edge, Adam Steele and The Undertaker.

You’ll also find detailed looks at both Herne the Hunter and Crow, along with a review of one book from every Piccadilly Cowboy series.

Hot Lead has been put together by editor Justin Marriott, ghost editor Paul Bishop with contributions from myself, Steve Myall.

Issue two is almost ready to go and will feature the Art of the Western and issue three will be about the American Adult Westerns.

So, please grab a copy and help make this fanzine a success.

Massacre at Red Rock

By Jack Martin

The Crowood Press, May 2017

Liberty Jones is tired of war – he fought hard in the Civil War, saw great suffering and endured much himself. Now all he wants is to be left in peace, but trouble has a way of finding him. He rides into the town of Red Rock to escape a marauding tribe of Indians, but any hopes of safety he may have held are soon dispelled. For the town is under military command and facing a gathering of great Indian tribes who are determined to drive the people from the town and reclaim their land.

Liberty, along with a rag tag band of townspeople, must face impossible odds and soon blood will run deep in the streets of Red Rock.

Massacre at Red Rocks is a very fast paced book that is more or less filled with non-stop action as the mix of Indian tribes launch attack after attack on the town. There are brief explanations as to why the military won’t give up Red Rocks and why the Indians are so determined to destroy the town.

Jones is at first at odds with Captain Roberts but this soon becomes a grudging respect as the fighting ability of Jones becomes apparent to the soldier. There are one or two lighter moments amidst the carnage, such as when Jones and the English gambler, Sinclair, get arrested. This leads to the pair meeting an old-timer in jail which gives birth to the tales' sub-plot.

There are a couple of tips of the hat towards favourites of the author, such as naming the English gambler Lord Simon Sinclair – a mix of names of two of Roger Moore’s famous television characters, Simon Templar (The Saint) and Lord Brett Sinclair from The Persuaders. Knowing that Jack Martin is also a massive fan of the third Edge book, Apache Death, by George G. Gilman, there are certainly nods of the head to that story too. All of this added to my enjoyment of the story.

Jack Martin is a pseudonym used by Gary Dobbs, and he has certainly come up with a very entertaining tale that should satisfy all of us who like stories packed with action.

Hannie Caulder

By William Terry

NEL, September 1971

Fleeing the scene of a botched bank robbery, the Clemens brothers come across an isolated homestead. Attempting to steal fresh horses, the trigger-happy youngest brother murders Caulder, the landowner. His wife Hannie is unable to fend off the three Clemens alone. They rape her, steal her horses and burn her home to the ground. Determined to seek revenge Hannie teams up with Thomas Price a ruthless bounty hunter. She implores him to teach her how to kill. Reluctantly he agrees and together they set off in pursuit of the outlaws.

This is the book of the film rather than a book that became a film. The author, William Terry, based the book on the screenplay which in turn was adapted from an original story by Peter Cooper.

William Terry is a pseudonym used by Terry Harknett, who would become much better known the following year as George G. Gilman when the first in the best-selling Edge western series was released, a series that would run for seventeen years.

Terry tells me he wrote the book from the final draft of the script the director would be using to make the film. He knew who was to star in the film and was sent some black and white stills of key scenes which is why his descriptions of characters is spot on. Dialogue was taken from the script and it’s intriguing to discover this contains a lot of gallows humour which would become a trademark of Terry’s own books, something he freely admits he was influenced by along with many other TV and film westerns he watched and was ‘enthusiastically encouraged by the editorial team at New English Library!’ to continue using this in his own westerns.

The story is a straight-forward revenge tale and mixes the dark theme of Caulder’s rape and subsequent quest for vengeance with lighter comic moments mainly through the antics of the Clemens brothers. Terry’s writing perfectly captures the spirit of the film and its changing tones.

The book was published around the time the movie was released and is a must read for fans of both the film and Terry Harknett’s work as well as those who enjoy fast-moving westerns that mix violence and humour.

The film is a British production directed by Burt Kennedy and starred Raquel Welch as Hannie Caulder. It also stars Robert Culp, Ernest Borgnine, Strother Martin, Jack Elam, Christopher Lee, Diana Dors, and Stephen Boyd.

The First Death

APACHE #1:

By William M. James

NEL, March 1978

First published by Pinnacle, 1974 

(cover shown below)

In the great tradition of Cochise and Geronimo, Cuchillo is a warrior to be feared. But he is not a man easily driven to war. When the brutal and sadistic Lieutenant Pinner removes two of his fingers for allegedly stealing his ornamental knife, and brands him Cuchillo Oro (Golden Knife), he seeks a peaceful solution. When the true thieves come after him, even then, he keeps his head. But when Lieutenant Pinner takes his squaw and his baby boy hostage – then the white eyes have gone too far… 

Pinnacle published George G. Gilman’s very successful Edge series in America and saw them agree to publish a new series written by the man behind the Gilman pseudonym, Terry Harknett, and Laurence James. In fact the series idea came from the latter. Both these English authors, alongside a couple of others would latter become known as the Piccadilly Cowboys. When Terry decided to stop writing for this series his place was taken over by John B. Harvey, another of the PCs. The series ran from 1974 to 1984 and saw the publication of 27 books. Only the first 12 were published in the authors’ home country. The first book I’m reviewing here being written by Terry Harknett. 

This opening novel deals with the misunderstandings that lead to the tragic deaths that will set Cuchillo on the vengeance trail in the following books. It also explains how he gets his new name, Cuchillo Oro, and how he comes to carry the bejewelled knife. 

The book is superbly paced, full of well-crafted characters, and savage bloody action. There aren’t any white-hat heroes here, just hard men, and women, struggling to survive. Sympathies lie with the Apaches, as to be expected in a series with one of them as the lead character, and the soldiers are painted, mainly, as vicious, heartless, men who think nothing of torturing and raping, who take great pleasure from doing this, so it isn’t long before the reader is urging Cuchillo to victory. There is one white man who is a friend of Cuchillo, teacher John Hedges, a man who will turn up from time to time in later books.

For those who’ve read the Edge books and are aware of the groan worthy, grin-making, one liners of gallows humour Terry Harknett always included you’ll be pleased to discover he continues that tradition here, not as often but just as good, or bad, depending on your point of view.

The book ends with a very violent rescue attempt that leads to a couple of horrific killings that sees the story end with a promise that paves the way to the next book in the series and will leave you wanting more.

Due to its continuing storyline I’d suggest reading the books in order to get the greatest enjoyment from them.

Cuchillo Oro is Apache. 

Brutal

Unrelenting…

and Deadly.

The Riflemen

By Tony Masero

Solstice Westerns, April 2011

Mexico, 1868. Two men. One white, one colored. Proficient in shooting with the long arm, the greatest long-range weapon of the age. The .50 caliber Sharps rifle.

The ex-sharpshooters Nick Guardeen and Thaddeus Johnston receive an invitation from the Arizona State Governor. He offers them something they’ve never had before: land. So, for the promise of their very own homestead, they accept a highly dangerous mission across the border into Mexico.

Hounded by a merciless gang of assassins, they press on into the desert redoubt of the self-styled and ruthless General Wyatt whose crazy ambition is nothing less than reinstating the Confederacy. Their only assistance comes from the beautiful and mysterious Christine Lenoir. She risks all as a spy in the heart of the renegade fortress, driven by her hatred for the General.

Nick and Thaddeus need all their skills and fighting technique to survive against Apaches, murderers and a reinstated army of rebel forces.

To my knowledge this is the first published western by Tony Masero. His name will be instantly recognizable to many western fiction fans though, particularly those in the UK. Why? Because he is best known as an artist, the man who painted the covers for the highly regarded George G. Gilman series: Edge, Adam Steele, and The Undertaker. His artwork also appears on many other books and has recently begun fronting Black Horse Westerns.

So what is Tony like as an author? Very good is the quick answer.

The Riflemen is a fast moving tale that’s packed with action as the two ex-sharpshooters take on vast odds. Their characters have been carefully thought out and you’ll soon be urging them on to complete their mission. They aren’t the only memorable characters though; Black Band Doolin, Cave Wyatt, Billy Ray Laforge, and Christine Lenoir, will stick in the mind too, all for very different reasons, the latter of these adding intrigue to the story, as to why she wants revenge against Wyatt.

Tony Masero sets scenes well with brief but detailed enough descriptions that paint vivid imagery of the locations his story is played out in. Dialogue is handled confidently, and often has touches of humour within it. The story builds well to its action-packed final chapters – Billy Ray’s downfall providing a great laugh.

After finishing the Riflemen I’ve found myself hoping it isn’t too long before another book appears from Tony Masero.

Wild West eMonday

Tomorrow, Monday January 3^rd, is Wild West eMonday.

Like Wild West Mondays of the past this event is an attempt to gain more recognition for westerns by making publishers and booksellers aware there is a demand for western fiction. What is being asked is that all fans of western fiction buy a western ebook on this date.

Ebooks are fast growing in popularity and there are many westerns to choose from. There are classic westerns now available in electronic form, there are new authors to choose from, and new stories available from established authors. Many ebook versions are cheaper than the paper books too.

I review quite a few Black Horse Westerns here, and these a quite expensive to buy. The price on the books now is £13.25. Very shortly it’ll be possible to buy four of these books as an ebook bundle for £10.00 - four for less than the price of one book, and no shipping charges either.

Ebooks have allowed old books to be re-published. No longer will you have to search the second-hand bookstores for an old tatty, creased and yellowed copy of a book you’ve long wanted. You’ll be able to store an entire series – in fact many, many series – on one handheld device that weighs less than a single paperback book. The recently launched ebook version of the classic first book in the Edge series is now available for instance, and if it sells well enough could see the entire series of 61 books come out in this form.

As I said above there are new books only available as ebooks. With Dorchester switching to ebooks rather than paper, the only way to read new books from their authors is in electronic form. Books such as the fourth book in Robert Randisi’s Lancaster series, Crow Bait, and the 65^th book in David Thompson’s Wilderness series, Seed of Evil, for example.

Then there’s the new Rancho Diablo series by Colby Jackson – a pseudonym shared by Mel Odom, James Reasoner and Bill Crider – the second book having just been released. 

Westerns which cross genres are now becoming more readily available too, such as Peter Brandvold’s Bad Wind Blowing – which sees the dead coming back to life, came out in December 2010. (Expect a review of this here soon)

So please take a few minutes tomorrow to search through the many western ebooks available and spend a few pounds or dollars on supporting this event and help keep the western fiction genre alive.

Wild West eMonday is spearheaded by Gary at the Tainted Archive, there you will be able to find more details, along with many western related posts, including a free ebook, articles and interviews. You will also be able to read a new short story, Melanie, by Edward A. Grainger, which sees the return of Marshal Cash Laramie…

MELANIE

By Edward A. Grainger

This is a hard-hitting tale that deals with child abuse. It also highlights the frustrations of the law not being able to intervene in life within a person’s own home, no matter how bad this is. In fact Marshal Cash Laramie finds himself in trouble for attempting to help the young girl of the title, Melanie.

Edward A. Grainger has written a tale that will stick with the reader for a long time. Characterization is handled well within such a short story, easily making the reader feel emotionally attached to them, be that wanting Laramie to find a solution to the problem, feel anger at the law and hate towards Clem Stewart.

There’s also some excellent tension towards the end as Melaine searches for her uncle in the dark, fearing what could be lurking out there, and what her uncle’s reaction to her might be. The end is well crafted and offers a neat surprise.

Melaine is well worth taking the time to read.

Edward A. Grainger is a pseudonym used by David Cranmer, editor of Beat to a Pulp. His first Laramie story, Cash Laramie and the Masked Devil, can be found in the western anthology A Fistful of Legends.

A Christmas Western

EDGE #28:

EVE OF EVIL

By George G. Gilman

NEL, September 1978

To the townspeople of Rayne, Wyoming, the coming Christmas was going to be very special. They reckoned they were about to witness the birth of the new messiah.

Edge did not. There were the shepherds, the three wise men and one or two miracles sure enough, but there was also the Lassiter gang, the robbery and the killings. And to Edge, once again fighting for his life, that did not add up to a nativity.

I first read this book when it was published all those years ago and it left a lasting impression on me then. It’s probably not the best Edge book but it sure falls into the category of those with the strangest plots, and it’s this storyline that makes it so memorable. In fact I can’t remember ever reading any other western with a similar plot either.

The whole story takes place over two days, Christmas Eve and Christmas Day. The book contains all the elements you’d expect from an Edge story: fast pace, lots of violence often graphic in its description, and loads of gallows humour.

Even the sceptical Edge begins to wonder about the chain of events that sees him become involved with Joseph and Maria – who is about to give birth at any moment - a group of shepherds, a dead man named Starr lying to the east, and a priest and his woman named Angel. But it’s the three Oriental wise men who are the source of some of the best lines in the book. For instance these, when it’s realised they haven’t arrived with gifts:

‘They was supposed to bring gifts,’ Basset growled.

‘Frig the heathen bastards!’ the deputy named Frank snarled. ‘We don’t need ‘em. I got my gold watch I can give the baby. Sheriff?’

Karnes delved into a pants pocket and brought out some loose change. ‘I didn’t count on takin’ no trip today. I just got a dollar, Frank. In cents.’

And does this tale finish with the rebirth of Jesus Christ? Well that is something I can’t reveal here other than say the birth of the baby provides a great finale to the story.

If you want a Christmas themed western to read at this time of the year I’d say Eve of Evil should definitely be one you should consider, I’m sure you’ll find it just as entertaining as I did.

Western Fiction News

EDGE first appeared in 1972 and continued until 1989. The EDGE series ran for 61 books and the half-breed teamed up with one of George G. Gilman’s other anti-heroes, Adam Steele, in 3 more books. The series sold in excess of eighteen million copies.

Today these westerns are much sort after, particularly the latter books in both series – the final EDGE book often commanding a three-figure sum on auction sites.

Now EDGE is available to buy once more as ebooks. The covers carry new artwork from the artist, Tony Masero, who painted the UK covers all those years ago.

The first book in the series, The Loner, is available now for just £2.01 ($3.11). Get it direct from the publisher Solstice or sites such as Smashwords. The books will also be available from other major Internet booksellers soon.

The latest issue of Black Horse Extra is now available, and as usual features a wonderful mix of articles and comments. Chap O’Keefe introduces readers to one of his series characters, Joshua Dillard. Matthew Mayo talks about how his hopes to see his books published by Dorchester have taken a blow with the publisher’s announcements to switch to ebooks, and Greg Mitchell continues his examination of the artwork of Frederick Remington. Along with these there is the usual selection of news items that cover a broad variety western topics.

Sky Movies magazine has done a four page feature to tie in with their Westerns Week at the end of September. Picking some of their favourite stars from the western genre they’ve named them thus:

The Anti-Hero – Clint Eastwood

The Deputy – Dean Martin

The Loner – Gary Cooper

The Icon – John Wayne

The Cowgirl – Jane Russell

The Villain – Lee Van Cleef

The Gent – James Stewart

Along with this they’ve picked five must see western moments and these are:

The Duel –The final showdown with the winding down musical pocket watch in For A Few Dollars More.

The Exit – Wayne’s Ethan walks away from the home at the end of The Searchers.

The Gunfight – The final bloody shootout that ends The Wild Bunch.

The Punch-Up – The fistfight in Blazing Saddles that spills from the western set into other sets and buildings.
The Song – As the heroes await death in Rio Bravo.

Interview: Tony Masero

The second interview to appear here is not with an author but an artist. For those who may not be as familiar with his name as western readers in the UK, Tony Masero's work appeared on two of the longest running western series produced in the UK. His work fronted many other books too. Tony has also been kind enough to share with us a new painting of a well known western character he did for his own amusement, you'll find this at the end of the interview.

Let me begin by thanking you for agreeing to this interview Tony, and providing some scans of the original artwork to help illustrate it.

My pleasure.

How old were you when you fist decided you wanted to make painting your career?

Well, I was born the son of an artist. My father, Gino Masero was a woodcarver and he put a pencil in my hand at a very early age so I guess it was somewhat pre-determined from those childhood days.

Was painting book covers an area you wanted to break into and how did you end up working for NEL (New English Library)?

It’s a strange story really. In 1960 I started at Hornsey College of Art in London after leaving school and studied Graphic Design there. Always being better at drawing than design, about half way through I decided I preferred Illustration to Graphics and asked the headmaster if I could change my course. With all the wonderfully encouraging and farsighted attitude that one could expect from the teaching profession in the sixties I was told I’d never make an illustrator. Not a chance, old boy. Guess I spent the next few years trying to prove him wrong.

I was pretty determined and eventually after some years working as a designer I packed it in and prepared some sample illustrations and hawked them around. It took a long time but eventually cracked it with NEL who were producing a great deal of pulp fiction at the time. It was a wonderful launching pad for an illustrator as one had to turn your hand to many different subjects and styles. A good training ground.

Do you find a particular medium reproduces better than another when going through the printing process, for instance acrylics rather than oils?

In commercial illustration, in the days before computer technology took over, it was quite often a matter of speed. Either to meet tight deadlines or, more basically, to earn more money. I started off by using mainly gouache for very tight, bright artwork. Later I moved to acrylics mainly for their quick drying capacity and finally oils which I found worked particularly well for skin tones. In the end it was often a mix of all three. Gouache dries rapidly but smudges if you’re not careful. Acrylic dries quickly and is a hard wearing medium. Oils take a long time to dry unless you mix a drying medium with them but this can alter the texture of the paint.

Did you begin to use an airbrush on the backgrounds of your later western covers?

Yes, once again speed played a part. The airbrush coats an area with a perfect graduation and it thankfully took over from the days when I used a lino cutting ink roller and two shades of colour to achieve a graduated sky as I did in many of the ‘Black Slaver’ series.

How big is the original artwork for a paperback novel?

It varies. As long as the artwork is in correct proportion to the jacket size it doesn’t matter. Obviously the bigger the artwork is, on reduction, the better it looks. The early Edge and Steele were about 15” x 10” but later some were produced at 30” x 20” size.

Did you have an interest in westerns before you started painting western covers or was it a case of, ‘I’ll painted anything as I need the money’?

Oh, big fan of western movies from early days. Still am.

The main western covers you are known for are those for George G. Gilman’s books. You took over as the artist for these series after they’d been running for a while so I guess you had to keep the look of Edge and Steele as created by the previous artists?

That’s certainly the case with the Edge series. With Steele I was allowed a freer hand. How the Eastwood look came about is quite funny really. I had done some samples for another Western series called ‘Herne the Hunter’ and my artwork ideas were rejected by the publisher. When the series eventually came out I saw that the chosen illustrator had used Clint as his basis for the character - so I thought, well, if he can get away with it why not me! And that’s how Steele got his look, only changing when Terry decided to give him a beard. Which, by the way, was a swipe from Sean Connery in ‘Robin and Marion’.

How did you decide on the content of the covers? Were you sent a synopsis of the story or discuss your ideas for the covers with Terry Harknett (George G. Gilman)?

Usually I received a brief synopsis and based the artwork around that although on some particular occasions I did discuss with Terry. For instance when he produced the Civil War trilogy and the beard thing. Terry was always very flexible and could integrate my visual ideas into his novels without a problem, working with him always went very smoothly.

Did painting western covers involve a lot of research to get details correct, such as clothing and weapons?

Every Illustrator had a huge library of reference and I was no exception. In those days you could buy model weapons quite easily - then villains started adapting them as usable firearms or as fakes in robberies so they no longer became available. Movie stills were a great resource and I also used a lot of self produced photographic reference. Polaroids mainly and some on 35 mm film. Nowadays its all far simpler with digital.

Keeping on the theme of guns, I believe you were the only the second artist to paint Adam Steele with a Colt Hartford, most others – including the American artist – had him wrongly using a Winchester.

This was Terry’s influence. He supplied the correct reference right at the beginning so it went from there.

Did you use real models to pose for the covers or were they all created on paper? The reason I ask is I seem to remember reading that some of your Edge covers were based on a popular English footballer of that time, George Best, and no-one can deny Steele’s resemblance to Clint Eastwood.

Real models were an expensive proposition in those days and I only used them if the commissioning company was prepared to pay, which was rarely. I inherited the Edge look from the original series illustrator, the late Dick Clifton Dey. He and Cecil Smith, the art director worked out the look together so I believe. George Best was a popular player at the time and with Dick’s own rather samed look they combined the two. When I took over I was younger, fitter and thinner in those days, so able to pose myself. Although finding so many ways to have a solo figure holding a gun on a cover was no mean feat.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that you very rarely showed the main character on a horse. Was this because it was difficult to include a horse in a vertical composition or was it simply because you didn’t like painting horses?

Mainly its the difficulty of fitting both man and beast into the format. A horse takes up a lot of room and the scale of the figures suffered as result. Witness ‘Edge meets Steele. No. 3”. I often had to resort to just a saddle or some part of the creature.

How come Edge was never shown wearing a Stetson?

He looked cooler without one. He is represented as ‘A Man Alone’ and I think hatless he somehow fitted that bill better.

There’s always been comments made about the height of Steele on the first Edge meets Adam Steele cover, I guess this is artistic licence in aid of composition?

Yep, that’ll work.

Was it your decision to use a more or less white background on early books in both series or was this something the publisher wanted? With the chance of title logo came more detailed backgrounds.

Edge was really the first Western series to use this format and, as far as I know, it was Cecil Smith, the Art Director at NEL, who designed the look. After that the formula was often copied by other publishers and I had many requests for western covers that looked ‘the same as Edge but different’.

The covers showing Edge coming through wanted posters, flags, and maps, and those with a shield or star behind him were effective. Did you have the freedom to take the covers in any direction you wanted?

Yes, once established as the main illustrator and as long as the book sales kept going up they were happy to leave me to my own devices.

You painted many superb covers for both the Edge and Steele series but do you have any personal favourites? I, and many other fans of the Gilman books, have always highly rated Steele #20: Wanted for Murder, and I really liked the portrait of Edge on #44: The Blind Side.

I enjoyed both of those covers. The Blind Side was a nice chance just to concentrate on a portrait style image and I was happy with the way Steele 20 came out too. The original reference for the background stimulated the idea of the muted tones. It was an old sepia tone photograph of a Victorian dock scene that I found in (would you believe it?) a recipe book for antique dishes.

If I have any one favourite its for a professional reason. It’s No. 30 ‘Waiting for a Train’ - mainly because I know the amount of work that went into getting the lighting just so.

The final Gilman book, Edge #61: The Rifle bares a strong resemblance to Dick Clifton-Dey’s original cover for the very first Edge book, I always thought this was a great idea, were you asked to do this or was it your decision?

This was my idea. I had always held a great respect for Dick Clifton Dey’s illustration work and that cover was a kind of tip of the hat to his passing. He did many covers outside the Western genre and in all of them he demonstrated an outstanding talent. We never actually met face to face but spoke often on the phone at the end of the era, when old style book illustration was being marginalised and superceded by inhouse computer use of photography and type.

Moving onto George G. Gilman’s third series, The Undertaker, did you come up with the idea of the photo background, the coffin illustration, combined with your painting or were you just asked to paint Barnaby Gold and the cover was then created by NEL?

The latter was the case. Not my favourite resolution either. It was a thing the design department at NEL were going through at the time and they had me doing the same idea on various other subjects as well such as romance and drama.

Did you become a fan of Edge and Steele or did you just stick to painting the covers rather than reading the books?

Well, I never got the chance as I only saw the synopsis.

Do you still have the original paintings?

Except for maybe a few I think do. Keep thinking about arranging an exhibition of them.

You also painted the covers for John Delaney’s James Gunn series. It’s often commented on how much Gunn looks like a blond Edge, was this done as a marketing ploy?

No, this series was before Edge in my very early days at NEL. To be honest I can’t really recall how his look came about although I did know a guy some years before who looked a lot like Gunn, so maybe that was the subliminal influence.

I have a Star version of one of Pinnacle’s western series, Six-Gun Samurai by Patrick Lee, it’s for the fourth book Kamikaze Justice that looks to be your work. Is it, and if so how many covers did you paint for this series as the other Star books I have from this series use the American cover art?

There was only the one unfortunately - Being an old martial arts man I quite wanted to do that series - I don’t think they took off in the UK though and if memory serves they only published the one book.

I also have Jay Charles’ Tupelo Gold that features your cover art, are there any other westerns that fans of your work in this genre should be on the look out for?

I did a few for various serials in Woman magazine that had a Western background - but I doubt if your readers will generally be interested in those. ‘Track’ was a short lived series for Star Books. Other than that mainly one-offs. I did do quite a few for W H Allen alongside their Target range of Dr. Who books which eventually led on to Dr. Who covers for Virgin Books.

And finally, are you still painting today and if so is it for business or pleasure…perhaps both?

Yes, still at it. And doing both. An interesting sideline is that through your website, Steve, I contacted Black Horse Western and sent them some samples and they are now keen to use me for some covers. So, thanks to you, it looks like I might be back in the saddle again. And thanks also to all the people out there who have been kind enough to make such favourable comments about my work over the years. Bless you all.