Scorpion: A Good Bad Horse

by Will James

This antique book contains the delightful story of Scorpion, a characterful horse belonging to a cowboy in the American West. An excellent feel-good novel and an accurate description of life as a real cowboy, this is a text that will greatly appeal to lovers of the Old West and makes for a must-have addition to collections of Will James's wonderful work. Will James (1892 - 1942) was an artist and author of American Western literature. He is most famous for writing 'Smoky the Cowhorse', a book for which he won the 1927 Newbery Medal. This antique book was originally published in 1916, and we are proud to republish it now complete with a new biography of the author.

Genres: Westerns, Horses

252 pages, Hardcover

Published November 17, 2008

About the author

Will James (1892-1942), artist and writer of the American West, was born Joseph Ernest Nephtali Dufault. It was during his creative years everyone grew to know him as Will James. During the next several years, he drifted, worked at several jobs, was briefly jailed for cattle rustling, served in the army, and began selling his sketches and in 1922 sold his first writing, Bucking Horse Riders. The sale of several books followed.

An artist and author of books about the American west and, in particular, horses, Will James wrote the 1926 book "Smoky the Cowhorse". It was awarded the John Newbery Medal in 1927, and remains in print to this day. Several movie adaptations of the story have been created, including a 1933 version that included Will James himself as the narrator.

His fictionalized autobiography, Lone Cowboy, was written in 1930. He also wrote Home Ranch (1935) and he wrote his last book, The American Cowboy, in 1942. In all, he wrote and illustrated 23 books.

In 1991, Will James was named a member of the Nevada Writers Hall of Fame.

Reviews

[Debbie Zapata · Rating 4 out of 5]

Dec 25, 1115pm ~~ Review asap.

Dec 26 145pm ~~ My final horse book of 2021, this one arrived after my horse-book fit but was supposed to be part of that little roundup. I had ordered in time, but when the book arrived there was a completely different title in the package, something about a girl who had been a drug addict since her pre-teen days. I emailed the bookseller but they said they did not have another copy of Scorpion at the price that was listed. I fought the rope for a few weeks but finally broke down and ordered this new reprint edition, so here we are.

This book was originally published in 1936, and even though the title is about the horse, the events in the story have much more to do with a young cowboy named Tim. Or Jerry. Or Jim. His name depended on which part of the country he was in at the time. Not that he is an outlaw, he is merely one of those classic high-spirited cowboys who tends to jump into circumstances without looking or thinking first.

But before we meet TimJerryJim, we meet Pete and our good bad horse Scorpion. Pete had contracted to 'take the rough off broncs' for the Cross Bell ranch. That meant handling them just a few times and then turning them over for the cowboys to finish off in the course of their daily work. Pete was good at his job and he knew there was something unusual about this particular chestnut he was dealing with. He recognized some of the signs, but Scorpion was tricky and lulled Pete into letting down his guard, thinking he had gotten as far along with him as he needed to under the terms of his contract.

Then one day Scorpion went ballistic with no warning at all, and Pete was left with one ankle busted and the other knee dislocated. While he was recuperating his old friend TimJerryJim showed up one night, on the run after one of his escapades. He explains the whole situation to Pete, stays for a few days, then asks for a horse so he can drift on into emptier country. The only horse that could stand the strain of such a trip is Scorpion. But does Pete dare let his friend use him? TimJerryJim is just as good a horseman as Pete, but that Scorpion horse is tricky, might even be a killer.

TimJerryJim insists that he will be alert all the time and will mistrust Scorpion the most when he seems the gentlest, and off he goes with the good bad horse. And then the adventure truly begins. Will TimJerryJim remember to stay alert the way he promised? Or will there come a day when Scorpion seizes his opportunity and changes TimJerryJim's destiny?

Will James showed a creativity in this book that impressed me. There is much more involved here than a simple story of a horse and a cowboy. I really enjoyed it and I'm very glad Scorpion got to my house in time for Christmas. I happened to read the Christmas scenes in the story early on Christmas morning, waiting for my Mom to wake up and discover that Santa visited our house after all. (Santa's elf did such a good job at not revealing any hints this year that she was certain there would be no presents to open.)

Whether you hear it from the lips of a 5 year old or a 92 year old, there is nothing quite as splendid as hearing a surprised and delighted "Oh, Santa came!"

So even though technically this book is not a Christmas title, it will always be one for me. Thanks, Mr. James for this special memory and wonderful story.

[Kimberly · Rating 3 out of 5]

Great story, ending felt a bit rushed. Appreciate the horses that have lessons for you.

[Jewel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Scorpion is an excellent novel and good description of the life of a real cowboy - not the movie version. If you love tales of the old west, the real old west, and horses you will enjoy this book. I first read the books written by Will James as a 13 or 14 year old and loved them. Now some 69 or 70 years older, I still love them. "Smoky", one the first books written and illustrated by James won the Newbery Medal for children's literature in 1927. The illustrations are excellent and are filled with action. Recommended for teens and up. G rated.

[Suzanne · Rating 4 out of 5]

It took awhile for me to get used to the writing style. The entire book, not just dialogue, is written in cowboy vernacular, complete with misspellings, slang, and bad grammar. I also think the story ran on a little too long. I did like it enough to finish it, however. The descriptions were complete enough to give a good feel for the country depicted without being overlong or tedious. The characters were well written and fun to read. I actually wish there had been a little more about Scorpion; unfortunately he was little more than a plot device for Tim’s story.

[Amber · Rating 4 out of 5]

So the danger with all westerns is being bored, because westerns are slow. The day to day and the little bitty details and conversations get to be a little dry. So I read over half of this book, but quickly got bored with the day to day of an injured cowboy. Scorpion wasn't even really a part of the story at the end. So four out of five stars.

[Geda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fun story and easy to read!

[Amber jenks · Rating 5 out of 5]

a feel good read, I loved it.

[Debbie · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am hooked on Will James! I love the way he wrote this book. A terrific story about horses, cowboys and the old ways. What a great author