The Man From Mustang

Silvertip

by Max Brand

The explosion of the shot echoed through the saloon. The moment before, a gun had glinted in the night through an open window. Now Buck lay on the floor, fighting for his life, trying to raise himself on one hand trying to breathe. He reached up and caught Silvertip's hand. He tried to speak, but only red bubbles of blood burst on his lips.

Genres: Westerns

174 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published December 1, 1976

About the author

Frederick Schiller Faust (see also Frederick Faust), aka Frank Austin, George Owen Baxter, Walter C. Butler, George Challis, Evin Evan, Evan Evans, Frederick Faust, John Frederick, Frederick Frost, David Manning, Peter Henry Morland, Lee Bolt, Peter Dawson, Martin Dexter, Dennis Lawson, M.B., Hugh Owen, Nicholas Silver

Max Brand, one of America's most popular and prolific novelists and author of such enduring works as Destry Rides Again and the Doctor Kildare stories, died on the Italian front in 1944.

Reviews

[HornFan2 · Rating 4 out of 5]

The Man From Mustang is the first book in Max Brand's famed Silvertip series and it's a decent read. I have always called Max Brand 'Mr. Detail', since he adds so much to his stories, haven't seen another author as good as him, he can have multiple intertwining storylines, continue to add to it and ever so simple conclude each one.

My favorite characters were Jim Silver, Ned Kenyon and Edith Alton, he created a interesting storyline with Jim an eccentric loner, who lives like a hermit, befriends Ned when he saves his life by rescuing him from a wildfire and Edith also eccentric who needs to marry to claim an inheritance worth millions.

In the old West, people like Edith, your a magnet for attracting a bad element around you, that will scheme evil ways to steal your money and nice to see the schemer's under estimate Edith.

Brand does a nice job with Edith character, the whole story in general really good. So I don't get why he adds needless unrealistic embellishments to his story, that he doesn't need to, for example like Silver's horse Paradise crossing over a rope bridge or Silver wearing a black wig to look like a Mexican. Judging from the Western Movies, that would have been quite an ugly wig, laughable one even that people would notice verse they don't.

Definitely worth it to read, Brand's a good read and Silvertip's a character you'll soon forget.

[Mateo Tomas · Rating 4 out of 5]

Different in setup than the prior two. No supporting cast of Taxi and Barry Christian. What happened to his wolf Frosty?

Jim going by Arizona Jim helps Ned Kenyon escape from a brush fire and it all unravels from there.

In the past few years Ive been reading Louis Lamour, and he is dependable and certainly the most popular of Western/Frontier writers. Frederick Faust, aka Max Brand is another creature entirely. Reflective, poetic and direct. Adds dimension and layers of plot and secondary characters that are a pleasure to spend time with.

Ive just scored a Max Brand lot of books on ebay and I cannot wait to spend this year soaking up all he had to give his readers.

[David Welch · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book is a decent western by Max Brand, one of the best western writers to have lived. It focuses around Jim Silver, or Silvertip, one of his series characters. After making a friend on the prairie, Silver attends his wedding only for the bride to run off after leaving a guilt-ridden letter. Silver investigates and unravels a complicated scheme of people being falsely accused, people fighting over inheritance, and people loving those who seem doomed. All set in the west amidst plenty of action sequences. The book is a solid read, and moves along nicely. It doesn't redefine genres, but it doesn't set out too. There are some weaknesses. There are several villains with goals somewhat in common, but operating independently. None of them get all that much development, especially the main bad guy who doesn't show up until the very end. The ending is also somewhat rushed, and could've used another ten pages to breathe and fulfill the set-up of the book. Despite that, it's still a pretty good read, worth a look.

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Actually, not more than a long short story. Silver is an older man, but has always stayed in the right. He saves Ned Kenyon and takes an immediate interest in him. Ned is to be married to a woman he just met and Silver can see no reason this woman would want to marry Ned. He is right and soon after the marriage vows, she runs. Silver can’t leave it be and follows her. It is an interesting story with a good ending.

[Mike Grady · Rating 3 out of 5]

Another solid entry into the Silvertip series by Max Brand. Refreshingly, this one doesn’t follow the usual western formula.

[Alex Ketchum · Rating 4 out of 5]

Short and easy read.

[Cws]

W Bra

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Reasonably good Western, good characterisation - would read another Max Brand.

[Ronald · Rating 3 out of 5]

read SOMETIME in 2001

[Peter Charleston · Rating 3 out of 5]

Quick reading western adventure.