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Way of the Gun
[Read by John Pruden]
Even at seventeen years old, Carson Ryan knows enough about cow herding to realize the crew he's with is about the worst ever. They're taking the long way around to the Montana prairies, and they're seriously undermanned. -- While rounding up strays, Ryan hears gunshots ring across the range. Suspecting an Indian attack, he gallops straight into a U.S. Army raid instead. The outfit he's with is nothing but a bunch of murdering cattle rustlers, and the law thinks he's one of them. Tied up, thrown in jail, and tried by a court that's more interested in hanging a man than learning the truth, Carson has only two escape or die trying.
Even at seventeen years old, Carson Ryan knows enough about cow herding to realize the crew he's with is about the worst ever. They're taking the long way around to the Montana prairies, and they're seriously undermanned. -- While rounding up strays, Ryan hears gunshots ring across the range. Suspecting an Indian attack, he gallops straight into a U.S. Army raid instead. The outfit he's with is nothing but a bunch of murdering cattle rustlers, and the law thinks he's one of them. Tied up, thrown in jail, and tried by a court that's more interested in hanging a man than learning the truth, Carson has only two escape or die trying.
- GenresWesterns
7 pages, Audio CD
First published March 5, 2013
46 people are currently reading
28 people want to read
About the author
Charles G. West
70 books75 followersCharles G. West first arrived on the western literary scene in March, 1998 with his first novel, Stone Hand, published by Penguin under their Signet imprint. The book was the first of a three-book series, featuring Jason Coles, master tracker. The public response to those first three books called for more western fiction by West, and as of January 2014, Signet has published forty-five.
Inspired in his youth by great adventure authors like A.B. Guthrie and Vardis Fisher, West has always sought to be true to the men and women who braved the dangers of the savage frontier that was ultimately forged to become the American west. Novels by Charles G. West are classified as historical/westerns due to his diligent research in his subject matter, choosing to weave his fiction into the fabric of the actual places and events, being true to the times as well as the people. As a result, his protagonists are usually not heroes, but are often called upon to perform heroic deeds.
Insisting that his protagonists must be instilled with a sense of fairness in addition to courage. West readily admits that many of the characters in his books are patterned after his two sons, both of whom are graduates of the University of Montana, one still lives in Kalispell, Montana - and is the source of much of the author's detail on the ways of the mountain man. Both sons share West's love for the Big Sky Country.
Presently, the author resides in Ocala, Florida with his wife, Ronda, whose name is found on the dedication page of every West novel.
Inspired in his youth by great adventure authors like A.B. Guthrie and Vardis Fisher, West has always sought to be true to the men and women who braved the dangers of the savage frontier that was ultimately forged to become the American west. Novels by Charles G. West are classified as historical/westerns due to his diligent research in his subject matter, choosing to weave his fiction into the fabric of the actual places and events, being true to the times as well as the people. As a result, his protagonists are usually not heroes, but are often called upon to perform heroic deeds.
Insisting that his protagonists must be instilled with a sense of fairness in addition to courage. West readily admits that many of the characters in his books are patterned after his two sons, both of whom are graduates of the University of Montana, one still lives in Kalispell, Montana - and is the source of much of the author's detail on the ways of the mountain man. Both sons share West's love for the Big Sky Country.
Presently, the author resides in Ocala, Florida with his wife, Ronda, whose name is found on the dedication page of every West novel.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 24, 2013
The problem with the modern day Western is that, unlike other genres, it has evolved very little since the time of Louis Lamour. Under a microscope these stories (written and produced at speeds that would make a sweat shop envious) are more fantasy than western, complete with Tolkienesque characters; absolutely good, honorable and noble, versus absolute evil, hatred, and selfishness.
Such is the case with young Carson in Way of the Gun. Wise and witty well beyond his 17 years; he always has the perfect answer for the bad guys, and will always make the right decision (which coincidentally will also always be the honorable decision). He's equipped with experiences, maturity, and a skill set he couldn't possibly have acquired in his few years.
So what will young Carson do when, held captive by the blood-thirsty murderous bad guys, he's faced with an opportunity to make his escape and save the nearby innocents? Will he shoot a bad guy in the back? Of course not. Like most Western 'good guys' his honor gets in the way of the sensible and despite increased risk to his own life, and those he's attempting to protect/save, he must ride around to the other side of the camp so that he can shoot the bad guys in the chest lest he taint his honor by doing what the rest of us would have done in the same situation.
Honestly, I can't see how these types of books continue to be written. Part of the disdain the Western genre receives from a general public ready and willing to spend money on a good adventure is simply due to the characters being so damn unrealistic and unrelatable. Seriously, who wants to read about a infallible protagonist who always makes the right choices, who is always noble, and who is always honorable?
Check out the short list of what young Carson is capable of:
- Master horseman - Rider and analyzer
- Master scout - Can track and cover tracks (why would a 17 year old be skilled in subterfuge and wilderness evasion??)
- Expert marksman - He's a 1 shot/1 kill kind of guy
- Expert cattleman - Ironically Carson describes this as 'the only thing he can do'.
- Expert hunter - Can stalk, kill and clean a deer in an hour
- Can lay and/or thwart an ambush given the opportunity to. He can out Injun and Injun.
- Expert negotiator - He always has the perfect answer
- Expert tactician - His instincts are never wrong.. if he expects you to 'pick up the big stick', you'll find yourself picking up the big stick. If he thinks you'll go for the horses, sure enough, you're going for the horses.
- Master trailblazer - This kid makes Lewis & Clark look like Laurel & Hardy
- Able to keep his cool when outnumbered in a firefight, even when adults around him are freaking out/paralyzed by fear.
That's a tall order for a 17 year old, isn't it Mr. West? I realize there are some exceptionally talented youth in the world, but they're usually good at SOMETHING... not EVERYTHING. How about you pick any 5 qualities to make him an expert at, and then maybe make normal for the rest?
The book has some inconsistencies and oddities as well. As an example, in one instance a woman says 'Don't you get yourself shot and leave us to fight the Indians alone' despite the fact that she cannot possibly know at that point that their group is being attacked by Indians.
In another instance, at one point it is described as a 'late start' when a wagon party doesn't get moving for the day until the sun is breaking over the mountains. Twenty pages later the same wagon party is said to be getting an early start when 'the sun shone brightly on the east side of the mountain'.
Not to mention that I lost track of how many times Carson arrives just in the nick of time to save someone. This is a mechanic the author usres over and over and it's a poor suspense builder.
These are mainly quibbles, but demonstrate the lack of attention to detail and quality. This is an author who writes a book every three months. That he stresses quantity and quickness over quality is readily apparent in his writing.
Carson is largely a Mary Sue character. He's good to great at everything he does, has few (if any) flaws. Naturally he's a loner and has no family (a quality prevalent among Mary Sue's). The story ranges from the honorable and noble Carson being falsely accused of a crime to him outwitting, out lasting and outgunning his opponents despite being the underdog. Another common trait among Mary Sue's is for an author to deliberately make most scenes in the book revolve around their character's sole ability to solve the problem. For instance, at one point Carson finds himself traveling with three adult companions, yet when this group is forced into engagement on multiple occasions, these adults literally do nothing other than be paralyzed by fear... that's right, only the boy can get them out of their pickle, and that's what he does, repeatedly.
Movies like Unforgiven and books such as Lonesome Dove and Blood Meridian are proof positive that the limelight for the future of the Western can be found in writing realistic characters complete with insecurities and weaknesses... or better yet, anti heroes.
Despite the criticism, I did enjoy the story portion of this book. When the author isn't having his adults cower in fear or Carson leaping buildings in a single bound, it was quite enjoyable. However, the story can only take you so far when the characters aren't entertaining.
I recommend this book only for toilet reading and would highly recommend Blood Meridian or Journal of The Gun Years before I would recommend this. Both offer substantially more grit and the characters are much more fully developed and realistic.
Rating: 1 star for poorly written and thought out characters who were predictable and boring. 3 stars for the story which wasn't totally predictable and had some interesting parts. Average it out to 2 stars.
Such is the case with young Carson in Way of the Gun. Wise and witty well beyond his 17 years; he always has the perfect answer for the bad guys, and will always make the right decision (which coincidentally will also always be the honorable decision). He's equipped with experiences, maturity, and a skill set he couldn't possibly have acquired in his few years.
So what will young Carson do when, held captive by the blood-thirsty murderous bad guys, he's faced with an opportunity to make his escape and save the nearby innocents? Will he shoot a bad guy in the back? Of course not. Like most Western 'good guys' his honor gets in the way of the sensible and despite increased risk to his own life, and those he's attempting to protect/save, he must ride around to the other side of the camp so that he can shoot the bad guys in the chest lest he taint his honor by doing what the rest of us would have done in the same situation.
Honestly, I can't see how these types of books continue to be written. Part of the disdain the Western genre receives from a general public ready and willing to spend money on a good adventure is simply due to the characters being so damn unrealistic and unrelatable. Seriously, who wants to read about a infallible protagonist who always makes the right choices, who is always noble, and who is always honorable?
Check out the short list of what young Carson is capable of:
- Master horseman - Rider and analyzer
- Master scout - Can track and cover tracks (why would a 17 year old be skilled in subterfuge and wilderness evasion??)
- Expert marksman - He's a 1 shot/1 kill kind of guy
- Expert cattleman - Ironically Carson describes this as 'the only thing he can do'.
- Expert hunter - Can stalk, kill and clean a deer in an hour
- Can lay and/or thwart an ambush given the opportunity to. He can out Injun and Injun.
- Expert negotiator - He always has the perfect answer
- Expert tactician - His instincts are never wrong.. if he expects you to 'pick up the big stick', you'll find yourself picking up the big stick. If he thinks you'll go for the horses, sure enough, you're going for the horses.
- Master trailblazer - This kid makes Lewis & Clark look like Laurel & Hardy
- Able to keep his cool when outnumbered in a firefight, even when adults around him are freaking out/paralyzed by fear.
That's a tall order for a 17 year old, isn't it Mr. West? I realize there are some exceptionally talented youth in the world, but they're usually good at SOMETHING... not EVERYTHING. How about you pick any 5 qualities to make him an expert at, and then maybe make normal for the rest?
The book has some inconsistencies and oddities as well. As an example, in one instance a woman says 'Don't you get yourself shot and leave us to fight the Indians alone' despite the fact that she cannot possibly know at that point that their group is being attacked by Indians.
In another instance, at one point it is described as a 'late start' when a wagon party doesn't get moving for the day until the sun is breaking over the mountains. Twenty pages later the same wagon party is said to be getting an early start when 'the sun shone brightly on the east side of the mountain'.
Not to mention that I lost track of how many times Carson arrives just in the nick of time to save someone. This is a mechanic the author usres over and over and it's a poor suspense builder.
These are mainly quibbles, but demonstrate the lack of attention to detail and quality. This is an author who writes a book every three months. That he stresses quantity and quickness over quality is readily apparent in his writing.
Carson is largely a Mary Sue character. He's good to great at everything he does, has few (if any) flaws. Naturally he's a loner and has no family (a quality prevalent among Mary Sue's). The story ranges from the honorable and noble Carson being falsely accused of a crime to him outwitting, out lasting and outgunning his opponents despite being the underdog. Another common trait among Mary Sue's is for an author to deliberately make most scenes in the book revolve around their character's sole ability to solve the problem. For instance, at one point Carson finds himself traveling with three adult companions, yet when this group is forced into engagement on multiple occasions, these adults literally do nothing other than be paralyzed by fear... that's right, only the boy can get them out of their pickle, and that's what he does, repeatedly.
Movies like Unforgiven and books such as Lonesome Dove and Blood Meridian are proof positive that the limelight for the future of the Western can be found in writing realistic characters complete with insecurities and weaknesses... or better yet, anti heroes.
Despite the criticism, I did enjoy the story portion of this book. When the author isn't having his adults cower in fear or Carson leaping buildings in a single bound, it was quite enjoyable. However, the story can only take you so far when the characters aren't entertaining.
I recommend this book only for toilet reading and would highly recommend Blood Meridian or Journal of The Gun Years before I would recommend this. Both offer substantially more grit and the characters are much more fully developed and realistic.
Rating: 1 star for poorly written and thought out characters who were predictable and boring. 3 stars for the story which wasn't totally predictable and had some interesting parts. Average it out to 2 stars.
January 25, 2026
2.25 audio
July 4, 2025
Carson Ryan is a 17 year old cattle driver who decides to travel solo a bit to see Wyoming. En route, he joins some other cattle drivers heading that same direction, only to discover that they’re all wanted fugitives and he gets implicated and sentenced to death! From there, he finds himself out of the fire and into the frying pan in multiple adventures as he grows as a man in the Wild West.
After reading William Johnstone’s Perley Gates series, I struggled to find a new, similar book to read. Coming from screenwriting, I prefer books with prose that directly moves the story forward and doesn’t spend too much time with descriptions, tangential backstories, internal thoughts, etc. I know it’s a tall order with books but if I found it once I could find it again.
So I was very relieved to have finally found this book while browsing and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I liked the characters and the plot progressed well. It was a little predictable but I didn’t mind because it was still well written and enjoyable.
In my past few reviews of westerns I shelved early, I was put off by the poor depictions of Native characters. Even though they’re villains in this book, I didn’t mind. The author showed them as renegades and not representative as a whole, and in the current book I’m reading by the same author, he continues to uphold this sentiment and even has some good native supporting characters.
I thought this was a solid western and would recommend it to anyone interested in the genre. I’m also looking forward to reading more from the author.
After reading William Johnstone’s Perley Gates series, I struggled to find a new, similar book to read. Coming from screenwriting, I prefer books with prose that directly moves the story forward and doesn’t spend too much time with descriptions, tangential backstories, internal thoughts, etc. I know it’s a tall order with books but if I found it once I could find it again.
So I was very relieved to have finally found this book while browsing and thoroughly enjoyed it.
I liked the characters and the plot progressed well. It was a little predictable but I didn’t mind because it was still well written and enjoyable.
In my past few reviews of westerns I shelved early, I was put off by the poor depictions of Native characters. Even though they’re villains in this book, I didn’t mind. The author showed them as renegades and not representative as a whole, and in the current book I’m reading by the same author, he continues to uphold this sentiment and even has some good native supporting characters.
I thought this was a solid western and would recommend it to anyone interested in the genre. I’m also looking forward to reading more from the author.
March 31, 2013
Young Carson Ryan should have known better when he signed on with the cattle drive headed north. Though only seventeen, nearly eighteen, he had plenty of experience herding beef. He'd come up from Texas with a drive and just decided he had to see Montana. The herd he was with now, the drovers seemed inexperienced and always taking the wrong trails north. He learned why when an army troop hit them and he found they were rustlers.
No one believed his story and Carson went to trial with one survivor for rustling and murder, was convicted, and sent to be hanged. Having done nothing, he decided he was going to have to escape or die trying.
The bulk of the novel covers his escape, the people he becomes involved with, both friends and enemies, and the resolution and a most unexpected reward for the young loner.
No one believed his story and Carson went to trial with one survivor for rustling and murder, was convicted, and sent to be hanged. Having done nothing, he decided he was going to have to escape or die trying.
The bulk of the novel covers his escape, the people he becomes involved with, both friends and enemies, and the resolution and a most unexpected reward for the young loner.
March 2, 2015
I stepped outside my normal book selection with this one as I have never read a Western before. Much to my amazement - I really enjoyed it! Paced just right with amusing dialogue between perfectly portrayed characters, my attention was held throughout the entire book. Looking forward to reading more from this author - I think Mr. West just gained himself another fan.
October 12, 2016
A typical Western, the story was enjoyable but didn't really deviate to much from the expected. Characters were stereotypical Cowboys and Indians with little to no character development.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews