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Buck Colter
In the Cimarron, other men had all the power. But he had a fire burning in his soul...
They called it the wild land. No Man's Land. The Cimarron. And in the lawless strip of open range between Texas and Kansas, one man had the wildest ambitions of all: to build a ranch with his own two hands and live by the same rules as the wealthiest, most powerful cattle barons around him. In the Cimarron, everyone knew Buck Colter was courting danger by branding his own steers. What people didn't know was where Buck had come from, what he had seen, and who he really was. Because for a man who had once lost his entire world, fear had lost all meaning--and in a wild land, ne hell of a fight was all part of the plan...
They called it the wild land. No Man's Land. The Cimarron. And in the lawless strip of open range between Texas and Kansas, one man had the wildest ambitions of all: to build a ranch with his own two hands and live by the same rules as the wealthiest, most powerful cattle barons around him. In the Cimarron, everyone knew Buck Colter was courting danger by branding his own steers. What people didn't know was where Buck had come from, what he had seen, and who he really was. Because for a man who had once lost his entire world, fear had lost all meaning--and in a wild land, ne hell of a fight was all part of the plan...
256 pages, Mass Market Paperback
First published May 28, 1979
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12 people want to read
About the author
Matt Braun
113 books45 followersMatt Braun is an author of fifty-six books, most of which are in the Western genre and has over 40 million copies in print.
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
February 8, 2019
I like his style of writing. It is colorful and easy reading. He seems to have a lot of knowledge about what he writes. The plot wasn't the best. The ending was not particularly satisfactory.
September 8, 2017
You cannot read, write or write about American West fiction without acknowledging the presence of its two towering names, Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour. The early-century Grey and mid-century L'Amour combined to define most of the genre's aspects for modern audiences, giving shape to what Western movies would later make onscreen essentials -- wide-open country, lone drifters, fast gunhands, life defined by a code of honor as much as the law, and so on.
But other names also hold their places of respect, like Elmer Kelton and Max Brand (Frederick Schiller Faust), or Matt Braun. Braun's 1976 Buck Colter is a textbook version of the classic Grey-L'Amour pattern, with young, green and tough cowhand Buck striking out with a few companions to make his mark in the wide, wild West. He and some partners want to try to stake out their own territory and run their own herd instead of spending all of their time working for the cattle barons of the Cimarron, but those barons aren't overly eager to carve another piece out of the pie, and they will be ruthless in stamping out competition. But in Buck, they find a man whose early tragic losses mean he doesn't scare easily and backs down even less easily. The confrontation is inevitable.
Braun has some quality work, but Buck Colter isn't likely to rank among it. The story and characters add nothing to the genre, and while many people who've read L'Amour say some of his books lack something, I would imagine few would define "something" as "clumsy sex talk/scenes and flatulence jokes."
Original available here.
But other names also hold their places of respect, like Elmer Kelton and Max Brand (Frederick Schiller Faust), or Matt Braun. Braun's 1976 Buck Colter is a textbook version of the classic Grey-L'Amour pattern, with young, green and tough cowhand Buck striking out with a few companions to make his mark in the wide, wild West. He and some partners want to try to stake out their own territory and run their own herd instead of spending all of their time working for the cattle barons of the Cimarron, but those barons aren't overly eager to carve another piece out of the pie, and they will be ruthless in stamping out competition. But in Buck, they find a man whose early tragic losses mean he doesn't scare easily and backs down even less easily. The confrontation is inevitable.
Braun has some quality work, but Buck Colter isn't likely to rank among it. The story and characters add nothing to the genre, and while many people who've read L'Amour say some of his books lack something, I would imagine few would define "something" as "clumsy sex talk/scenes and flatulence jokes."
Original available here.
July 30, 2011
I enjoyed this basic western. A quick read. Matt Braun does a good job in bringing the story to life and had me rooting for Buck Colter the entire time. I could smell the gunpowder and taste the dust in my mouth as I read this entertaining short novel.
October 12, 2021
As usual, Braun produces a good Western. This one is a fairly straight Western with good characters. He develops the main character well. The ending is good in a sense, but sad. Braun is tops for information and does a good job in descriptions of the country.
August 25, 2011
A great western novel about a cowhand who just wants to make his own way. Due to a set up by the Cattle Assn., he has to turn outlaw to stay out of jail. A great tale of the old west.
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews