Buffalo Wagons and Cloudy in the West: Two Complete Novels

by Elmer Kelton

Two complete novels from Elmer Kelton in one low-priced edition
Buffalo Wagons
For Gage Jameson, the summer of 1873 has been a poor hunt. A year ago he felled sixty-two buffalo in one stand, but now the great Arkansas River herd is gone, like the Republican herd before it. In Dodge City, old hide hunters speak in awe of a last great heard to the south―but no hunter who values his scalp dares ride south of the Cimarron and into Comanche territory. None but Gage Jameson....
Cloudy in the West
In the Texas backlands in 1885, twelve-year-old Joey Shipman's father dies under mysterious circumstances, and the boy is forced to live with his stepmother and Blair Meacham, a hanger-on at the farm. After the death of a black farmhand and friend, and another "accident" that almost takes Joey's life, the boy runs away and joins forces with his only kin―Beau Shipman, a drunk and a jailbird. Beau, along with an outlaw, a San Antonio prostitute, and a sheepman become Joey's unlikely partners as he is trailed by their murderous Meacham, in league with Joey's stepmother in their scheme to inherit the Shipman farm.

Genres: Westerns

528 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published June 30, 2015

About the author

Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was award-winning author of more than forty novels, including The Time It Never Rained, Other Men’s Horses, Texas Standoff and Hard Trail to Follow. He grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His novel The Good Old Boys was made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. In addition to his novels, Kelton worked as an agricultural journalist for 42 years. He served in the infantry in World War II. He died in 2009.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/elmerk...

Reviews

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 4 out of 5]

This single book combines two classic Kelton westerns. "Buffalo Wagons" is just a great western, while "Cloudy in the West" is a bit more tropey and mediocre but both solid tales. Here are my reviews for them:

Buffalo Wagons:

Desperate times lead Gage Jameson to attempt a buffalo hunt in Comanche territory in 1873. The herds in safer areas are depleted to levels that leave too many hunters and too few bison and market conditions are forcing folks to sell out for pennies on the dollar and seek other opportunities, while some turn to bullying and outright thievery to close the gap on financial shortcomings.

"Buffalo Wagons" (1957) is riveting. The protagonist Jameson's interactions with his close circle of acquaintances met through years on the range, hunters, skinners, cooks, bosses, and moneymen, send him head-first into a more dangerous venture he feels internally called to pursue but not perfectly prepared for.

Themes of morality, justice, and resilience carry a classic western tale with a smart narrative style.

Verdict: With smart pacing, a riveting plot and easy prose, "Buffalo Wagons" is a quick read, an entertaining adventure, and a great western.

Jeff's Rating: 5 / 5 (Excellent)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG


Cloudy in the West:

"You're totin' around a lot of trouble for a boy your age."
"I reckon I'm big enough to carry it."

Joey Shipman's evil stepmother wants to sell the ranch that his father left him after his suspicious passing, and some frightful events and personal losses send 12-year-old Joey on the run to find his no-good cousin Beau to help him.

Verdict: A good Kelton western, "Cloudy in the West" (1997) can be a bit predictable at times but is overall a smart western tale of growth, survival, morality, and forgiveness.

Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13

Averaging the two we get a 4 / 5 for the combo. A near-necessary one to add to a western fan's library.

[Jay Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a two book set. The first is about buffalo hunters. I was always disgusted by the wasteful hunting by the buffalo hunters and while I still find it disgusting, this book was good. The second book is about a boy growing to a man. This was very good and I grew to like the characters. It is good light reading.

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 5 out of 5]

Buffalo Wagons

Buffalo Wagons won a Spur Award in 1957. It is a very authentic feeling and (morally) complex story that touches on themes like the ethics of Buffalo (Bison) hunting in the 19th century (the protagonist is a Buffalo hunter out of necessity, but he doesn't particularly enjoy it). As you would expect from a novel like this, there is a lot of portrayal of hunting, but the cast also have to deal with hostile Comanches and the challenges posed by the country itself. There is also murder and treachery to contend with. Kelton really shone with his action sequences and his gritty portrayal of the time (without resorting to outright nastiness).

I really enjoyed this one. 5 Stars.


Cloudy in the West

This isn't as strong as Buffalo Wagons, but it fares pretty well nonetheless (for the most part). I quickly became very invested in Joey's plight. My first concern was that this novel would turn into a Huckleberry Finn clone (given the opening sequence), but that was fortunately not the case. After a slow-ish first half the pace picks up considerably in the second, with some colourful characters introduced into the cast. The only real criticism I have against Cloudy in the West is (what I perceived to be) a cookie cutter ending.

4 stars.


Average score, 4.5, rounded up (but mostly on the basis of Buffalo Wagons)

[Ann · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good Stories

Cloudy in the West is an unusual coming of age story you should not miss.
Buffalo Wagons, so probably true to life, so carefully researched for all its actual events and real life trivia, was hard to read knowing the fate of the millions of animals, the eco system that revolved around them, both wildlife and human, that have become facts of American history.
In both stories, Mr. Kelton brings that history to life with his plots that keep a reader quickly turning pages to see what happens next. His legacy of stories is as monumental as those of Zane Gray and Owen Wister.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb tales of old time Texas, the last Buffalo hunt and murder for a farm.

Excellent characters, outstanding story line, comfortable pacing with page-turning action, and plenty of twists and turns. Told as only Kelton can with his knowledge and insight into Texas and Texans. Classic in every way and well worth the time

[Michael Travis · Rating 4 out of 5]

I discovered Elmer Kelton thanks to Jennifer at Flint Hill Books. I really enjoy his style, his stories, his authenticity. On to the next double book soon.