Hard Ride: Stories of the Old West

by Elmer Kelton

Bandits, outlaws, romance, and adventure abound in Hard Ride, a collection of tales of the American West from renowned, seven-time Spur Award-winning author Elmer Kelton

Each of Elmer Kelton's superb stories of the West showcase the strength and power western spirit. They are filled with marvelous characters--from a rodeo clown who seeks redemption via romance, to an outlaw who comes to the aid of ranchers with no other recourse to justice. Powerful Western women feature as importantly as the menfolk here, including a cattle buyer's daughter who can hold her own with any man on the trail, a renowned lady outlaw who rules her gang with her gun, and a judge's daughter who is determined to end local mob rule, as "the day of the gun is almost over." You will meet characters whose devotions and decisions enthrall you long after you put the book down.

Imbued with an adventurous spirit, Hard Ride is filled with many heartfelt glimpses into the authentic experience of the American West. These stories encompass an enormous array of scenes from the early days of the Wild West into the twentieth century. Readers of all ages can enjoy these tales, each one filled with a passion for life that's as vast as the Texas prairie.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Short Stories

416 pages, Hardcover

First published November 13, 2018

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

[Laura Jean · Rating 3 out of 5]

I love Elmer Kelton, but something’s don’t age well. In the story “she Wolf of the brush country“, he describes the Mexicans eyes as dirty and muddy brown. He doesn’t do this with the female of interest who also has brown eyes.

In several stories, he makes it quite clear that if a woman has had sex, she’s not a good woman. Know there are a lot of strong women in his stories, so he’s certainly not a misogynist. But he does seem to have a bit of the Madonna whore complex going on .

But even with the stories that I don’t like as well, I can’t deny he was an amazing writer.

[Joe Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ranchers, cow hands, gunfighters, beautiful & strong women, rustlers, sheepherders, rodeo clown. This collection of short stories have all these characters and more. The stories are quick, light reading. Written in the 1950s, I think a good number of the stories are typical of westerns I fondly remembering watching in the movie theater and on tv. No matter how roughly the hero is treated, the villain is vanquished and if a beautiful woman is involved, the hero gets her. All is right in the end. Kelton’s writing is what gives this collection its worth. He makes you care for the characters and the land, and he puts you in the midst of each story. Not all the stories are about gunfighters. Some are about battling the elements, experiencing first love, making the grade. When woman are involved, Kelton does not depict them as weak. They are often as strong as the menfolk. I particularly enjoyed the last two stories. “Sheep on the River” is a revenge and love story that uses a conflict between sheepherding and cattle ranching for the plot. “Long Ride, Hard Ride” at 80 pages is the longest story in this collection, and I think the best. It’s a Civil War story with quite a few different characters and multiple lines of action. Kelton needed it’s length to tell the story. I give it 4 stars. If I could, I’d rate the entire collection 3 1/2 stars.

[Sam · Rating 5 out of 5]

Fascinating variety of the old west as only Kelton can tell

Action-filled series of short stories with excellent characters open insight into the old west in many forms; each story a treat and fascination. Kelton is always a great read when it comes to the old west. Well worth the time.

[Joe Farley · Rating 3 out of 5]

Easy read but I was getting bored with the stories after 5 since they had similar themes. Stopped there.

[J.S. Nelson]

DNF

[Bill · Rating 5 out of 5]

Short stories from a great western writer.

[PAUL M · Rating 5 out of 5]

A Fine Collection of Stories

I’ve enjoyed Elmer Kelton’s novels and these short stories featuring strong me and women of the American west are equally good. Highly recommended!

[John Grace · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice, quaint little short stories from 40s and 50s pulps. Prefer Elmer's later novels.