The Silver Desert

by Ernest Haycox

Like his father and grandfather, Tom Sebastian stands ready to fight for the family ranch. He knows it will take more than cattle and cash to save the spread from a ruthless band of outlaws hell-bent on destroying Tom and the sprawling land.

Genres: Westerns

171 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 5, 1980

Reviews

[Kellyt · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this a 4.49 out of 5 if I could. The book description on Goodreads is not very accurate. Haycox has a plethora of books and I love a number of them (Canyon Passage, Alder Gulch, The Adventurers, The Earthbreakers, Stage to Lordsburg). He is one of the deans of authors of Westerns, though several of them including this one, I wouldn’t necessarily classify as traditional shoot ‘em up Westerns, even though they were written about the West during the mid to late 1800s. Several were made into movies. The short story “Stage to Lordsburg” was remade twice with the title “Stagecoach”. This one is actually set in the 1930’s in Nevada with a mixture of horse & buggy, automobiles, and societal change. It has interesting male and female characters that are well developed with complex relationships. There is quite a bit of action as well.

[Chuck · Rating 2 out of 5]

I don't know...just didn't find this book as engaging as the other westerns I've read. I had trouble buying into the Hollywood connection and the notion that movie people could be more or less happily vacationing at the protagonist's remote Nevada ranch while ranch hands and outlaws were dying regularly in shootouts on the range.
When I was a kid in the late 50s, I'd get up on Saturday morning to watch Roy Rogers. Unlike other TV westerns, the Roy Rogers Show featured automobiles and trucks, as well as horses and wagons. That confused me. I think it still does.

[Penny · Rating 3 out of 5]

3-1/2 stars
I have read a lot of Haycox and this one does tend to blend the new with the old, Hollywood with outlaws out on the range. But I liked the storyline and I appreciate how he paints his female characters with strong positive attributes. He manages to throw a few curves in at the end.