High Saddle

by William Hopson

Complete and unbridged

Genres: Westerns

127 pages, paperback

First published January 1, 1952

About the author

William Lee Hopson (1907 - 1975) was primarily a Western author. He was sometimes published under the name William L. Hopson and used a pseudonym, John Sims, for at least four Western novels.

After joining the U.S. Marines, Hopson served as a weapons instructor during World War II. Afterwards, he had various jobs as a coyote hunter and trick flyer. At the same time, he wrote crime novels and Western stories for pulp magazines between 1938 and 1958, as well as several novels, some of which were reworkings of previous short stories.

At a presentation in a newspaper in 1954, Hopson said he began by determining the background and reading in on time and place, and then sketching out his main character to give him a problem to solve. When this was done, he believed that the book was basically writing itself. Hopson's publishers wanted nine books a year, but Hopson got it down to six and was happy if it was four or five annually.

After living family life in Arizona for eight years in the 1950s, Hopson moved to California, where he lived until his death in 1975.

Reviews

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid western with a really well written main character. Cogin was raised by the Apache basically til he was 16 and then was returned to his white parents. Though he was too much Apache to ever fit back in. When an outlaw killed his sister, he methodically goes after him. A group of misfits are also after the outlaw for their own reasons, which makes Cogin's job harder. He chases him into Mexico, where Apaches and Mexican bandits make just surviving almost impossible.

Recommended, it's a first for me by Hopson, but I will try him again. The story keeps moving and doesn't get bogged down with too much detail.

[Jay Wright · Rating 3 out of 5]

Man kills sister. Brother trails killer. Brother had been raised from 5 to 16 by Apaches. He is confronted by a brave he knew and did not like. There is decent action, but the characters are not well developed. Well it is a very short book.

[David · Rating 5 out of 5]

Solid western action with a number of different groups coming together for a load of stolen cash.

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 3 out of 5]

1956's "High Saddle" is a good, short pocket western in which our protagonist, the Apache-raised white man Cogin is hunting down the gunslinging brute who murdered his sister. There are a number of quirky characters who are also hunting the bad guy but for different reasons, including a gang of Apaches who are off the reservation looking for whites to skin alive.

The protagonist's setup is one we see a lot in similar westerns, the lone white drifter caught with a foot in each of an Indian's and white world but not solidly belonging to either.

Verdict: A tense manhunt and chase narrative, a little dry at times when exposition gets to be a little much but Hopson does a good job capturing the desert and mountain environs while these various characters all struggle against them and each other.

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

[Carol · Rating 4 out of 5]

good pulp western read- liked the characters, and action was only semi predictable

[Tim Deforest · Rating 4 out of 5]

"High Saddle" is based on a couple of old Western tropes. The protagonist was captured as a child by Apaches and raised by them, only to later be "rescued" and returned to his family. So he no longer feels a part of either culture. There's also a last stand situation with enemies forced to team up to survive against a band of Apaches. But the author uses taunt prose, well-described action and a few unexpected and brutal plot twists to give life to these cliches. A fun and fast-moving novel.

[Steve · Rating 2 out of 5]

A pulp western from the fifties. I had hopes, but when it comes to pulp, I'm always seeking out the really good stuff, which usually comes as a result of some research or a recommendation. In contrast, High Saddle was a shot in the dark from the local used book store. In truth, it probably represents a vast ocean of books that are worth forgetting, filled with stock characters, wooden dialogue, and a tissue thin plot. The hero in this was raised as an Apache, and he's on a mission of vengeance. Problem is that he never seems like much of a bad ass. If you've read Leonard's Hombre, or seen the movie, you can really appreciate how good Leonard is when you see what he does with essentially the same material. One frustrating thing is that Hopson can write, but he's too chained to formula. His descriptions of landscapes -- and torture scenes, are very good. Just wished he'd focused more on the human factor. At least it was short.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

A good western as man raised by the Apaches is hunting down the man who killed his sister. He is in turn hunted by his former childhood Indian friend. He has to protect a group of individuals as they try to track the same man, thinking the man has a reward on his head. Quite violent at times, it has a realistic feel to it. Recommended to western fans.