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Trail of the Apache and Other Stories
The New York Times-bestselling Grand Master of suspense deftly displays the other side of his genius, with seven classic western tales of destiny and fatal decision . . . and trust as essential to survival as it is hard-earned.
Trust was rare and precious in the wide-open towns that sprung up like weeds on America's frontier—with hustlers and hucksters arriving in droves by horse, coach, wagon, and rail, and gunmen working both sides of the law, all too eager to end a man's life with a well-placed bullet. In these classic tales that span more than five decades—including the first story he ever published, “The Trail of the Apache”—Elmore Leonard once again demonstrates the superb talent for language and gripping narrative that have made him one of the most acclaimed and influential writers of our time.
Trust was rare and precious in the wide-open towns that sprung up like weeds on America's frontier—with hustlers and hucksters arriving in droves by horse, coach, wagon, and rail, and gunmen working both sides of the law, all too eager to end a man's life with a well-placed bullet. In these classic tales that span more than five decades—including the first story he ever published, “The Trail of the Apache”—Elmore Leonard once again demonstrates the superb talent for language and gripping narrative that have made him one of the most acclaimed and influential writers of our time.
208 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 30, 2007
71 people are currently reading
184 people want to read
About the author
Elmore Leonard
213 books3,683 followersElmore John Leonard lived in Dallas, Oklahoma City and Memphis before settling in Detroit in 1935. After serving in the navy, he studied English literature at the University of Detroit where he entered a short story competition. His earliest published novels in the 1950s were westerns, but Leonard went on to specialize in crime fiction and suspense thrillers, many of which have been adapted into motion pictures.
Father of Peter Leonard.
Father of Peter Leonard.
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Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews
May 21, 2024
As I read these short stories, I kept thinking that I had read this book sometime in the past… but I couldn’t find it among my Goodreads reviews. No matter, this collection is brief and each of the stories, entertaining.
If you’re a Western fan, it’s a worthy read. Leonard’s best work in this genre are his full fledged novels, such as Hombre, but these stories are good enough for a quick fix.
If you’re a Western fan, it’s a worthy read. Leonard’s best work in this genre are his full fledged novels, such as Hombre, but these stories are good enough for a quick fix.
June 26, 2019
This collection of stories is the first work I've ever read by Elmore Leonard, and I must say it was pretty good. This isn't your classic western with an heroic protagonist. It doesn't portray its characters as larger than life, "knights in shining armor" types. If anything, they are candid portraits of "everyman", resigned to their roles in life, and trying to adapt to the brutal country they find themselves in. The indigenous Indians aren't vilified, but are presented as a product of their culture and environment, often callous and indifferent to the plight of the encroaching settlers. It was a refreshing look at an old genre I haven't read in a long time. A solid 3 stars, maybe 3 1/2.
June 25, 2019
COUNTOWN: Mid-20th Century North American Crime
BOOK/Short 160 (of 250)
Leonard's first story, "Red Hell Hits Canyon Diablo" (also titled Tizwan, 1951) wasn't his first published, as that would be "Trail of the Apache". But I gotta go with the "Canyon Diablo" story here: the canyons and hills of Southern California Pulp Fiction transfers perfectly to the canyons and mountains of Leonard's early writings. The alleys of NY, filled with mobs/gangsters/shootouts also transfers perfectly to hunts and shootouts in the "Wild West."
HOOK - 3 stars: >>>They called it Canyon Diablo, but for no apparent reason. Like everything else it had advantages and disadvantages...A fifty caliber buffalo rifle rested on a waist-high boulder in front of him...he watched with eyes that were slits against the glare...It is easy for a Chiracahua Apache to hate.<<< are lines from the opening 2 paragraphs of this story. There will be blood.
PACE - 3: Perfect for a short story: Leonard judges his material right-novel vs. novella vs. short.
PLOT - 3: Cavalry men, led by Lieutenant Gordon Tower, are "to locate and bring in Trooper Byerlein." Standard fare from hundreds of 1930s and 40s pulp fiction: a kidnapping of an enemy for any number of reasons.
Cast - 3:Sinsonte, an Apache, is the standout character. Private Huber makes a wrong move and is dead in seconds: "And when a man says one cavalryman is worth ten Apaches, he is a fool. It is certain he was not at Canyon Diablo that July day in [18] '78.
ATMOSPHERE-4: We're only slightly removed pulp fiction territory with lines like "...Sinsonte don't know if'n he's [Byerlein] alive or dead. I'd say he's half of either one." Stuck on the canyon and ridges, a character screams, "Keep shooting, dammit! They're moving up under fire cover." We could very well be in the valleys of L.A. Peace is attempted as "the rest strode from the dark into the light and followed the Indians to the other side, then through a narrow defile into a side canyon."
SUMMARY: 3.2. This first work by Leonard is pretty good for a debut. It's no "Tonto Woman" (a brilliant story) but you can see what Leonard has been studying: the style of the pulps, the gangs, the shootouts.
BOOK/Short 160 (of 250)
Leonard's first story, "Red Hell Hits Canyon Diablo" (also titled Tizwan, 1951) wasn't his first published, as that would be "Trail of the Apache". But I gotta go with the "Canyon Diablo" story here: the canyons and hills of Southern California Pulp Fiction transfers perfectly to the canyons and mountains of Leonard's early writings. The alleys of NY, filled with mobs/gangsters/shootouts also transfers perfectly to hunts and shootouts in the "Wild West."
HOOK - 3 stars: >>>They called it Canyon Diablo, but for no apparent reason. Like everything else it had advantages and disadvantages...A fifty caliber buffalo rifle rested on a waist-high boulder in front of him...he watched with eyes that were slits against the glare...It is easy for a Chiracahua Apache to hate.<<< are lines from the opening 2 paragraphs of this story. There will be blood.
PACE - 3: Perfect for a short story: Leonard judges his material right-novel vs. novella vs. short.
PLOT - 3: Cavalry men, led by Lieutenant Gordon Tower, are "to locate and bring in Trooper Byerlein." Standard fare from hundreds of 1930s and 40s pulp fiction: a kidnapping of an enemy for any number of reasons.
Cast - 3:Sinsonte, an Apache, is the standout character. Private Huber makes a wrong move and is dead in seconds: "And when a man says one cavalryman is worth ten Apaches, he is a fool. It is certain he was not at Canyon Diablo that July day in [18] '78.
ATMOSPHERE-4: We're only slightly removed pulp fiction territory with lines like "...Sinsonte don't know if'n he's [Byerlein] alive or dead. I'd say he's half of either one." Stuck on the canyon and ridges, a character screams, "Keep shooting, dammit! They're moving up under fire cover." We could very well be in the valleys of L.A. Peace is attempted as "the rest strode from the dark into the light and followed the Indians to the other side, then through a narrow defile into a side canyon."
SUMMARY: 3.2. This first work by Leonard is pretty good for a debut. It's no "Tonto Woman" (a brilliant story) but you can see what Leonard has been studying: the style of the pulps, the gangs, the shootouts.
January 13, 2024
A great collection of Western short stories by a master in the genre. Seven tales, the title story is closer to novella length at 60 pages. It is about a small indian sub station with an experienced indian agent and a few scouts, a gang of indians have escaped another reservation and were heading that way and must be captured and taken back. An inexperienced lieutenant learns the ropes along the way. Good tale. Also the last tale Only the Good Ones was reworked and expanded into Valdez is Coming. It's a solid tale and is interesting to see where the classic novel and film came from.
Highly recommended, can't get much better in a western short story collection.
Highly recommended, can't get much better in a western short story collection.
September 15, 2014
I love Elmore Leonard novels and this was my first trip into his classic westerns. The man is a great storyteller and his short stories are just as good as his crime novels. I'm not a big western guy, but I liked more of the seven tales in this book. A few were a little slow for me (like I said, not usually a western guy), but overall, each story made me want to read another, which is the basic of what a collection of short stories should do. I actually found them to be in the order of best to worst, but to others it may be different. Going to read more westerns by Leonard in the near future (picked up five paperbacks at a closing used book store).
June 12, 2008
okay, my escape from the y-chromosome world I live in sometimes takes me afar into old westerns and modern day mysteries. Don't waste your time on this one
November 2, 2016
More well thought out short western stories from Mr. Leonard
May 28, 2018
Even in his early twenties, Elmore Leonard knew how to make stories move. But despite their fine pacing, the stories seemed to me a bit cardboard and the characters a bit hollow.
July 20, 2020
A strong collection of short stories, almost all from the first few years of Leonard’s career. A few are of note:
The title story, “Trail of the Apache,” was Leonard’s first published story, which ran in Argosy in December 1951. It’s a very short novella and a little rough around the edges, but it already shows Leonard’s strengths—dialogue, economy of expression, concise characterization, evocation of place, and a certain wry irony in the situations and plot.
The next five stories in this volume come from an amazing nine-month run—from September 1952 to June 1953—in which Leonard published a story almost every other month, and in four other magazines. As I’ve noted in other collections like 3:10 to Yuma and Other Stories, you can actually watch Leonard develop his voice and technique as you read. Not only are these good stories, it’s instructive to watch, as a writer.
“You Never See Apaches...” “The Colonel’s Lady,” and “The Rustlers” are all good, showing marked improvement one after the other, but the collection’s strongest stories are “The Big Hunt” and “The Boy Who Smiled,” two hard-edged revenge tales about young men horribly wronged. These represent Leonard in the full bloom of his talent and skill and are immensely enjoyable to read—and satisfying stories of vengeance. They also break away from the traditional cavalry-vs-Apaches pattern of many of the earlier stories and toward other, more interesting angles on the western.
The final story, “Only Good Ones,” comes from an anthology published in 1961 and, while good, albeit more downbeat story than the others, is most interesting because Leonard eventually reworked it as the first chapter of his novel Valdez is Coming.
Another solid collection of classic western fiction. Leonard seldom disappoints.
The title story, “Trail of the Apache,” was Leonard’s first published story, which ran in Argosy in December 1951. It’s a very short novella and a little rough around the edges, but it already shows Leonard’s strengths—dialogue, economy of expression, concise characterization, evocation of place, and a certain wry irony in the situations and plot.
The next five stories in this volume come from an amazing nine-month run—from September 1952 to June 1953—in which Leonard published a story almost every other month, and in four other magazines. As I’ve noted in other collections like 3:10 to Yuma and Other Stories, you can actually watch Leonard develop his voice and technique as you read. Not only are these good stories, it’s instructive to watch, as a writer.
“You Never See Apaches...” “The Colonel’s Lady,” and “The Rustlers” are all good, showing marked improvement one after the other, but the collection’s strongest stories are “The Big Hunt” and “The Boy Who Smiled,” two hard-edged revenge tales about young men horribly wronged. These represent Leonard in the full bloom of his talent and skill and are immensely enjoyable to read—and satisfying stories of vengeance. They also break away from the traditional cavalry-vs-Apaches pattern of many of the earlier stories and toward other, more interesting angles on the western.
The final story, “Only Good Ones,” comes from an anthology published in 1961 and, while good, albeit more downbeat story than the others, is most interesting because Leonard eventually reworked it as the first chapter of his novel Valdez is Coming.
Another solid collection of classic western fiction. Leonard seldom disappoints.
July 1, 2018
Trail of the Apache...
Elmore Leonard wrote westerns as if he was watching the events take place. The reader can smell the coming rain, see the herds of thousands of buffalo. hear the creak of leather on rode- hard horses, and taste the jerked beef dug out from greasy saddle bags on dusty trails. Don’t expect another writer to equal Elmore Leonard; read all his novels, then read them again.
Elmore Leonard wrote westerns as if he was watching the events take place. The reader can smell the coming rain, see the herds of thousands of buffalo. hear the creak of leather on rode- hard horses, and taste the jerked beef dug out from greasy saddle bags on dusty trails. Don’t expect another writer to equal Elmore Leonard; read all his novels, then read them again.
March 22, 2025
Good roundup of Western Tales
There is just something about these stories that get to me. When I read them I felt the heat of the desert, breathed the dust in the air, and smelled the sweaty bodies of both men and horses. It takes a lot to put me that much into a story and these do just that. So if you like a good Western and haven't read any of these then grab a copy and sit back and enjoy.
There is just something about these stories that get to me. When I read them I felt the heat of the desert, breathed the dust in the air, and smelled the sweaty bodies of both men and horses. It takes a lot to put me that much into a story and these do just that. So if you like a good Western and haven't read any of these then grab a copy and sit back and enjoy.
March 11, 2024
With any set of short stories you will find some good, some not so good. That is the case here. I enjoyed most of the stories, but a few of them I felt like dragged. Overall if you're a fan of his westerns, you'll probably like it.
April 12, 2025
A great set of Western short stories by a great writer of gritty thrillers.
October 9, 2024
Stories converted to movies is amazing: Tall T; 3:10 to Yuma; etc.
April 14, 2024
7 stories:
Trail of the Apache
You Never See Apaches ...
The Colonel's Lady
The Rustlers
The Big Hunt
The Boy Who Smiled
Only Good Ones
Trail of the Apache
You Never See Apaches ...
The Colonel's Lady
The Rustlers
The Big Hunt
The Boy Who Smiled
Only Good Ones
October 16, 2012
Surprisingly awesome. Never read a straight-up western before and I am glad this was my first one. Makes me want to try another one, maybe a full length story.
July 22, 2013
Vividly-drawn vignettes from one of my favorite writers. Amazing that he could do so much with so few words while still in his 20s. Concise, lean, and on-target.
May 1, 2014
Nice collection of westerns
Displaying 1 - 18 of 18 reviews