Killer Lion

by Steve Frazee

a book in Whitman's Bonanza series.

Genres: Westerns

Hardcover

First published January 1, 1966

About the author

Steve Frazee was born in Salida, Colorado. He began making major contributions to Western pulp magazines with stories set in the American West as well as a number of North-Western tales published in Adventure. Not surprisingly, many of Frazee's novels have become major motion pictures.

Reviews

[Edwin · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would have really loved this book if I had read it when I was 12 years old. Author Steve Frazee was a prolific writer of Westerns, several of which have been made into films, and also many TV tie-in novels. He was an excellent choice to write the Bonanza books, giving them the authenticity of the Old West while capturing the essence of the beloved Cartwright family members. The novel tells the story of kind-hearted Hoss who takes in an orphaned Mountain Lion cub only to find it hopelessly dependent upon him. Unable to rid himself of the friendly cub, Hoss finds himself in a predicament when local ranchers organize a Mountain Lion hunt to avenge a mysterious killing. All in all an enjoyable, albeit juvenile, book that kept me entertained and feeling nostalgic.

[John Peel · Rating 4 out of 5]

Hoss kills a mountain lion, and then discovers she has a cub that he can't bring himself to slay. Instead, he adopts it and tries to teach it to fend for itself. Naturally, it ends up adopting Hoss as a surrogate parent. Then it is suspected of having killed a visitor and the locals decide it's time for a lion hunt...

Theoretically, this is a YA book, but it's beautifully written, and very funny in places. It's considerably better than some Westerns for adults. Frazee has all of the characters from the show down pat, especially Hoss, and it's a believable and entertaining romp. Definitely recommended.

[Tim Deforest · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Whitman TV-tie in books from the 1960s are always worth reading. The publisher hired excellent authors who faithfully captured the characters and settings of the various TV series, then told a great story that did not write down to the young target audience.

"Killer Lion" is a great example of this. The author, Steve Frazee, was a superb Western wordslinger who could always be depended upon to tell a good story. In this case, he begins the novel with Hoss Cartwright staying at a remote line cabin, waiting out the tail end of winter while he watches over a new herd of cattle his Pa recently purchased.

Hoss shoots a mountain lion, then finds the lion's cub nearby. The practical thing to do is to shoot the cub as well, but Hoss is the Cartwright brother who tends to bond with animals.

So, even though he knows its a bad idea in the longterm, Hoss begins to care for the cub, naming it Rimrock. Rimrock begins to grow, but also gets used to being cared for and refuses to learn to hunt anything larger than mice. Eventually, Hoss takes Rimrock far away from the cabin and releases him, figuring the young mountain lion will learn to fend for himself if left with no choice. But Rimrock keeps finding his way back to the cabin.

The humor of the story is great--funny and natural to the situation and characters without being forced. But there are also effective moments of drama and danger, such as when Hoss's horse breaks a leg, forcing him to shoot the animal but leaving him lost in the snow with his eyesight fading because of snow blindness.

Later, the action shifts to the Ponderosa. Rimrock has followed Hoss home, forcing him to try to hide the lion from his father and brother. This plan fails spectacularly before long. Then things get serious again when a traveler is apparently killed by a mountain lion. A hunting party is formed, but Hoss thinks the death might have been deliberate murder made to look like a lion attack. The only way to save Rimrock is to find the real killer.

Hoss is the perfect Cartwright brother to take the lead in this story, because he's the one who would give in to (arguably misplaced) compassion and get himself into this situation. And Frazee expertly mixes comedy with drama, introducing real moments of danger and giving the novel an appropriate bittersweet ending.

[Charles · Rating 3 out of 5]

Definitely a book for younger readers, and maybe a bit slow for modern kids, but I enjoyed it. Hoss kills a lion that threatens the herd but then finds out there's a surviving cub and he hasn't the heart to kill it. But a pet lion is handful as he soon learns. A quick easy read.

[Randy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Decent take on the TV show.