American Historical Fiction discussion

Just realized we didn't have a discussion thread for Westerns, so here it is! This is a genre I'd like to read more of. My favorite so far is Lonesome Dove. I read One Thousand White Women: The Journals of May Dodd last year and really enjoyed that one, too.

Re-posting this for Craig Dressler

Standing Elk, a short Western novel, was just released by Treble Heart Books. The following is an excerpt from the book:
"Winter's snow still lay deep in the shielded areas of the Greenhorn Mountains as Jack attempted to traverse the lower reaches. He felt like a greenhorn, too, about now. How could he have been so blind as to ride into the trap Burl and his partner had set? Jack knew he was lucky to be alive, though the throbbing pain in his shoulder from the bullet reminded him death was still stalking him. His horse had not been so lucky. With no rifle, bedroll or supplies the trail ahead looked bleak."

Standing Elk can be obtained by clicking on the following link:
http://www.trebleheartbooks.com/MVDre...

You could try "Spaghetti Western," which is an illustrated novel. http://www.blurb.com/bookstore/detail...

I loved Owen Wister's The Virginian, and very very different from the TV series.

Jenny, just as a note -- my novel Lethal Journey (and Dead Move, a nonfiction analysis also pertaining to the Kate Morgan ghost/mystery of 1892 San Diego) takes place two years after the official 1890 US Census declared the Frontier closed. Interestingly, one of the most colorful characters living in San Diego back then was Wyatt Earp, who owned four gambling saloons in the Stingaree red light district, and fine racing horses at Del Mar. His good friend Bat Masterson is said to have visited with his show business revue as well. Earp's wife at the time was Josie Marcus, an actress he had met in Tombstone, and who was on the scene minutes after the famous gunfight at the OK Corral. Both Earp and Masterson died in the 1920s--Earp in LA in 1929, Masterson in 1921 at his desk as a sports writer/columnist for a New York City newspaper. In my novel, I had the opportunity to involve Wyatt Earp (quite plausibly) in the Kate Morgan investigation, which was a national scandal in 1892. As John Spreckels, the sugar baron and owner of the Hotel del Coronado, began a civic movement to clean up the Stingaree (most notorious red light district on the West Coast after SF's Tenderloin), Wyatt and Josie abandoned San Diego to go panning for gold during the Alaska gold rush not long after the mysterious death of "Kate Morgan."

These Is My Words and subsequent titles by Nancy Turner are set in the Arizona Territory from late 19thc through early 20thc. We watch the narrator grow starting with her young girlhood through her diary entries. Lots of western adventure and adversity including natural disasters, Indians, assorted ne're-do-wells, illness and you name it.

Jenny wrote: "Just realized we didn't have a discussion thread for Westerns, so here it is! This is a genre I'd like to read more of. My favorite so far is Lonesome Dove. I read [book:One Thousand ..."

I just loved the whole Lonesome Dove series, prequel to end. I liked it primarily because it was unconventional, not sheriffs and stagecoaches and gunslingers. Same for 'Little Big Man' though it exploited quite a bit of western lore and had a bit of fun with it. Another is 'True Grit' or 'The Shootist'. Unconventional stories in a familiar genre. I hope there is more of this and I'll take some recommendations

I haven't read True Grit, but I have read 2 others by Charles Portis. He is great and reminds me a lot of Larry McMurtry (who wrote the Lonesome Dove series).

If you want light reading, Dana Fuller Ross is good.

I'd like to read more historical fiction about the Mountain Meadows massacre.

John T - I'm going to dig into the Kate Morgan story, it sounds fascinating.

Okay, John, I just added "Dead Move" and "Lethal Journey" to my Amazon wish list. Both look very good.

I wanted to put in a plug for the excellent westerns of Loren D. Estleman. I've only read a few but I was impressed by his well-researched detail. Especially liked The Master Executioner and The Rocky Mountain Moving Picture Association. He also writes the Page Murdoch, US Marshall series but I've only read one of those.

This blog concentrates on Westerns and has interesting historical information:
http://petticoatsandpistols.com/

You folks might enjoy the discussion group The Iconic Cowboy. We also have a blog about the literary type here: http://istoriabooks.blogspot.com/2011... Our current Western offering is Kit Austen's Journey.

Matthew

my 11 year old nephew is an great reader i just gave him shane to read and he loved it.

Pat wrote: "my 11 year old nephew is an great reader i just gave him shane to read and he loved it."

So, what's next?

A friend asked me when I was going to do a print copy of my work so he could give it to his son (13). I advised him that there were a number of adult scenes he might not want his son exposed to. He deferred to my judgment but asked me to send him a copy.

, The Last of the Plainsmen, The Last Trail, Riders of the Purple Sage Zane Grey got me hooked on reading as a kid. That was long ago when adult scenes weren't necessary to stimulate the reading public.

When Zane Grey wrote those, he never would have been published had he included anything even slightly salacious. I'm writing about a newlywed couple. They aren't like Lucy and Desi sleeping in separate wagons.

I read the Bronze Horseman trilogy this year and I must say it is the greatest love story I ever read, it would have been publically burned in the streets forty or fifty years ago, but today I highly recommend it. Times have truly changed Ken.

The best western trilogy I've read in a while was the Gunfighter trilogy(Nathan Stone) by Ralph Compton.

I'll see if I can get that in Europe.

Pat wrote: "my 11 year old nephew is an great reader i just gave him shane to read and he loved it."

Does he have an ereader? If so, he might enjoy The Virginian, which he can get for free at our website: www.istoriabooks.com. Click on the Free Favorites tab. This is a classic western that he should have under his belt.

Matthew

I am reading by Louis Trimble The book reminds me of one of those old Tom Mix or Audie Murphy westerns where the hero does no wrong; he misses on purpose. It is a fair one sit read but I wouldn’t rush to the bookstore to get it.

I haven't read a Western in years but I remember I really enjoyed Louis L'Amour and Zane Grey. Another vote for the VIRGINIAN. SMOKY THE COW HORSE by Will James is another old favorite.

My favorite Western author is B.M. Bower. She also knew what she was talking about; she lived in Montana for a large part of her life and set most of her books there. I think what she did best was create very human, lovable characters. There's also a realistic feel to her books in that they have more about everyday ranch life in them, as opposed to the "shoot-em-ups", though classic Western concepts like rustlers and land conflicts often play their part in her plots. To anybody who wanted to check out her work, I'd definitely recommend starting with her first novel, Chip of the Flying U - the first one I read and still one of my favorites.

I love this post! Thank you to everyone who posted here. I have a big wish list now.

Zane Grey The Last Trail by Zane Grey is a good example of American literature written in the early part of the last century. Traditions and family values play a large part in daily life. This book distinguishes between two types of frontiersmen, the pioneers and the border men. The first being settlers that move west into the Ohio River valley and the second the men that made the area secure from outlaws and local indignant Indian warriors. Love plays a large role in this story as it has in many stories both then and now. The descriptions of the endless wilderness sometimes tend to be a little over-flowery but fits in the novel and don’t distract from the story. The reader can’t help to think that much of what is mentioned and described is true to life on the frontier during the first two decades of U.S. history. Although it is set in an earlier time then most of Grey’s other work, I highly recommend it to all lovers of classical American history.

Zane Grey The Lone Star Ranger Zane Grey’s Lone Star Ranger has only rated two stars from me. This isn’t very common as I tend to like and highly rate almost everything I read. This book was published in 1915 when Grey was already an established writer of ever increasing repute. I found the story naïve in conception and full of spurious assumptions and bogus facts. One example of this is Duane’s hasty assumption that he would be hunted down as a criminal and desperate outlaw after killing a man in a witnessed gun fight. This story takes place in post war Texas (1870’s) where life was often dictated by violence and the six shooter. His life as an outlaw takes him west but for some unexplained reason he refuses to leave Texas. Halfway through the novel he is offered a deal and becomes a Texas Ranger and uses his many talents to apprehend cattle rustlers and outlaws in general around the El Paso/ Big Bend area. As in most of his stories, women and love are a major part. The naïve approach and immature descriptions and exchanges between the sexes often brought a smile to my lips or a laugh to my voice. The overall impression, however, is one of disbelief, skepticism and cynicism. I generally pass over faults and do my utmost to look for and enjoy any story. The blatant and manifest errors in this spoof proved too much to overlook. Anyone that is considering reading this book should keep in mind that I consider it one of the lesser works of an otherwise good author.

Where are all the readers of westerns? I would love to have my book reviewed by people who enjoy the genre, but am having a hard time locating them. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

We're out there. The trick is finding and joining us.

So what is the trick to finding and joining you?

Susan wrote: "I would love to have my book reviewed by people who enjoy the genre, but am having a hard time locating them. Any suggestions would be appreciated."

You might try here: http://www.thewesternonline.com/

Thanks, Ken. I will send them a query email.

Anybody else have any ideas for me?

I have found people generally don't bother with reviews. I put a couple of books in the giveaway here at goodreads and got a review that was worth gold: http://www.goodreads.com/review/show/...

You could try the giveaway and see if it works for you. I placed my novel there for the second time: http://www.goodreads.com/giveaway/sho...

Good luck.

John
http://civilwarnovel.com

http://petticoatsandpistols.com/

John, That is a great review! I am going to do a giveaway in the near future to coincide with the virtual book tour I've got lined up.

Liz, I've looked at the petticoats and pistols sight before and I just looked again Maybe I;m missing it, but I see no way to contact them.

I don't see a general contact email either, but winners' pages give individual author-contact info, such as PhylissMiranda@aol.com

Many might be unwilling to try a juvenile title but I loved Caroline Lawrence's new title The Case of the Deadly Desperados set in Virginia City, 1860s. Filled with delightful, well researched detail about the times, this has violence, danger, soiled doves and so much more. It's the first in her new Western Mysteries series and is too good for just kids.

Phair wrote: "soiled doves and so much more...too good for just kids"

Aren't soiled doves a bit inappropriate for a kids book or is it one of those eco-warrior stories?

I am currently reading the unabridged version of My Life on the Plains by George A. Custer. I must say it is not what I imagined it to be. It is much more altruistic then I imagined an Indian fighter’s beliefs to be. Granted he was a firm believer in manifest destiny as were most of his contemporaries and saw the Indian’s defense of their native homes as murder and mayhem directed at vulnerable settlers but he did bring up some valid points in their defense. I was always under the impression that Custer was a dandy that would miss an opportunity to blow his own horn but haven’t seen any evidence of this in his book. I must say that pleasantly surprised and look forward to finishing it. As a side note it is interesting that the book contains two or three examples of massacres with the army on the losing end. Some of the scenes described could be later confused with those of his eventual demise.

I highly recommend A. B. Guthrie Jr.'s three novels that feature Dick Summers, mountain man. They are "The Big Sky," "The Way West," and "Fair Land, Fair Land."

I have a question. How, exactly, does one qualify a novel as a western? Is it merely any novel that takes place in the American West in the 19th century, or are there certain plot elements that are required?

Ken wrote, "Aren't soiled doves a bit inappropriate for a kids book..."

I my opinion it depends, in part, how they're depicted. I have told mothers and teachers that my book is appropriate for teens, but then I got to thinking. Although there are no sex scenes in A STORY OF THE WEST, there are prostitutes and they are not portrayed as immoral. Some might take objection to that.

I also tried to think back to what age I was when I realized what a prostitute was and don't remember. I must have known at least as a teen as I was always an advanced reader.

Tracy, that's a good question about how a novel qualifies as a western. I have never heard specifically. I would think it has more to do with place and time as there are miners as well as cowboys...Maybe the characters just have to gallop around on horses firing their six-shooters (hee hee).

I just finished The Whip by Karen Kondazian and greatly enjoyed it, as it was biographical fiction.

Ken wrote:
Aren't soiled doves a bit inappropriate for a kids book or is it one of those eco-warrior stories?"

As in Lawrence's previous Roman Mystery series for even younger readers she somehow manages to bring in the seamier side of daily life in the era of her books in a way that is non-sensational and realistic. Our 12 yo protagonist in Desperados knows the term but is probably unclear as to what it means apart from it being a name for a woman who is not quite acceptable in normal society. I think that's why I love her books so much. Adults will understand and enjoy them on a whole different level than younger readers. The writing is not childish but it is accessible.

I, too just read The Whip and also enjoyed it. The author was able to write a very visual story that would make a great film.

I enjoyed Richard Matheson's collection By the Gun. There was a cool High Noon type story in there called Gun Sight about a lawman with failing sight trying to learn how to shoot blind before this badman comes to gun him down. Any of the Elmore Leonard Western Roundups are good, particularly Elmore Leonard's Western Roundup #1: Bounty Hunters, Forty Lashes Less One, and Gunsights and Elmore Leonard's Western Roundup #3: Valdez is Coming & Hombre.

I've also written a couple westerns, including a novel about a city kid coming of age among buffalo hunters, Buff Tea, and a 'weird' western series about a mystic Hasidic gunslinger - Merkabah Rider: Tales of a High Planes Drifter, Merkabah Rider: The Mensch with No Name, and Merkabah Rider: Have Glyphs Will Travel.

West for the Black Hills by Peter Leavell is a classic western with a great spiritual thread too. If you enjoy Louis L'Amour, I think you'll like it.

Edward wrote: "I enjoyed Richard Matheson's collection By the Gun. There was a cool High Noon type story in there called Gun Sight about a lawman with failing sight trying to learn how to shoot blin..."

I love Elmore Leonard's books. Have you read 3:10 to Yuma? More great dialogue and I loved the relationship that developed between the characters.

I'm new to Goodreads - thought I'd join in the conversation...
High Noon is an old favorite - I'll have to check out "By the Gun." And I do love 3:10 to Yuma, both the book and the movie. It's all about the dialogue!

I really like Leonard's westerns, too. Hombre, Valdez Is Coming. Elmore LeonardThe Bounty Hunters, & more. All excellent.

If you're a fan of Randolph Scott and of Elmore Leonard, then you may remember Leonard's short story, The Captives. It was adapted for the Hollywood production, "The Tall T." One of my favorites. Corny, but I love corny western movies. It's also a highly collectible movie poster, but hard to find...

Richard S. Wheeler

Skye's West series

https://www.goodreads.com/series/1148...