Status Updates From The End Of The Trail: Weste...

Very nice collection of REH's serious Western work.

Finished "Vultures of Wahpeton" (and the alternate ending). Great Western.

Finished "The Last Ride" (which was co-written with Chandler Whipple), an enjoyable Western about a reluctant outlaw who tries to right his wrongs.

Finished a couple of Steve Allison (the Sonora Kid) tales. Both were pretty good. I liked 'em.

Reading "The Man on the Ground" is always a pleasure.

"Gunman's Debt" - REH is hitting his stride with the Western tale. Includes an appearance by Grizzly Elkins.

Finished "The Judgement of the Desert." Pretty good Western. A hunt for gold, a girl, hot deserts, gunfights...

Finished "The Extermination of Yellow Donory" an enjoyable tale of a coward who was too afraid to kill himself, so he walks up unarmed to a terrible killer... I liked it.

Finished "'Golden Hope' Christmas" and "Drums of the Sunset." The first was rather unsatisfying, but the latter was pretty good. Both are early tales, and one can see REH learning his craft.

First story in the collection was written by 15 years old Howard which i didnt know first time i read it. I thought it was surprisingly tame. But the stories in this collection written in his prime doesnt care for western stereotypes of heroes,villains. His stories are so dark that they do the western story what Hammett bleak PI stories did for detective story.