A Tarnished Review

Mr Lennon John Paul George Ringo Dobbs

Us writers are a insecure lot - we sit alone all day, staring at the screen, with only Lennon for company and he's too busy chewing on his rawhide bone to take any notice (oh wait that's just me). We don't really get any human interaction during the working day.

And that's why reviews are so important to us - because it gives us some indication that all those hours of torture from characters who refuse to do what we want, and take us off on tangents not imagined in the outline, are worth it.

 I was especially pleased to see the latest review of my debut western, The Tarnished Star (was it really four years ago that it first saw the light of day? Seems like only yesterday) on Amazon. The review comes from Laurie Powers - this ladies grandfather was  pulp writing legend, Paul Powers.

Here's the review:

The movie's gonna be called LawMaster

The Tarnished Star will not disappoint those who want a quick read that is lean, suspenseful and is true to the standard Western conventions. It has the feel of the Westerns from the 1950s and 60s. All of these qualities total up to a solid Western that is appealing and suitable for anyone's taste. The writing has almost a minimalist quality, resulting in a style that is spare and yet nuanced. Martin wisely keeps his storyline within a time frame of only a few days and fills his scenes with finely detailed scenes, rich characters and believable dialogue - the latter being one of the hardest skills for a writer of Westerns to master. The result is a book that you can get lost in with scenes filled with strong tension. One feels as if time has stopped, and I could not help but think of the movie High Noon throughout the story.

For those who like to read the works of new and talented writers, this is the book for you. 

The Tarnished Star is currently in the early stages of development by Burn Hand Films, as a future vehicle for talented director Neil Jones - I've a meet with Neil this evening and rest assured I'll be badgering him about the movie. Neil's latest movie, The Reverend, a horror movie starring Rutger Hauer, Stuart Brannan, Tammar Hassan and Doug Bradley is due for a DVD release soon and expect a review here very soon.

And check out the round up of other Black Horse western reviews on Black Horse Express