Wild West eMonday - Western Fiction Review

One of my favourite blogs is the excellent Western Fiction Review - yesterday they posted a great preview for Wild West eMonday and just in case anyone missed it I've stolen it, with permission of course, and represent it here. I urge any western fan to bookmark Western Fiction Review.


FROM WESTERN FICTION REVIEW

Like Wild West Mondays of the past this event is an attempt to gain more recognition for westerns by making publishers and booksellers aware there is a demand for western fiction. What is being asked is that all fans of western fiction buy a western ebook on this date.

Ebooks are fast growing in popularity and there are many westerns to choose from. There are classic westerns now available in electronic form, there are new authors to choose from, and new stories available from established authors. Many ebook versions are cheaper than the paper books too.

I review quite a few Black Horse Westerns here, and these a quite expensive to buy. The price on the books now is £13.25. Very shortly it’ll be possible to buy four of these books as an ebook bundle for £10.00 - four for less than the price of one book, and no shipping charges either.

Ebooks have allowed old books to be re-published. No longer will you have to search the second-hand bookstores for an old tatty, creased and yellowed copy of a book you’ve long wanted. You’ll be able to store an entire series – in fact many, many series – on one handheld device that weighs less than a single paperback book. The recently launched ebook version of the classic first book in the Edge series is now available for instance, and if it sells well enough could see the entire series of 61 books come out in this form.

As I said above there are new books only available as ebooks. With Dorchester switching to ebooks rather than paper, the only way to read new books from their authors is in electronic form. Books such as the fourth book in Robert Randisi’s Lancaster series, Crow Bait, and the 65^th book in David Thompson’s Wilderness series, Seed of Evil, for example.

Then there’s the new Rancho Diablo series by Colby Jackson – a pseudonym shared by Mel Odom, James Reasoner and Bill Crider – the second book having just been released. 

Westerns which cross genres are now becoming more readily available too, such as Peter Brandvold’s Bad Wind Blowing – which sees the dead coming back to life, came out in December 2010. (Expect a review of this here soon)

So please take a few minutes tomorrow to search through the many western ebooks available and spend a few pounds or dollars on supporting this event and help keep the western fiction genre alive.

Wild West eMonday is spearheaded by Gary at the Tainted Archive, there you will be able to find more details, along with many western related posts, including a free ebook, articles and interviews. You will also be able to read a new short story, Melanie, by Edward A. Grainger, which sees the return of Marshal Cash Laramie…

MELANIE

By Edward A. Grainger

This is a hard-hitting tale that deals with child abuse. It also highlights the frustrations of the law not being able to intervene in life within a person’s own home, no matter how bad this is. In fact Marshal Cash Laramie finds himself in trouble for attempting to help the young girl of the title, Melanie.

Edward A. Grainger has written a tale that will stick with the reader for a long time. Characterization is handled well within such a short story, easily making the reader feel emotionally attached to them, be that wanting Laramie to find a solution to the problem, feel anger at the law and hate towards Clem Stewart.

There’s also some excellent tension towards the end as Melaine searches for her uncle in the dark, fearing what could be lurking out there, and what her uncle’s reaction to her might be. The end is well crafted and offers a neat surprise.

Melaine is well worth taking the time to read.

Edward A. Grainger is a pseudonym used by David Cranmer, editor of Beat to a Pulp. His first Laramie story, Cash Laramie and the Masked Devil, can be found in the western anthology A Fistful of Legends.

NEXT OUR INTERVIEW WITH CHRIS SCOTT WILSON

WESTERN NEWS SNIPPET

There's a great interview with author Joseph A. West that western fans will not want to miss over at Western Fiction Review

Mark Bannerman

Later The Archive will post an interview with western writer James D. Best but anyone want another western fix will find an interview with Black Horse Western writer Mark Bannerman over on Western Fiction Review.

RALPH COTTON INTERVIEW

There's a great interview with Ralph Cotton over on the excellent WESTERN FICTION REVIEW

Western fans need to bookmark Steve M's Western Fiction Review and visit daily.

Great stuff.

WILD WEST MONDAY GUEST BLOGGER - STEVE M OF THE WESTERN FICTION REVIEW

Western fans will need no introduction to today's guest blogger. Steve runs the must read blog Western Fiction review which can be found HERE. Every post - interview or review is always western based on Steve's entertaining blog.


Steve goes all Italian for his Wild West Monday guest reviews. And for more western related action bookmark Steve's Western Fiction Review. Click HERE

A GENIUS, TWO PARTNERS AND A DUPE (1975).

Aka Nobody is the Greatest.

This film was the second to last major spaghetti western – the last being Keoma – and was also the last Sergio Leone was involved with, although his name isn’t mentioned in the credits. You only have to watch the opening scene to know who directed this part of the film. Another farewell is that this was also the last western in which Klaus Kinski appeared: although he’s only in a couple of the films funniest sequences, Kinski gives a magnificent performance as Doc Foster.

Directed by Damiano Damiani (with guidance from Leone), the film was shot mainly in Monument Valley, which provides some stunning backdrops for this fast moving film which is about a con game to get back and return some stolen money to it’s rightful recipients. There are many comic moments, in which the films main star, Terence Hill, shines as Joe Thanks.

The villain of the film, Major Cabot, is a crooked cavalry officer who is planning an Indian massacre in order to line his own pockets, played by Patrick McGoohan, perhaps better known for his roles in The Prisoner and Danger Man.

If the film tries to put across any kind of message, it’s that of anti-racism, and it came across as a natural part of the story.

As well as the con game, there’s a second plotline of Joe Thanks and Steam Engine Bill (played by Robert Charlebois) as they vie for the love of Bill’s girlfriend Lucy (Miou-Miou).

As always Ennio Morricone’s soundtrack is superb, highlighting the appearance of certain characters, the key moments of the plot, and adding to the fun of the comical scenes – many of the latter causing me to laugh out loud.

At times the film seems a little disjointed but this could be due to the fact that the original final cut was stolen and the producers refused to pay the ransom demanded for it’s return and redid the film from what they had left, which also means the quality isn’t all it could be.

Perhaps not the best spaghetti western around, but it’s definitely entertaining and I’d probably watch it again.

Thanks Steve

Western News

The next Wild West Monday guest post will come from Keith Chapman AKA western writer Chap O'keefe.

There's a great audio interview with western master James Reasoner on The Reading and Writing Podcast - I thoroughly enjoyed the interview and it was great hearing James' Texas drawl - go HERE

wild west news

Over on The Broken Trails Blog there is an interview with Steve M of Western Fiction Review.

Check it out pardners.