THE SAGA OF HENRY STARR

This book, along with one of his other novels, made me a Robert J. Conley fan for life.

I first met Robert at the 1984 Western Writers of America Convention, but it wasn’t until the following year, in San Antonio, that we really had a chance to sit down and talk.  Even then I hadn’t really read anything by Robert – that would come later.

I don’t recall the circumstances that led to it, but just Robert, the legendary Max Evans and I were enjoying some libations in either a hotel room or one of the smaller conference rooms.  We sat and talked for a long time after a lengthy day of meetings and panels and such.  When I referred to Max as “Mr. Evans”, he said, “I ain’t nobody but ol’ Max” and so “Max” it was from then on. 

I would be remiss if I didn’t tell you that Robert has a terrific sense of humor.  At the Wyoming WWA convention in 1987, he was good sport enough to play provide the dialogue (each sentence usually started with the word “Ugh”) for Tonto in a demonstration of how weak and inaccurate portrayals were of American Indians both in the literature and movies/TV of the mid-20^th century. 

Anyway, in the intervening years, Robert has made quite a name for himself in the Western genre; he’s the premiere Native American writer of his generation. 

THE SAGA OF HENRY STARR was the first Conley book I got a hold of.  Found it at the library and it wasn’t until many years later that I was able to get my own hardbound edition of the novel.  It was well worth the time it took to get it.  Going to have to try to get it autographed one day. 

Any Robert J. Conley book you can find is a good place to start, but if you are lucky enough to discover THE SAGA OF HENRY STARR or Robert’s other classic, NED CHRISTIE’S WAR, then you’ll be cookin’ with gas. 

SAM HOOK

The only thing more fun than discussing my admiration for Richard Wheeler is to read one of his books.

I read SAM HOOK when it first came out (Richard gave me a hardcover copy!) and by the time the paperback hit stores a year later, I grabbed it as well.  Really love the packaging here. 

As I get older, I find that I can’t quite recall everything I read in this book over 20 years ago.  Therefore I get the treat of reading it again and in many cases it will be as if I’m reading it for the first time.

One of Richard’s strong suits is fleshing out his characters extremely well.  The books become character studies – that just happen to be set in the frame of a Western.  These kinds of books are more fascinating to me than some of the cardboard characters I’ve read about in other Westerns.

Can’t go wrong with Richard Wheeler.  Check him out!

THE MILLION DOLLAR BLOOD HUNT

Once Award Books exhausted the “Man With No Name” trilogy as far as putting out movie novelizations, they must have sold well enough that they wanted to keep the series going.

THE MILLION DOLLAR BLOODHUNT is one of those “wasn’t a movie, so here’s an original novel based on the character” books.

I haven’t been able to discover yet just how many of these “original” novels there were.  Anyone know?  And does anyone know who Joe Millard or Brian Fox is/was?  Probably a “house” name to write under, but I’m only guessing here.

RIDERS WEST

Boy, I hate it when removing the price tag from a book defaces its cover.

I only have three Ernest Haycox books in my collection.  I haven’t read any of them yet, so I don’t really know what to expect here.

I do recall, though, being told by someone (not a writer) at one of the Western Writers of America conventions that he hated Ernest Haycox (as a writer, not a person) and was trying to convince editors there not to publish his stuff.  Everyone who heard him say this thought it was a shabby thing to do, so the man quit coming to the conventions.  As a result, the people there who wanted to strangle him for doing that did not themselves become killers.  Let’s call that a good thing.

SPENCER'S REVENGE

Another of Jim Miller’s “Long Guns” books featuring someone else in the Hooker clan. 

STING OF THE SCORPION

Probably a one-shot Western – in terms of being the only book written, NOT the amount of times a “shot” occurs in the lady’s boudoir. 

THE MOON-EYED APPALOOSA

Tell me they weren't going for the Steve McQueen look here.