Book Review: Branded West edited by Don Ward
The Western Writers of America were founded in 1953 to promote literature related to the American West. It started with primarily traditional Western fiction, but also promotes historical and non-fiction works and even songs. It has an annual prize called the Spur Awards. But this collection published in 1956 is meant to showcase short fiction by WWA members published between 1945 and 1955 to build enthusiasm for newer works.
According to the editor’s introduction, the fourteen stories were chosen to showcase the increasing realism and depth of the genre in the past decade, as well as a balance between solemn and humorous stories.
“The Builder of Murderer’s Bar” by Todhunter Ballard starts the volume with a light piece about gold prospectors trying to build a device for safely draining a catchbasin. But the boy telling the tale is perhaps more interested in who his older sister is going to choose to be with. A steady provider or a clever man who’s more of a gamble?
“Trail Fever” by S. Omar Barker has a cattle drive thwarted by a muddy creek. Tempers are flaring, and there may be blood spilt. But perhaps this local farm kid has a better idea. He may even be too smart to be a cowboy.
“Pelado” by Tom W. Blackburn (originally published as “Lone Hand”) is a tale of vengeance. A Mexican peasant of the lowest caste pursues the bank robber who left him for dead and abducted his wife. This is intercut with scenes of the robber abusing his captive and planning to use her until he no longer needs her. In the end, the robber still has his bank loot, but will get no enjoyment of it.
“The Marshal and the Mob” by Will C. Brown has town marshal Johnsa Dobbs trying to keep a lynch mob from storming the house of an alleged murderer so he can be arrested and tried legal-like. There’s a bit of a twist ending.
“Long Gone” by Peter Dawson is a character study of a robber who finds temporary refuge in a small town and observes the sheriff. He decides he can trick the sheriff into letting him be in the posse that’s going after himself. But first the lawman must get through another dangerous trial.
“Message Delayed” by Allan Vaughan Elston involves a man being framed for murder, and how the real killer winds up betraying himself by perpetrating further evil. The central gimmick was, the end note says, inspired by the author’s own cattle ranch experience.
“Legend in the Dust” by Hal G. Evarts stars an older town marshal. He’s found the woman he wants to settle down with. Unfortunately, her fool son has killed a man in what might be a fair fight, but is refusing to be arrested peaceably. There aren’t many ways of handling this situation that don’t end in tragedy.
“Killer at Bay” by Bennett Foster is a manhunt for a murderer who’s engaged in perfidy before. But the real focus is a young man coming out from under the shadow of his older brother as he realizes that man is no more courageous than he is.
“The Law and the Gun” by Kenneth Fowler is about Judge Andrew Jackson Strong and his opposition to his granddaughter marrying a deputy. He has some reason for his feelings; his daughter had married a deputy against his wishes, that man had almost immediately been killed in a shootout, and the daughter died of heartbreak after giving birth. But has he really thought this through?
“The Marriage of Moon Wind” by Bill Gulick concerns a young would-be trapper who is tricked into an arranged marriage with the title Shoshone maiden. He gets the last laugh by being a good husband. Some use of outdated ethnic terms.
“The Hard Way” by Elmore Leonard is the one story in this collection I’ve read before, in the collection of his writing I reviewed a couple of years back. Mexican-American Jimmy Robles is a new deputy of the town marshal, an idealist who wants to help provide justice to the townsfolk. He’s about to have a hard lesson in a two-tiered justice system. Ethnic prejudice. Possibly the darkest story in this anthology.
“The Voice of Jerome Kildare” by Rutherford Montgomery takes place in the redwood forest. A man who has not spoken in thirty years retires to a solitary cabin to be a hermit. He has neighbors here he finds more congenial than humans, and eventually discovers he has something to say. Some folks may see more of themselves in Mr. Kildare than others.
“Corporal Nat” by William Byron Mowery takes us to Alberta, Canada as the title Mountie is told to arrest the ringleaders of a railroad worker strike. He strongly objects. Nat feels the strike is entirely justified as the bosses are engaging in technically legal wage theft and he’d just as soon break some corporate heads. But orders are orders, as his commander reminds him. Nat decides that enforcing this injustice will be his final mission with the Mounted Police. He completes the task at great personal effort, and is rewarded by a bit of a cop-out ending. Mixed race people are only treated as criminals in this story, but not as evil as the rich white men who abuse the workers.
“Shaggy Lays Off” by Stephen Payne ends the volume with a old ranch hand going on his first vacation in thirty years. But because he’s so good at being a cowman, Shaggy just can’t help getting distracted helping the people he meets with their problems. It’s a fine sentimental tale to go out on. One jarring use of the N-word in an odd context.
This is a good and varied selection of Western stories that show the breadth of the genre. The Brown story is my favorite. The Elmore Leonard story is very well written, but a bit bitter for my tastes. This volume doesn’t seem to have been reprinted recently, so may be a bit hard to track down. Some of the stories should be findable in other collections. Recommended to Western fans who like the vintage style.
