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topdragon's review
4.0
Young Tanner Bland is a Confederate soldier at the tail end of the Civil War when he finds himself a lone survivor after a fierce battle. Stumbling about, he finds another survivor, named Jeb, a happy-go-lucky fellow, and together they decide to make their way to Richmond to join Robert E. Lee’s army. But the war is effectively over and after they learn of the surrender at Appomattox, the two friends separate, each with their own goals for the future. Tanner heads home to the family farm and his fiancé in Virginia while Jeb heads to Kansas. Unfortunately for Tanner, he arrives home only to find his family has thought him dead and his fiancé is now married to his younger brother.
Tanner has no choice but to leave home again, so he seeks out his old friend Jeb. After busting him out of jail, the pals decide to head for the gold fields of Montana and seek their fortune. But tragedy strikes in the form of the four Leach brothers who slaughter a wagon train, including Jeb. The second half of the novel is devoted to Tanner’s revenge…and be assured, he takes no prisoners.
Charles G. West is among my favorite of the modern western writers. While his prose isn’t always the most profound, his characters are always interesting, and his plots unfold in fun ways. His settings are historically accurate, and he often uses historical events as backdrops to his stories. Tanner is typical of his heroes. That is, he is a normal person thrust into extraordinary circumstances and it is his ideals that define his status as a hero.
A nicely engaging stand-alone novel, with characters that are fun to root for.
Tanner has no choice but to leave home again, so he seeks out his old friend Jeb. After busting him out of jail, the pals decide to head for the gold fields of Montana and seek their fortune. But tragedy strikes in the form of the four Leach brothers who slaughter a wagon train, including Jeb. The second half of the novel is devoted to Tanner’s revenge…and be assured, he takes no prisoners.
Charles G. West is among my favorite of the modern western writers. While his prose isn’t always the most profound, his characters are always interesting, and his plots unfold in fun ways. His settings are historically accurate, and he often uses historical events as backdrops to his stories. Tanner is typical of his heroes. That is, he is a normal person thrust into extraordinary circumstances and it is his ideals that define his status as a hero.
A nicely engaging stand-alone novel, with characters that are fun to root for.
sleepy_possum's review
adventurous
dark
emotional
mysterious
tense
slow-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? Character
- Strong character development? Yes
- Loveable characters? Yes
- Diverse cast of characters? Yes
- Flaws of characters a main focus? It's complicated
4.0
paulataua's review
3.0
After fighting for the South in the war, Tanner Bland arrives home only to find that his bride-to-be, believing him to be long dead, is in the process of marrying his brother. Tanner, like the real man he is, shrugs off his disappointment and heads out west. He joins a wagon train, meets the Leach brothers, and the adventure moves into high gear. This was first western I had read since studying them many years ago at university, and I was interested in how the genre had developed. It is pretty standard fare with few actual surprises, but it is well written and the prose does have its moments. I enjoyed it for what it was and was quietly satisfied that people are still double dog darned.
coley_reads's review
adventurous
medium-paced
- Plot- or character-driven? A mix
- Strong character development? N/A
- Loveable characters? No
- Diverse cast of characters? No
- Flaws of characters a main focus? No
2.0
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