Western Novels...Where to Start

With the recent win at the Emmys of "Broken Trail" for best miniseries and the release to good reviews of Russel Crowe's movie "3:10 to Yuma" many are taking a renewed interest in all things western. Interestingly my novel Trail Hand competed with Broken Trail for the Golden Spur award for 2006 in the category of best novel by a first time author. Oh well, like they said at the Emmys, it's an honor just to be nominated.

I have often been asked my opinion on the best place to start when it comes to western fiction novels. What I suggest is an entirely personal opinion. After all, there are literally thousands of titles to chose from and hundreds of top authors. Then again, there is the personality of the reader to take into account. Some prefer more detail, others more action or historical accuracy. So here goes. Hondo.

I entered the western genre relatively late in life and somewhat by chance. I was scheduled to fly cross country about 15 years ago and stopped at one of the airport bookstores looking for an easy read for the long trip. The store wsn't particularly well stocked and I had little interest in political boks and less interest in romance novels. Then I noticed a copy of Louis L'Amour's "Hondo" on the shelf. I had seen the movie as a boy and thoroughly enjoyed it. I can still remember the scene where Hondo (Wayne) walks out of the desert with a saddle slung over his shoulder and a rifle in his other hand.

That flight went by incredibly fast as I was captivated by L'Amours straight forward and easy going style. The story had some twists and plenty of action but more importantly it was fun to read and held my attention. From that point on I read all the westerns I could find.

Other novels of note to start with are Shane, Hombre, The Cowboy and the Cossack, and of course Trail Hand (shameless self promotion.) For those who prefer a bigger epic style long read Lonesome Dove lately seems to be everyone's favorite big western book.