Sorry about the posting gap—it's been a busy couple of weeks. Among other things, I've finished a huge number of books. 17, to be exact! Here's a quick round-up of the entries on the Westerns category:
By Walter Van Tilburg Clark, The Ox-Bow Incident. I've been looking forward to seeing the movie, starring Harry Morgan, but wanted to read the book first. And, man, was it dark. Literally. There's a whole section where the posse stumbles around in the dark and the fog. And, frankly, depressing. I mean, we all know that the mob instinct exists, and that people in the heat of the moment can be led to do things that look pretty bad in the light of day ... but to be confronted so starkly with the gap between what should have happened and what did—well, let's just say I don't feel the need to descend to those depths again. Not a keeper, this one ... and I'm not so sure I want to see the movie.
On to more pleasant studies: my most recent forays into the world of Mr. L'Amour. I finished The Tall Stranger, which seemed very familiar. I suspect he'd written a short story with a similar plot and then expanded it into a book. Still entertaining, though. Also Shalako, which was a standoff attrition battle one ... very similar to another book of his (or possibly, again, a short story) that I'd read. Flint, however, was like nothing I had read before. L'Amour left his comfort zone a bit with a slightly different type of character who had lived a slightly different life, and played with some unusual themes. While this may not be my favorite L'Amour, I think it's certainly the most unique. And, finally, War Party, a collection of short stories.
I'll have updates soon on the other dozen books, on my recent weekend away in solitude, and a few other things. Although there may be a visitor-driven gap in posting again next week.
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