Review - Bowdrie by Louis L'Amour

This is an early collection of short stories all using the same protagonist, the eponymous Texas Ranger. L'Amour rooted his character in history and the stories play out in a fictionalized version several events from the early days of the Texas Rangers. All of these first appeared in pulps in the late 40's and are excellent. L'Amour tells a fast-paced, full-bodied story without some of the pedantry that crept into his later works.

There is a follow-on collection titled Bowdrie's Law. L'Amour's short stories were originally published in paperback by Bantam under multiple titles in the 1970s and 1980s. They have been republished as The Collected Short Stories in 8 volumes.

Wishing you good reading!

Buckskin Run - Review

This is a collection of 6 western stories with 5 short historical vignettes. The stories were originally published in pulp magazines in the 1940s and 1950s. The vignettes are new to the book. The vignettes are not related to any of the stories.

I am a big fan of L'Amour. However, these stories are not his best. They do have interesting twists and plenty of action and his signature strong, moral protagonists.The eponymous story, where the protagonists solves an old mystery, "Jackson of Horntown" where an aging sheriff goes out to capture the last surviving member of a (supposedly) lawless family but finds something else instead, and "Down the Pagonip Trail" where an outlaw and a sheriff find much more than they expect from a down and almost out rancher are the best.

The stories all read quickly and are full of the wholesome adventure and the flavor of the Old West as it progressed from empty wilderness to settled farm and ranch. They are perfect for reading when one doesn't have a lot of time or wants something relatively light.

Three stars (of 5).