Suggestions on good Cowboy books/writers?

[Vose]

Hello all! Happy new year and whatnot :) Reading the Dark Tower has me in the mood to read some books about the old west, but I have no idea where to start! I asked my Dad and he gave me Wyoming by Zane Grey ... I read a few pages and (after teasing him a bit) told him that wasn't really what I meant (it's a bit of a romance novel and it's set in the recent past). Anything that might remind me of Roland would do fine!

[kingricefan]

I'm not a fan of the 'western' novels myself. There are lots out there to pick from tho. Why not try a different Zane Grey book? Or try something by Larry McMurty, he seems to have alot of 'western' books out there like 'Lonesome Dove', which was a bestseller and made into a great series on TV. Maybe ask at your local library what is trending in that area? Or, just do a re-read of the Tower books!! :biggrin2:

[GNTLGNT]

http://cowboybooks.com/readinglist.html

...hope this helps...

[Sigmund]

Hi!

I'm not into western novels but here's a link that might help.

http://www.amazon.com/SOME-BEST-WESTERN-NOVELS-TIME/lm/R68R3AMXE9OLW

Peace.

[Sepia and Dust]

Starting sometime in the 60s, my granddad couldn't wait until each new Louis L'Amour book came out, and this was not a man who normally read books.

[fushingfeef]

Try "Clay's Justice" by Dave Shifren. The author taught an excellent writing class I attended back in the 90's and the book is an awesome western.

[Todash]

Starting sometime in the 60s, my granddad couldn't wait until each new Louis L'Amour book came out, and this was not a man who normally read books.

I read those when they were lying around; it was one of the few things I ever saw my dad read. (I read everything in our house as a kid, but despite my mom's reading habits I never developed a taste for trashy romance novels. Well. I suppose I did ... just got sated on them rather quickly.) They were kinda fun, IIRC.

[doowopgirl]

Try Cormac McCarthy. All the Pretty Horses and The Border Trilogy are favorites of mine.

[Vose]

I loved The Road, so I'll definitely check out those McCarthy books. Thanks for all the great suggestions! I'm listening to the Dark Tower again in my car and was reading The Twelve by Justin Cronin (after finishing Cell and while watching Walking Dead on netflix) and just thought I needed something a bit less apocalyptic!

[Pucker]

If your looking for westerns heavy on indiscriminate murder and light on romance, Robert Parker (the Spenser guy) wrote a few.

[fljoe0]

Before Elmore Leonard started writing crime novels he wrote Western short stories. This book collects all of them (I think) and is very good. Elmore wrote 3:10 to Yuma along with some other titles you will recognize.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Western-Stories-Elmore-Leonard/dp/0061242926/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1357668708&sr=8-7&keywords=elmore+leonard

[danie]

I'm not a fan of the 'western' novels myself. There are lots out there to pick from tho. Why not try a different Zane Grey book? Or try something by Larry McMurty, he seems to have alot of 'western' books out there like 'Lonesome Dove', which was a bestseller and made into a great series on TV. Maybe ask at your local library what is trending in that area? Or, just do a re-read of the Tower books!! :biggrin2:

As usual, I agree with Kingrice. Lonesome Dove is in my Top Ten Book List--it is SOOOOO GOOOOOOD. I've never even seen the TV series, but the book is exceptional. My grandfather was a great Louis L'Amour fan, as well (as some of the others here have written). A good friend of mine just recommended L'Amour's Last of the Breed and Sitka to me last week. I have them in my Amazon cart!

[muskrat]

If ye got the scropes, Tom Franklin has a good 'un called Smonk. More of a Southern than a Western, I guess, but anyhoo...

Here's a book description swiped from Amazon:

It's 1911 and the townsfolk of Old Texas, Alabama, have had enough. Every Saturday night for a year, E. O. Smonk has been destroying property, killing livestock, seducing women, cheating and beating men, all from behind the twin barrels of his Winchester 45-70 caliber over-and-under rifle. Syphilitic, consumptive, gouty, and goitered—an expert with explosives and knives—Smonk hates horses, goats, and the Irish, and it's high time he was stopped. But capturing old Smonk won't be easy—and putting him on trial could have shocking and disastrous consequences, considering the terrible secret the citizens of Old Texas are hiding

[50missioncap]

Before Elmore Leonard started writing crime novels he wrote Western short stories. This book collects all of them (I think) and is very good. Elmore wrote 3:10 to Yuma along with some other titles you will recognize.

http://www.amazon.com/Complete-Western-Stories-Elmore-Leonard/dp/0061242926/ref=sr_1_7?ie=UTF8&qid=1357668708&sr=8-7&keywords=elmore+leonard (http://www.stephenking.com/forums/redirector.php?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.amazon.com%2FC omplete-Western-Stories-Elmore-Leonard%2Fdp%2F0061242926%2Fref%3Dsr_1_7%3Fie%3DUT F8%26qid%3D1357668708%26sr%3D8-7%26keywords%3Delmore%2Bleonard)

I agree and am glad you mentioned this. I stumbled across this collection a while back and they are wonderful.

[dsurrett]

Uncle Stevie and son Joe both recommend Larry McMurtry and Lonesome Dove. So do I.


As usual, I agree with Kingrice. Lonesome Dove is in my Top Ten Book List--it is SOOOOO GOOOOOOD. I've never even seen the TV series, but the book is exceptional. My grandfather was a great Louis L'Amour fan, as well (as some of the others here have written). A good friend of mine just recommended L'Amour's Last of the Breed and Sitka to me last week. I have them in my Amazon cart!

[Smush]

Wow, thanks, GentleGiant; I like westerns and have read quite a bit of Louis L'Amour because of my dad, but wasn't really familiar with other western novelists.

[Smush]

If you can find it, ST. AGNES' STAND by Thomas Eidson is the best western I've read so far. It's gritty, realistic, downright brutal, and oh, so very, very good. You can't put it down. It's a quick read, and one you won't soon forget.

[fljoe0]

If ye got the scropes, Tom Franklin has a good 'un called Smonk. More of a Southern than a Western, I guess, but anyhoo...

Here's a book description swiped from Amazon:

It's 1911 and the townsfolk of Old Texas, Alabama, have had enough. Every Saturday night for a year, E. O. Smonk has been destroying property, killing livestock, seducing women, cheating and beating men, all from behind the twin barrels of his Winchester 45-70 caliber over-and-under rifle. Syphilitic, consumptive, gouty, and goitered—an expert with explosives and knives—Smonk hates horses, goats, and the Irish, and it's high time he was stopped. But capturing old Smonk won't be easy—and putting him on trial could have shocking and disastrous consequences, considering the terrible secret the citizens of Old Texas are hiding

Smonk is an awesome book. It's hilarious and brutal at the same time.

[danie]

If ye got the scropes, Tom Franklin has a good 'un called Smonk. More of a Southern than a Western, I guess, but anyhoo...
Ooh, I'll have to try this one. I loved Franklin's Crooked Letter, Crooked Letter.

[GNTLGNT]

...here's a favorite...

http://www.adazing.com/wp-content/uploads/2012/06/wait-wait-for-the-thunder.jpg...deals with the aftermath of beans by the campfire...

[xkittyx]

Louis L'Amour of course, and Larry McMurtry are great. Loren D. Estleman has a couple, Lee Hoffman, Stan Lynde...
One my grandpa reads all the time, but I haven't tried yet is William W. Johnstone and JA Johnstone.

I'm pretty new to reading Wessurns myself, so I like this thread :)

[Doc Wilson]

Smonk is an awesome book. It's hilarious and brutal at the same time.

Agreed, loved it!

[Doc Wilson]

The Sisters Brothers would have been the best book I read in 2012 if it hadn't been for 11/22/63. If you liked the dark humor in Lonesome Dove, you will love this story of two bumbling yet fearsome hit men in last days of the old west. The narrator is perhaps my favorite antihero of all time.

[Patricia A]

OH OH OH! RICHARD MATHESON! Whew I ran all the way to the end of this thread to say that, sorry I cap locked on y'all, I just got excited. Richard Matheson writes some of the best western genre books I have ever read. Journal of the Gun Years is a good place to start.

http://i200.photobucket.com/albums/aa219/plcarmstrong/booksidDfbSZfhsEG8Cprintsecfrontcov.jpg

[Damaris]

I don't know if he really fits what you're wanting, but you might also look into Elmer Kelton. I suspect he's similar to Louis L'Amour and probably best known for the book The Good Old Boys.

[guido tkp]

if you can find 'em...joe lansdale has done some interesting stuff in the past...the magic wagon comes to mind...

also, his hap collins and leonard pine books are kinda modern westerns, if ya will

[Walter Oobleck]

The Drop Edge of Yonder--there's a line or more in this one about being caught between worlds...lots of movement from place to place
--Rudolph Wurlitzer

Butcher's Crossing--there are winter scenes in this one reminiscent of the same kind of scenes in Roland's story...think London's To Build a Fire...man/nature
--John Williams

The Incident at Twenty Mile
--Trevanian

Warlock
--Oakley Hall