The Complete Western Stories of Elmore Leonard

Before he found fame and influence as America's premier writer of crime fiction, Elmore Leonard cut his teeth writing Western pulp for various magazines in the 1950s. These short stories have all been collected in this book of Complete Western Stories, along with a couple he wrote during a brief foray back into the genre a few decades later. (Note: Leonard also wrote a number of Western novels, such as Hombre and Valdez is Coming, which are not included in this collection.)

As you would expect from such a clean writer, it's a tidy volume. There's never a bum note in the sequence of thirty stories, though naturally some are better than others. The vast majority are set in Arizona and the Apache territory in the 1880s, and depict standard show more Western scenarios – Apache ambushes, bounty hunting, stagecoach robberies and shootouts and the like. They're all drawn capably, though you might soon find yourself thirsting for more variety.

These are often safe stories, typical of a young writer finding his feet, and there's not much of the ingenuity and crackle with which Elmore Leonard would later win so many hearts. 'Three-Ten to Yuma', the tenth story, is the first to really show the snappy dialogue which became a trademark of this author. Other stand-out stories, such as 'The Captives', which has an excellent shootout at its end, do so by telling their standard story well, fulfilling the formula rather than transcending it. It's a solid and dependable collection and a good example of the writer's craft, but while Elmore Leonard left a mark on the Western genre, he didn't leave a unique and identifiable fingerprint. show less

An endlessly enjoyable collection of Leonard's
Western tales, most of them written in the 1950s. With the exception of the very oldest stories - a bit stilted and boyish, maybe - and the last two - a bit cynical and meandering, perhaps - these are pulp entertainment at its best. Leonard is a passionate writer with a great ear, so even though you're reading cowboy adventures, basically, the writing is never even remotely dull or unconvincing. And during its high points, the book is downright morally instructive.

This is an abridged version of the book having only 11 stories in it. I don't think they're abridged, though. Read by Tom Wopath, Henry Rollins & David Strather & William Atherton. (I wrote those names down as I heard them. I have no idea if they're spelled correctly, but all of them were excellent readers.)

For some reason, I never equated Elmore Leonard with westerns. I'd forgotten who wrote [b:Hombre|835203|Hombre|Elmore Leonard|http://photo.goodreads.com/books/1178766736s/835203.jpg|1855093]. It's been a lot of years since I read the book, though I've probably watched the movie with Paul Newman in it a dozen times over the years & it is an old favorite.

One of the best things about Leonard's writing is that everyone in them are real show more people. Good/bad, black/white/red, male/female, they're not perfect in any way. They're strong, opinionated, & have reasons for being what they are. They get dealt a hand & play it out, often based on a past that is painted in with broad strokes, just enough to give them depth, but with enough detail left out for some wiggle room. I was never quite sure which way they'd go, but usually the author seemed to find a pretty unique path for them.

Blood Money - 3.5 stars - A good solid story to start the ball rolling. Typically well written & gritty about a bank robbery & what happens after. Exactly what I'd expect from Leonard.

Only Good Ones - Wow! 5 stars, a story of prejudice & vigilantism so unbelievable, but so starkly written that it felt true. Surely it was too stark & outrageous to be mere fiction

Trail of the Apache - 4 stars - another solid story with a bit more meat than the first. Government treatment of Indians & a pretty exceptional man that carried the orders out. There's duty, there's dedication, & then there is just being built a certain way. Add them together & Leonard came up with a very remarkable hero.

Trouble at Rindo Station - 3 stars. Not bad, but pretty similar on a lot of points to the other stories. If I hadn't just heard them, I probably would have rated it a bit higher.

The Boy Who Smiled - 3 stars. Serviceable & would have been more chilling if everything hadn't been telegraphed so far ahead.

The Tonto Woman - 4 stars. I loved the characters & the ending. It's not what I would expect from Leonard at all, but I loved it. It's the kind of story that makes you think about it after it's done.

Hurrah for Captain Early - 3 stars, maybe 4, but it could have been 5 & blew it. This was an excellent story in a lot of ways, but it got too scattered, tried to make too many points & wound up not really making any of them with the impact they deserved. Still, it wound up being a disappointment.

The Colonel's Lady - 4 stars - Wow! Great action with a great ending. I can't say more without a spoiler, unfortunately. I won't even post a spoiler, just tell you that you have to read it without knowing what is going to happen for the impact. Go read it now. Seriously. It's too cool not to.

Saint With A Six Gun - 4 stars. This is an excellent story where a young man learns some of the facts of life the hard way, but with a superb twist. It was thought provoking, but had a really fun twist, too.

You Never See Apaches - 3 stars. Not particularly interesting over all, but it does show Indians in a very good light. It was too obvious in most ways.

3:10 to Yuma - 3 stars. A much shorter story than I expected, so it didn't have the history of the movies which added to the impact. Basically, it's the last scene of the movies - sort of - just the walk from the hotel to the train.

This is definitely a 'must read' western collection. Highly recommended. show less

I read one of Elmore Leonard's latest books, 10 Rules of Writing, and then decided to start with his early works as a warm-up and decide if I would read some of his books or all of them. I think now at least I will give each one of them a try.

This collection contains one of the best western stories: 3:10 to Yuma, and it was captivating. Another story that I liked a lot was Apache Medicine.

These are all at least pretty good and some are excellent.

Western

Elmore Leonard once again demonstrates the superb talent for language and narrative that has made him one of the most acclaimed and influential writers in recent time through this stellar collection of short fiction that spans his career. From his very first short story "The Trail of the Apache" through five decades of classic western tales, this is a must-have for fans of all ages