Last week I found myself at a loose end as far as reading material went (odd situation given I work in a library) and for want of something different grabbed a handful of western fiction titles and decided to work my way through them.
'Why not?' I thought. 'I read Mills and Boon romances on occasion so why not some paperback westerns? I don't mind watching the odd western movie so I'll give this lot a go.'
I will admit at this point that "Wanderer of the Wasteland" by Zane Grey is one of my favourite stories set in the early settler period of the US. Its descriptions and characterisation are captivating and truly beautiful as a piece of writing. The story is swiftly yet carefully told leaving the reader in no doubt as to what is driving our wandering pilgrim on his path. This is a western in its purest form.
What I picked off the shelf was a little different. Okay the setting was certainly the frontier period of the US, the primary characters were men (or boys) on horses, carrying guns. There were battles against Indians, battles against fearsome creatures from the Louisiana bayou, battles against no-good outlaws with murder on their minds, battles to survive desert conditions in the search for gold. There were no battles for the love interest as women simply fell over themselves to get at their man, one title even had some quite explicit sex scenes that left me blushing and laughing at the same time with its descriptions of the male anatomy... I'll say no more.
Some authors certainly handle this genre better than others, I admit to being disappointed in the Max Brand title I read but given his proliferation and popularity am hopeful he has written some good stuff. I quite enjoyed Bill Brooks and Marcus Galloway. Bradford Scott was okay, not a bad storyteller. And Jon Sharpe certainly rolled the story along, conveying the unseen threats of the environment quite well.
But for me, as a preference, westerns just don't cut it. This is not to say I will never read another western ever again - certainly I will. I am intrigued by this genre and how as library staff we make assumptions about its content and its scope... and its audience. Western fiction is a quick little jaunt through a world where strong men with guns who might have dubious backgrounds but strong moral fibre strut their stuff against bands of ignorant bullies. If only life were so very simple. This is not to say that men over 60 are its only audience, no western fiction shows some serious staying power with a far broader appeal than we give it credit for. Okay, so it's not my particular cup of tea but then again it doesn't have to be. I wouldn't put it past having quite a substantial female audience too.
My conclusion... I feel I haver served a penance reading these novels but am grateful I took the opportunity to do so. From a readers advisory perspective I now have a broader appreciation with which to help other readers find the experience they are looking for. From a personal perspective... I'll stick to watching those movies.
