Gunslinger

This tidy anthology of Western works by Ed Gorman is a delicious treat. We are offered ten thoughtful stories.

The stories reveal Gorman as a laconic and evocative craftsman. Each story represents what attracts me to the genre- beyond horses I have no idea where these tales are going. Is it a shoot ‘em up? A murder mystery? A tale of lost love? Mother-Son antagonism? Survival? All are brief, spiced with lovely detail and have a melancholy timbre.

The stories are:

·         The Face

·         Gunslinger

·         Guild and the Indian Woman

·         Mainwaring’s Gift

·         Blood Truth

·         Dance Girl

·         Deathman

·         Love and Trooper Monroe

·         Pards

We are also gifted two brief essays by Gorman on the genre:

·         On Roy Rogers

·         Writing the Modern Western

A very impressive sojourn into the skill of a mighty fine author.