Big Ike

Westerns published today have been on the decline – falling out of favor for various reasons – and I can't see Andrew J. Fenady's BIG IKE helping forge a resurgence. It's not that the book is badly written; it's just so predictable. Watch any episode of BONANZA or GUNSMOKE, and BIG IKE easily could have been subbed as a plot. Fenady's novel does have some elements that set it apart from your typical Western, with the main being that the main characters – brothers Ike and Jake – are Jewish. But from then on, the book is just one typical Western cliché after another. The brothers and Ike's two boys plan on heading out to Arizona to start a new life: taking over a general store and establishing a freight business. But the land they have to cross is swarming with Indians; however, these men will persist no matter what. So they start a ragtag wagon train consisting of the following: a group of miners who knew Ike back in the good old days, a family of freed slaves, a nun who is going to start a school and a drunk actor who recites Shakespeare. On the way to the town, they come across an escaped and badly injured Apache chief who Ike treats like a normal man, rather than a savage. I pretty much had the rest of BIG IKE sussed out on page 84. Like that the new town is controlled by an evil landowner. But Ike proves himself to be someone not to mess with, no matter what is thrown his way – including a hired gun. It finally dawned on me who Ike somewhat resembled: James Garner in those SUPPORT YOUR LOCAL SHERIFF movies. But for a book like this to come out when a show like DEADWOOD is around just defeats the purpose. If you're looking for some wholesome, old-school Western action, then, yes, BIG IKE is for you. But if you want something with a little more meat on its bones, flick on HBO. –Bruce Grossman Buy it at Amazon.