Time for another column of oats-eating reading, so grab your saddlebags and bedrolls. This time out, we feature two new strangers, while the third is an old standby. In the meantime, let’s set a spell while I write an angry e-mail to DC Comics about a certain Confederate soldier’s lack of a second SHOWCASE volume. Maybe this will get it all straightened out by the time JONAH HEX hits the big screen, which has two things going for it: Josh Brolin as Jonah and Mastodon doing the soundtrack. I bet you were expecting some cheap Megan Fox joke. Sorry, buckaroos, I can’t stand that second-rate Angelina Jolie. (I’m more a Rachel Weisz man myself.)
JIM STEEL #6: AZTEC GOLD by Chet Cunningham — Wow, look at that kick-ass cover! I mean, that dude looks like a total badass who’s about to shoot first and maybe ask questions later. This 1981 book just screams “read me!” Well, I read it and guess what? An episode of GUNSMOKE is more action-packed.
This book is so boring and milquetoast, it’s amazing it made it to number six in a series. Jim Steel is a one-note character with absolutely nothing of interest to keep readers wanting more. I really was hoping for some total cool gunfighter. What I got was a hero that 8-year-olds would laugh at.
Steel is supposed to be some tough, go-to gunfighter who is hired by the president to protect an exhibit of Mexican treasures. That is the whole plot of the story. Of course, during this protection, various groups try to steal the gold. Oooh, how thrilling. It would be if Steel was not knocked out or taken by surprise at every turn. He makes the Three Stooges look like Continental Ops.
The story plods along like a horse. Too bad the horse is on the way to the glue factory. Even the addition of what should be the love interest just stands there like a wooden Indian in front of a cigar store — nice decoration, but serves no purpose whatsoever. To make matters worse is that once the gold is stolen, it’s retrieved so quickly, you get the feeling Cunningham had a certain word count to hit and once there, he just tied it all up quickly. This is a series to avoid, since it takes no time to read and probably no time to write. Look elsewhere for your Western action.
CHANCE #1 by Clay Tanner — MAVERICK on a riverboat is exactly what the CHANCE series is, with violence and a little bit of R-rated sex thrown in. Tanner is actually George W. Proctor, who wrote science fiction under his own name but used a variety of pseudonyms for Westerns.
This 1986 entry is the first in a series which finished with book 12. Many seeds are planted in this story — namely, a certain historical figure who is a friend of Chance’s and, from what I understand, pops up later. (Think riverboats and writing, and it will come to you.) Chance is a gambler who seems to be based on the old James Garner character — a likable sort who is a master at cards, to the point that after the opening game, he is attacked for the reasons of retrieving the money another card player lost.
This is nothing new for the Western genre. Still, it sets up the story when Chance, after beating up his attacker, learns the man is a former friend who fell on hard time. This is where the story is given its purpose, when it’s explained to Chance that his pal lost everything in a card game on a riverboat called the New Moon (don’t worry, folks: This has nothing to do with emo vampires and that deluded fan base), which Chance is actually about to take down to New Orleans.
Of course, he takes it upon himself to set things straight, since no one could be as good at cards the way Chance’s friend explained his misfortune. I think most people can see where this is going, and by the halfway mark, Chance has solved that problem. It’s then that the book moves into Chance having to deal with the attempts on his life and newfound winnings.
Again, this is nothing groundbreaking, but Proctor knows how to keep the reader engaged, even when most of them will have it figured out. How a gambler won would have been more of a surprise if I did not see it done on an old episode of SANFORD AND SON. Still, the story kept my attention throughout, and I will definitely be looking for more CHANCE adventures in the future.
EDGE #7: CALIFORNIA KILL by George G. Gilman — Yippie-ki-yi-yeah! The baddest hombre is back in BOOKGASM territory! I’m talking about the man who makes Bill Belichick look like a barrel of laughs: none other than Edge. For those unfamiliar with this character, he was in the Civil War, is a bit bitter about it all, and carries a straight razor in his collar for his go-to weapon.
The bulk of the 1973 story takes place in a California town with no name. The town is literally being run roughshod over by bandits and a sheriff who is more concerned with making a profit than keeping the law. See, Edge stumbled upon a stagecoach being robbed and tried to help. But things take a nasty turn, making Edge super-pissed off. He even makes up a lie about the robbery, since one of the passengers is a photographer, and tells everyone that the photographer took a photo of the crime and will use it for evidence. So, of course, the bad guys want the photo back.
Of course, there is no photo — this is just Edge setting bait in his trap. For readers of the series, it’s more of the violent same, which is exactly why I keep going back to it … with a breather, though, since a little can go long way. Still, I’ll take an EDGE book over whatever crap Hollywood dishes out.
Next time: “Jack”-o’-Lantern and friends. —Bruce Grossman
OTHER BOOKGASM REVIEWS OF GEORGE G. GILMAN:
• ADAM STEELE #1: REBELS AND ASSASSINS DIE HARD by George G. Gilman
• EDGE #2: TEN GRAND by George G. Gilman
• EDGE #4: KILLER’S BREED by George G. Gilman
• EDGE #6: RED RIVER by George G. Gilman
• EDGE #11: SIOUX UPRISING by George G. Gilman
• EDGE #15: PARADISE LOSES by George G. Gilman
• STEELE #17: SATAN’S DAUGHTERS by George G. Gilman
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