If you like the sort of western stories that hark to the days of fast-action pulp magazines; to the solidly entertaining B movies in which heroes were heroes, no matter what sort of crises they faced; then the western novels of Howard Hopkins are for you.
Author, pulp fan, and publisher of the fanzine Golden Perils -- a man of many hats -- Howard writes westerns under the name Lance Howard. He's an expert on Richard Henry Benson -- the hero known as The Avenger -- and on Doc Savage. You'll find a hint of these characters' adventures in Howard's westerns, along with the sort of mysteries and action that might appear in a Pete Rice, Jim Hatfield, or Pecos Kid novel.
The Comanche's Ghost stands as a solid example. Here, outlaw-hunter Park Hanson enters Deadmore, Texas, on the trail of the man who killed his parents. He finds a town full of corruption, where the honest folks are terrified of an apparition that's seemingly cursed their community -- the shrieking ghost of a Comanche warrior. Among those under siege are old friends of Hanson -- their ranch, the Circle GP, seems a particular target of the ghost's attacks. And living there is Lucinda MacAllister, a woman Hanson could give his heart to, if not for his quest to track down his parents' murderer.
Howard sets a smooth, quick pace for this novel -- I could easily see it as the basis for the sort of western movie mentioned earlier. The characterizations are entertaining, and Howard sets up a real dilemma for his hero, who is torn between romance with Lucinda and the hate that drives him on his vengeance trail.
Try a western by Howard Hopkins -- he's doing a good job of keeping alive the tradition of the pulp western for today's readers.
Links:
You can learn more about Howard and his writing at his website, HowardHopkins.com. Click here to visit.
The Comanche's Ghost was published in a large print edition in the U.S. Click here for availability at Amazon.
You can check Amazon.co.uk for both regular and large print editions of The Comanche's Ghost. Click here for the large print edition and here for the regular hardcover edition published by the Black Horse Western imprint of Robert Hale Books.
Posted by ds at October 28, 2002 05:51 PM
