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lgpiper's review
3.0
So, I was reading a book about a schizophrenic, alcoholic Englishman who was totally besotted on a small-time actress, Hangover Square. Either he wanted to take her to a stone cottage in the country, or else kill her. For her part, she was totally indifferent to him.
Anyway, the schizo/alky was on a train and got out a book, The Bar-20 Rides Again, to read. I figured it was a made-up name, but I checked anyway. It wasn't. It turns out that back some century ago, a guy named Clarence E. Mulford wrote a series of western novels featuring Hopalong Cassidy. Naturally, I knew Hoppy from his portrayal by William Boyd in old black and white films in the early days of TV. I never knew that Hoppy originated from a set of books. Nor did I ever know that Hoppy was a red head with a limp.
Anyway, Hoppy and his gang have long since broken up (this book is the 17th of the series), and a number of them have taken up ranching and gotten themselves a wife. One such, Johnny Nelson, was living happily in north Texas or Colorado or somewhere and doing just fine. Then suddenly, out of the Snake Buttes, came a bunch of cattle rustlers who stole his cattle, and that of some friends, and also shot Johnny. Johnny's wife wrote Hoppy about it. Hoppy and a bunch of the old crew were ranching together up in Montana.
So, they come south to help out their old buddy. They get another old friend, Tex Ewalt, the slickest gambler that ever was, and a guy who was also pretty slick with a gun, to come up from Texas to wherever the Snake Buttes were. Tex infiltrates the gang of rustlers, led by a guy named Nevada.
So, anyway, we have guys riding horses, guys gambling, guys drinking, guys gibing each other, and of course, guys shooting each other. All the good stuff of old fashioned westerns. Believe it or not, this book wasn't half bad. Much more entertaining than the more literary piece about the schizo/alky.
Anyway, the schizo/alky was on a train and got out a book, The Bar-20 Rides Again, to read. I figured it was a made-up name, but I checked anyway. It wasn't. It turns out that back some century ago, a guy named Clarence E. Mulford wrote a series of western novels featuring Hopalong Cassidy. Naturally, I knew Hoppy from his portrayal by William Boyd in old black and white films in the early days of TV. I never knew that Hoppy originated from a set of books. Nor did I ever know that Hoppy was a red head with a limp.
Anyway, Hoppy and his gang have long since broken up (this book is the 17th of the series), and a number of them have taken up ranching and gotten themselves a wife. One such, Johnny Nelson, was living happily in north Texas or Colorado or somewhere and doing just fine. Then suddenly, out of the Snake Buttes, came a bunch of cattle rustlers who stole his cattle, and that of some friends, and also shot Johnny. Johnny's wife wrote Hoppy about it. Hoppy and a bunch of the old crew were ranching together up in Montana.
So, they come south to help out their old buddy. They get another old friend, Tex Ewalt, the slickest gambler that ever was, and a guy who was also pretty slick with a gun, to come up from Texas to wherever the Snake Buttes were. Tex infiltrates the gang of rustlers, led by a guy named Nevada.
So, anyway, we have guys riding horses, guys gambling, guys drinking, guys gibing each other, and of course, guys shooting each other. All the good stuff of old fashioned westerns. Believe it or not, this book wasn't half bad. Much more entertaining than the more literary piece about the schizo/alky.
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