Follow the Stone (An Emmett Love Western) - John Locke

I have once again strayed into the realms of the Western for entertainment dear readers, this time from a recommendation by a friend who said this book was an easy read and even better, it was free. Free being the magical word in this time of austerity I decided to take her up on the offer and give it a go.

It wasn't a bad read either. I do enjoy a good Western and this novel isn't shy on that count. The details are all there and the characters all counted for - a cool gunslinger, a fiesty maiden and a bunch of whores, lets not forget the Indians and the cowboys either. Mix this up with an intricate setting and you've got yourself all you need for a Western novel. The characters are easily recognised and fairly simple too. There is no great need for understanding with this novel, the characters do what is expected of them and I feel this simplicity is part of the enjoyment I took. I knew I wasn't going to be reading a gret epic from the first page but this didn't put me off at all. I knew the hero was going to end up sleeping with at least one of the prostitutes during the journey and I knew there was going to be some form of change on his part too - that's what story is after all right?

The plot of the novel is somewhat predictable however and I found I could guess what was going to happen before the words appeared. Most of the time I would find this annoying however in this novel, because I knew what I was getting, I found it was a good thing. John Locke may be the first 'kindle millionnaire' but he hasn't written a great masterpiece nor shocked the world with beautifully crafted writting.

I liked this novel for all its simplicity and I didn't pay a penny for it which was nice - which is a good thing. If you want a simple easy throw-away read, this is the book for you. If you want some hardcore detailed writing with fast paced fights and gunslinging wizards, go and read The Dark Tower series... Until next time!!

The Gunslinger (again) - Stephen King

Yes, I know, I have already read and reviewed this book. Don't despair, I will read something different next, I promise. I loved it the first time and when this was the only book near me when my kindle decided to die (it just needs a recharge) I was overjoyed.

I've never re-read a book before and been as impressed the second time around than I have with this one. On the first reading you're all blown away with the tension building and then the release, the whirlwind of story and darkness of character sweep you off on an adventure that is like no other you'll ever have. I knew what I was getting myself in for when I picked it up this time, however, with this reading, it is the small details that stand out. There are concepts and ideas mentioned in the novel that are not explained until several novels down the line. It is a real credit to King's skills as a writer that this happens. These details make a lot more sense on a second reading and as a whole, make the story that much more enjoyable.

On the second reading, I no longer had to worry whether I liked the protagonist. This time, I understand his reasons for doing what he does and cannot hate him for it either. Yes, he is still the dark brooding antihero he was before but my perception of him has altered through gained knowledge and this enhances the whole experience. I also didn't feel the same about Jake, the young boy in the story, there was no sympathy for him on his 'experiences' (I won't say what it is, some of you may not have read his yet) as I knew what was ahead. What I didn't reckon on was there being the first chapter of The Drawing of the Three at the end, which has just made me want to read on. I will be disappointed once more when I open my next book and find Roland Deschain isn't in it!

The setting, language and mood of the novel are all as captivating as they were the first time around and I strongly advice those of you who have not read this novel/series yet to stop what you are doing, find a copy and read it. Why are you still reading this drivel? Go!

Shoot to Kill - Ben Bridges

This is not a Star Trek novel, although going by the title you may indeed think that. This is another Western novel that I have chewed my way through and I'm going to be honest, really really enjoyed.

Ben Bridges appears to have written more than a handful of westerns, which I was unaware of when I chose this one. Kindle recommended it to me and I gave it a chance, what I found when I got there was good. The book itself is easy to read, fast paced and well written. The fight scenes in particular are just amazing. I read them so fast, I just couldn't wait to find out who lived and who died.

The hero, Carter O'Brien, is your typical western hero, as can be seen on the cover there, however he is beatifully written.Not everything comes easy to him and he doesn't always win a fight! He spends a good deal of his time injured, shot or being beaten up by Mexicans (as every good western hero should). He is engaging for the reader and you care what happens to him enough to overlook his flaws.

The plot for the book starts off seeming like a very basic 'get the evil baddie' affair but Bridges has long mastered the art of twists and this book is no exception! I didn't expect the book to end how it did and that was a welcome surprise. I also liked how the lead character had no love interest in the book to distract him. There was a couple involved along the journey but they were not the focus of the novel, this too was a welcome change.

I really loved Bridges' novel and now know who I can turn to when I feel like endulging in my guilty pleasure next time. If you have a thing for books on the Wild West, I can recommend him to you, its well worth it.

Cast a Dark Shadow - De-ann Black

I felt like reading something different this time. I've read a lot of good fantasy fiction recently and needed a break so have indulged my (not so) best kept secret love affair with westerns. I was hoping this latest ebook would be a decent read but unfortunately it fell somewhere short of the mark.



Like everything, there are good and bad elements to this book. The language was easy to read and I got through it in a couple of days. The story was easy to follow, which after reading a lot of heavy fantasy tales (I'm thinking of The Dark Tower here) it made a welcome change. It was good to read a mystery story. The hero of the book is discovered, unconscious, by a local boy. He is patched up by the local doctor but has lost all this memories, the story follows the hero on a discovery of who he is. Great. It's a fantastic premise and could have been a really good novel.

I'm not going to say anything else about the plot as I don't want to spoil it for anyone but I will say I feel that plot won over character in this novel. A lot of the side cast are two dimensional and flat. They seem to play a role in the book but not do anything else after that. It's a real shame as for me, characters make a novel worth reading. The hero is well thought out though and does go a ways to solve this problem.

Luck seems to play too large a part in the book too. The hero(s) are saved from death by luck more than once and after the second time it starts to feel a bit contrived. Everything fits together a bit too well and it broke reader immersion for me. I just found it too much of a coincidence, which never works well in a novel, in my opinion.

All that said, I did enjoy the read and despite its faults, it is an ok book. I'm not sure what to read next so any suggestions you have would be welcome. So long as I can get it on kindle that is!