On Treacherous Ground: Secret Stories of the West ebook

by Earl Murray

Three of the stories are set in the old West of wagon trains and gunfighters. In "Untold Glory", an army Lieutenant leads a wagon train near the Rockies. This books consists of 10 stories set in the old West and more modern times.

Three of the stories are set in the old West of wagon trains and gunfighters. It's a pretty basic story of the trail, with a showdown with a Sioux band as climax. The stories don't run chronologically which I found somewhat jarring. The problem is the switch from a story about an Indian attack on a wagon train to one on neo-nazi punks planning a Columbine-style bloodbath to one on an old West poker game with a mysterious stranger sitting in, etc. The book's main failing however is the stories themselves.

On Treacherous Ground book. With many stories based on actual events, this collection of takes on the West in all of its treacherous guises: from the Old West, where Joaquim Murietta, the real-l The American West has always been a region that inspires intrigue and violence-from gunfights at the OK Corral to modern-day murders, scandals, and botched investigations that dominate the nation's headlines.

A Tom Doherty Associates book. The stories in ON TREACHEROUS GROUND cross over from the Old West, where Joaquin Murieta, the figure Zorro was based on, battles Texas Rangers, to the New West, where a modern-day Montana rancher plots to murder his neighbor.

inlibrary; printdisabled; ; china. A Tom Doherty Associates book. Canon EOS 5D Mark II.

On Treacherous Ground. Secret Stories of the West. With his usual adroit storytelling, Murray communicates his love for the West while championing the victims of its early expansion and condemning the villains of today. At the Publisher's request, this title is being sold without Digital Rights Management Software (DRM) applied. Connect with the author. Published March 14, 2003 by Forge Books. Western stories, In library, Protected DAISY. The day began with a stream of gray that swam down off the peaks and lodged over the valley.

On Treacherous Ground: Secret Stories of the West. Edward has never made a secret of his dissatisfaction with the flood of American emigrants into Oregon, depriving the established Hudson’s Bay Company of trade territory. Midnight Sun: and other stories of the unexplained. carousel previous carousel next. The region had been under joint ownership for some time and the settlers would soon be the majority of the population. An argument with Mr. LaBruneue regarding the matter had ensued, resulting in Edward’s defaming remark. Earl Murray once worked in botany and natural resource management. He is the author of thirty-five novels and nonfiction books that deal with the American West. More about Earl Murray. On Treacherous Ground.

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The American West has long inspired intrigue and violence-everything from gunfights at the OK Corral to modern-day murders, scandals, and botched investigations that dominate the nation's headlines. With many of them based on actual events, this collection of short stories takes on the West in all of its treacherous guises: from the Old West, where Joaquim Murietta, the real-life inspiration for Zorro, battles California Rangers who are out for his head, to modern-day Montana, where one man's wealth takes him into the dark corners of the illegal artifacts trade and where another sees murder as a viable way to take over his neighbor's life.Bizarre, fascinating, and eminently imaginative, this veteran writer of America's last wild and secluded places shows us the West in all of its grim splendor, with just enough disguise to protect the guilty.

Welen

Best known for his work in the Western genre, Murray here collects ten stories spanning the old and new Western states. They are unified by a sense of right and wrong and who the villains are, very simple prose, somewhat heavy-handed plotting, and a love of the West. Three of the stories are set in the old West of wagon trains and gunfighters. In "Untold Glory", an army Lieutenant leads a wagon train near the Rockies. It's a pretty basic story of the trail, with a showdown with a Sioux band as climax. "A Stranger in Madio's" is about a hired "regulator" in Texas who gets caught up in an altercation at a bar poker game. The key to the story lies in the identity of the stranger of the title, which is rather predictable. Set in the gold towns on the Sierra Nevadas, "Hangtown" follows a priest seeking a famous bandido, again for a rather predictable reason.

The seven modern stories have somewhat more interesting premises, however, the execution isn't the greatest. These tend to highlight the destruction of cultural and/or natural treasures by big business. "High on Windy Water" celebrates untamed land, as an old-timer shows a trio of rich city men around a large property they hope to use for high-end tourism. There's kind of a interesting dark tone, as they make a disconcerting discovery. In "Sacred Stone" an Indian woman tries to derail the plans of a mining company to destroy a sacred tribal site. The story also gives a taste of the alcoholism and other ills of modern reservation life. "Gulls in the Snow" is another piece about an old-timer who loves the West and the corporate interests arrayed against him.

"Aftermath" is a semi-ripped story from the headlines story about two boys engaged in a Columbine-style plot driven by their neo-Nazi beliefs. Little about it rings true however, and it comes across as contrived and cheesyóa much better fictional take on the Columbine phenomenon is Jim Shepard's novel Project X. The militant separatists of "On Treacherous Ground" aren't neo-Nazis, but rather of the "here come the black helicopters" brigade. The story is about Sam Grant, an upstanding citizen trying to be recruited by the militia. The most over-the-top story (and my own favorite), is "The Red Skull Room" in which a club of wealthy men compete every year to acquire the most extravagant objects in a contest for$5 million in diamonds. It's straight out of the pulps, with sacred artifacts, the FBI, and Native American avengers all in the mix.

Morlunn

Being unfamiliar with author Earl Murray's work, I purchased this book based on the publisher's blurb and the book's intriguing sub-title. I should have done more checking and saved my money.

This books consists of 10 stories set in the old West and more modern times. The stories don't run chronologically which I found somewhat jarring. The problem is the switch from a story about an Indian attack on a wagon train to one on neo-nazi punks planning a Columbine-style bloodbath to one on an old West poker game with a mysterious stranger sitting in, etc.

The book's main failing however is the stories themselves. Overall they are pretty bland and uninvolving. The characters are superficial, the action plodding and several stories just kind of trail off without a satisfactory denouement. And I still am trying to fathom why these are "secret stories of the West!?!"

Pass on this one, folks.