Violent Sagas of the Old West

It wasn't very long ago that the western was among the dominant genres read by men. Cowboys, the US Cavalry, pioneers, explorers, trappers and Indian fighters created by such stellar authors as Matthew Braun, Zane Grey, Elmer Kelton, Owen Wister, A. B. Guthrie, Jr., Terry C. Johnston and Louis L'Amour were the precursors of astronauts and other modern action adventure heroes. In few other categories could readers find men and women who personified the American dream and core values that forged our national identity.

The western fiction market is a fraction of what it used to be, but there is still a dedicated readership that finds thrills and satisfaction in tales of the West. Chet Cunningham's Pony Soldier Series exemplifies the genre at its very best if not its very most violent. The first novel, Slaughter at Buffalo Creek, introduces a grief-stricken Captain Colt Harding as he sets out to wreak revenge on the Indian who killed his wife and son. The problem is, he has to team up with some of the vilest men in the west. These are The Pony Soldiers.

E-Reads carries five books tracking their adventures.

- Richard Curtis