Heading West: Western Stories

by Noel Loomis, Bill Pronzini

Book by Loomis, Noel M., Pronzini, Bill

Hardcover

First published November 1, 1999

About the author

Noel Miller Loomis was an editor, printer, newspaperman, teacher and writer of western, mystery and science-fiction, winner of the Spur Award in 1959, President of Western Writers of America between 1954 and 1955, Director of Writers Workshop between 1963 and 1969, member of the American Academy of Political and Social Science, American Association of University Professors, American Historical Association and PEN International.

Reviews

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Heading West" is a good collection of nine western short stories written by Noel Loomis in the 1950's. This is my first attempt at a Loomis western and I like his writing style. It seems to carry a lot of the immersive environmental and character nuances that keep a reader in the spirit of the story without needing too much unnecessary prose or filling. Of course, these are just short stories so they are probably treated different than his longer reads, but I didn't need a lot of backstory or POV descriptions to know what was going on, and his treatment of Native American characters especially stands out.

The diverse range of story topics means there aren't any duplicated threads that might otherwise make a collection like this a bit redundant, except perhaps in that each story shows at least one character who experiences real growth and insight, which is good of course.

Verdict: An enjoyable collection of western short stories. Comparing it to the L'Amour collection I read recently ("The Outlaws of Mesquite," my review #310) I'd say Loomis' are a bit edgier, more humorous in some cases, more heartful and more intense in others. There are two or three duds in these nine stories, but not critically so.

Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13