I, Tom Horn

by Will Henry

When a Wyoming lawman and a jury of cattle thieves railroad him for murder, Arizona cavalry scout, Pinkerton detective, and friend to the Apaches Tom Horn fights back. Reissue.

Genres: Westerns

400 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 1975

About the author

Also wrote westerns as Clay Fisher.

Henry Wilson Allen (September 12, 1912 – October 26, 1991) was an American author and screenwriter. He used several different pseudonyms for his works. His 50+ novels of the American West were published under the pen names Will Henry and Clay Fisher. Allen's screenplays and scripts for animated shorts were credited to Heck Allen and Henry Allen.

Allen's career as a novelist began in 1952, with the publication of his first Western No Survivors. Allen, afraid that the studio would disapprove of his moonlighting, used a pen-name to avoid trouble.[3] He would go on to publish over 50 novels, eight of which were adapted for the screen. Most of these were published under one or the other of the pseudonyms Will Henry and Clay Fisher. Allen was a five-time winner of the Spur Award from the Western Writers of America and a recipient of the Levi Strauss Award for lifetime achievement.

Henry Wilson Allen was born in Kansas City, Missouri. Allen died of pneumonia on October 26, 1991 in Van Nuys, California. He was 79.

Reviews

[Louis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Tom Horn's story should lend itself to a great novel. Before he became known as a hit man in the old West, he achieved fame as the scout who captured Geronimo. Since Horn always denied committing the murder that sent him to the gallows, his story has great drama. Unfortunately this novel turns out to be a disappointing depiction of his life. Even though the book was published in 1975, it is riddled with the overly folksy conversations that mar so many old-time westerns. An even bigger problem is the way he comes off as more of a bystander to the events in his own life rather than an actual actor in them. I still believe Tom Horn's life could be the basis for a great novel and hope to read it someday. 3 1/2 stars.

[Jwt Jan50 · Rating 4 out of 5]

Thanksgiving 1967 (my freshman year college) the family went to Westchester, NY to visit friends who worked for IBM. I was put in the basement where the Dad had his office with a fold out coach. Bookshelves. I don't know what I was expecting, but it wasn't two shelves devoted to Will Henry. I'd read Death of a Legend and Who Rides With Wyatt, and promptly started on MacKenna's Gold. While I always enjoyed Henry, never moved on through his work the way I did with other authors. Saw the McQueen movie when it first came out. Picked this up after reading Riders of the Purple Sage in '96. I read this in parallel with a good bio of General Crook and the memoir Life Among the Apaches.

[Chrisl · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read most of Will Henry's work, I'd suggest Tom Horn have higher priority than all but a few others. Perhaps because it is my root territory, Henry's Nez Perce travail gets first pick.

I've reread about Horn's time in Apache land with pleasure. General Crook and Geronimo

From Where the Sun Now Stands

[Bern J · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is the first book I've read by Will Henry;there will be more. He has captured the language of the period and done his homework on Tom Horn. Horn was certainly one of the most interesting personalities of the old west era. Some people pack more living in 40 years than most of us who make it to 70-80 years.Jack London is another who comes to mind.

[Theleem · Rating 4 out of 5]

This was a unique narrative about one of the most interesting men in the history of the American West. The author does a great job of relating the events of Tom Horn’s life in his hyperbolic first-person style, and in the process offers some interesting critiques of the establishments of the west in the late 19th century.

The narrative does, at times, seem to fall back on stereotypes of the western genre, and the cliche language can get a little grating at times, but overall this is a powerfully intriguing story. Worth a read for any fan of westerns in general, but especially those focusing on real-life characters.

[P.S. Winn · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you've never heard of Tom Horn, you are in for an amazing story. If you know about him, you will still find this story interesting as readers head to the old west that is turning into the new west and a man who struggles to fit in and finds himself caught up in conspiracy.

[Reader · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was one of the most interesting and educational books I’ve ever read. Was written with many true facts of the way things were in the mid to late 1800s. I highly recommend it to anyone who enjoys history and learning something new.

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is another very good one from Will Henry, the only other one I've ever read that came close to his masterpiece "No Survivors." It's a historical novel about a man who really lived, Tom Horn. They made a pretty decent movie about Tom Horn, too, starring Steve McQueen, and I think it was based on this book.

[Deandree23 · Rating 5 out of 5]

good

[Rich · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent on many levels. Now, I am a big fan of westerns, but Will Henry is new to me, so I'll look for more of his.

[William · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good book, watch for strong lanquage. Very interesting character.