Wild Bunch

by Ernest Haycox

Wild Bunch [hardcover] Haycox, Ernest [Apr 01, 1983]

Genres: Westerns

391 pages, Hardcover

First published March 1, 1970

Reviews

[Jimmy Lee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Goodnight has been on the trail of the man who charmed his sister, then left her to die alone. With his friend Niles riding ahead, Frank has been stalking McSween through the desert and now into hill country. But it turns out there's a range war going on between the desert people and the hill people.

The desert has one leader - the hill seems to have many, with the aging owner of a large ranch, his manipulative daughter, smaller incompatible ranchers, and an amoral wild bunch that currently works for the large rancher. There's a small angry town in between the geography and the antagonists. Each side has gone beyond a need for grass and now is simply violent, with that wild bunch just looking for profit. Goodnight has walked into the middle of this fight, with his continuing need for revenge and a personal sense of morality.

"The Wild Bunch" was serialized in Collier's Magazine in 1943, from August through October (author Haycox had "Bugles in the Afternoon" serializing in the Saturday Evening Post" at the same time). It's obviously not the same story as the Peckinpah movie; it's a complex, thoughtful story of a driven man with a mission, forced to adapt to a new environment rife with long-term animosities, and relationships that constantly shift.

If you're a fan of the western genre, Haycox (author of "Stage to Lordsburg" - basis for the classic movie "Stagecoach") offers a professional, entertaining story. If you're not a fan, Haycox will draw you in, in spite of yourself. A good read.

[Josh Hitch · Rating 4 out of 5]

A normal great western from a man who was a better writer then just calling him a western writer says. This book is about Frank Goodnight and his thirst for revenge (over the killing of his sister), which put him in the middle of a range war. Its also about him finding his way and what side of the fence he will settle, outlaw or honest man.

Highly recommended, one of those westerns you can recommend to non western readers.

[Tim Deforest · Rating 4 out of 5]

Frank Goodnight is on the trail of the man he holds responsible for the death of his sister. That trail takes him into the middle of a range war.

Goodnight is pretty focused on finding his prey, but events draw him into the range war regardless and he makes yet another enemy. Eventually, he finds himself on the run from that new enemy, who is leading a gang of outlaws and gunslingers.

Much of the tension of the book comes out of Goodnight's character arc--will his drive for revenge also drive all sense of humanity out of him? Much of the first half of the book is used to establish characters and examine their thoughts & philosophies. The characterizations are very good, but this also results in the book being a bit too slowly paced at first.

But when Goodnight finds himself on the run, the action picks up. A highlight of the book is when Goodnight must make a night-time descent on horseback along a narrow switchback trail running down the edge of a cliff. It's a tense, suspenseful scene that keeps you rivited to the page.
The book ends with an equally tense gunfight, in which Goodnight finds himself making off-the-cuff moral decisions as well as tactical decisions.

Despite the slow start, this proved to be an excellent Western.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good western. Man trails another man looking for revenge because of what that man did to his sister. After finding him and exacting his revenge he is not satisfied. Meanwhile he gets caught up in a feud between desert ranchers and hill ranchers and tries to maintain his neutrality. More psychological than most westerns, this still has plenty of gun action. Recommended to fans of westerns.

[Bradthad Codgeroger · Rating 4 out of 5]

A young hero on the trail of the man who destroyed his sister falls into a regional war and has to decide if he will become another hard, lonely drifter, or return to the land of steak and sunshine. Considered one of Haycox's best, I could have done without so much philosophizin'; I like my westerns genre'd to the teeth, I guess.

[Dduker]

Well written and kept my interest. I would like to read more of Haycox.

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was one of Haycox's last novels. It features the standard Haycox hero--a good man seeking revenge, helped by a friend, caught between two antagonistic groups, and involved with two women, one who causes trouble and one who helps the hero. Formulaic but well written. To put it in Haycox lingo, "A man might like it."

[John · Rating 3 out of 5]

This was a rather different western. It is a story of revenge, of two rival groups and two strong women. The lines between good and bad get a little blurred. There is more soul searching than action, but overall I enjoyed it.

[Rae · Rating 3 out of 5]

In this 1943 Western, Haycox examines what it takes for a man to become an outlaw and what it costs a man to take a life.

[Kookie · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very decent Western. I defy you to read it and not see Barbara Stanwyck as the main female.