Longarm and the Druid Sisters

Longarm #286

by Tabor Evans

Longarm's mission to check up on the Harrisonville post office has unexpected complications when he discovers that the town is populated entirely by female Druids, who are extremely inhospitable to strangers asking the wrong questions. Original.

192 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published January 1, 2002

About the author

Tabor Evans is the author of the long-running Longarm western series, featuring the adventures of Deputy U.S. Marshal Custis Long. Tabor Evans, is a house pseudonym used by a number of authors. The pseudonym of Tabor Evans would begin in the 1970s when Lou Cameron established it for the Jove Books publishing label. Lou Cameron helped create the character and wrote a number of the early books in the series. The first book was published in 1978. Other authors known to have written books in the series include Melvin Marshall, Will C. Knott, Frank Roderus, Chet Cunningham, J. Lee Butts, Gary McCarthy, James Reasoner, Jeffrey M. Wallmann, Peter Brandvold and Harry Whittington. In addition there are 29 "Giant" editions published as well.

The Longarm series is a mainstay of the "adult western" genre which arose in the 1970s. These books are distinguished from classical westerns by the inclusion of more explicit sex and violence.

Reviews

[Jackson Burnett · Rating 2 out of 5]

Imagine Toby Keith investigating postal fraud in a New Age cult made up entirely of women. Now imagine giving him a gun and a badge, turning up his ignorance and recklessness feed a notch stronger to the right, and plopping the whole mess into Wyoming Territory circa the 1880's. That's the story of Longarm and the Druid Sisters.

The story line is part of what makes the Longarm series so wonderful. I mean, who would have thought of placing Druids in the Old West? And, who would have thought sending a lawman to them to investigate?

The novel, though, doesn't live up to its bizarre premise.

Author Tabor Evans does not really exist. Tabor Evans is a pen name for a number of writers of various skill who report the doings of U.S. Deputy Marshall Custis Long (Longarm) in adult tales of the West. Unfortunately, Longarm and the Druid Sisters is one of the more pedestrian efforts in the extensive series.

The authors in such series are given a bible describing the main characters, their history, habits, and so forth. Despite this direction, the Longarm character differs from book to book.

I didn't enjoy spending time with this author's Longarm character. This is the first Longarm book where I thought the lawman should have been stripped, tarred and feathered, and tied to a street post on Main Street until he absolutely recanted being an asshole. He's ignorant which is no sin, of course, but being condescendingly ignorant is truly obnoxious. If I had wanted that, I could have listened to talk radio.

This Longarm doesn't help his cause by treating men as fully developed human beings and women as either sheep, semen pumps, or crones. Consider this quote from one of the female characters this Longarm almost treats as human: “Anything you want, Longarm. I’ll suck you, of course. You already know that. If you want it up my ass...,” she hesitated for only a moment, “... sure. That, too.”

I give this novel two stars, which is generous.

Longarm and the Druid Sisters is shelved with my Cheap Thrills and Kozmic Blues collection. These novels are rated purely on their ability to provide a cheap thrill or to help beat the blues.

The gross misogyny of Longarm #286: Longarm and the Druid Sisters is not characteristic of the series.

[Steven Allen · Rating 3 out of 5]

One of the better Longarms with more action and a bit less sex. I recognize this author's style and I wish that they wrote a lot more of the Longarm books. Not worth buying for me, but worth the check out from the local library for some mindless escapist literature.