The Baron of Coyote River

by L. Ron Hubbard

One act of frontier justice turned Lance Gordon into an outlaw.

After avenging his father’s murderer, Lance Gordon discovers the man he killed was a deputy marshal. Now every sheriff, posse, and cavalry patrol in the territory is hunting him. Tired of running and determined to make his stand, he rides toward the one place no lawman dares enter—the domain of the Baron of Coyote River.

The Baron is the uncrowned king of cattle rustlers, feared by ranchers, respected by outlaws, and beyond the reach of the law. Hidden deep in rugged frontier country, his empire has defeated every challenge. Taking him on isn’t just dangerous—it’s Lance’s last chance to stop running, clear his name, and reclaim his future.

From desperate escapes and blazing gunfights to frontier justice earned the hard way, The Baron of Coyote River delivers the action, courage, and determination that have made classic Western fiction an enduring favorite.

Two complete Western adventures in one volume:

· The Baron of Coyote River: A thrilling tale of survival and frontier justice.

· Reign of the Gila Monster: A Western comedy where cowboy pranks, quick thinking, and frontier humor can be just as effective as six-shooters.

Written from firsthand knowledge of Western life, L. Ron Hubbard grew up in Montana among cowboys, ranchers, Blackfeet, and frontiersmen, bringing an authenticity to his stories that continues to resonate with Western readers today.

Part of L. Ron Hubbard’s Western Collection—15 books containing 34 classic Western adventures—this volume is available in paperback, eBook, and as a full-cast dramatized audiobook featuring professional actors, original music, and immersive sound effects.

If you enjoy the Western fiction of Louis L’Amour and Zane Grey, discover another master storyteller of the American frontier.

Get it now.

Genres: Westerns

144 pages, Paperback

First published September 1, 1936

About the author

With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 350 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most enduring and widely read authors of our time. As a leading light of American Pulp Fiction through the 1930s and '40s, he is further among the most influential authors of the modern age. Indeed, from Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, there is scarcely a master of imaginative tales who has not paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard. Then too, of course, there is all L. Ron Hubbard represents as the Founder of Dianetics and Scientology and thus the only major religion born in the 20th century.

source: Amazon

Reviews

[James Mourgos · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a really fun western! Lance and Tyler mess up a rustler, criminal gang Baron who’s taking over the Arizona territory. What’s Lance going to do while he’s wanted for murder? A few subplots here and there and you have a decent western comparable to Louie Lamour.

This book also has a second story about a certain Gila monster! Check it out.

Recommended even if you don’t like westerns!

[Robert Ricci · Rating 5 out of 5]

I breezed through this one during lunch break and felt the need to jot down a few words about it. The book contains two very different stories that highlight Hubbard's skills as a writer. In the first story, Baron of Coyote River, Hubbard spins a straight forward, action-oriented Western featuring a couple of heroes Lance and Tyler who battle a cattle thief. Great stuff. It was the next story that really got me. It's called the Reign of the Gila Monster, and when I heard that title I thought Galaxy Press had mismatched a western with a science fiction tale, but I was wrong. It's another tale set in the west, but with a humorous tone. I don't want to spoil it, but the monster isn't is clever as some thought. Hubbard writes this one in an over-the-top spoof style that works perfectly. Overall, I was thrilled with this edition in the series.

[Craig · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a big Western fan, but this was a fun, fast read. The book contains two stories, the title story from All Western Magazine's September, 1936, issue, and "Reign of the Gila Monster" from Western Aces Magazine's September, 1937, issue. The "The Baron of Coyote River" is a rather dry and straight-forward tale with a non-complex plot and not many surprises. The second, shorter story is a fast-paced and funny romp that reminded me a lot of Robert E. Howard's Breckenridge Elkins stories. The three main characters are Howdy, Lippy, and Poison, and, really, how can you go wrong with a title like "Reign of the Gila Monster"?!

[Richard Epstein · Rating 2 out of 5]

L. Ron Hubbard didn't spend all of his time inventing loony, but lucrative, religions. He also wrote Modern American Fiction*. Here's an example: it may be awful, but it's more fun than Dianetics. Cheaper, too.

*It was modern. It was American. God knows, it was fictional. What more do you want?

[Alger Smythe-Hopkins · Rating 2 out of 5]

L. Ron was never a gifted writer. His science fiction mostly relied upon manly heroics (the same kind as the first series of Star Trek where the hero punches a lot of aliens), and his westerns were weirdly upbeat affairs, lots of joshing and unlikely coincidences.

These stories simply are. They are not good, but they certainly aren't bad. They are solidly pulpy paid by the word fiction.

[Nick · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a fun pair of stories. The title story is the more serious of the two, although both have quite a bit of grim humor.
The "Baron" of the story is a powerful outlaw, one with a large enough band to stand off a weak cavalry garrison's feeble efforts. The tale is about his attempts to bleed a county dry of its cattle and sell the stolen herds. Standing against him are two gunslingers, nominally with hearts of gold, but in fact one of them's largely out for revenge, so his heart isn't exactly pure.
The other story, "Reign of the Gila Monster," is about the dangers of having someone you don't know tame your town, on their terms. If you've put a lot of work into making your town the wildest one in the west, you're not going to back down easily...

[Sisu Raiken · Rating 5 out of 5]

Frontier Justice Served

Out in old Arizony, before statehood, the land was wild and East prey for corrupt cattle thieves. But the two heroes of the story felt the need for “civic improvements “ and wired their suggestions to the nation’s capitol while engaged in a shoot-out with an entire town or cowboys and rustlers. This story moves like a stampede and will keep you on edge until the final pages. The details are all there and the glossary helps define the fine points as you go along. Highly recommended for fans of Westerns and Adventure!

[Jane Baer · Rating 5 out of 5]

Bad Boy Good Guy

Enjoyed this immensely. It’s satisfying to read a story like this, where the bully gets confronted. I found the opening interesting because the time period and customs are so different from today it was a little puzzling how the story would unfold. I think everyone wishes to be bold and courageous in the face of nastiness, and Mr. Hubbard’s heroes inspire me with their integrity, not only in this story but also in the other stories of his I have read.

[John Carey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Both stories do a great job of making you feel you are back in the old West--riding the range, cattle rustling, evil Western bullies that need to be taken down, and plenty of shooting. In "Reign of the Gila Monster," you are kept on the edge of your seat as you aren't sure until the final sentence of how the hero did it!

[Pamela · Rating 5 out of 5]

For anyone who loves Westerns, thrillers or a good guy/bad guy story. It's an old time Western in old Western towns with plenty of excitement and interesting characters. However, it is not clear who the good guys are until there is an unexpected plot twist at the end of the story. An enjoyable read.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A pulp novel from L. Ron Hubbard. I haven't read a lot in the Western genre, but have enjoyed each of the novels I've read, which should be an indication to read more of them.

[EZRead eBookstore · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published in 1936 in “All Western” magazine, there is nothing more classically “western” in “The Baron of Coyote River”. Rooted in the great tradition of stinky desperados in bandanas, horses on the verge of collapsing, and saloons filled with angry customers, “The Baron of Coyote River” is a fast-paced read that can appeal to the jerky eaters in all of us. It’s set in that great all-American setting: a desert filled with mysterious strangers who probably want to kill you. I can practically hear the Star Spangled Banner playing in the background.

Lance Gordon, our hero, is somewhere between a good guy and a bad guy, and all vigilante. He did technically kill a man, but it was a fair duel with the man who killed his father. There should be a course in Wild West Morality. When gunslinger and cattle man Tyler aids Lance in his escape, the cockeyed plan to take down the Baron emerges. Tyler is perhaps one of the best unintentionally funny cowboys of all time. After having his herd stolen and re-branded by the Baron, he laments endlessly throughout the book for his “pore cows”. Joking or not, this man needs his cows back before his heart explodes.

In a world littered with slick pretty-boy vampires, it’s high time we bring back the stinky, unshaven cowboys. The kind of men who will lovingly heat up some beans for you, shoot any rival on sight, and sling you over their horse. “The Baron of Coyote River” is the kind of read that takes you to stampedes and sleeping under the stars. And at about 60 pages long, it’s a quick commitment with lots of surprises. Edward, take notes.

You may all call me The Baron from now on,

EZ Read Staffer Jenifer