RA Alert: An Old-Fashioned Western
Rides Into THE NEW YORK TIMES
Readers advisors struggling to help readers find new “old fashioned” Westerns will be pleased to see one covered in this week’s New York Times Book Review. Unfortunately, however, the review of Robert Bausch’s eighth novel, Far as the Eye Can See (Macmillan/Bloomsbury, Nov. 2014; OverDrive Sample), is pretty mixed, even harsh in some spots. While praising the novel as an “entertaining old-school western,” that is more “True Grit than Blood Meridian,” he accuses the author of stereotyping, “I know Bausch is writing historical fiction, but enough already. Read some Sherman Alexie. Bring something fresh.”
Booklist, on the other hand, credits the main character for showing “more sympathy for the natives than do many lead characters in traditional westerns.” Kirkus gives it a star and LJ says it is “not to be missed by historical fiction fans.”
Upcoming Westerns to note include two recently featured in GalleyChat, Mary Doria Russell’s Epitaph (HarperCollins/Ecco, March) and Black River by S. M. Hulse (HMH, January).