Castalia House is very pleased to announce the publication of a new Western novel, Book 1 in The Ames Archives, Brings the Lightning, by Peter Grant.
When the Civil War ends, where can a former Confederate soldier go to escape the long memories of neighbors who supported the winning side? Where can Johnny Reb go when he can’t go home?
He can go out West, where the land is hard, where there is danger on every side, and where no one cares for whom you fought – only how well you can do it.
Walt Ames, a former cavalryman with the First Virginia, is headed West with little more than a rifle, a revolver, and a pocket full of looted Yankee gold. But in his way stand bushwhackers, bluecoats, con men, and the ever-restless Indians. And perhaps most dangerous of all, even more dangerous than the cruel and unforgiving land, is the temptation of the woman whose face he can’t forget.
When you can’t go home again – go West!
Earlier this year, Peter Grant, the author of The Maxwell Saga and The Laredo Trilogy, happened to mention that he was interested in reviving the classic Western, and was, in fact, engaged in writing one. While the thought of publishing a Western was appealing, my initial impression was that Castalia House had more than enough on its plate attempting to revive classic science fiction and fantasy, and besides, I’ve always been more of a Louis L’Amour fan than a particular fan of the genre.
But then it occurred to me that for many Western civilizationists who love liberty, the Western is central to our conception of ourselves, and moreover, that there was very likely a connection between the SJW infestation in SF/F and the loss of interest in the Western genre by the mainstream publishers. As we’ve seen everywhere from computer games to comics and RPGs, it is all one big cultural war.
And then there is the fact that Fair Blows the Wind is one of my favorite novels in any genre.
So, I got in touch with Peter, told him that Castalia would love to get on board with the Western revival, and offered to publish what I learned was not merely the novel that turned out to be Brings the Lightning, but was the first book in a series about a man named Walter Ames, a Confederate who finds that he can’t return home to the farm in Tennessee after the Civil War. Peter is a man of a vast and varied experience, and it shows in his writing; moreover, he is a stickler for historical research, especially where firearms are concerned.
If you have a soft spot for Westerns, or you are, like me, a L’Amour fan, I am confident you will enjoy the adventures of Mr. Walt Ames. Brings the Lightning is 229 pages, retails for $4.99, and is available only on Amazon. New Release subscribers should check their emails for the customary free bonus book offer.
From the early reviews:
- Brings the Lightning is an
excellent revival of the western genre popularized by the likes of Louis
L’Amour and Zane Gray in years past. - The gun nuts among his fans will be delighted at the myriad details about firearms he includes, deftly weaving them into the tale as his main character comes to depend on them for his livelihood and defense on the dangerous trip West.
- I found the novel to be on a par
with the early L’Amour works such as Killoe, Fallon, Radigan, Hondo and
Kilkenny. Very much worth reading. - The storyline is L’Amouresque, but the writing style is much better. L’Amour told great stories, but let’s face it, some of his prose really clunked in places, whereas Grant’s is very smooth.
UPDATE: Peter Grant’s own announcement of his first Western is here. It’s interesting to learn that the genre was so popular with the South African military.