WARLOCK

by Oakley Hall ‧ RELEASE DATE: Sept. 5, 1958

1880 in the border town of Warlock was the year when the law-abiding townsmen decided to subdue the unruly element represented by Abe McQuown and his cowboys by importing a marshal famed as a gunman. Clay Blaisdell brought order to Warlock, but in a violent way the townsfolk had not counted on. And before he rode away the whole town including Blaisdell were forced to search their consciences and re-examine their ideas of what justice is and whether the ends justify the means. Working within the framework of the traditional Western novel and basing many of his characters and events on actual history the author has sought to present the true picture behind the frontier legend purveyed by Hollywood, TV and paperback novels. He has been in large measure successful, but in what is perhaps an excess of literary seriousness he has overanalyzed the characters and events to an extent understandable in Dostoevski but not in a book that by its subject and setting demands drama and a smooth narrative flow. Scheduled to be a major movie production, Warlock will not however appeal to the Western and adventure fan, but rather to the serious (and patient) reader, whose taste lies in the direction of the Walter T. Clark genre. Publisher ballyhoo and backing.

Pub Date: Sept. 5, 1958

ISBN: N/A

Page Count: -

Publisher: Viking

Review Posted Online: N/A

Kirkus Reviews Issue: Sept. 1, 1958

Categories: FICTION