Monday 27 October 2008

The Gunsmith #43

THE GOLDEN HORSEMAN
as by J.R. Roberts
Charter, August 1985

Clint Adams has had a number of strange assignments in his time, but none more unusual than acting as a bodyguard for a Japanese ambassador – and a prized statue of the Golden Horseman.

As the train bearing Clint and the Japanese delegation travels cross-country, outlaws, enemy samurai and ninja assassins are all determined to claim the Horseman. The Gunsmith and the ambassador’s samurai escort face incredible odds in an East meets West adventure that tests the Gunsmith’s skills with the ultimate challenge of survival!

The front cover of this book – and all the Gunsmith books – claims that this is The All-Action Western Series, and in this case that label is definitely correct. There seems to be an inexhaustible supply of enemy ninja for Clint and his companions to deal with. As well as bullets tearing through flesh, there’s an equal amount of severed limbs and heads as most of the other characters preferred weapons are swords. All these savage confrontations are described in all their gory detail making for bloody and brutal read.

The plot isn’t complicated and the story flows at great speed making this book a fast read.

The Golden Horseman should appeal to both fans of The Gunsmith series and those who like the more violent type of western.

2 comments:

Gary Dobbs/Jack Martin said...

You know I've often wondered just how many western novels there were during the late sixties and seventies where the hero's name was Clint. I've even got a novel where the main character is called Clint Leatherwood.

Steve M said...

Clint Leatherwood? Nice one! LOL