Reviewed by Jo Rogers, MyShelf.com
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TALES OF THE AMERICAN WEST is a book for those who cherish the values and moral principles that have been a staple of the genre since the beginning. The authors all have, at some time or other, won the coveted Spur Award, marking them as the best of the best. Each of the stories has won or been a finalist for this award.

What makes these stories so good, besides the authors' skill? For one thing, they aren't written from the ordinary points of view. The usual shootouts are mostly missing from these stories, and the one represented here has a most unusual ending. They also represent a variety of moods, tender, sad, frightening, and downright comical.

These are a few examples. THE INDIAN SUMMER OF NANCY REDWING, by Harry W. Paige is a sensitive look at the hardships of an Indian woman on the reservation. THE CAT KING OF COCHISE COUNTY, by Loren D. Estleman, is the comical misadventures of an enterprising man who wants to make a grubstake by selling cats to the miners, who are suffering from an infestation of rats and mice. And JUST AS I AM, by Joyce Gibson Roach, is a study of Christian hypocrisy that is still recognizable in any church today. The self-righteous Sister Elizabeth Andersons of the world have still not figured out it is the sin God hates, not the sinner.

TALES OF THE AMERICAN WEST is a book that will be cherished by the western fan. Those who enjoy a good tale with a moral to the story will also enjoy this book. It is small wonder that each of these authors has won the Spur Award. In western fiction, they are the best of the best.