And if it's the past that's calling your name, well, author Alan M Clark has a guest post that'll be right up your alley. His latest novel, The Door That Faced West is an "early western" that takes place right at the turn of the 19th century. Today, he shares an essay that breaks down the differences between Westerns and his novel. Check it out and then check out his novel... (oh, and by the way, he is also an illustrator, look at those weapons he whipped up!)
THE DOOR THAT FACED WEST
an
early western
Because most
Westerns take place in the mid-to late 1800s, I have described my new novel, The
Door that Faced West, as an Early Western since the majority of the story
takes place in the years 1799 and 1800, when most of the continent of North
America had yet to be explored and the western frontier was in the new states
of Tennessee, Kentucky, and Georgia.
Besides the obvious
geographical dissimilarity, here are some differences between most Westerns and
what I’m referring to as
an Early Western:
1) Instead of the
trusty 6-shooter or repeating rifle of most Westerns, in an Early Western all
firearms are single-shot weapons. Loading these pistols and rifles, mostly
flintlocks, takes a minimum of 15 seconds. As a result, much of the violence in
an Early Western occurs hand to hand.
2) While most
gunmen in Westerns carry only 1 pistol and a few carry 2, in an Early Western
it’s not unlikely for
a dangerous man to carry 4 pistols or more.
3) Most of the
characters in Westerns have an American accent of some sort, whereas many of
the characters in an Early Western have accents more like those of their
European forbears.
4) In Westerns, the
common mode of travel is horseback riding. In an Early Western, because most of
the territory is heavily forested, folks get about on the poorly maintained
trails faster on foot and horses are reserved for carrying supplies.
5) In most
Westerns, the Indians are Plains Indians or from tribes further west, and they
ride horses, but in an early western, the Indians are of the woodland variety
and mostly get about on foot or by floating waterways.
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Here are some similarities between Westerns and Early Westerns:
1) In both Westerns
and Early Westerns, law an order is loosely established in frontier
territories, and adjacent vast wilderness areas have no law and order,
communication between isolated settlements is poor, and large criminal
fraternities spring up along well-used trails and waterways to prey upon those
using the avenues for commerce.
2) In both Westerns
and Early Westerns, the inhabitants of frontier towns are those seeking a new
start for either good or bad reasons.
Some are taking the opportunity to build a new home, carving a life out
of the virgin wilderness that they can claim as their own, while others are
escaping prosecution for crimes they committed in the East. The latter are
often in hiding, having assumed new identities or at least new persona, and
some of them maintain ties with criminal fraternities. Therefore the former,
generally law-abiding folks, frequently are unaware of the rogue character of
their neighbors.
3) Both Westerns
and Early Westerns present wild settings and clumsy, young, and growing
societies that are ripe with possibilities for drama.
The images of
pistols with this post helps illustrate the difference 51 years can make in the
development of firearms. The one on the
left is a typical flintlock pistol that might have been used in the period in
which The Door that Faced West takes place. The one on the right is a
pistol from 1851, such as might be used in a Western. The tomahawk in the
middle is the preferred weapon of the deadliest character in The Door that
Faced West, Micajah Harpe.
Other examples of
what I would consider Early Western novels are the Leatherstocking tales,
including Last of the Mohicans, by James Fenimore Cooper.
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Alan M. Clark grew up in Tennessee in
a house full of bones and old medical books. He has a Bachelor of Fine Arts
from the San Francisco Art Institute. His illustrations have appeared in books
of fiction, non-fiction, textbooks, young adult fiction and children's books.
Awards for his illustration work include the World Fantasy Award and four
Chesley Awards. He is the author of thirteen books, including seven novels, a
lavishly illustrated novella, four collections of fiction, and a nonfiction
full-color book of his artwork. His latest novel, The Door That Faced West,
is an Early Western that takes place in Tennessee and Kentucky in 1799-1800. www.alanmclark.com
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