Forty Guns West by William W. Johnstone

My rating: 2 of 5 stars

This is the third book in the Preacher series I’ve read and was mighty disappointed. Unlike the last Preacher book I read, the characters are extremely well defined. Not just defined in one place, but defined all throughout the book. That is what also makes this book odd. It’s Preacher who seems to be having an identity crisis.

In this book Preacher seems inwardly conflicted as to what actions to take and how he should take them. The book starts with him leaving his family after a visit. Something happens that has him chased by a large group of men. Along the way he discards what caused the chase to begin with. Then things start getting very strange. Preacher keeps saying he’s had it with those chasing him and will kill them off. Then he doesn’t. Then he says he’ll kill them again and then doesn’t again. This goes on and on.

The men chasing are written as buffoons. That is, until they divert their attention to something other than Preacher and are suddenly brilliant strategists and are successful in their missions. Twice. Then they go back to being buffoons.

What I think is really going on here is that the writers(s) were asked to expand the book in length and padded the hell out of it. Which is really too bad. Otherwise, the book has such greater characterizations and narrative descriptions. The obvious needless addition of so many pages takes away from it all as I just wanted to get to the end.

This book should have been one hundred pages shorter. Though I write this of practically every other contemporary book I read, I believe this is the first Johnstone Clan book I’ve thought should be so edited.

Bottom line: I don’t recommend this book.

View all my reviews