Band of Brothers

The time period is the American Civil War. As the fate of the United States is being decided on the front lines, heroes are born… and sometimes, good men falter. Such is the case with eight of the soldiers, court-martialed and convicted of cowardice. The military decides to conduct an unusual experiment, and gives these men their own separate company, Company Q.

Shunned and despised by their fellow soldiers, Company Q is led by Jared Heath, a former captain whose conviction came as a result of his refusal to obey a direct order. They’re nicknamed the Company of Cowards, and their unusual story is chronicled by Jack Schaefer, the author of the legendary novel Shane.

Western Thought

I like Westerns.

I don’t know anything about the genre, but I like it. Something about it really appeals to me. I consider John Wayne to be the ultimate model of manliness. If one of his movies is on TV, I’ll watch it. I count The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance and The Magnificent Seven among my favourite films. I’ve read at least one book by Zane Grey, Karl May, and Louis L’Amour. You have now exhausted all my knowledge about Western history.

But that’s hardly an excuse, is it? I’ve taken many professionals to task for their ignorance about detective fiction history, but I’m not much different when it comes to Westerns. When they come up in conversation, I’m forced to admit that I like them before staring at my feet and shuffling around awkwardly for the rest of the conversation. I simply know nothing about ‘em. And so I’ve decided to rectify that mistake. Every once in a while I will read and review a Western purely for the pleasure of reading and reviewing one. I won’t expect a mystery and won’t review it with the same criteria I use for mysteries. (All those opposed may use the provided space-time continuum to skip ahead to my next review.) And so without further ado, I give you Shane by Jack Schaefer.