Westerns

Is the Western novel making a comeback? Some would say it never left, but there's no denying it lost mainstream popularity after the 1960s. Its golden age stretched from the 1930s to the mid-20th century, when Westerns dominated popular American fiction and helped cement the mythic image of the American frontier. Bestselling authors like Zane Grey and Louis L'Amour dominated the field, and then came radio programs, movies, and television shows.

Author Karen Witemeyer wrote in a blog post, "Have you noticed that the western is making a comeback? In commercials, at least." Although the commercials she's referring to are usually parodies, they still remind us of the many reasons we love Westerns in the first place. Fans don't just read these stories; they feel them. The genre taps into something deep and enduring. The wide-open spaces of the frontier and possible dangers stir the imagination. There are often clear moral stakes: good vs. evil, justice vs. lawlessness, and duty vs. survival. 

The hero is usually a rugged, honorable individual who isn't perfect but either learns his lessons or tries his best. There might be gunfights, standoffs, feuds, and survival challenges. This genre is built for drama, and it delivers. People know that the real West was messy and complicated, but the mythic West is irresistible anyway. With cowboys, outlaws, sheriffs, and frontier towns, we have a cultural dreamscape. Westerns explore loyalty, revenge, redemption, and love with a kind of emotional directness that many of the modern genres shy away from.

I can attest to the genre's appeal. My own Westerns remain extremely popular among readers. Pictured to the left are just a few of the ones I've published. They outsell all my other books, except perhaps the ones set in the Appalachian Mountains in the 1800s. But as my husband likes to point out, those stories read very much like Westerns, too. What do you think? Is the Western making a comeback? And if they are, how do you feel about it?

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