Tag Archives: Encyclopedia

Wild West History Journal : Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns Review

The following review by James R. Boylston appeared in the Wild West History Journal  Vol III # 4 (August 2010).

“Deliberate anachronism has been a tangential element of the western genre almost from the inception of the art form. While fictional cowboys have always been charged with defending innocents from Indians and outlaws, western heroes have also faced vampires and werewolves, explored ghost towns and haunted mines, and battled aliens and dinosaurs.

Paul Green’s Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns does an admirable job of compiling thousands of examples of these science fiction/fantasy/western hybrids, as well as tracking the evolution of the supernatural in fiction from the Epic of Gilgamesh to the digital age.

Green digs deep into various sub-genres, exploring and explaining steam punk (stories featuring Victorian-era steam powered or clockwork contraptions), weird menace westerns (wherein rational explanations are usually provided at the end of the tale), including examples of weird western romance novels.

The entries are spread fairly evenly between film and print media. While obvious candidates, such as The Wild, Wild West and The Adventures of Briscoe County, Jr. are cited, so are plenty of obscure listings. Remember Pariah, the spirit-possessed 1871 gunslinger from Incredible Hulk episode #268? Paul Green does.

Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns is a useful and entertaining guide to the mind-bending and genre-blending world that resides outside the mainstream. Green’s collection is a handy sourcebook to a west that’s just a little bit wilder.”

James R. Boylston

Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns 2nd Printing

Update: (Aug 22) My book is now in print and available from McFarland.

My publisher McFarland & Co. Inc. is currently out of stock of my Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns as they await the second printing. You can still order it from Amazon and other online bookstores while their remaining stocks last. McFarland are accepting backorders and will ship my book as soon as they receive the second edition.

Burlington County Times : Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns Review

My publisher forwarded this review of my book in the Burlington County Times (May 9, 2010)

Film Clips: by Lou Gaul (Calkins Media Film Critic)

Those seeking some background on other offbeat frontier fare should consider “Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns: Supernatural and Science Fiction Elements in Novels, Pulps, Comics, Films, Television and Games” (www.mcfarlandpub-.com; 800-253-2187; $39.95) by Paul Green.

According to the author, a weird western incorporates horror, supernatural or fantasy elements and combines them with subjects such as vampires, werewolves, zombies, ghosts, mutants, goblins and assorted other creatures of the night.

One of Clint Eastwood’s most intriguing frontier pictures, “High Plains Drifter” (1972), which casts him as a gunslinger named The Stranger, receives a well-deserved mention.

“The film implies a supernatural origin for Eastwood’s character (who appears to be a ghost seeking revenge against townspeople who stood by as he was murdered) but never explicitly states his real identity,” Green writes. “Many critics feel the film (co-starring Verna Bloom of “The Hired Hand”) was influenced by Sergio Garrone’s ‘Django il Bastardo’ (1969).”

“Django il Bastardo,” a spaghetti Western was titled “The Strangers Gundown” in America. In the frontier tale, a Union soldier awakens from the dead to track down three officers who betrayed their troops during a battle.

“Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns” also offers a lengthy list of frontier movies with otherworldly elements. Those range from W.D Richter’s “The Adventures of Buckaroo Banzai: Across the 8th Dimension” (1984) with Peter Weller and Ellen Barkin to J. Lee Thompson’s “The White Buffalo” (1977) with Charles Bronson and Kim Novak.

Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns C&RL News Review

Just received this latest review of my book by George M. Eberhart from College & Research Libraries News (May 2010).  For those interested “College & Research Libraries News (C&RL News) provides articles on the latest trends and practices affecting academic and research libraries and serves as the official newsmagazine and publication of record of ACRL.”

 Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns, by Paul Green (265 pages, October 2009), is one of those McFarland titles that you just know your collection can’t live without. Green provides an annotated list of genre-bending fiction, films, TV series, radio shows, comics, and games that combine a Western setting with elements of science fiction, fantasy, steampunk, or horror. The Weird Western genre originated with the proto-steampunk dime novels starring Frank Reade and Tom Edison Jr. in the late 19th century, followed by Weird Tales–influenced pulp-fiction Westerns of the 1950s. The quintessential TV series was The Wild, Wild West in the 1960s, starring Robert Conrad as James T. West, while the prototypical role-playing game is Deadlands, an alternative-history scenario in which malicious entities known as the Reckoners unleash zombies, madmen, and monsters on the 1870s frontier. Green supplies a short historical overview of the elements that led to the Weird Western genre. $39.95. McFarland. 978-0-7864-4390-1.

Copyright © 2010 by American Library Association

 

Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns # 1 on Amazon Canada

Last night I was glancing through Amazon and was pleased to find my Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns # 1 on three separate Amazon charts in Canada.  Something I wasn’t expecting.  So thanks to all my Canadian readers.  Please be patient if you find my book temporarily out of stock.  More copies are on the way from my publisher.

Amazon charts change so rapidly by the time many of you read this my coveted triple chart topping rating will most likely be no more.  But it was a great feeling while it lasted. :)

Encyclopedia of Weird Westerns Published

WW1I’m pleased to tell everyone that my book was published October 14, 2009.  Copies can now be ordered from McFarland and Amazon.

“From automatons to zombies, many fantastic elements have been cross-pollinated with the western genre. This A-to-Z encyclopedia of the Weird Western covers film, TV, animation, dime novels, pulp fiction, comic books, novels, short stories and video and role-playing games.”

All questions regarding review copies should be be sent to Beth H. Cox at : bcox@mcfarlandpub.com