"Branded Outlaw" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Branded Outlaw"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx 2 hours.

Once again I venture into another story from the pulps of the mid-20th Century and this time I do it with a western.  It's been a bit since I've listened to a tale of cattle rustlers and gunslingers, so let's check out "Branded Outlaw."

Before we get into the story, I've got to explain why I'm listening to this book.  I got introduced to the stories of L. Ron Hubbard that appeared in the many pulp fiction magazines of the early - mid 20th century via Galaxy Audiom and it all started with Hubbard's sci-fi/fantasy stories.  I'm a huge sci-fi fan, and listening to these classic stories produced by Galaxy Audio would blast me off into several universes and realities.  I then got curious and started listening to the other genres, from air adventures, mystery, sea adventures and westerns.  I've never been a fan of westerns but after hearing the great production in the others I gave them a chance with this collection.  I was amazed, they were fun and with the great sound effects, music and superb voice acting Galaxy Audio got me interested and since then I look forward to the next one.  

This story is yet another superb production, in which you'll be ducking bullets and hiding behind rocks to get your next shot in.  "Branded Outlaw" was originally published in the October, 1938 issue of  "Five Novels" monthly and tells the tale of "Suicide" Lee  Weston, who returns to Pecos, New Mexico from Wyoming, to help his father who has written Lee telling him of an enemy by the name of Harvey Dodge.   Weston is thinking Dodge is trying to take over his father's land and stealing his cattle.  When he arrives he finds his father murdered and the homestead burned to the ground.  Weston then heads into town seeking revenge on Harvey Dodge. 

The Sheriff tries to calm Weston, but as Weston leaves the Sheriff's office a gunman challenges him upon hearing he is seeking out Dodge.  Weston narrowly escapes but manages to kill the gunman.  The problem is one of the stray bullets from the gunfight has killed a passerby.  Weston is now wanted for murder, he heads for the hills and a private fishing lodge he stayed in as a kid.  At the lodge Weston is found by a woman who nurses him to health, and in classic Hubbard style the twists begin in that the woman is the daughter of Harvey Dodge. 

Weston sets out to stop the man responsible for the series of cattle rustlings and land grabbing after finding out that Dodge may not be behind it.  But trouble ensues as well as the gunfights.  Can Weston prove his innocence before meeting up with the lynch mob out for him?  In a tale that is a CLASSIC western, you'll need to tighten up your spurs because you are in for the long ride until justice prevails in the old west.

Just to show how detailed of a western this story is here's a quote from the book:

"A leather-faced, sun-dried individual with a star on his chest was drowsing over a stack of reward posters, waking up occasionally to swat at a fly which buzzed around his ear. But the instant a shadow appeared in the door, Tate Randall, through long and self-preserving habit, swiftly came to life, one hand half stretched out as a welcoming gesture and the other on the Colt at his side. His bleached eyes squinted as he inspected Lee."

Just plain classic western writing with a very visual description.

"Under the Diehard Brand" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Under the Diehard Brand"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-cast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx 2 hours

I've said it before, and I'll say it again; I never thought I'd enjoy reading a Western novel or story. In the past these just never interested me, actually I'm still not all that interested in just any old Western story. A friend once tried to get me to read some Louis L'Amour, but I just couldn't get past 10 pages without becoming utterly bored. But here I am reading yet another Western story from L. Ron Hubbard.

I think, no wait, I know what it is that keeps me interested. It's the great production that goes into these Stories from the Golden Age produced by Galaxy Audio. The sound effects are perfect and keep you trapped in the story. The incidental music, between chapters and stories, just screams the "old west." But most importantly is the actors. The characters in the stories by L. Ron Hubbard are always super real and over the top and the characterizations provided by the voice actors in these productions represent them perfectly. Whether it's an outlaw named Holy George who speaks as though from a pulpit or a cantakerous gold prospector left alone in a ghost town, the actors let you know every aspect of the characters in these stories by superb acting and vocal expertise.

Galaxy Audio and Galaxy Press have been releasing the short stories from the master storyteller, L. Ron Hubbard for a few years now and continue to do so. These releases are from the mid-20th century writings which were originally published in the "pulp" magazines of the time. These works of "pulp-fiction" proved some great escapism fiction for the American readers and the pulps represented almost every genre of fiction. Hubbard wrote stories for nearly every genre and this time around I jumped into another collection of Western stories from the Stroies from the Golden Age. Each release from Galaxy Audio and Galaxy Press are issued to closely resemble the pulps of the time. This release contains the following three stories.

"Under the Diehard Brand" was originally published March, 1938 in "Western Aces" magazine and tells the tale of the Lee Thompson, son of the sheriff of Wolf River, coming back to his father after being away to help his father. When he arrives in town his father, Sheriff "Diehard" Thompson, doesn't recognize him and tells the young boy to keep on drifting or get a job. The son finds his father has gotten older and some local ruffians and cattle rustlers have over run the town of Wolf River. Lee then comes up with a plan to build back up his father's reputation and rid the town of the criminal element by joining up with the rustlers.

"Hoss Tamer" was originally published January, 1950 in "Thrilling Western" magazine.
An ex-circus horse trainer finds himself out of a job when the circus folds and sells off all its property in a foreclosure. The trainer tries to find a job as a bronc buster, after all he could "train" horses. But he gets injured and maimed the first time he tries and is forced to work for the town's livery stable. The Gopher Hole gang, the band responsible for his bronc busting disaster attempts to rob the Wells Fargo Train town, can a circus horse trainer foil the Gopher Hole Gang's attempt to rob the Wells Fargo train through their horses?

"The Ghost Town Gun-Ghost" originally published August, 1938, in "Western Action" magazine is a humorous story of an old prospector that seems to have lost his wits after being abandoned in a town when the gold ran out. A young fellow arrives in town and is shown about the town by the prospector who acts out the role of everyone in town from the mayor, to sheriff down to the the man running the Wells Fargo. When a few unsavory characters arrive in town it seems the prospector and young man may meet their end in a battle over stolen money hidden in town.

"Six-Gun Caballero" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Six-Gun Caballero"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multi-Cast Performance
Produced 2009, by Galaxy Audio
Approx. 2 hours

"Six-Gun Caballero," originally published March, 1938 in "Western Story Magazine," tells the tale of Michael Patrick Obañon, who may have an Irish name, but has the soul of a Spanish gentleman, loses his hundred-thousand-acre spread and has to fight his renegade foes with cunning and firepower. Michael, or Don Michael as he is called by those who know him, is the son of an Irish immigrant and a Mexican woman and was sent off to school in Mexico city, is nothing but a pure gentleman the whole time and that politeness is what wins this little war.

New Mexico has just become part of the United States and claim jumpers are aplenty as they move into the new territory under U.S. law taking what once belonged to the Mexicans and claiming it as their own. A band of renegades led by three men, one of which is a gambler, one is the financier and the other a sort of ruffian bodyguard type. The fun part of this group is the gambler who speaks in card playing/gambling terms for everything. It's amazing how many card terms Hubbard came out with for this man's dialogue.

The three have met their match with Michael Patrick Obañon, proud owner of a 100,000-acre spread willed to him by his father, when they make a false claim on the ranch. Faced with having to save his property and his people, Obañon takes a courageous stand against the renegades, with the help of the villagers and vaqueros and even from the local cavalry, who think the "bad guys" are the "good guys" but it turns out the "good guys" are the "bad guys." Yeah, this story is full of the good ol' Hubbard twists and turns that keep you guessing what will happen next, but the listener/reader is always clear who the good guy is, after all, he is a pure gentleman.

Obañon realizes it will take far more than mere weapons to win the day. With all guns seemingly drawn against him, Michael must come up with a devious strategy of his own to outwit the imposters and regain his birthright. With excitement all they way through 2 possible hangings and a surprise ending that even seems to surprise Don Michael, this little piece of historical fiction is a fun telling of how the west was won and how America came to be.

As always Galaxy Audio utilizes excellent vocal actors, perfect sound effects and original music to give that old time radio feel or what I have come to call an Audio Pulp. Since the stories Galaxy Audio and Galaxy Press were originally all published in the old pulp fiction magazines of the early to mid-20th century.

"The Baron of Coyote River" by L. Ron Hubbard

"The Baron of Coyote River"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multicast performance
Produced 2010 by Galaxy Audio
approx. 2 hours

Once again I listen to a genre I never thought I would even look for, Westerns. These audiobooks by Galaxy Audio have a little extra oomph that keep me coming back. Galaxy Audio have been re-releasing the early works of L. Ron Hubbard, specifically his stories that were originally published in the pulp fiction magazines of the mid-20th century. Galaxy Press and Galaxy Audio have taken extra care to keep that pulp fiction feel of these stories. Many of the short stories fit 2 or 3 per audio book but some are short novellas that fill a Galaxy Press pulp or a Galaxy Audio audio pulp. With the audio books you feel as though you are listening to an old radio drama from around the same time period.

This book contains two stories from the pulps by Hubbard; "The Baron of Coyote River," originally published published in "All Western" in September 1936 and "The Reign of the Gila Monster," originally published in "Western Aces" in September 1937. Both of these stories are fun westerns that contain the little Hubbard twists that keep the listener / reader on the edge of their seats or anxious to turn the page to find out what happens next.

What gives these audio books the radio drama sound is a combination of the excellent voice acting, the realistic sound effects and exclusively written music. During the stampede scene in the first story you feel as though you have been thrown on a horse and thrown in the middle of the story, the sound effects were very well done. The casts for all these stories always create characters that are fun to hear and Jim Meskimen narrates the stories with such professionalism the listener just slides into the story. In the second story of this book the narrator is not Meskimen but they have placed in his place (hard shoes to fill) the actor Bruce Boxleitner (Babylon 5, The Scarecrow & Mrs. King). Boxleitner does a superb job as guest narrator, giving the listener the feel of sitting around a campfire hearing the tale.

Before I get into the separate stories I feel I need to express something. Many people's first response when seeing Hubbard's name is to immediately have some remark about Scientology. But what needs to be remembered or learned is that before that Hubbard was a master storyteller. These Golden Age stories prove that point in that they are all fantastic and fun short stories that within just a few pages create such enthralling characters and settings. So before you have anything to say about the religion aspect of Hubbard's life, put that out of your mind and just listen to or read a great story.

The first story is the title story, "The Baron of Coyote River." Lance Gordon is an outlaw that is wanted for killing a deputy marshall, but when he arrives in Santos in the territory of Arizona, he ends up working for the other side of the law. It is well known around Santos, that the Baron is a cattle thief and that he hires only the best gunmen to protect his ill gotten cattle. Even the cavalry won't ride into his territory. A local gunman and former cattleman rescues Lance as the sheriff attempts to haul him off to jail. The reason being is the stranger sees in Lance a chance to get his beloved cows back. At this point I have to tell you Hubbard can throw humor into a story that will surprise you. In this story the humor comes from the strangers affection toward his cows, each time he would describe his stolen cows I found myself laughing out loud, yep, I LOL'd. Anyway, back to the story. The stranger and Lance infiltrate the Baron's land and set out to stop this man who is making a mockery of the Territory of Arizona and keeping it from becoming a state. All the way to the very end you will keep trying to guess what will happen next but the end will still surprise you.

The second story, "The Reign of the Gila Monster," is a very funny western story in which Howdy Johnson has set out to create the roughest, toughest town in the west, Powderville. As he gets the town rolling, he leaves to recruit the cowboys that are herding their stock to Chicago to stop in Powderville, thus giving the cowboys a rest on the way and creating an economic boon for the town. While he is a way a man named Gilman (the Gila Monster) comes to town and seems to be rougher and tougher than the town itself, makes himself the Marshall and imposes taxes on everything possible and even the impossible. When Howdy hears of this he has to return to the town to take back what is his. This story has so many funny moments and great dialogue that it should be read over and over to catch it all. Some of the funniest lines are in the description of Gilman, "His hat ... looked bigger than an umbrella." "He had once stepped on [a] hound dog, and ... not even an inch of the animal's tail was visible." "He could take a bottle of whiskey in his hand, close his finger, and say, 'Which one have I got it in?'"

Both great stories that will keep you entertained and help escape whatever you need to escape.

"Shadows from Boot Hill" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Shadows from Boot Hill"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multicast Performance
produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx 2 hours

No matter what genre of audio book from Galaxy Audio's Stories from The Golden Age by L. Ron Hubbard I choose, I am never let down. I've stated before, I've never been a fan of Westerns, but with the professional quality behind the production of the audio books makes these books fun to hear. Great sound effects, great voice acting and music between stories and chapters all combine to keep you charged in the story.

From the days of pulp fiction (the mid 20th century), these stories all are fun to hear. Galaxy Press has taken these stories that were published in various magazines at the time and have recreated that pulp magazine feel with short stories in one edition, some are a short novella but most are 2 or 3 stories in one edition. I've seen the books at bookstores and have been tempted to pick them up, but I just keep going back to the audio books. Galaxy Audio takes these stories and produces them into 2 hour audio pulps that are reminiscent of the old time radio dramas from around the same time period.

This audio book contains three stories from the Western genre:

"Shadows from Boot Hill," originally published in June, 1940 tells the story of a hired gunman who acquires sinister shadows. The outlaw, Brazos, has skipped town before collecting his blood money for killing a local banker. With the law hot on his tail, he escapes to Los Hornos and his "friend" Whisper Monahan. The last time they parted ways, they weren't exactly on good terms, but Brazos is on the run and is desperate to rid the posse on his tail. Whisper greets Brazos with orders to kill a local named Scotty Brant that has poisoned over 4,000 acres of his land by sitting on the headwaters of a rare stream using cyanide to extract gold from oxide ore. But this time, Brazos bites off more than he can chew when he learns Brandt's hitched up with a witch doctor out of New Orleans. So to kill Brandt he must first take out the Witch doctor. The witch doctor's last words as Brazos kills him is, "I'll get you white man." Brazos leaves the witch doctor's funeral and finds he now has two shadows, Brazos doesn't put any faith in any myths so he goes on to finish the hit on Brandt, but the shadows haunt him in his task.

"The Gunner from Gehenna," originally published in April, 1949 is a fun cat and mouse/ good guy bad guy story. The renegade “Gunner” returns with plans to steal the miners’ gold but the local Sheriff has other plans. He and the Gunner have a history, in fact the Sheriff used to be a "bad guy." The Gunner plans on recruiting the sheriff to distract the miners while he steals the gold. The Gunner then vanishes into the desert with the deputy sheriff in angry pursuit. But the sheriff seems to have his job made easy, was it all pre-planned?

"Gunman!" originally published February, 1949 is the story of the last days before the railroad takes over the town of Deadlight. With three days left to save his badge, the marshal of Deadlight Brazos Kincade has to prevent the the bank from being robbed. With the town full of railroad shysters and banditos Marshall Brazos has his hands full. But the surprise is who is trying to rob the bank and who gets deputized. I found it odd to include two stories with characters named Brazos, but it was a nice contrast with one good and one bad. This story has the good one. Would it be too much if they had a 3rd that was ugly?

Once again Galaxy Press, Galaxy Audio and L. Ron Hubbard deliver an exciting collection of Western stories to make reading or listening fun.

"Devil's Manhunt" By L. Ron Hubbard

"Devil's Manhunt"
By L. Ron Hubbard
Multicast Performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx 2 hours

It's time once again to go back to those thrilling times of yesteryear...okay so that was the opening for "The Lone Ranger" TV series, but listening to this audiobook reminded me of the series I used to watch as a kid. I also realized that hey, I actually do like reading/listening to westerns, but only good westerns. It seems L. Ron Hubbard wrote some pretty cool westerns. With Galaxy Press and Galaxy Audio re-releasing the old pulp fiction stories from the mid-20th century that Hubbard penned, or rather typed ( I read somewhere he could carry on a conversation and type out a short story at the same time), I can now go back and enjoy those stories I've missed or denied myself due to not thinking I like westerns.

Maybe it's just that these productions from Galaxy Audio keep me glued to the audiobook. Galaxy Audio provides the complete theater of the mind experience in every one of these releases. This audio book is no exception. When the horses ride off they actually ride off not just some one slapping coconuts together. These guys have no need of the Wilhelm Scream in their vocal sound effects, because each of the voice actors are top notch and every grunt and scream occur in the moment and fit the story perfectly. The original music also pulls you into the story and with these stories, the music had that authentic western feel.

This release features three stories not only all falling into the western genre but all having the same theme of being hunted down. The fun part in all of Hubbard's stories is that they end with a bit of a twist that is nearly hard to see coming. After hearing several of these stories I've discovered I can almost predict the twist to come....almost.

"Devil's Manhunt," originally published February, 1950 tells the story of Young Tim Beckdolt who had been working in Arizona for eight long, treacherous months before striking a rich seam of gold. Now, after three months of hard, grueling labor, he's stockpiled that gold ore. Just as he's about to set out and sell all the gold a Swedish giant named Sven and the foppish Virginian killer named Bonnet, arrive to jump his claim. Forced by gunpoint to mine the remainder of the gold for this villainous pair. Sven and Bonnet hunt game each night to keep them all nourished, but one night Bonnet chances across a bear and finds that game to be a challenge. Bonnet then realizes he loves the hunt and wonders what the best game to hunt would be. Bonnet and Sven then decide to hunt Tim, after all they were going to kill him anyway, might as well make a sport of it.

"Johnny, the Town Tamer," originally published August, 1949 is a fun story in which Texas Johnny frustrates an attempt to kill him, and runs off the man who tried to do it. Johnny comes into a town that is crooked all the way up to the town manager. They all see Johnny has some gold dust and a herd of cattle that will soon be coming through town and see the opportunity to get rich. Johny and a mysterious partner outwit the entire town, but the fun...is how they do it.

"Stranger in Town," originally published December,1949 introduces the reader/listener to Zeke Tomlin, who may be a little paranoid, but he has good reason. New in Dry Creek himself, Zeke knows someone will ride in one day, looking for him. Because in his past he was blamed for murder by a corrupt marshal, and has been hiding out ever since. When the corrupt marshal arrives in pursuit, Zeke must deal with him and the town.

Strap on your spurs and get a shot of some red-eye and enjoy these stories from the Golden Age.

"Cattle King for a Day" by L. Ron Hubbard

"Cattle King for a Day"
by L. Ron Hubbard
Multicast performance
Produced by Galaxy Audio
Approx. 2 hours


I've recently discovered the short stories written by L. Ron Hubbard during the mid-20th century, through Galaxy Audio and Galaxy Press. They have been releasing the stories that were originally published in pulp magazines of that era, creating their own pulp magazines, and even audio pulp. All the audiobooks are about 2 hours in length and most contain 2 or 3 stories. This release, scheduled to be released October, 2010, brings back a couple of stories from the old west.

I originally was intrigued by these books by the science-fiction genre and then I checked out some of the other genres, such as; mystery, air adventures, tales from the orient, and sea adventures, and have never heard a bad story. Hubbard was a master storyteller and could weave a tale that not only kept you on the edge of your seat but as these releases prove pass the test of time. I have never had an interest in western stories but with the enjoyment I've had from the other stories released by Galaxy Audio, I thought I'd give them a try. My old friend that tried to get me interested in Louis L'amour stories is probably saying, "I told you westerns were fun." Well, thanks to L. Ron Hubbard and Galaxy Audio, he's proven right.

Most of the props would have to go out to Galaxy Audio because without the superb production value in these audiobooks, I might not have given the westerns a listen. Galaxy provides a talented cast of voice actors, mix that in with perfect sound effects and original incidental music these stories just flow through you making you feel you are in the middle of the action.

This release contains 2 stories from the golden age both telling tales from the old west dealing with men who have been snookered out of inheritances. One story takes place in Montana the other in Wyoming, which Hubbard used his personal experience of growing up in the area in the turn of the century.

"Cattle King for a Day," originally published in "Western" magazine March, 1937 tells of Chinook Shannon who comes to Montana from Arizona after hearing his grandfather has died unexpectedly and has left him the family's Slash S cattle ranch. Chinook has always wanted to be a cattle king and arrives in Montana ready to run the ranch. The only problem is that the ranch will be foreclosed on in 24 hours. While it may only be one day, as it seems, Chinook is ready to run what he can. As it turns out a mining company using cyanide mining methods has killed off the cattle and not much is left, however, Chinook finds that all things aren't right in the area and that his grandfather's death was caused by a murder. Chinook has 24 hours to find out who murdered his grandfather and save his family's ranch. Be ready for double and triple crosses as Hubbard weaves the tale with the expected twists and turns that are always found in his stories.

"Come and Get It," originally published in "Western" magazine October, 1938, finds another man getting rooked out of his inheritance when he comes from "out East" to inherit his father's Wyoming land. This time however the hero learns nothing is left of the land and takes on a job as a cook to go undercover to find his father's murderer. The real twist in this story which made me smile at the end of the book was the identity of the inheritor.

Two great westerns (I never thought I'd say that) by the master story teller L. Ron Hubbard from the Golden Age of Stories