Union Pacific: A Western Story (Five Star Western Series)

ISBN: 1594147434

Author: Grey, Zane

Condition: Used

Heres something fans of prolific western author Grey, who died nearly 70 years ago, probably werent expecting: a new novel. In 1916, Grey decided to write an epic-scale historical novel about the building of the Union Pacific Railroad. It proved a difficult task, and his editor rewrote large chunks of it, eventually publishing the substantially altered book under a different title. Now Greys original version is published, in all its sprawling glory. Viewed simply as a novel, it feels clunky and unpolished, although the story-the construction of a railroad and how it affects the lives of the novels characters-has a Michener-style grandeur to it, both in its mixture of history and fiction and in its use of individual characters to represent sections of society. Viewed, on the other hand, as a glimpse into the mind of Zane Grey, as a look at the big novel he dreamed of publishing but never really did, its downright fascinating. We see an author who, if he possessed a little more self-discipline and a bit more technique, could have extended his range well beyond black hats and white hats.