In the Hills of Monterey

By Max Brand

Book Overview

The wealthiest landowner in the province of Spanish-controlled Alta California has sent away to Spain for a suitable bridegroom for his beautiful daughter, Ortiza Tarabal. Francisco Valdez arrives... This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 084395034X
• ISBN13: 9780843950342
• Release Date: January 2002
• Publisher: Leisure Books
• Length: 239 Pages
• Weight: 0.85 lbs.
• Dimensions: 6.8" x 0.8" x 4.3"

Customer Reviews

Swashbuckling Adventure In The Grand Ol' Tradition!

I am constantly amazed at the career of Fredercik Faust (aka Max Brand)and his longevity. Faust died in action in 1944 during WWII and yet his books are still widely published and read all over the world. And I'm not talking about 5 or 10 books or genre fiction, but literally 100s of novels. In his brief writing career, Faust published 530 books. Westerns, detective fiction, science-fiction, war stoires, sports stories, fantasy, spy stories, animal stories, romance, swashbucklers, medical fiction. This variety of work was fairly common back then, but what sets Faust apart is the sheer quality of the work, which is why most of it is still in print and being read 80-90 years after he wrote it and more than 60 years after his death in battle. One reason for this is the timeless elements of his style. Picking up a Faust (Brand) book today you'd swear it was written no more than 10 years ago or, in most cases, this year. His style is ageless. Case in point, In The Hills Of Monterey. This fine novel is classified as a western, but it's as much a wester as, say, The Three Muskateers or The Prisoner Of Zenda. Hills is a swashbuckler and a darn good one at that. And thanks to Leisure books, the novel is restored from the author's original manuscript so it is complete for the first time since its publication in 1924. Pulp ficiton editors back then tended to cut away a lot of description and flowing prose, leaving only the action behind. Thus removing any artistry from the tale. Hills is set in Spanish California and begins with the arrival of a ship, the Fortune. Aboard ship are Valdez and former Napoleon soldier, Mortier. Both have come to win the hand of Ortiza, the beautiful daughter of a rich land owner. Thrown into the mix is the slave El Rojo, who is in fact a British gentleman sold into slavery. El Rojo escapes, hooks up with a band of Navajo Indians and the story is underway. Twists and turns abound. Schemes are hatched and there is more sword fighting than you can shake a stick at. Taken together, this ecceltic mix of sword play, romance, political intrigue and the plight of First Nation's people against the backdrop of frontier California makes for an exciting, effective read the likes of which one would be hard pressed to find today. So if you're in the mood for something a little different by an author with a unique voice, I urge you to give Hills a try. In fact, given the breadth of Faust's output, he more than likely has something to fit your particular tastes. The man was a one-man bookstore. If it's a genre you enjoy, Faust wrote it. I recommend Hills or any of the other fine books Leisure books is currently publishing. The books are restored to the author's original text and you never really know what sort of story you're in for because they are all marketed as westerns. But one thing I can assure you, is that you will be entertained.