“He was one of the lost, seeking what the restless wind sought...” (pp.7-8
)
“He heard the urgent whisper of the wind as it sought to tell him its numberless secrets...” (p.94)
THE DARK BRAND by H.A. DeRosso is a very impressive action packed work. Officially, it bears the classification of Western, however, a Thriller would be a much better description of this wonderful story.
Possibly the most refreshing aspect of DeRosso’s THE DARK BRAND is the simple fact that this book has that quality one craves from any book and that is that it is a page turner. Although speaking only on my own behalf, I can confirm that never once did I find myself lacking motivation to continue reading. THE DARK BRAND provides one with that motivation from the moment you pick it up.
But what is most surprising about THE DARK BRAND, apart for its exciting story, is the book’s wonderful characterization. As with most colonial style works (and Westerns tend to fall in that category, be it novels of films), there are the ‘good guys’ and the ‘baddies’ in THE DARK BRAND. However, DeRosso almost confronts the reader with a protagonist who is flawed in his own right. The main protagonist, one Driscoll, is not only a ‘dark’ man in his reasoning, he is even an ex-convict having been jailed for a crime that he openly admits he committed.
“He felt a gloom come over him, a premonition of the grave, darkening his spirits a moment, filling him with an instant’s futility.” (p.211)
Apart from this a-typical hero side to Driscoll, he displays trades typical to many men of his time. He is a loner and not used to company:
“He felt very uncomfortable, because this was something strange to him, eating at a table in a home, with china plates and cups instead of tin, without the somber darkness of prison or the guttering smoke of a lonely campfire stinging his ears and wind blowing grit into his food. Something touched him deeply and he kept his eyes on his plate.” (p.61)
He remains a dark sort of character all the way; it is only at the end that one really starts to feel that you are getting to know him a bit. But this image of Driscoll fits in lovely with the rest of THE DARK BRAND. There is a somber air to the whole work. Somber. And the word keeps creeping up. In THE DARK BRAND, there is even a mountain range carrying that name – the Sombras. A word unfamiliar to my spellchecker, which is set on English (South Africa), somber, a word similar to gloomy, dark and very serious, according to other dictionaries at my disposal. But then, even DeRosso’s title, THE DARK BRAND, suggests the dark backdrop against which this story is set. Death is all over, even in the opening two chapters, where a man is subjected to capital punishment.
There is an air of futileness about THE DARK BRAND. Of people being uncertain, not only about the world around them, but one sense also about themselves in the world...
“He swore at his softness, at this strange person that had taken command of him, and mounted the black and, leading the other two horses, rode westward, toward the Sombras, the mountains of shadow and sorrow.” (p.192)
“I get lonesome very often but this is a lonely country to begin with, and somehow I don’t feel at home unless I am lonely with it” (p.70)
There is only one thing that one miss in this work, and only a little bit, and that is that you do not get that strong feel of country or being in the ‘wild’ of the ‘wild’ west. There are very few descriptions of the environment, animals and the countryside. It is as if the work is almost completely people orientated in a way, but then again, Driscoll himself, with his criminal record, doesn’t come across as your typical hero that is set to tame the wild. He displays most of the trades one expect from a hero, apart from this little fact, and it makes the world of difference with regards to the reading experience. The lack of ‘feeling’ the country, however, in this work, didn’t do too much harm to my overall impression of the work.
THE DARK BRAND is a simple yet powerful story. Maybe it is because the story is so simple that it is so powerful. It tells the story of a man who is wrongfully suspected of knowing where a former fellow jail inmate hid the money he stole. Apart from all the treats of this wonderful work, the story has some amazing twists as well.
THE DARK BRAND, in my mind, is a very very interesting and unusual work. It is well worth the read for anyone with a taste for Westerns, and even those who do not typically fancy it will possibly find it refreshing. In my search for the perfect Western novel, the DARK BRAND now ranks number one. However, the search will go on. It is a spiritual quest, and although I am not certain of success, I know that the journey will be far more important than the destination...
“He heard the urgent whisper of the wind as it sought to tell him its numberless secrets...” (p.94)
THE DARK BRAND by H.A. DeRosso is a very impressive action packed work. Officially, it bears the classification of Western, however, a Thriller would be a much better description of this wonderful story.
Possibly the most refreshing aspect of DeRosso’s THE DARK BRAND is the simple fact that this book has that quality one craves from any book and that is that it is a page turner. Although speaking only on my own behalf, I can confirm that never once did I find myself lacking motivation to continue reading. THE DARK BRAND provides one with that motivation from the moment you pick it up.
But what is most surprising about THE DARK BRAND, apart for its exciting story, is the book’s wonderful characterization. As with most colonial style works (and Westerns tend to fall in that category, be it novels of films), there are the ‘good guys’ and the ‘baddies’ in THE DARK BRAND. However, DeRosso almost confronts the reader with a protagonist who is flawed in his own right. The main protagonist, one Driscoll, is not only a ‘dark’ man in his reasoning, he is even an ex-convict having been jailed for a crime that he openly admits he committed.
“He felt a gloom come over him, a premonition of the grave, darkening his spirits a moment, filling him with an instant’s futility.” (p.211)
Apart from this a-typical hero side to Driscoll, he displays trades typical to many men of his time. He is a loner and not used to company:
“He felt very uncomfortable, because this was something strange to him, eating at a table in a home, with china plates and cups instead of tin, without the somber darkness of prison or the guttering smoke of a lonely campfire stinging his ears and wind blowing grit into his food. Something touched him deeply and he kept his eyes on his plate.” (p.61)
He remains a dark sort of character all the way; it is only at the end that one really starts to feel that you are getting to know him a bit. But this image of Driscoll fits in lovely with the rest of THE DARK BRAND. There is a somber air to the whole work. Somber. And the word keeps creeping up. In THE DARK BRAND, there is even a mountain range carrying that name – the Sombras. A word unfamiliar to my spellchecker, which is set on English (South Africa), somber, a word similar to gloomy, dark and very serious, according to other dictionaries at my disposal. But then, even DeRosso’s title, THE DARK BRAND, suggests the dark backdrop against which this story is set. Death is all over, even in the opening two chapters, where a man is subjected to capital punishment.
There is an air of futileness about THE DARK BRAND. Of people being uncertain, not only about the world around them, but one sense also about themselves in the world...
“He swore at his softness, at this strange person that had taken command of him, and mounted the black and, leading the other two horses, rode westward, toward the Sombras, the mountains of shadow and sorrow.” (p.192)
“I get lonesome very often but this is a lonely country to begin with, and somehow I don’t feel at home unless I am lonely with it” (p.70)
There is only one thing that one miss in this work, and only a little bit, and that is that you do not get that strong feel of country or being in the ‘wild’ of the ‘wild’ west. There are very few descriptions of the environment, animals and the countryside. It is as if the work is almost completely people orientated in a way, but then again, Driscoll himself, with his criminal record, doesn’t come across as your typical hero that is set to tame the wild. He displays most of the trades one expect from a hero, apart from this little fact, and it makes the world of difference with regards to the reading experience. The lack of ‘feeling’ the country, however, in this work, didn’t do too much harm to my overall impression of the work.
THE DARK BRAND is a simple yet powerful story. Maybe it is because the story is so simple that it is so powerful. It tells the story of a man who is wrongfully suspected of knowing where a former fellow jail inmate hid the money he stole. Apart from all the treats of this wonderful work, the story has some amazing twists as well.
THE DARK BRAND, in my mind, is a very very interesting and unusual work. It is well worth the read for anyone with a taste for Westerns, and even those who do not typically fancy it will possibly find it refreshing. In my search for the perfect Western novel, the DARK BRAND now ranks number one. However, the search will go on. It is a spiritual quest, and although I am not certain of success, I know that the journey will be far more important than the destination...
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