Mad Amos Malone by Alan Dean Foster
WordFire Press

Alan Dean Foster has had quite an illustrious career. His books have been in print for many decades. I'm sure you've seen a few in whatever bookshop you frequent. He also has quite an impressive number of movie novelizations under his belt. To which, he has recently made headlines on social media, possibly highlighting a potential grey area in copyright law.

Meet Mad Amos Malone. A man larger than most, with a knowledge that belies his disheveled appearance. His horse, Worthless, is an excellent companion, but not to be underestimated. Mad Amos Malone always leaves things better than how he finds them.

This book just showed up in my feed one day on social media. The premise reminded me a lot of Wellman's Silver John series and Drake's Old Nathan stories. Having enjoyed both, I couldn't wait to get my hands on a copy. Although I can only read one book at a time...

Mad Amos Malone is a well known figure in the west. The people, when they speak of him, whisper. His size and formidable mien discourage casual contact with other folks. Regardless, people still see him out with their strange and sometimes otherworldly problems.

Much of the dialogue is written with the vernacular of the time and region. I only mention this as a warning to those who cannot abide with reading dialogue written in this way.

Eighteen stories blending fact with fiction. These stories span about forty years of writing. One story is original to this collection.

Some of my favorites were:

Wu-ling's Folly
Everyone knows dragons aren't real, but one just stole the gold from a stagecoach. With the first occurrence theft is suspected. But as more and more incidents occur the authorities realize they are in over their heads. Mad Amos Malone is summoned. How can one man stop a creature that breathes fire and eats molten gold?

Jackalope
A big game hunter is ruminating about his past exploits at the saloon. Retirement seems to be his only recourse. You see, he has hunted everything there is to be hunted the world over. Amos suggests the Jackalope. Believing it to be a joke the hunter goes along with the 'game'. To his surprise he bags a Jackalope, but what kind of creature calls the Jackalope prey? The hunter becomes the hunted.

What You See...
A traveling huckster is selling a miracle tonic. Malone intervenes and miraculously heals an old farmer with just a wooden cup and stream water. The huckster intends to steal the cup. What he finds is something hungrier than his avarice.

Neither a Borrower Be...
A trio of ne'er do wells steal Worthless and two other horses from a remote cabin after a snow storm. Worthless makes them regret their greed.

The Purl of the Pacific
The Hawaiian vacation episode. Amos Malone has come as a favor to a friend. He recovers a fabled hook, but how exactly will that stave off the destruction of the island?

Holy Jingle
A prostitute from China has a local man under her spell. She is feeding off his life energy. Amos decides to swap places and discovers that the girl is possessed by a Huli jing.

In conclusion, this was a fantastic collection of weird west stories, each tale taller than the one before it. Fans of Manly Wade Wellman's Silver John books and David Drake's Old Nathan will discover a new favorite in Mad Amos Malone. Get your copy today! Available in print and ebook formats from Amazon.