Slocum Westerns are the longest running series of Westerns ever written, encompassing over 400 books, all of which are published under the
pen name
A pen name, also called a ''nom de plume'' or a literary double, is a pseudonym (or, in some cases, a variant form of a real name) adopted by an author and printed on the title page or by-line of their works in place of their real name.
A pen na ...
Jake Logan.
The books have been written by a number of authors, and all feature John Slocum as the protagonist.
Main character
John Slocum is among the toughest of
gunfighter
Gunfighters, also called gunslingers (), or in the 19th and early 20th centuries gunmen, were individuals in the American Old West who gained a reputation of being dangerous with a gun and participated in gunfights and shootouts. Today, the te ...
s. He is a mostly decent man who will do whatever it takes to survive life in the
Western Frontier. A
Confederate soldier who lost his ancestral home to
carpetbagger
In the history of the United States, carpetbagger is a largely historical term used by Southerners to describe opportunistic Northerners who came to the Southern states after the American Civil War, who were perceived to be exploiting the lo ...
s after the
Civil War
A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country).
The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government polic ...
. He left the
South
South is one of the cardinal directions or compass points. The direction is the opposite of north and is perpendicular to both east and west.
Etymology
The word ''south'' comes from Old English ''sūþ'', from earlier Proto-Germanic ''*sunþa ...
, never to return.
He has been a soldier, slave,
stagecoach
A stagecoach is a four-wheeled public transport coach used to carry paying passengers and light packages on journeys long enough to need a change of horses. It is strongly sprung and generally drawn by four horses although some versions are draw ...
driver, shotgun guard, bank robber, lawman, pioneer, cowboy, shepherd, poor man, rich man, gambler, and
drifter
A drifter is a vagrant who moves from place to place without a fixed home or employment.
Drifter(s) or The Drifter(s) may also refer to:
Films and television Films
* ''The Drifter'' (1917 film), an American film directed by Fred Kelsey
* ''Th ...
. His adventures occur in most of the
American West
The Western United States (also called the American West, the Far West, and the West) is the region comprising the westernmost states of the United States. As American settlement in the U.S. expanded westward, the meaning of the term ''the Wes ...
.
Target demographic
The books are claimed to be adult oriented, due to the presence of three explicitly described sex scenes in each of the numerous books; they were first published by
Playboy
''Playboy'' is an American men's lifestyle and entertainment magazine, formerly in print and currently online. It was founded in Chicago in 1953, by Hugh Hefner and his associates, and funded in part by a $1,000 loan from Hefner's mother.
K ...
Press.
Authors
*
Robert E. Vardeman (''Dead Man's Spurs'')
*
Martin Cruz Smith
Martin Cruz Smith (born November 3, 1942) is an American mystery novelist. He is best known for his nine-novel series (to date) on Russian investigator Arkady Renko, who was first introduced in 1981 with '' Gorky Park''.
Early life and educ ...
(''Ride for Revenge'')
*
Ronald Kelly (''Slocum and the Nightriders'') and (''Slocum and the Gold Slaves'')
[''Slocum and the Gold Slaves'' 1994, Berkley – Slocum series number 187]
References
{{reflist
External links
Books by Jake Logan''fictiondb''
Western (genre) novels
Novel series