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    Branded Outlaw: A Tale of Wild Hearts in the Wild West
    Branded Outlaw: A Tale of Wild Hearts in the Wild West
    Branded Outlaw: A Tale of Wild Hearts in the Wild West
    Ebook121 pages1 hour

    Branded Outlaw: A Tale of Wild Hearts in the Wild West

    By L. Ron Hubbard

    4/5

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    About this ebook

    Take the law into your own hands, and you risk losing your grip on everything else—including your life. Lee Weston—a young Paul Newman with a Colt revolver at his hip—is as good-looking as he is quick-tempered, and he’s got a lot to be angry about.

    His father murdered, his family ranch torched, he goes gunning for Harvey Dodge—the man who he’s convinced is the killer—and it’s Lee who ends up on the wrong side of the law. Shot in a gunfight, on the run and running out of time, he holes up in a mountain hideout and waits for death to come find him.

    But he wakes up in the arms of a beautiful woman who has beat death to his door and nursed him back to life. She’s the first and only woman he has ever fallen for, and her name is Ellen Dodge—Harvey’s daughter. Can a great loss lead to a great love? Can the search for revenge lead to redemption? The answers lie in the wild heart of the Wild West—in Branded Outlaw.

    L. Ron Hubbard was so prolific, and his stories so much in demand, he occasionally had to publish under a pseudonym to ensure that his name wouldn’t appear twice in a single issue of a magazine. Thus did Branded Outlaw originally appear as being written by a writer named Barry Randolph. But as is clear from the action and authenticity of the story, it was Hubbard behind the curtain pulling the levers. This is one of sixteen westerns Hubbard wrote in 1938—all influenced by a foray into New Mexico to round out his research. His unsurpassed knowledge of the West originated in his years growing up—and riding on—the range.

    “Packs a ton of action and some priceless shootout scenes.” —EZReader.com

    LanguageEnglish
    PublisherGalaxy Press
    Release dateJun 21, 2011
    ISBN9781592124961
    Branded Outlaw: A Tale of Wild Hearts in the Wild West
    Author

    L. Ron Hubbard

    With 19 New York Times bestsellers and more than 350 million copies of his works in circulation, L. Ron Hubbard is among the most enduring and widely read authors of our time. As a leading light of American Pulp Fiction through the 1930s and '40s, he is further among the most influential authors of the modern age. Indeed, from Ray Bradbury to Stephen King, there is scarcely a master of imaginative tales who has not paid tribute to L. Ron Hubbard. Then too, of course, there is all L. Ron Hubbard represents as the Founder of Dianetics and Scientology and thus the only major religion born in the 20th century.

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    Reviews for Branded Outlaw

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    • 4/5
      Branded Outlaw - Stories from the Golden Age, Author: L. Ron HubbardWhen Lee Weston's father writes him that an old enemy, Harvey Dodge, is back in town, Lee rides out in a hurry from Wyoming to Pecos, New Mexico only to find his father murdered and the family ranch burned to the ground. Certain that Dodge is to blame, Lee sets off to settle the score but gets into a fiery Colt showdown in the town of Pecos. Severely wounded, he flees into the mountains just before passing out. As fate would have it, Dodge's beautiful, yet headstrong, daughter, Ellen, secretly nurses him back to health. Each man believes the other is guilty of awful crimes. Who really did it??
    • 3/5
      Fun to listen to - if you like Olde' Style Radio Dramas, this is a fun one to add to your collection. Nothing out of the ordinary, but easy to imagine John Wayne saving the day.
    • 5/5
      A good old time western on CD for a good labor day car ride. The cast was great as usually with these CD books. I'm always wishing they were longer.
    • 3/5
      To date the other L. Ron Hubbard book I've ever read was Battlefield Earth which I loved (I even loved the movie, sue me!) so reading an old pulp western was definitely a big change up for me. This book wasn't bad or good. It was short and sweet and had the standard ingredients for a western. Warning spoilers ahead. I've literally outlined the entire book. Man's childhood home and father are killed. He comes back seeking vengeance. No one believes him so he starts shooting up people. Man becomes an outlaw. He is saved by a young girl who helps clean his wounds and heal him. He falls in love. Turns out her father is the bad guy. He runs away. Gets captured. Escapes. Discovers the truth. Is vindicated. Gets the girl. A quick unmemorable read that wasn't poorly written.
    • 3/5
      Another enjoyable story by L. Ron Hubbard. This audiobook was well done with a multi person cast and sound effects, more like a radio drama than a typical audiobook. The story is an action-packed old-west adventure involving a son's quest to revenge the murder of his father.
    • 5/5
      Galaxy Audio provides a superb rendition of L. Ron Hubbard's Branded Outlaw. The narrator could be an old cowpoke resting by a blazing campfire along a nighttime trail spinning the legend of Suicide Weston. Sound effects more fully draw the listener into the story.This great example of pulp fiction written in 1938 is a western loaded with suspenseful twists and turns plus a whimsical touch of romance. Hubbard's talent for writing is demonstrated in the following excerpt from the story."It was dark when he rose and tightened the buckskin cinch. Warily he led his mount down the slopes through the pinnacles of rocks which stood like grotesque heathen idols against the stars, each one passing silent judgement upon him. He was either going to salvation or going to the last battle of his life." (Chapter 7)This compact disc recording along with a paperback version of the book would be a useful tool for teachers attempting to motivate reluctant readers. I wish that Hubbard's books would become available in a hardbound format that would survive the repeated use in a school library. His books should appeal to young adult as well as adult audiences.
    • 5/5
      Pulp fiction western story action packed with full cast and sound like an old radio program. Great entertaining way to go on an adventure while driving around town in your car!
    • 4/5
      The quality of the recording and the readers is very good. Typical western in that someone dies, someone seeks revenge, and a woman nurses an injured man back to health.
    • 3/5
      Western's are fun stories to read even though they aren't as popular nowadays. This story is one of the short novella's that L Ron Hubbard put out back then. A fun story of mistaken circumstance that easily escalates into something worse. If only the characters could have a bit more of a back story to create more interest in them.
    • 4/5
      I've listened to a number of these "Golden Age" L. Ron Hubbard stories and this is one of the better ones. They come across like Old Time Radio which I enjoy. The recording has a large cast and background music so it is pleasant to listen to.Branded Outlaw is set in the old West and is the story of Lee Weston, a sometimes gunfighter who comes back to Pecos New Mexico to find that his father has been murdered. In his quest to avenge his father, he becomes known as a dangerous gunslinger. He must avenge his father, live down his reputation and gain the respect of the girl his loves for his happy ending. I received this from librarything's EarlyReviewer giveaway program and I've given it an honest review.
    • 3/5
      I received a set of L. Ron Hubbard audiobooks to review. This was one of them. The audiobook portion was very well-done and was more like a radio drama of old and less like a traditional audiobook. I did not care for the actual book though.
    • 4/5
      The story of "Suicide" Lee Weston, come back to Pecos to aid his father from a hostile takeover of his ranch, Branded Outlaw is a classic western from the golden age. While parts of it are unbelievable--such as the girl falling in love with an outlaw on site--the action kept me so engage that I missed my freeway exit on the way to work while listening to the audio version of this novella.
    • 5/5
      When it comes the Golden Age of radio its the best...having a long drive in the morning and the afternoon these are the best to listen too.I think aback to the days before T.V. when all you had is the radio and I imagine a uncomplicated life. He can write a good fiction and left religion alone.
    • 5/5
      Are you a fan of Gunsmoke, Big Valley, Rawhide, etc.? If so, you will enjoy L. Ron Hubbard's books and audio books. What? You have never heard of these? Well, you are in for a clean, fun treat!In 'Branded Outlaw', a young man returns home after being away for six years. He received an urgent letter requesting him to come home. His mother had died when he was but twelve years old and his dad is all he had left of family. When he arrived home, he arrived to find two large smoldering piles of which used to be a barn and a house. His father lay dead.After burying his dad, he determined it had to be the works of a man who had been in many disagreements with his father. He made up his mind he was going to get his own "justice". He went off "half-cocked" to find that man. This is just the beginning of the adventures and life threatening events which followed. It is also the introduction to a young woman who aided him when it looked as though all was lost.This is a short story. I loved the CDs. It was just a long enough story to get one through the couple of hours of traffic one so often has to endure. The narratives were done very well and realistically. I highly recommend this for any age. You can purchase it in paperback or CDs.I won this through a the Library Thing giveaway. The author has requested an honest book review, of which I have given.
    • 5/5
      This was my first encounter with L. Ron Hubbard and I really liked it. Though I normally prefer to read books than listen to them, it was a fun book to listen to and it held my attention. So much so that I couldn't wait to begin my commute to work and home from work each day so I could find out the next thing in the book! Really fun story with kind of a surprising ending. Likeable characters and great quality voices to narrate each character. Would highly recommend this audio book!
    • 4/5
      Another great performance in audio drama from Galaxy Press. was first published in the October 1938 issue of "Five-Novels" and it feels every bit a product of its time. I appreciate that this is an unabridged recording too. It is every bit as good of a Western as most pulps of its time. Sadly, it seems like Galaxy Audio had changed their audiobook covers to a plain plastic CD case that can't be read from the spine. A HUGE downgrade from their neat-o cardboard packaging that almost felt like a book.
    • 5/5
      I love a good western and l ron hubbard . Does not disappoint storyline and charactors are great. I would highly recommend this to any western fan
    • 4/5
      I put this in for a car trip with my dad and myself. He's not a fan of audio books since they are "mono toned stories" and thinks it's silly for someone to read you a story when you aren't in elementary school anymore. My dad loves western novels so I snuck this in the CD player and he enjoyed it. It reminded him of the old time radio shows since it had other elements to the story than just someone reading it. It was a good enjoyable story.
    • 3/5
      Good Rollicking old fashioned western fun!!!
    • 3/5
      Lee returns to his hometown after receiving a letter from his father, asking for help. He’s having problems with a neighbor. By the time Lee returns, his father’s dead. While trying to find the neighbor he believes is responsible, Lee ends up making enemies of pretty much the entire town…except for one girl, who so happens to be the daughter of the man who killed his father. I enjoyed reading this–first, it’s short, so it can easily be read in one sitting. Secondly (and what’s most important), it’s just fun. These books are total pulp fiction–high on excitement and intrigue. The best part (at least for me) is the fact that reading Lee’s dialogue, it soon became impossible to not hear Humphrey Bogart reading it in my head. (I blame the fact that I saw part of The Big Sleep recently.) I’ve pretty much only seen him in noirs and Casablanca, but that’s the kind of dialogue it is–short and punchy.
    • 4/5
      I received the Galaxy Press audio dramatization of Branded Outlaw (Stories from the Golden Age) by L. Ron Hubbard through Librarything.com.I have won several of these L. Ron Hubbard dramatizations through librarything.com and they are great. Excellent production values, sound effects and music. Branded Outlaw is set in the old west where disputes are settled with six guns. The story is pure pulp and very fun. The presentation has two narrative flaws that I heard, though. Early on the Narrator says that Lee Weston rises from a "crouch" but he says it so quickly it sounds like "couch" which is a bit funny. Later, and more problematic is that when he refers to the hay loft, the Narrator says "mow" like "mow the grass," when the correct pronunciation is "maow." Much as I like Mr. O'Donnell's narrations of these audiobooks, he clearly did not grow up in the country.I like Lee Weston's voice – very much a young man from the Wild West. And as usual with these Galaxy Press audios, the woman's voice is grating. No cast list came with this disk so I can't tell you who these or the other actors are. (Mr. O'Donnell's name is on the Amazon page.) The double CDs arrived in a crushed crystal box, not the lovely red paper folders I have received before, with none of the usual information inserts included.We can imagine that Galaxy Press, publishers of these dramatizations, is a Scientologist outfit, but there is nothing that points directly to a link.
    • 5/5
      I have both the book and the audio book and I enjoy the audio book more.

    Book preview

    Branded Outlaw - L. Ron Hubbard

    SELECTED FICTION WORKS

    BY L. RON HUBBARD

    FANTASY

    The Case of the Friendly Corpse

    Death’s Deputy

    Fear

    The Ghoul

    The Indigestible Triton

    Slaves of Sleep & The Masters of Sleep

    Typewriter in the Sky

    The Ultimate Adventure

    SCIENCE FICTION

    Battlefield Earth

    The Conquest of Space

    The End Is Not Yet

    Final Blackout

    The Kilkenny Cats

    The Kingslayer

    The Mission Earth Dekalogy*

    Ole Doc Methuselah

    To the Stars

    ADVENTURE

    The Hell Job series

    WESTERN

    Buckskin Brigades

    Empty Saddles

    Guns of Mark Jardine

    Hot Lead Payoff

    A full list of L. Ron Hubbard’s

    novellas and short stories is provided at the back.

    *Dekalogy—a group of ten volumes

    TitlePgArt_fmt.jpeg

    Published by Galaxy Press, LLC

    7051 Hollywood Boulevard, Suite 200

    Hollywood, CA 90028

    © 2008 L. Ron Hubbard Library. All Rights Reserved.

    Any unauthorized copying, translation, duplication, importation or distribution, in whole or in part, by any means, including electronic copying, storage or transmission, is a violation of applicable laws.

    Mission Earth is a trademark owned by L. Ron Hubbard Library and is used with permission. Battlefield Earth is a trademark owned by Author Services, Inc. and is used with permission.

    Story Preview cover artwork; Horsemen illustration and Glossary illustration from Western Story Magazine are © and ™ Condé Nast Publications and are used with their permission. Fantasy, Far-Flung Adventure and Science Fiction illustrations: Unknown and Astounding Science Fiction copyright © by Street & Smith Publications, Inc. Reprinted with permission of Penny Publications, LLC.

    ISBN 978-1-59212-496-1 ePub version

    ISBN 978-1-59212-650-7 Kindle version

    ISBN 978-1-59212-258-5 print version

    ISBN 978-1-59212-349-0 audiobook version

    Library of Congress Control Number: 2007927518

    Contents

    FOREWORD

    BRANDED OUTLAW

    CHAPTER ONE

    CHAPTER TWO

    CHAPTER THREE

    CHAPTER FOUR

    CHAPTER FIVE

    CHAPTER SIX

    CHAPTER SEVEN

    CHAPTER EIGHT

    CHAPTER NINE

    CHAPTER TEN

    STORY PREVIEW:

    SIX-GUN CABALLERO

    GLOSSARY

    L. RON HUBBARD

    IN THE GOLDEN AGE

    OF PULP FICTION

    THE STORIES FROM THE

    GOLDEN AGE

    FOREWORD

    Stories from Pulp Fiction’s Golden Age

    AND it was a golden age.

    The 1930s and 1940s were a vibrant, seminal time for a gigantic audience of eager readers, probably the largest per capita audience of readers in American history. The magazine racks were chock-full of publications with ragged trims, garish cover art, cheap brown pulp paper, low cover prices—and the most excitement you could hold in your hands.

    Pulp magazines, named for their rough-cut, pulpwood paper, were a vehicle for more amazing tales than Scheherazade could have told in a million and one nights. Set apart from higher-class slick magazines, printed on fancy glossy paper with quality artwork and superior production values, the pulps were for the rest of us, adventure story after adventure story for people who liked to read. Pulp fiction authors were no-holds-barred entertainers—real storytellers. They were more interested in a thrilling plot twist, a horrific villain or a white-knuckle adventure than they were in lavish prose or convoluted metaphors.

    The sheer volume of tales released during this wondrous golden age remains unmatched in any other period of literary history—hundreds of thousands of published stories in over nine hundred different magazines. Some titles lasted only an issue or two; many magazines succumbed to paper shortages during World War II, while others endured for decades yet. Pulp fiction remains as a treasure trove of stories you can read, stories you can love, stories you can remember. The stories were driven by plot and character, with grand heroes, terrible villains, beautiful damsels (often in distress), diabolical plots, amazing places, breathless romances. The readers wanted to be taken beyond the mundane, to live adventures far removed from their ordinary lives—and the pulps rarely failed to deliver.

    In that regard, pulp fiction stands in the tradition of all memorable literature. For as history has shown, good stories are much more than fancy prose. William Shakespeare, Charles Dickens, Jules Verne, Alexandre Dumas—many of the greatest literary figures wrote their fiction for the readers, not simply literary colleagues and academic admirers. And writers for pulp magazines were no exception. These publications reached an audience that dwarfed the circulations of today’s short story magazines. Issues of the pulps were scooped up and read by over thirty million avid readers each month.

    Because pulp fiction writers were often paid no more than a cent a word, they had to become prolific or starve. They also had to write aggressively. As Richard Kyle, publisher and editor of Argosy, the first and most long-lived of the pulps, so pointedly explained: The pulp magazine writers, the best of them, worked for markets that did not write for critics or attempt to satisfy timid advertisers. Not having to answer to anyone other than their readers, they wrote about human beings on the edges of the unknown, in those new lands the future would explore. They wrote for what we would become, not for what we had already been.

    Some of the more lasting names that graced the pulps include H. P. Lovecraft, Edgar Rice Burroughs, Robert E. Howard, Max Brand, Louis L’Amour, Elmore Leonard, Dashiell Hammett, Raymond Chandler, Erle Stanley Gardner, John D. MacDonald, Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein—and, of course, L. Ron Hubbard.

    In a word, he was among the most prolific and popular writers of the era. He was also the most enduring—hence this series—and certainly among the most legendary. It all began only months after he first tried his hand at fiction, with L. Ron Hubbard tales appearing in Thrilling Adventures, Argosy, Five-Novels Monthly, Detective Fiction Weekly, Top-Notch, Texas Ranger, War Birds, Western Stories, even Romantic Range. He could write on any subject, in any genre, from jungle explorers to deep-sea divers, from G-men and gangsters, cowboys and flying aces to mountain climbers, hard-boiled detectives and spies. But he really began to shine when he turned his talent to science fiction and fantasy of which he authored nearly fifty novels or novelettes to forever change the shape of those genres.

    Following in the tradition of such famed authors as Herman Melville, Mark Twain, Jack London and Ernest Hemingway, Ron Hubbard actually lived adventures that his own characters would have admired—as an ethnologist among primitive tribes, as prospector and engineer in hostile climes, as a captain of vessels on four oceans. He even wrote a series of articles for Argosy, called Hell Job, in which he lived and told of the most dangerous professions a man could put his hand to.

    Finally, and just for good measure, he was also an accomplished photographer, artist, filmmaker, musician and educator. But he was first and foremost a writer, and that’s the L. Ron Hubbard we come to know through the pages of this volume.

    This library of Stories from the Golden Age presents the best of L. Ron Hubbard’s fiction from the heyday of storytelling, the Golden Age of the pulp magazines. In these eighty volumes, readers are treated to a full banquet of 153 stories, a kaleidoscope of tales representing every imaginable genre: science fiction, fantasy, western, mystery, thriller, horror, even romance—action of all kinds and in all places.

    Because the pulps themselves were printed on such inexpensive paper with high acid content, issues were not meant to endure. As the years go by, the original issues of every pulp from Argosy through Zeppelin Stories continue crumbling into brittle, brown dust. This library preserves the L. Ron Hubbard tales from that era, presented with

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