The Golden Ranger!

The Lone Ranger Golden Book showed up at my local store a few weeks ago and I asked about it, but was told they didn't have any left over. To my surprise they got a few more in and set one aside for me. This is charming little blast from the past, 1956 to specific, from the era when The Lone Ranger was a television icon and not merely nostalgic gem nor a weirdly conceived summer movie.

This story by Steffi Fletcher and illustrated by E.Joseph Dreany actually has more adventure and a greater sense of danger in it than I frankly expected. The tale is told from the point of view of a young boy named Tom Mason who discovers the local stagecoach tumbling across the territory minus its driver and bravely stops it. That missing driver is his brother Bill. It's actually pretty frightening for a young reader as we learn that Tom is alone, his parents are away for the day. He goes to look for his brother and runs into the Lone Ranger and Tonto who agree to help.

I won't spoil it, but safe to say things do turn out alright eventually. Tom even gets to take the place of Tonto at one point, which must have been wish fulfillment indeed for the young readers these books are targeted to. I don't recommend anyone get this necessarily, but if you should you'll find a handsomely crafted tale of the Old West very much similar in tone to the classic series.

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