From legendary Western author Max Brand comes a tale of covert espionage, gold, and a mysterious figure on horseback. In this dramatic and strange story, Lefty Bill Ranger, an Alaskan mail carrier, travels to Circle City through a terrific snowstorm. There he meets Menneval—a man who is widely feared throughout the territory—and is offered a job. He is to go to Tuckerville, California, and from there to the mountain fastness where Peter Crosson and his son, Oliver, live in total isolation. Menneval wants Ranger to watch and report what he sees for a period of six months. The pay for this espionage will be $6,000 in gold. Ranger, attracted by the money, accepts the assignment. In the Sierra Mountains, Ranger sets up his camp and, pretending to be a trapper, keeps the Crosson ranch under surveillance. One day, Ranger is amazed to witness a gigantic mountain lion being pursued by a pack of wolves and followed by a bronzed youth on horseback. The wolf pack seems to be under the guidance of the youth, who carries only a hunting knife. Later, two hardcases fully armed with rifles and revolvers attempt to enter the Crosson range, intent on rustling Crosson cattle. They disappear, and, when Ranger next sees them, the men are afoot, covered with wounds, their clothes in tatters, fleeing in terror for their very lives. It is here that Lefty Bill Ranger will experience, for the first time, what is called the lightning of gold. Skyhorse Publishing is proud to publish a broad range of books for readers interested in fiction that takes place in the old West. Westerns—books about outlaws, sheriffs, chiefs and warriors, cowboys and Indians—are a genre in which we publish regularly. Our list includes international bestselling authors like Zane Gray and Louis L’Amour, and many more. While not every title we publish becomes a New York Times bestseller or a national bestseller, we are committed to books on subjects that are sometimes overlooked and to authors whose work might not otherwise find a home.

マックス・ブランドが描くのは、西部劇の枠を超えた「文明と野生の衝突」という叙事詩です。アラスカの極寒から険峻な山脈へ至る潜入任務。その背後には銃弾よりも鋭い野生の美学が渦巻いています。著者は荒野を単なる背景ではなく、人間の運命を試す巨大な意志として神話的に描き出しました。 核心にある「黄金の雷鳴」という象徴は、金欲への皮肉であり、失われた本能の神格化に他なりません。狼を従える青年の輝きは、読者の魂を激しく揺さぶります。伝説的作家が到達した、静謐かつ暴力的なまでの人間性の深淵。その圧倒的な閃光をぜひ体感してください。