Early Twenty-first Century Cowboy is the Last of His Breed

The Old West’s spirit lives on in Daniel Uebbing’s gritty, graphic mock-epic "The Last Cowboy" (ISBN 9781934759134, Robert D. Reed, 2008).

Henry Dunn is the last of his breed, neither a shining example of heroism, nor a terrible villain, but a rough and tough man who lives by his heart and his own rules. He is lover and killer, one who can be both chivalrous and crude. He refuses to play by society’s rules and submit to work to make a buck. He keeps his cowboy hat on and does what he chooses, despite the consequences. Whether viewed as hero or anti-hero, admired or merely respected, Henry Dunn is a man to be reckoned with.

"The Last Cowboy" begins with a duel where Henry fights the local sheriff. This incident is the start of Henry’s killing spree throughout the book. He rarely shows his human side, being cold and uncaring, except in his desire to return home to his girlfriend in Kansas. Despite this human affection, along the way he relieves his stress with prostitutes. Then, following a killing gone wrong, Henry feels responsible to care for a toddler, whose mother he has accidentally murdered.

Henry raises "The Kid" to learn his gun tricks and morals. Together they travel around the country, but finally Henry returns to Kansas and his sweetheart, Angie, who needs his help to stop the foreclosure of the family farm. Throughout the tale, Uebbing includes many spoofs of the American Western hero, with satire, humor, and graphic sex and violence for exaggeration to emphasize the satire upon the Old West in a modern novel complete with Las Vegas casinos, movie stars, and shopping malls.

In a recent interview, Uebbing describes his cowboy hero as having neither a black or white hat: "I’d say his cowboy hat is tan, ruffled and rugged. He’s the kind of character who is very rebellious and very romantic—he keeps his own law in his head and his own love in his heart. However, he also represents a certain satirically fabled duality in the persona of American masculinity." Despite his less desirable qualities, Henry Dunn is a character who fascinates readers, making them question what it means to be a man, and what it means to be free. Henry Dunn will provide readers with plenty of shock and awe without their having to take one of his bullets.

About the Author
Daniel Uebbing was born in Warsaw, New York in 1982, and grew up in Canandaigua, New York. In April 2003, Daniel joined the Army as an Infantryman. He was stationed in Germany and served two tours to Iraq. Daniel now studies at St. John Fisher College and resides in Rochester, New York. "The Last Cowboy" is his debut novel.

"The Last Cowboy" (ISBN 9781934759134, Robert D. Reed, 2008) can be purchased through local and online bookstores.