sudden

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James Green aka Sudden is a fictional character created by an English author Oliver Strange in the late 1930s as the hero of a series set in the American Wild West era. Oliver Strange died in in 1952, and the series was revived by Frederick H. Christian in the 1960s. Sudden is portrayed as an intrepid and accurate gunfighter in search of two men who cheated his foster father. James Green earns the nickname "Sudden" because of his lightning speed with a gun. Sudden is portrayed as a stereotypical gunfighter: an intelligent and resourceful drifting cowboy who is respectful of the law, unwilling to use a gun unless absolutely necessary, humanitarian, brave, strong, and fair. The first book was published in 1933 and was followed by 10 more books until the 1940s and featured vivid descriptions of the western American landscape, rare in an author at that time. The series became popular for its exciting narrations combining elements of mystery, suspense, and action in a Wild West setting of dusty towns, ranches, and bar cum saloons.

Plot

Sudden's background story is not explicitly detailed but it is mentioned several times that as a young man, he promises his dying father that he will find the two men who cheated him and take revenge. Moreover, he uses the name James Green (his real first name, mentioned in The Law o' the Lariat, is Donald) after he himself gets accused of a robbery and becomes an outlaw. In Sudden (1933), he is pardoned by the Governor of Arizona, Bleke, and subsequently sent on (typically undercover) missions to maintain law and order.

The stories in the series follow very conventional and repetitive plot lines. A plot line typically revolves around Sudden arriving in a town that either has several unlawful elements or recent events of conflicts and mysterious deaths. Sudden earns the respect of the townspeople, fights against all odds, defeats the villains, protects the wronged, and then rides out into the sunset to continue his search.

Many events are repeated in all the stories, for example, boxing fights in which the cowboy fights against an adversary without using any arms and emerges victorious; gun fights describing Sudden's lightning speed; and kidnapping-cum-rescue-cum-chase sequences as the climax. Further, in every book, Sudden befriends a young man who acts as a capable sidekick, and this young friend falls in love and inevitably wins the hand of the girl he loves; the only exception is The Range Robbers where Sudden himself is attracted to Noreen.

Style

The stories are classified as potboilers due to their conventional and predictable story lines, almost obvious plots, and scant characterization. Moreover, they essentially comprise the recurring motif of Sudden succeeding in uniting lovers, resolving conflicts, and then riding away to other towns to search for his enemies. Some novels contain crude symbolism; for instance, in The Range Robbers, he tames and rides a wild female roan, probably to coincide with the meeting of his future wife.

However, they represent an important contribution to the Western genre, providing a reasonable description of the Wild West style-the lifestyles, conditions, and customs, and especially the colloquialism. The novels are also well liked for the laconic style, sharp cutting dialogues, and dry humor. For example, in Sudden Rides Again, when four rogues block the path of a girl in a saloon, Sudden remarks, "Go ahead, ma'am; if anyone gets in yore way yu'll only have to step over him." In Sudden (1933), to a question as to what his business is, Sudden replies "Well, it ain't advertisin." ^[1]

Some claim that the books use language that may be unacceptable in modern society, while others argue that the language used is but a product of the times and representative of a period when such language was commonplace; for example, Sudden rides a black horse named Nigger. On the other hand, the lead character often professes respect and admiration for Native Americans. The books, in general, portray racism on the part of any character as a negative trait and undesirable. Friendship with, understanding of, and learning from Native Americans are encouraged and treasured throughout the book, similar to the Westerns by Louis Lamour.

After Oliver Strange

The novels were continued by Frederick H. Christian. Frederick Christian not only copied two novels with almost similar story lines, but also botched up the narrative in Sudden Strikes Back, where a bully tries to ride Sudden's horse and gets thrown down; the name of the girl who watches is given as "Noreen," Sudden's wife who he meets only much later in Range Robbers (according to Oliver Strange) which describes an almost identical incident. Similarly, Sudden at Bay has strong resemblances to Sudden (1933). In Dead or Alive!, Frederick makes Sudden a widower with references to Noreen clearly suggesting her death.

Books

The Range Robbers was the first book published, but when Oliver Strange continued the series, he went back and forth with Sudden's history and so the publication order is not the same as the chronological order. All Sudden novels are out of print today.

Oliver Strange wrote 10 Sudden books -

• The Range Robbers (1930)
• Sudden (1933)
• The Marshal of Lawless (1933)
• Sudden—Outlawed (1934)
• The Law o' the Lariat (1935)
• Sudden—Gold Seeker (1937)
• Sudden Rides Again (1938)
• Sudden Takes the Trail (1940)
• Sudden Makes War (1942)
• Sudden Plays a Hand (1950)

Frederick H. Christian wrote 5 Sudden books -

• Sudden Strikes Back (1966)
• Sudden—Troubleshooter (1967)
• Sudden at Bay (1968)
• Sudden—Apache Fighter (1969)
• Sudden—Dead or Alive! (1970)

References