Pecker's Revenge and Other Stories from the Frontier's Edge

Lori Van Pelt

"I buried Pecker in his favorite place. I'd seen him come to pray here sometimes early of a morning when the sun was just coming over the eastern mountains. He'd kneel down by this very clump of sage, take off his hat, and be still for several minutes. I envied him that peace. So, it was natural for me to bury him here. And the right thing, the decent thing for me to do, as I'd done the killing."--from Pecker's Revenge

Pecker's Revenge is a collection of fourteen historical short stories featuring a variety of characters including miners, rodeo riders, railroad construction workers, young settlers, and others struggling with the conflicts and hazards of the nineteenth-century frontier. These short stories focus on change, and Lori Van Pelt takes advantage of the West to provide an apropos setting for examining transformations.

Many of the stories depict characters on the edge, emotionally and geographically. Their explorations of new lands and their dreams often don't turn out as imagined. The stories examine how our ancestors' decisions often affect our lives in ways we can't entirely comprehend. Van Pelt seamlessly incorporates stories passed down from her family, her husband's family, and from favorite legends of her childhood to shape a collection that blends the themes of the 1880s with the present.

"Pecker's Revenge," the title story in the collection, won the 2006 Western Writers of America Spur Award for Best Short Fiction.

". . .the finest collection of short stories to come along in years. . . . Lori Van Pelt, without doubt, is one of the country's finest storytellers."--W. C. Jameson, author and past president of Western Writers of America

"Pecker's Revenge is an edgy, imaginative and often deeply moving collection of 14 short stories spanning more than a century of pioneer narratives. . . Van Pelt is a writer with a distinct perspective on the high-plains world and a deep respect for those who endure its hardships and heartaches."--Durango Herald, CO

"In a time when short story markets are few and far between and short story writing seems a lost art, Lori Van Pelt is a breath of fresh air. Whatever made her turn her talents to the short fiction form, we should all be grateful she did."--Robert J. Randisi, author

"Lori Van Pelt handles words with the precision and delicacy of a surgeon. Add Pecker's Revenge and Other Stories from the Frontier's Edge to that list of books you'll take with you to a desert island."--Loren D. Estleman, mystery and western writer and past president of Western Writers of America

"The 14 stories that make up Pecker's Revenge offer something for everyone with a taste for the historic west. . . . This nice collection proves the West of a century ago was a rich source for the well-told tale."--Denver Post

Lori Van Pelt is an award-winning author whose work has appeared in four national anthologies. Pecker’s Revenge is her first collection of short fiction.

6 x 9 240 pages