Author(s): Zane Grey

Fiction

Written by the bestselling Western author of all time, Riders of the Purple Sage can be seen at the original Western. When Lassiter, a gun-slinging avenger in black with a fearsome reputation, rides into the Mormon village of Cottonwoods in Southern Utah, he finds a town in turmoil. An underhand land battle is in full force. Beautiful young rancher Jane Withersteen is in possession of the richest land holding in the Cottonwoods, but the Mormon church have plans to take control by forcing the unwilling Jane into marrying Elder Tull. Outnumbered and outgunned, Jane sees no escape...until Lassiter arrives.A lone gunman fighting for justice, Lassiter has his own agenda. His sister has been kidnapped by a Mormon proselytizer and he is determined to find out what happened to her. Jane finds herself drawing ever closer to Lassiter while he tries to unravel the complex web of intrigue that underlies the corrupt village.Adapted five times for film in the past hundred years, the enduring affection for the Western genre doesn't show any sign of decreasing. In Lassiter, Zane Grey creates an iconic prototype hero that inspired many books and films to come.
With a complex plot and engaging with issues of morality, isolation and religion, Riders of the Purple Sage is more than just the first Western - it is a classic.