The story of a young man's involvement with a gang of marauding bandits set in the glory days of the Wild West. We follow the protagonist, known only as "The Kid," across the desert and mountain landscapes of the southwest U.S. and northern Mexico. The rich cast of characters includes some of the most ghoulish and vivid criminals that have ever been inked, including "The Judge," a hairless giant with encyclopedic knowledge and devilish wit. But the novel truly soars with the depictions of landscape.  (SWU31, $14.95)