The Sonora Kid

Last updated July 01, 2019

The Sonora Kid, also known as Steve Allison, is a fictional cowboy created by Robert E. Howard. The stories were not printed until more than fifty years after the author's death. The Sonora Kid occasionally crossed over with El Borak, another of Howard's characters.

A cowboy is an animal herder who tends cattle on ranches in North America, traditionally on horseback, and often performs a multitude of other ranch-related tasks. The historic American cowboy of the late 19th century arose from the vaquero traditions of northern Mexico and became a figure of special significance and legend. A subtype, called a wrangler, specifically tends the horses used to work cattle. In addition to ranch work, some cowboys work for or participate in rodeos. Cowgirls, first defined as such in the late 19th century, had a less-well documented historical role, but in the modern world work at identical tasks and have obtained considerable respect for their achievements. Cattle handlers in many other parts of the world, particularly South America and Australia, perform work similar to the cowboy.

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El Borak, otherwise known as Francis Xavier Gordon, is a fictional character created by Robert E. Howard. Gordon was a Texan gunfighter from El Paso who had travelled the world and settled in Afghanistan. He is known in Asia for his exploits in that continent.

Stories

Brotherly Advice (First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)
Desert Rendezvous (First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)
The Devil's Joker (First published in Cross Plains #6, 1975. Alternate titles: The Devil's Jest, Outlaw Trails)
Knife, Bullet and Noose (First published in The Howard Collector #6, Spring 1965. Alternate title: Knife, Gun and Noose)
Red Curls and Bobbed Hair (First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)
The Sonora Kid-Cowhand (First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)
The Sonora Kid's Winning Hand (First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)
The West Tower (Fragment. First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)

There were also several uncompleted Sonora Kid stories that have since been published. These are listed by their first line:

"A blazing sun in a blazing sky, reflected from..." (First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)
"The Hades Saloon and gambling hall, Buffalotown..." (First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)
"The Hot Arizona sun had not risen high enough to heat..." (First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)
"Madge Meraldson set her traveling-bag on the station..." (First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)
"Steve Allison settled himself down comfortably in..." (First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)
"The way it came about that Steve Allison, Timoleon..." (First published in The Sonora Kid, 1988)

The character also appeared in several stories with another of Howard's characters, El Borak:

El Borak (First published in North of the Khyber, December 1987. Note: Two stories were printed under this title.)
The Land of Mystery (First published in North of the Khyber, December 1987)
North of Khyber (First published in North of the Khyber, December 1987)
A Power Among the Islands (First published in North of the Khyber, December 1987)
The Shunned Castle (First published in North of the Khyber, December 1987)
The White Jade Ring (Fragment. First published in The Last of the Trunk, November 2007)

"North of Khyber" is an El Borak short story by Robert E. Howard. It was not published within Howard's lifetime - it was first printed in the chapbook North of Khyber. The story also features another of Howard's characters, The Sonora Kid.

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