Max Brand, the pen name of Frederick Schiller Faust, was an extraordinarily prolific American author known for his works in the Western genre as well as for creating the popular character Dr. Kildare. Born on May 29, 1892, in Seattle, Washington, Faust began his career as a poet before venturing into fiction writing. He adopted multiple pseudonyms over the course of his career, but Max Brand became the most enduring and celebrated. Faust's narrative style is characterized by vivid landscapes, complex characters, and gripping plots. 'Riders of the Silences' is one of his notable works, highlighting his talents in creating adventurous and enthralling Western tales. This novel, among others, helped cement his reputation as one of the leading storytellers in the genre. Faust was a versatile writer who also penned novels in other genres, including detective stories, love romances, and war-time adventures. Tragically, his prolific output was cut short when he died in Italy in 1944, while serving as a war correspondent during World War II. Despite his untimely death, Max Brand's legacy endures through the hundreds of stories and novels he wrote, many of which continue to entertain and influence readers and writers of Western literature.