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Louis L'Amour

muggle

muggle

New Member
I am pretty sure that there are few readers here of "Western" novels but am curious as to how many have read any of the Louis L'Amour books. I have his entire collection of every book he wrote and have read all of them twice, the last time I wrote the date of my read in the inside cover. It has been some time since I read his books and may start over again. :)
 
I used to read a lot of his books. My favorite isn't a Western-it's "Last of the Breed". I reread it every couple of years-it still takes my breath away, wondering if Joe is gonna make it!
 
Miss Shelf said:
I used to read a lot of his books. My favorite isn't a Western-it's "Last of the Breed". I reread it every couple of years-it still takes my breath away, wondering if Joe is gonna make it!
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I also enjoyed that book very much. It keeps you on edge and, yes, it is one of the books that a person can re-read every few years and still enjoy it.

Another of L'Amour's non-western books that i enjoyed was "The Walking Drum".
 
muggle said:
I also enjoyed that book very much. It keeps you on edge and, yes, it is one of the books that a person can re-read every few years and still enjoy it.

Another of L'Amour's non-western books that i enjoyed was "The Walking Drum".
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I haven't read that one, what's it about? (I'm too lazy to look things up!)
 
It is a medieval saga taking place in the 12th century. I took the liberty of copying a description of "The Walking Drum" from Amazon for you: :)

"At the center of The Walking Drum is Kerbouchard, one of L'Amour's greatest heroes. Warrior, lover, scholar, Kerbouchard is a daring seeker of knowledge and fortune bound on a journey of enormous challenge, danger and revenge. Across Europe, the Russian steppes and through the Byzantine wonder of Constantinople, gateway to Asia, Kerbouchard is thrust into the heart of the treacheries, passions, violence and dazzling wonders of a magnificent time. From castle to slave gallery, from sword-racked battlefields to a princess's secret chamber, and ultimately, to the impregnable fortress of the Valley of Assassins, The Walking Drum is a powerful adventure of an ancient world you will find every bit as riveting as Louis L'Amour's stories of the American West."

For those that have not read any of Louis L'Amour I recommend that you take a look at some of his books. I especially like his books on the "Sacketts".
 
Hi Muggle and Miss Shelf. :) The Walking Drum does sound like an interesting offering from L'Amour! Everyone thinks of him (rightly) as a writer of traditional westerns, but the man had RANGE! What do you think of his short stories? The only collection I have (and it's been some time since I read it.), is "Beyond the Great Snow Mountains" I remember liking it a good deal, and now I'll have to dip back into it again!!
 
The Sackett books, as I mentioned, are favorites of mine. The first Sackett book takes place in early England before coming to America and the "West" and is titled "Sacketts Land".

Some of L'Amour's better known books are:

How the West Was Won
Hondo
Californios
The Quick and the Dead
The Man Called Noon
To the Far Blue Mountains
Comstock Lode
 
Love the Sackett series! I discovered it quite by accident, and then had to get all of them. :)
 
Hi froggerz40 and pontalba,

I think you would enjoy some of his other books. Give "Last of the Breed a try and then the longer novel "The Walking Drum", both are excellent reading.

He could really tell a story.
 
Thanks Muggle. I have read The Walking Drum but its been quite awhile. I do remember really enjoying it very much. I think L'Amour has been underrated somewhat. At least I did for many years. But that is over!
 
I've only read Kiowa Trail but I have to say it exceeded my expectations. I didn't realize that the story would be so entertaining! I'll definitely try The Walking Drum sometime.
 
KristoCat said:
I've only read Kiowa Trail but I have to say it exceeded my expectations. I didn't realize that the story would be so entertaining! I'll definitely try The Walking Drum sometime.
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Kristo, don't forget to also read The last of the Breed. If you read it in addition to The Walking Drum I believe you will become a L'Amour fan. :)
 
I just recently finished Last of the Breed and obviously liked it so much (continously reading it) that my husband read it and also liked it.

I picked it up at a book sale and hadn't heard about the author before. I will definitively try other Louis L'Amour books.

Does anyone know if the Last of the Breed is based on some true story or character?
 
I have never read a Western novel. Is Louis L'Amour a good place to start? If so, is there a book that you would recommend?
 
Robert said:
I have never read a Western novel. Is Louis L'Amour a good place to start? If so, is there a book that you would recommend?
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L'Amour is an excellent place to start. I am leaving on vacation but will recommend some of his to start with when I get back.
 
I've never read a Louis L'Amour either, but I'll certainly give one a try after reading this thread. Which one should it be? :)

The first western I ever read was Lonesome Dove. Then I read all the rest of Larry McMurtry's works, only pausing recently, after having a bad experience with some folks whose names escape me now. It was about a bunch of rich British folks behaving badly on a river boat.

It just didn't seem like the old McMurtry to me... :(
 
muggle said:
L'Amour is an excellent place to start. I am leaving on vacation but will recommend some of his to start with when I get back.
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I appreciate that, muggle. Thanks.

Have a great vacation!
 
Louis L'Amour has written well over a 100 "western" books and it is difficult to pick a single book of his to start with. I guess that I would recommend that a person start with the "The Last Of The Breed". This book is not exactly a western but has ties to the west as the main character is of Indian ancestry. So, I will take a fling and recommend as a start to L'Amour's works:

Last Of The Breed .......and then.....

Hondo
The Quick And The Dead
The Californios
How The West Was Won

The good thing about starting to read Louis L'Amour is that if you find that you enjoy his writing and stories you will have a treasure of books to choose from at your leisure in the over 100 westerns that he has written. I rate L'Amour as probably the best writer of westerns.
 
Having grown up on a ranch in Wyoming, my father has EVERY L'Amour book that there is. I've probably rad about two of them. I don't mind them, I like how they are written. I prefer non-fiction western, books about bank robbers or of course...Wyatt Earpp. There are other western writers that I've tried on occassion, but none that I could remember at the top of my head, which tells you how impressed I was with them. I'll have to try L'Amour again some time. :cool:
 
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