I have a confession to make - this is the first Louis L'Amour novel I have read.I know that for Western fans he is a giant but I focused all my reading on Black Horse Western authors so only now have I got around to catching up on other writers.
I found Tucker in a second hand bookshop and immediately snapped it up. The blurb reads:
"Saddlebags filled with gold! They were the prize in a desperate manhunt that led across Comanche-infested prairies into rough frontier towns. When he began to pursue the three gunslingers who had stolen the gold and left his father to die, Shell Tucker was a boy. At the end of the bloody trail Shell Tucker was a legend-and a man."
It was great and I'm just sorry it's taken me so long to 'discover' him. Very quickly, within a chapter or two you get to realise why he is held in such great esteem. For me, it ticked all the boxes both as a reader and as a student of the Western genre. Believable characters, a plot that at times leaves you breathless, accurate dialogue, well-researched and in short, a riveting read.
I'll be looking out for more of Louis L'Amour. Highly recommended.
Oh you lucky, lucky man to have only just discovered LL. You are in for such a treat. My recommendation would be to look out for the Sackett series of novels e.g. Galloway, The Skyliners, Ride the River (the only female Sackett). There are so many to choose from, I'm sure you'll be inundated with recommendations. Also, I'm on the TT Flynn trail at the moment - he's as good as LL IMHO. There's a review of Two Faces West on my blog and a link to a review for Gunsmoke by Steve M at Western Fiction Review. There's an old review of To Tame a Land by LL at my blog as well. Happy reading. I'm very excited for you. :-)
ReplyDeleteI've read all L'Amour's novels, and liked them all, but my favorite is "Sackett" (first in the Sackett series), which is not really a western. It's just fine storytelling.
ReplyDeleteHi Joanne,
ReplyDeleteYes, that's the way I feel - like a gold miner that's just struck a rich seam.
I am an avid reader, have been all my life, and only over the last few years have I started to read (and write) westerns -and it's a whole new world. I think to myself, where has this been all my life??? And to continue on a previous thread, I cannot be alone in this. I am sure that if book shops and reviewers included westerns, I would have picked them up earlier.
Anyhow, I've found them now. Keep the recommendations coming!
Hi Evan,
ReplyDeleteGood to know that you liked all his books. So he is not only profific but consistent - an unusual combination.
I picked these up in a second hand book store and have asked the owner to set aside any more LL's that come in but again he says they rarely do because most people collect them - and when they do come into stock, they sell like hotcakes!
Will keep my eyes peeled though.
Thanks for the comment!
As a Jr. High student who frequently got into trouble, i was taken aside by our school librarian and given the book "Tucker" to read. It struck a chord with me and I now own every Louis L'Amour book written. The Sackett series is wonderful, but my favorite is still Tucker. In my profession as a juvenile probation officer, I give a copy to some of my clients who are struggling with making the right decisions. I owe this to a very kind lady, who saw the potential in me and took the time to foster it. God Bless her!
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