Nicely rounded western by L'Amour. I like the portrayal of the "Trent" character, and there were some colorful secondary characters as well. These werNicely rounded western by L'Amour. I like the portrayal of the "Trent" character, and there were some colorful secondary characters as well. These were people I could pull for....more
Squatter/settlers get mixed up with land-grabbing ranchers and a fight ensues. Bouncing between the two camps is Bannon, a prototypical western loner.Squatter/settlers get mixed up with land-grabbing ranchers and a fight ensues. Bouncing between the two camps is Bannon, a prototypical western loner. Barely civilized, but brave and true, Bannon is the man for the hour, even if everyone else can't see it. ...more
I've never been super enamored with Parker's western series. I prefer his Spenser stuff. With this 5th edition, penned by Knott, I think I've come to I've never been super enamored with Parker's western series. I prefer his Spenser stuff. With this 5th edition, penned by Knott, I think I've come to the end of my interest in the Cole/Hitch saga. That books are completely adequate, but I often find my attention slipping away while reading. The action doesn't grab me and I don't care much about their backstories or the series' bigger picture, if there is one. ...more
It's amazing how quickly L'Amour was color up his characters and make me care about the mc in such a short amount of pages!It's amazing how quickly L'Amour was color up his characters and make me care about the mc in such a short amount of pages!...more
Number seven in the Longmire series hit me just right. The mysticism and scenes of delusional thoughts filling up these pages won't entice every readeNumber seven in the Longmire series hit me just right. The mysticism and scenes of delusional thoughts filling up these pages won't entice every reader, and even I'm not always a fan, but it caught me at the right time, I guess. ...more
Another highly enjoyable book in the Longmire series! This one's got action and pathos up the wazoo. It moves the overarching story and characters aloAnother highly enjoyable book in the Longmire series! This one's got action and pathos up the wazoo. It moves the overarching story and characters along admirably. I've docked it a star, because Sheriff Walt is starting to come off as a bit of a Gary Stu. He's a big, tough ex-football player, who was an English major, so he's tough and thoughtful. Okay, that's fine. But now we discover he was also a Golden Gloves kid? And he's dropping references to paintings as well? I'm not saying you can't be a multiple sport athlete or that you can't enjoy a knowledge of various forms of art, but all in one person is a bit of a heavy load. His accomplishments are piling up on top of a demanding job and it's all a getting to be a little too thick for me. Too thick to enjoy these books? Hell no! Not yet at least. Craig Johnson is a good enough writer, damn good in fact, that he could pile on more and more, and as long as he crafts this level of quality prose, he's okay by me. ...more
This is one of those reads where I saw the movie, liked it and thought, hell why not give the book a go? Glad I did, it's a solid SHANE!!! What a man!
This is one of those reads where I saw the movie, liked it and thought, hell why not give the book a go? Glad I did, it's a solid portrait of a "modern day" knight. The drifter with a code of ethics and a way about him that everyone admires. ...more
At first, I wasn't sure what to make of this tale of two oddball brothers recreating the Oregon Trail passage via covered wagon. Buck's book certainlyAt first, I wasn't sure what to make of this tale of two oddball brothers recreating the Oregon Trail passage via covered wagon. Buck's book certainly isn't perfect, but when it was all over I was sad for it to end, so I guess they won me over. 4 stars + 1 for that sweet sweet emotional connection...more
This being my first Larry McMurtry book, I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised! But boy howdy, he sure does take his time getting aThis being my first Larry McMurtry book, I didn't know what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised! But boy howdy, he sure does take his time getting around to the story! There's so much in the world to describe and he doesn't seem to want to miss a bit of it. When he does get around to the plot and the action rolls out, it's a regular kick to the gut! ...more
Really solid short western, which provided the core story for successful movie versions. Elmore Leonard's story goes directly to the climatic finish, Really solid short western, which provided the core story for successful movie versions. Elmore Leonard's story goes directly to the climatic finish, where the deputy races through a hail of bullets to get this man on the train to the prison in Yuma so as he can make his paltry bounty money. Leonard packs in the tension and manages to make us care about the characters in very few pages. This is quality stuff. ...more
A dispute over grazing rights on a timberland patch turns into a kind of gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Pretty standard bit of western writing here propA dispute over grazing rights on a timberland patch turns into a kind of gunfight at the O.K. Corral. Pretty standard bit of western writing here propping up your basic stubborn cowboy vs pigheaded businessman plot. ...more
Shakespeare this ain't, but boy howdy The Quick and the Dead is a damn good time!
Yeah, dialogue is often stilted and the character of Con Vallian someShakespeare this ain't, but boy howdy The Quick and the Dead is a damn good time!
Yeah, dialogue is often stilted and the character of Con Vallian sometimes comes off as a deus ex machina kind of guardian angel. However, there's still a lot to like here, such as some of the characters' development as the book progresses. A strong female is always a pleasant addition to westerns. The story's pacing is good with a solid amount of action, balanced with timely introspection.
For such a short book, Louis L'Amour manages to pack in plenty of punch. Recommended for western fans!
A perfectly fine finish to Parker's portion of his Cole & Hitch western series.
This one finds the pair back in Appaloosa working as hired hands for aA perfectly fine finish to Parker's portion of his Cole & Hitch western series.
This one finds the pair back in Appaloosa working as hired hands for a saloon that doesn't get the protection it needs from the local sheriff. This sheriff has aspirations well beyond this podunk town and there'll be trouble for anyone that gets in his way. Cole and Hitch get in his way.
I really wish Parker hadn't knocked off in the middle of this series or at least was around longer in order to write more. I mean, these aren't the best books ever written, but they're quick, enjoyable reads. This one included....more
My god, the testosterone just oozes off the pages of these Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch books!
The plot of #3 gets a tad more philosophical as the stMy god, the testosterone just oozes off the pages of these Virgil Cole and Everett Hitch books!
The plot of #3 gets a tad more philosophical as the story dabbles with religion more than the previous two, but that doesn't make this book anymore "deep". It's still about being macho and shooting the bejesus out of a lot of cowboys, ranch hands, and whoever else strays towards the gray side in the white vs black/good guy vs bad guy scheme of things. Get drunk and mouth off? That's a shootin'. Piss off Cole and Hitch? That's a shootin'. Shoot somebody? Oh that's definitely a shootin'!
While this one is perhaps more nuanced than others, I wasn't digging quite as much as the first two. I don't know why. Perhaps the subject matter. Parker had to paint some characters particularly annoying in order for the reader to be okay with them dying. Problem is, I already find that character trait annoying anyhow, so I got an AA dose of annoying. Having said that, Brimstone's perfectly fine and I'll move on to #4. That however will be the last of the Cole/Hitch books for me, because Parker died in media res and other author took over. I'm not interested in that nonsense, so it'll be time for me to mosey......more
A new version of the good old fashioned western shoot 'em up!
In book two of Robert Parker's Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch series Hitch and Cole have movA new version of the good old fashioned western shoot 'em up!
In book two of Robert Parker's Virgil Cole & Everett Hitch series Hitch and Cole have moved on from Appaloosa and wind up as hired hands for an ambitious man looking to gobble up all the land and properties in and around the town of Resolution.
In this world where life is cheap this manly tale of manly men doing manly deeds is violent as all get out. People get shot or at least beaten every few pages. Our so-called heroes' way of fixing any and all problems is to threaten death. It's a little ridiculous and redundant, but hell, it's all in good fun! I suggest just sitting back and enjoying the action, for this is a treat of a romp back to the good ol' days of westerns, where a shotgun or six shooter was all the answer one needed to solve life's difficulties....more
There's a new marshall in Appaloosa and his word is law.
Virgil Cole and his dependable sidekick Everett Hitch are lawmen hired to settle a podunk townThere's a new marshall in Appaloosa and his word is law.
Virgil Cole and his dependable sidekick Everett Hitch are lawmen hired to settle a podunk town out west. Bad guys abound. A woman shows up looking for love in all the wrong places. Trouble's a'brewin' boys!
This is a new-school western framed perfectly in the old school style. Robert B. Parker (better known for his Spenser detective series) seems to have been made to write this leather-hide rough action-adventure stuff.
Oh the brooding! So much brooding! This is all about tough guys talkin' tough, being tough and takin' no guff! Yeah, there's a woman or two here to represent the sex, but they're mostly whores, or shrews seeking men. This is not to say Parker seems to have anything against women, he just portrays his distant western setting as a place that "good" women wouldn't go.
Appaloosa's not high literature. It's a nice, quick fix for your "old west" needs, and as such, it's actually quite well-written comparable to some others I've read. So, thumbs up from me and I'll probably be reading another one of Parker's Cole & Hitch books on some future day when I want to feel like the Marlboro Man. Yeehaw!!!...more
I'd just finished a terrible western and needed to get the taste out of my mouth. Louis L'Amour to the rescue!
Hondo Lane is a man's man. He's a half-bI'd just finished a terrible western and needed to get the taste out of my mouth. Louis L'Amour to the rescue!
Hondo Lane is a man's man. He's a half-breed drifter. He's a loner who's never alone, because he is at one with the hardscrabble land of the old west.
Is an abandoned and soon-to-be-widowed woman and her young son just the sort of temptation to lure Hondo into a tied-to-the-homestead existence? And what of the restless Apache's in the area? Hondo is nominally attached to the white man's military scouting party, who is suddenly at odds with the indians once again. Can Hondo be the peacemaker or will he just end up another piece in the U.S.'s westward push?
All of these questions and more are answered, some satisfactorily and some are left intentionally vague, gray areas under the impossibly blue skies of the mid-1800s southwest.
Great descriptions, good action and colorful characters abound in Hondo, one of L'Amour's most famous works. There are times when you the reader feel as if you're right there in the middle of the parched landscape, hunkered down between two boulders expecting attack at any moment. At other times, the boredom and languor of such an isolated life takes ahold of you for better or worse.
Not everything between the covers of this book is well-written. Some of it is a bit pulpy. Some of it is a bit misogynistic. Most heinous of all, some of it is just dull. L'Amour could set a western scene with the best of them, but sometimes that didn't translate to good reading. Descriptions of the desert or prairie could go on too long.
Despite its failings, Hondo is a classic tough-guy western that will probably be enjoyed by anyone still reading this review.
Rating: This falls somewhere in the 3.5 to 4 range for me. Figured I'd give it the benefit of the fourth star since the reading experience was mostly enjoyable.
Side Note: My first guitar was made by Hondo, a guitar company named after the John Wayne movie based on this book. My guitar was as big and cantankerous as Wayne, but I was 15, in love with playing the guitar and the unwieldy thing was mine, so of course I loved it!...more
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