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Hondo was author Louis L’Amour’s 1953 publication, and shares with Arthur C. Clarke’s 2001: A Space Odyssey the distinction of actually being a novelization of a successful film. The 1953 film starring John Wayne and Geraldine Page was actually based upon a short story by L’Amour entitled “The Gift of Cochise��.

The narrative follows loner western icon Hondo Lane in his dealings with General Crook’s command, the local Apache tribes and a romantic contact with Mrs. Angie Lowe. Set in the 1870s or 1880s in the inhospitable southwest, L’Amour describes the events in his lean, but vivid style. Told with surprising warmth and emotional sensitivity (for a western) some of the more memorable scenes are not fighting but Hondo’s interactions with and his dynamic relationship with Lowe and her young son Johnny. L’Amour also does a better than average job at portraying the Apaches as more than marauding savages and this objective empathy adds depth to his story.

I tend to be a literary omnivore, enjoying writing in various and sundry genres and Hondo was described by none other than John Wayne as being the finest western he’d ever read. Strong praise from a notable source. This is a fine western and also a very enjoyable book for any genre.