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"He did not move. Patience at such a time was more than a virtue, it was the price of survival. Often the first to move was the first to die."

3.75🌟'²õ

Initial Thoughts

June on the Range continues for me with Hondo by Louis L'Amour. I'm, without doubt, a fan of Westerns after being brought up on those Sergio Leone, Clint Eastwood movies. But these days, it's somewhat of a dying genre. Nowhere near as popular as it was in the seventies or eighties. So I jumped at the chance to get back into the genre and hopefully share my love.

But shockingly I've yet to read a book from L'Amour. Now i know he's probably the bestselling author in the western genre having sold over two hundred million books before he passed away. So it's well over due. And with one of the specific requirements of the challenge being to read something by him, I just couldn't get away from it. So I decided to start with his first 'big' novel, Hondo, which was the novelisation of a movie starring 'the Duke' John Wayne, which was based on a shot story L'Amour wrote called 'the gift of Conchise.' It looked the perfect place to start.

The Story

I'd best describe Hondo as a western romance and if you know me, then you know I'm not a big fan of romance. Or any sort of fan for that matter. But there is certainly more to this story.

We begin in the late 1800's with Angie Lowe, a rancher who has been abandoned by her cheating, lowlife, snake of a husband. She's doing her best to raise her son, Johnny, and run the farm in Apache territory on her own. When Hondo Lane arrives in need of a horse and willing to work his ass off to get one he strikes a deal with the lady and things are looking good. Hondo is an Army dispatch rider and tough as nails but takes a shine to young Johnny, taking him under his wing. Could he be the father the young boy desperately needs?

But when Hondo leaves to ride back to the Fort it looks like that could be the end of this story. Until he comes across a brutal Apache attack and realises Chief Vittoro is on the warpath. He then vows to return back to Annie's ranch to protect the woman and child.

"Hondo Lane could smell trouble, and he knew it was coming, for others and for himself."

The Writing

Louis L'Amour is not a western writer of the calibre of Larry McMurtry or Cormac McCarthy. His literary style or ability to build character is not on the same level. But he is a fantastic storyteller. He has an honest style and writes with a clear passion. His knowledge and understanding of the history and lifestyle is impressive and his description of the Arizona landscape can be breathtaking at times.

Despite being heavy with the romance, L'Amour keeps the plot pretty fast moving and I was never bored. There was some fantastic action scenes and the tension built throughout. This certainly made up for the romantic stuff and at least there weren't any awkward sex scenes as things were kept smut free. That might not please everyone though, I know what you lot are like.

"Nothing moved. It was a far, lost land, a land of beige-grey silences and distance where the eye reached out farther and farther to lose itself finally against the sky, and where the only movement was the lazy swing of a remote buzzard."

The Characters

Compare Hondo to Larry McMurtry's Lonesome Dove and it's on a completely different level in terms of character development. They're not the most developed or fleshed out but they were engaging in terms of what they represented.

Hondo has no family and no friends and is a stoic figure who has experience of the Apache lifestyle after having lived with them. He represents what it means to be a man and is a tough customer who's resourceful and self sufficient. But he may not be in touch with his emotional side. Although when those Apaches turn up that turns out to be a really good thing.

Angie is a strong woman who is getting by on her own without the help of her feckless husband. Hondo can't get his head around how a man could just walk out on such a fine lady. But she's conflicted with her emotions and who can blame her after what she's been through. Despite all this, she recognises the positive impact a man like Hondo can have on her son. The different things he can teach Johnny and the admiration that the boy has for him. These are clearly different times but it demonstrates the need a child has for a father.



Then there's the Apache's, who L'Amour certainly doesn't paint in a completely different light. There's a real sense of empathy for them and they possess a strong sense of community and honour. The chief, Vittoro, is wise with his own codes and a willingness to see issues from different perspectives. He recognises the bravery in Johnny and admires him for it. Silva on the other hand is brutal and uncaring, showing the more violent side of the Apaches.

Final Thoughts

Overall Hondo is a cracking good story and that is what L'Amour wanted to give us more than anything else. It can get a little romance heavy and does have a bit of an abrupt ending but I did have a great time with it and I'm up for reading more from this author.

I know Brian Lee Durffee on YouTube raves about this author and he is usually on the money when it comes to the books. Has anyone read Louis L'Amour and if you have what would you recommend I read next?

That's the end of this one. Thanks for reading and...cheers!