With the books that I picked out this last weekend at the library I realized that I was feeling a little bogged down. I needed some palate cleansers and while I still picked up a couple of books that I've been meaning to read, I also grab a trio of Louis L'Amour westerns. I was hoping to find The Haunted Mesa, his full length western novel, but they didn't have it. Instead I grabbed three of his "usual" paperbacks. I read the rest this weekend and enjoyed it like I always do. Reilly's Luck did have one thing that was new to me in a L'Amour - a dastarly villain-ess. Don't get me wrong, L'Amour has had hard women in his books, but the first scene of this story is a women telling her boyfriend to "get rid" of her own four-year-old son while he's in the room with them! That seemed a little extreme, but of course our hero rises above his genetics and goes on to much bigger things. It was an enjoyable read for a L'Amour fan.
Plot: Val Durrant was dumped on Will Reilly at the age of four. Much to Will's surprise. However, the gambler rose to the occasion and taught young Val everything he could, if not everything he knew. Not wanting the same life for his "nephew" Will encouraged Val to hone every skill he could and to learn everything possible. They traveled the west, the east, the south, and even made it to Europe before Val was even 16. However, Will made an enemy that wants him dead and when he falls in a deliberate ambush Val knows how to get out of town, but is not sure what to do from there. At first he seeks revenge on the three men that took Will away from him, but after the besting the first one in a gun battle, he decides he wants no part in it. He drifts, putting those skills that Will gave him to good use. But he doesn't gamble and he doesn't fight - at least not for money or in vengeance. However both come to him as he grows and establishes himself. He must deal with Will's and his own past in order to do that which he desires most - live a peaceful life.
Personal favorites: I needed a distraction and this book certainly gave it. L'Amour will always give you a good story - not always a great or complex one - that has action, a taste of romance, and good solid heroes and villains. I also liked the time scale of this book. L'Amour is never opposed to having his short novels span five, ten, or twenty years and this one was about twenty years of time. I like the sense that we "grow up" with the hero. The way Val dealt with people and his problems was fun as well.
Considerations: This is a classic western so there is death and villainy, but like L'Amours other books, graphic or gratuitous violence is not part of the format. It is not a complex story, but there are some twists and turns. Like many adventure style books we have heroes that cannot be defeated. They may be beaten down but will never fall completely, but that is also a signature element of the genre, so if you choose to read this book, you already expect that. Like I said, not complex, not "great", but a very solid and good story.
After finishing this, I'm ready to dive into another fantasy. I just needed to clean my palate and break from my usual. I enjoyed the story and characters of Val and Will (and others) and was glad I grabbed this one. The total Length was 218 pages.
Personal favorites: I needed a distraction and this book certainly gave it. L'Amour will always give you a good story - not always a great or complex one - that has action, a taste of romance, and good solid heroes and villains. I also liked the time scale of this book. L'Amour is never opposed to having his short novels span five, ten, or twenty years and this one was about twenty years of time. I like the sense that we "grow up" with the hero. The way Val dealt with people and his problems was fun as well.
Considerations: This is a classic western so there is death and villainy, but like L'Amours other books, graphic or gratuitous violence is not part of the format. It is not a complex story, but there are some twists and turns. Like many adventure style books we have heroes that cannot be defeated. They may be beaten down but will never fall completely, but that is also a signature element of the genre, so if you choose to read this book, you already expect that. Like I said, not complex, not "great", but a very solid and good story.
After finishing this, I'm ready to dive into another fantasy. I just needed to clean my palate and break from my usual. I enjoyed the story and characters of Val and Will (and others) and was glad I grabbed this one. The total Length was 218 pages.
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