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Last of the Breed  By  cover art

Last of the Breed

By: Louis L'Amour
Narrated by: David Strathairn
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Publisher's summary

“For sheer adventure L’Amour is in top form.” (Kirkus Reviews)

Here is the kind of authentically detailed epic novel that has become Louis L’Amour’s hallmark. It is the compelling story of US Air Force major Joe Mack, a man born out of time. When his experimental aircraft is forced down in Russia and he escapes a Soviet prison camp, he must call upon the ancient skills of his Indian forebears to survive the vast Siberian wilderness.

Only one route lies open to Mack: the path of his ancestors, overland to the Bering Strait and across the sea to America. But in pursuit is a legendary tracker, the Yakut native Alekhin, who knows every square foot of the icy frontier - and who knows that to trap his quarry he must think like a Sioux.

©1986 Louis L'Amour (P)2010 Random House Audio

What listeners say about Last of the Breed

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  • 5 out of 5 stars
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  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Last of the Breed

I have listened and read many of Louis L'Aour's books. In my opinion this is the best of his books. However I must say the ending was written for a sequel that was never written. Be prepared for an amazing ending.

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19 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    3 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

Needed a better editor... interesting plot

Honestly my first Louis L'Amour book and it is his only non-western. Part of it felt a little cheesy and redundant, nothing that a good editor with a red pen couldn't fix in a few hours.The plot was interesting and kept me listening right up to the non-ending end. Probably won't go on my listen to again list... but that said it was an interesting survival story and would make a good movie.

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

The Magician Weaves His Magic Again.

As a L'Amour die-hard I had my doubts about purchasing this book, but my fears were soon alleviated as Louis wove his magic at intertwining the past with the present. Although not a western, this book has much about the Souix Indians, adventure, living off the land in extreme conditions, as the main character Joe Mack treks through Siberia, to escape the Russian military and KGB. No one but Louis L'Amour could write this book, and as usual very good narration by David Stratharin. As said by in a reveiw by another Audible listener this book ends as if there is to be a sequel, I wait "impatiently" for that sequel!

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11 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    3 out of 5 stars

A western "indian" story set in Siberia

As Louis L'amour is known for his "western" books, this book may seem a little out of place. It's not. It's basically a western set in Siberia Russia. The main character is of native American descent and uses his knowledge of the wilderness to survive in Siberia. Knowing that Siberia is larger than the United States, it is slightly farfetched that the Russian officers are able to track Joe Mack as his transverses the entire Asian continent. Time and time again they find him and I kept saying, "you must be kidding". It's similar to finding one person in all of the Canadian wilderness, or millions of square miles. While Joe is escaping he also manages to acquire a " love interest" that even makes it more farfetched. Although a decent listen, all the tromping through the woods gets tedious at times.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
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    4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable light entertainment.

I have not read a great deal of Louis L'Amour, but from what I understand, this book has his typical resolution, but not his typical subject (Russians and Indians instead of cowboys and Indians). The book will not cause you to rethink your worldview by any means, but it is enjoyable light entertainment.

Strathairn has the ability to vary his vocals so you usually know which character is speaking even before the narration informs you. He has been in a number of movies (notably, "Good Night, and Good Luck" and "The Bourne Ultimatum", so when you first hear his voice, it may cause you to scratch your head and wonder where you've heard that voice before.

L'Amour's writing style is easy to listen to, and Strathairn does an excellent job of narration, so all in all, it is an excellent package.

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10 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Excellent, Great entertainment, well written.

Would you consider the audio edition of Last of the Breed to be better than the print version?

I had not realised how good this audio book was until I discovered the next few I tried to listen. Not this one, I was hood from beginning to end and the readers voice was clear. Excellent, Great entertainment, well written. One of the best.

If you were to make a film of this book, what would the tag line be?

Action adventure

Any additional comments?

My husband would love this book too.

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9 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    4 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Not A L'Amour fan, but love this book

I never read the 'western' genre but first ran into this novel in the late 1980s, when I was taking a Modern American Literature class and this was an option. I really couldn't believe that the proof was touting a 'Amour book..after all, 'oaters 'aren't exactly literature..but this isn't a typical 'oater' at all.
Written during the end of the cold war era, the novel is full of typical us vs them dialog-younger readers may have a difficult time getting over the lack of tech and the dated verbiage but hold on there..the book becomes quite exciting and has a tense thrilling end.
The protagonist is a 'half-breed- Air Force Major whose super secret spy -plane has been shot down over the USSR. One of the bad guys wants to interrogate the Major about his plane and plans on torture to achieve his end..then the major escapes and an exciting, year long chase thru the Siberian wilderness begins.
I liked the novel when I first read it, enjoyed it again a couple of decades later and once again it thrilled me listening to the Audible offering. Don't know why I'm so hung up on this but I am..go figure!
The book needed a follow up book, however as it was written at the end of L'Amours life, that wasn't to happen. Still I can envision the follow up book, and at the end of "Last of the Breed" you will also.
Enjoy!

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7 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

A salute to All American Indians

Among the truly great authors in American literature such as Zane Grey, Mark Twain and Louis L’Amour. This will become a milestone in the genre of western writers.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars

Loved this Book

I think this is my favorite Louis L'Amour book. Will listed to this more than once. No profanity - like that a lot.

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6 people found this helpful

  • Overall
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Performance
    5 out of 5 stars
  • Story
    5 out of 5 stars

Unusual Louis L'Amour Story

This is the first non-western L'Amour book I've heard or read, but as usual he keeps you rivited to the story, wondering what is coming next.

It's about a US test pilot, Joe Mack, who reverts back to his Indian ancestry after becoming a prisoner in Siberia and escaping into the Siberian wilds. He slowly merges with the wilderness, forced to rely on his ancestral skills to survive the killing cold and elude the constant danger of his determined Soviet pursuers, including a man who is to become his nemesis, a Siberian Native Yakut tracker who knows that in order to trap his quarry he must think and act like a Sioux.

I gave it 5 stars because of it's originality, and like other Louis L'Amour stories has the ability to draw the reader in--I could almost feel the cold.

It has an unusual ending.

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3 people found this helpful