The Empty Land

By: Louis L'Amour

Narrated by: Edward Herrmann

Length: 5 hrs and 30 mins

Publisher's summary

For thousands of years, the lonely canyon knew only wind and rain, wild animals, and an occasional native hunter. Then a trapper found a chunk of gold, and everything changed overnight.

In six days, a town called Confusion appeared... and on the seventh it could disappear, consumed by the flames of lawlessness and violence. On one side are those who understand only brute force. On the other are men who want law and order but are ready to use a noose to achieve their ends. Between them stand Matt Coburn and Dick Felton: one a hardened realist, the other an idealist trying to dig a fortune from the muddy hillside.

Outnumbered and outgunned, Felton and Coburn can’t afford to be outmaneuvered. For as the two unlikely allies confront corruption, betrayal, and murder in an attempt to tame a town where the discovery of gold can mean either the fortune of a lifetime or a sentence of death, they realize that any move could be their last.

©1975 Louis L'Amour (P)2011 Random House Audio

All action!!

LaMoer at the peak of his powers. I Recommend The Empty Land to anyone looking for a good story of Western Fiction.

An old west town, long lost near Ely, NV

Another win for L'Amour. Matt's a gunslinger you root for while at the same time hoping he can enter the quiet life. The town of Confusion is the perfect stage depicting an upstart town on the brink of collapse--and only a man such as Matt can bring the law.

One of L'Amour's best

If you're a fan of L'Amour's then you know that no matter of books are published; he only wrote about a dozen stories. This is one of the best of the one man taking a stand and making a difference genre. Matt Coburn is more cynical than the usual L'Amour hero. The hard edged lawman of several towns knows the type of men he's dealing with in Confusion. When the naive young man who feels like he can handle the town without a gun turns out to be as over matched as Barney Fife in the South Bronx; Coburn steps in. in typical L'Amour fashion he saves the town. The small criticism I have of this book is that many of the people come across as far too naive than they would be in regards to Coburn's methods. Overall I would recommend this selection as one of his best.

Great story

I enjoyed listning to this story, very entertaining, The story keep my interest from the start to the end.

donuts and lady ranchers

something wrong with the recording. i,m a l,amour fan, but i had never read this one which has become one of myk favorites. it could have 6 or 7 stars i like
it so much. of course, the naysayers will find much to fault. i often think this is why they trouble themselves to read a book. please find what is wrong with my book, starting with about the final third of the book.

Great Story

Great Story Very Knolage has always love the back ground really really good things to say

One of L'amour's finest

Very good story! It is one those stories that just keeps you want to keep listening. I have read many of L'amour's books but not this one. I'm sure glad I did.

well done tale of mining town start and boom

How the western Gold towns boomed and fought to exist. Told in lore and true style of the L'Amours.

Classic L'Amour

Wonderful story. Good plot and suspenseful. A classic L'Amour full action with guns and fists. Loaded with heroes and badmen it is a story that will allow you to taste the dust and feel the slam of .45 slugs in this action packed western!

rich characters strong finish

Deeper character development more like that in his Sackett series then his short stories.
The conclusion was also fuller and well timed, leaving the reader with a greater since of accomplishment and closure then many of his other works.