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It was just a godforsaken mountainside, but no place on earth was richer in silver. For a bustling, enterprising America, this was the great bonanza. The dreamers, the restless, the builders, the vultures - they were lured by the glittering promise of instant riches and survived the brutal hardships of a mining camp to raise a legendary boom town. But some sought more than wealth. There was Val Trevallion, a loner haunted by a violent past, and Grita Redaway, a radiantly beautiful actress driven by an unfulfilled need.
The marshal's name was Borden Chantry. Young, lean, rugged, he's buried a few men in this two-bit cow town - every single one killed in a fair fight. Then, one dark, grim day a mysterious gunman shot a man in cold blood. Five grisly murders later, Chantey was faced with the roughest assignment of his life - find that savage, trigger-happy hard case before he blasts apart every man in town...one by bloody one.
Here is an historic adventure of extraordinary power waiting to sweep you away to exotic lands as one of the most popular writers of our time conquers new storytelling worlds. Louis L'Amour has been best known for his ability to capture the spirit and drama of the authentic American West. Here, he guides listeners to an even more distant frontier -- the enthralling lands of the 12th century.
Val Darrant was just four years old the snowy night his mother abandoned him. But instead of meeting a lonely death, he met Will Reilly - a gentleman, a gambler, and a worldly, self-taught scholar. For 10 years they each were all the family the other had, traveling from dusty American boomtowns to the cities of Europe - until the day Reilly’s luck ran out in a roar of gunfire. But it wasn’t a gambling brawl or a pack of thieves that sealed Will’s fate. It was a far more complex story that Val would soon uncover....
This is the compelling story of U.S. 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....
In "A Man Called Trent," nester Dick Moffitt lies dead, killed by King Bill Hale's riders. His son Jack and adopted daughter Sally, who witnessed the murder, go for safety to a cabin owned by a man called "Trent" - an alias for Kilkenny, who is seeking to escape his reputation as a gunfighter. In "The Rider of Lost Creek," Lance Kilkenny is the fastest gun in the West, but once the gunfight is over, he disappears. Some time back, Mort Davis saved Kilkenny's life.
It was just a godforsaken mountainside, but no place on earth was richer in silver. For a bustling, enterprising America, this was the great bonanza. The dreamers, the restless, the builders, the vultures - they were lured by the glittering promise of instant riches and survived the brutal hardships of a mining camp to raise a legendary boom town. But some sought more than wealth. There was Val Trevallion, a loner haunted by a violent past, and Grita Redaway, a radiantly beautiful actress driven by an unfulfilled need.
The marshal's name was Borden Chantry. Young, lean, rugged, he's buried a few men in this two-bit cow town - every single one killed in a fair fight. Then, one dark, grim day a mysterious gunman shot a man in cold blood. Five grisly murders later, Chantey was faced with the roughest assignment of his life - find that savage, trigger-happy hard case before he blasts apart every man in town...one by bloody one.
Here is an historic adventure of extraordinary power waiting to sweep you away to exotic lands as one of the most popular writers of our time conquers new storytelling worlds. Louis L'Amour has been best known for his ability to capture the spirit and drama of the authentic American West. Here, he guides listeners to an even more distant frontier -- the enthralling lands of the 12th century.
Val Darrant was just four years old the snowy night his mother abandoned him. But instead of meeting a lonely death, he met Will Reilly - a gentleman, a gambler, and a worldly, self-taught scholar. For 10 years they each were all the family the other had, traveling from dusty American boomtowns to the cities of Europe - until the day Reilly’s luck ran out in a roar of gunfire. But it wasn’t a gambling brawl or a pack of thieves that sealed Will’s fate. It was a far more complex story that Val would soon uncover....
This is the compelling story of U.S. 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....
In "A Man Called Trent," nester Dick Moffitt lies dead, killed by King Bill Hale's riders. His son Jack and adopted daughter Sally, who witnessed the murder, go for safety to a cabin owned by a man called "Trent" - an alias for Kilkenny, who is seeking to escape his reputation as a gunfighter. In "The Rider of Lost Creek," Lance Kilkenny is the fastest gun in the West, but once the gunfight is over, he disappears. Some time back, Mort Davis saved Kilkenny's life.
Matt Bardoul was a good man to have as a friend and a bad one to make trouble with. He was also a single-minded drifter - until he met his match in an outspoken beauty named Jacquine Coyle. She was headed into the Bighorn Mountains with her father and an expedition in search of gold. After Matt signs on to join them, he discovers that there is a group of outlaws in the party, gunfighters and thieves that Matt wouldn't trust for a minute.
They tried to tell him that his father had killed himself, but Kearney McRaven knew better. No matter what life had dealt him, his father would go down fighting. And as he delved deeper into the mystery, he learned that just before his father died, the elder McRaven had experienced a remarkable run of luck: he’d won nearly ten thousand dollars and the deed to a cattle ranch.
Rye Tyler was 12 when his father was killed in an Indian raid. Taken in by a mysterious stranger with a taste for books and an instinct for survival, Rye is schooled in the hard lessons of life in the West. But after killing a man, he is forced to leave his new home. He rides lonely mountain passes and works on dusty cattle drives until he finds a job breaking horses. Then he meets Liza Hetrick, and in her eyes he sees his future. After establishing himself as marshal of Alta, he returns, only to discover that Liza has been kidnapped.
A young gunslinger is changed for the better by meeting a beautiful woman. A classic range-war Western, this novel features that powerful, romantic, strangely compelling vision of the American West for which L'Amour's fiction is known. In the author's words, "It was a land where nothing was small, nothing was simple. Everything, the lives of men and the stories they told, ran to extremes."
Bill Canavan rode into the valley with a dream to start his own ranch. But when he managed to stake claims on the three best water holes, the other ranchers turned against him. No one is more determined to see Canavan dead than Star Levitt. Levitt is an unscrupulous businessman who has been accumulating cattle at an alarming rate. Suspicious after witnessing a secret meeting between the riders of warring ranches, Bill begins noticing other dubious behavior: Why is Levitt's fiancée, Dixie Venable, acting more like a hostage than a willing bride-to-be?
He was a tough enforcer for a New York gang. But when young Tom Shanaghy made one too many enemies, he skipped town on a fast-moving freight. He landed in a small Kansas town that had big dreams, no name, and the need for an honest lawman. Tom figured that a knuckle-and-skull man from Five Points would be perfect for the job. He didn't know that a high-stakes cattle drive was headed his way and that leading it was a vindictive rancher bent on settling an old score.
If a man won't fight for what is rightly his, then he ain't much account. With this challenge from his dying father, young Shell Tucker rode out after three men who had stolen the 20,000 dollars his father was carrying. Two of the men he hunted, Doc Sites and Kid Reese, were his friends. Dreaming of adventure, Tucker had wanted to join their gang. But now, with his father gone and the people back home desperately in need of the proceeds from the cattle drive, Shell was determined to uphold his father's reputation and recover their money.
Son of a feared fighting man, Barnabas Sackett inherited his father's fiery temper, sense of justice and warrior skills. Declared an outlaw in his native England, Barnabas set his daring sights on the opportunity of the New World. The ruthless piracy of the open seas and the unknown dangers of the savage American wilderness lay before him. And so did the thrill of discovery and the chance to establish a bold new future if he survived.
They came by river and by wagon train, braving the endless distances of the Great Plains and the icy passes of the Sierra Nevada. They were men like Linus Rawlings, a restless survivor of Indian country who’d headed east to see the ocean but left his heart - and his home - in the West. They were women like Lilith Prescott, a smart, spirited beauty who fled her family and fell for a gambling man in the midst of a frontier gold boom. These pioneering men and women sowed the seeds of a nation with their courage....
In one swift moment, a fall wiped away his memory. All he knew for certain was that someone wanted him dead - and that he had better learn why. But everywhere he turned there seemed to be more questions - or people too willing to hide the truth behind a smoke screen of lies. He had only the name he had been told was his own, his mysterious skill with a gun, and a link to a half million dollars’ worth of buried gold as evidence of his past life. Was the treasure his? Was he a thief? A killer? He didn’t have the answers, but he needed them soon. Because what he still didn’t know about himself, others did....
Two men. One woman. A land that demanded courage...or death.
When beautiful Angelina Foley presents Tom Radigan with a Spanish grant and claims ownership of his land, he realizes he's up against a cunning and deadly opportunist. Foley wants him off Vache Creek immediately, and with 3,000 head of cattle, an outfit of hardcase gunfighters, and winter coming on, she is unwilling to take no for an answer.
The Lonesome Gods is Louis L'Amour's biggest and most important historical novel to date, a sweeping adventure of the California frontier. Here is the fascinating story of Johannes Verne, a young man left to die by his vengeful grandfather, rescued by outlaws and raised in part by the Indians of the desert. Strengthened by the love of two women—Miss Nesselrode, whose mysterious past fires her ambitions for the future and Meghan, a willful young beauty—Verne grows to become a rugged adventurer, a man strong enough to embrace the awesome power of the Palm Springs desert, and bold enough to stake a claim in the bustling world of opportunity that was early-day Los Angeles.
I like a good western novel and I like a lifetime saga. While this book only spans 20 years or so, it is still a saga of a five year old boy going west, and trying to remain alive. He has an evil grandfather that wants him dead and leaves him to die in the Mojave desert. There are interesting characters and L'Amour knows how to write a book. This is the western genre though so if you do not like stories like Lonesome Dove, then this is not for you.
11 of 11 people found this review helpful
I truly enjoyed this book. It was definitely his finest hour. I've read most of his books but this one was extra special and a longer book which I dearly love. Louie L'Amour was born in 1908 and died of pneumonia in 1988. According the publish date, he wrote it at about age 75. Absolutely excellent book and the narrator was good also. I will deginitely read this one again sometime. He and Zane Grey were definitely the epitome of our western culture of long ago. You won't be sorry you listened to this book.
8 of 8 people found this review helpful
I like L'Amour. I know the books are formulaic but they are fun reads about men with guts, a great work ethic and solid character. This book, however, rambles like a toddler in a nursery. The story has great bones, but the main character indulges in multiple identical soliloquies, spends %98 of the book growing up and amassing 4 significant enemies then manages to finish the entire story in 5 pages. It's like the author found out on page 400 that he wasn't being paid by the word any more.
3 of 3 people found this review helpful
Where does The Lonesome Gods rank among all the audiobooks you’ve listened to so far?
I am listening to this audio book again... This is a story for thinkers; those who prefer the solitude of a good story.
Who was your favorite character and why?
Johannes Verne is my favorite character. At the age of six, Johannes Verne, took the hard lessons of life as nourishment for his soul. Despite the dark and dangerous times of his early youth, Johannes Verne grew to become a good man. A man of courage.
What does David Strathairn bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you just read the book?
David Strathairn gave the story feeling. His style, as a reader made the story live.
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
No... The book is many hours.
Any additional comments?
Great book, written by a legend, read by a man who gave the story character.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Would you recommend this audiobook to a friend? If so, why?
YES!!!!!! Louis L'amour what more can one say.
Which character – as performed by David Strathairn – was your favorite?
Mr. Feeney
Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?
Yes, but I do have a life, 14hrs long, need a little sleep. lol
Any additional comments?
First download with Audible, don't know what took me so long.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
What did you like best about The Lonesome Gods? What did you like least?
I really like L'Amour for his plots, and frequently his descriptive phrases and dialogues are peerless. This book needed editing, and definitely follows his formula, but it wanders much more than what he usually wrote, and only one of the women is well written. I would still buy and listen to this again, but I can't see going back to it for a second review down the road. David Straitharn is also well, well matched to reading L'Amour and delivers again. However, if I had a limited budget, I would choose other L'Amour works like Skyliners, Treasure Mountain, or anything else in that series (the Sackett family chronicles). L'Amour got on his soapbox way too much in this novel rather than telling the story and having philosophical thoughts thrown in casually as he has done in other works.
What was one of the most memorable moments of The Lonesome Gods?
When the Russian agent suddenly realizes that not only is the escaped Russian he's targeting for return to Russia free to stay in California but also that the US Government isn't going to force her to return and, by the way, the agent himself could stay and make a new life for himself in California.
Which scene was your favorite?
When Miss Nesselrode confronts the grandfather who has been trying to have his grandson killed because the grandson is the product of a marriage his daughter made with a seaman--tainting the pure Spanish blood the overly proud grandfather prizes. Also enjoyed the tactics our hero and his crew use to overcome superior numbers each time his horses and his life are threatened.
Do you think The Lonesome Gods needs a follow-up book? Why or why not?
No, and since I didn't care for the wet blanket our hero fell in love with, I didn't want to see any more of her.
Any additional comments?
Still like L'Amour, and still liked the book, just thought this one was not one of his better ones.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
Not just another man becomes a man book. This is truly a great and well written book about a really young boy who overcomes great odds to beat all odds, Real suspense, great characters and a surprising twist in the end!
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
The story starts out a little slow, but once you have overcome the first 10 minutes it is a great listen. The subtle imagery he uses to describe not only the charaters but the scenery is incredible, you can actually see it in your minds eye.
2 of 2 people found this review helpful
I am a loyal Louis L'Amour fan. I have read over 120 of his novels and enjoyed over 20 of his audio books. However, I have to agree with some other reviewers who found this story boring. Another reviewer said LL was 75 when he wrote this. Perhaps that was a factor. Pass on this one. With so many excellent books under his belt I guess LL was overdue for one with a disjointed plot and a ending which screamed he was just tired of writing.
5 of 6 people found this review helpful
I liked everything about the book. David Strathain did an excellent job narrating the book!
Excellent storyline with bold characters and superb narration. A riveting, light read and fully entertaining.
Great story. Very entertaining and very well read. Would also recommend Last of the Breed by the same order and read by the same actor.
Would you consider the audio edition of The Lonesome Gods to be better than the print version?
The audio version is so much more fun in that David Stratham is simply superb at getting the characters personalities off to a tee!I like Louis L'Amour but have not 'read' him since my youth and now hearing it again as an older woman I appreciate his heroine characters even more.This is a rip roaring adventure yarn but he does handle the female protagonists extremely well. In this book and the seemingly cold Russian has become my role model haha.
What other book might you compare The Lonesome Gods to, and why?
I had just listened to Ride the Wind that reminded me of this Louis L'Amour book I read ages ago and so decided to get it and read it again.....so glad I did.One thing though, can't imagine why he did not go on to write a sequel to this it was all set up to do so the story in a way had only just started.
What does David Strathairn bring to the story that you wouldn’t experience if you had only read the book?
Already said how well he reads and he makes it such a fantastic journey with the clear characters.
If you made a film of this book, what would be the tag line be?
A family saga of the wild west beginnings of Los Angeles and California.
Any additional comments?
Although usually read by men this is a wonderful book for young girls (of any age) to read and enjoy a true wild west adventure story but it is not just muck and bullets. Louis L'Amour is obviously a great admirer of women and his female characters have so much depth.Really try something different and you will enjoy the philosophy, action and chivalry in this book.