I noticed the other day that it was the one hundredth anniversary of the birth of Louis L'Amour. I suppose we need not concern ourselves exclusively with science fiction and fantasy, that we can look into other fields from time to time...
I've got to give Louis L'Amour credit, for being one of the last successful practitioners of a once-thriving genre---the western. I've read a fair amount of westerns (though not that many of L'Amour's work, actually), and seen many more on TV.
(I've often thought of writing one myself, held back by lack of knowledge of the west, and lack of a good idea for one...)
Posted by InarticulateBabbler (Member # 4849) on :
The only Westerns I have ever read were Louis L'Amour books.
Posted by Corky (Member # 2714) on :
I remember trying to read THE HAUNTED MESA and just not being able to get into it. I seem to recall that L'Amour did some stuff at the beginning that was cliche and poorly done, and I was surprised because it was one of his latest works.
Posted by Tiergan (Member # 7852) on :
I own them all, at least at last check. And over the years have read most of them several times. Although Haunted Mesa was far from being my favorite. I don't think I ever read it more than once. From what I read, and I did a report on him in college, some of his later works were rushed and it showed in his writing. But I will always remember the good ones. To think over a hundred novels in his writing career, and it took him 350 rejections before gettting published and then it wasnt even a western, a short story about a gangster, Anything for a Pal Posted by Bent Tree (Member # 7777) on :
I read them alot as a kid. Good mainstream literature. It has been a while since I picked one up. I might go google to see how his sales rank in the industry.
Posted by arriki (Member # 3079) on :
I must admit I've read only one book by him. It was THE EMPTY LAND and was assigned reading in a political science class at college.
Good read. It was some years ago.
Posted by Inkwell (Member # 1944) on :
My favorite work of non-speculative fiction is The Walking Drum, his 12th-century historical fiction novel.
Inkwell ------------------ "The difference between a writer and someone who says they want to write is merely the width of a postage stamp." -Anonymous