West of Tularosa, Louis L'Amour

I remember in Jr. high school, maybe grade 8 or 9, there being a bookworm of a kid who shared classes with me who could always be seen around with his nose in a Louis L'Amour book. That made an impression on me. The second thing that I can think of is that there were lots of L'Amour books in the library. Enough to keep the kid going and going for a long time. I'm also rather fond of the western genre in movies with a special fondness for John Wayne and Clint Eastwood, to name the first two that come to mind. But, up to this point, I've never picked up a book of the genre or even a L'Amour. So, when this book showed up in the 99 cent special bin for the Kindle, I decided to splurge and treat myself to the book. Currently, it can be purchased for $5.59 for the Kindle.

Well, having recently enjoyed the great layout and formatting work from the two magazines, eFiction and Fantasy and Science Fiction, I can't help but be disappointed that more thought isn't put into most books that ought to make use of it. However, West of Tularosa is not really that bad (unlike the Anais Nin books I recently bought, which are nightmarish). At least there is a linkable TOC. However, there is one nifty little difference between this and all the other ebooks that I've read: if you hit 'menu,' you get not just the Kindle number that is customary (what that exactly stands for, I'm not sure...), but there is also the page number of where the text would appear in the paper version. I think that's great, and I wish they'd all do that.

This short book is actually made up of short stories.

Image via WikipediaThere are a number of terms I had to come to grips with. The first of which is the term 'nester.' Now, nesters appear frequently throughout the book. A nester is another word for a squatter. It's someone who is living on some land that they don't own or have a right to in the legal sense. They just have a little home on some land that's owned by a rancher. Usually the rancher has an obscene amount of land and so they usually tolerate nesters. (At least, that's the way it's played out throughout the stories in which they appear.)

The second thing that becomes very evident is that the heroes of all of these stories is roughly the same man. He's between 17-under-50, lean, very strong for his size, tough, and a fast draw. He's got a great deal of honour and knows how to hang onto his image. For instance, Ward McQueen in the title story, "West of Tularosa," is taken as the likeliest suspect in a murder, he refuses to be taken to town in chains. He does, however, consent to be taken on his horse, without chains, and his sidearms. The impression on prospective juror members was important to him. A man in chains looks guilty whereas a man on his own horse doesn't.

A note on the editing job: it was only the last few pages that a few mistakes cropped up. The common criticism that I've heard about spelling mistakes and other artifacts of carelessness do not apply to this book. It's well done. Though, it was kind of funny to see a few mistakes appear in the last page.

I really enjoyed this book. In its way, it kind of reminds me of Tarzan: the primitive man, tough, honourable, and in his element, quite intelligent. I think 99 cents was a real bargain for this book. It was a lot of fun. However, I don't think I would have paid $5.59 for it. At best, maybe $2.99. That's a maybe. I think if another one of his books does come up for $1.99, I could easily purchase it. $2.99 I'd have second thoughts. $5.59, there's no way I'd buy it. Still, it's a good book.