West of Dodge: Frontier Stories

Kilkenny #includes "West of Dodge"

by Louis L'Amour

Bantam 1997 edition paperback, vg++ In stock shipped from our UK warehouse

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Short Stories, Historical Fiction, Action, Audiobook, Novels

223 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published May 1, 1996

About the author

Louis Dearborn L'Amour was an American novelist and short story writer. His books consisted primarily of Western novels, though he called his work "frontier stories". His most widely known Western fiction works include Last of the Breed, Hondo, Shalako, and the Sackett series. L'Amour also wrote historical fiction (The Walking Drum), science fiction (The Haunted Mesa), non-fiction (Frontier), and poetry and short-story collections. Many of his stories were made into films. His books remain popular and most have gone through multiple printings. At the time of his death, almost all of his 105 existing works (89 novels, 14 short-story collections, and two full-length works of nonfiction) were still in print, and he was "one of the world's most popular writers".

Reviews

[Tim Blackburn · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of Western fiction written by the G.O.A.T. of the genre. These short stories were found in his papers by his family a few years after Mr L'Amour's death. The family published this collection 8 years after he passed and we fans of truly great Western fiction are fortunate to have gained access to them. Really entertaining reading.

[Imran Ahmed · Rating 4 out of 5]

It's been a while since I've read good Western fiction and this collection of short stories by L'Amour reminded me of what I've been missing!

Each story was enjoyable. Each story portrays the complexity of the human condition and the nuances required to identify good from evil; right from wrong. All this through characters and plots which only L'Amour can pen.

It's not often that L'Amour's works disappoint and this collection of short stories certainly did not.

[Amanda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great collection of western short stories. In the foreword to this book, L’Amour’s son, Beau recounts having found these stories after his father’s death, stories that had been unpublished. He thought they were written probably as the pulps were going out, and as spec stories for the higher class glossy magazines of the late 50s. Whether they were submitted is probably anyone’s guess, but as short stories, they mostly all work really well. One has a great opening paragraph:

“To err is human, and Bill McClary was all too human, which accounted for the fact that the six-shooter pride of the Big Bend lay flat on his face in the bottom of a sandy draw with a hole in his head.”

You just know a great story is going to spring from that kind of a beginning. The stories all deal with the west but in very different aspects. And though most are not more than six or seven pages long, every one with probably one exception, is worthy of inclusion. I’ve never been a fan of that Roy Rogers style cars and horses type western. There’s one post war story here involving greedy relatives and a silver mine that just isn’t great, but the others more than make up for it.

Give it a read when you’re in the mood for a quick action story without the commitment. These are some dandies. In particular, Stage to Willowspring, feels almost like an Ambrose Bierce story. And To Hang Me High definitely has an Ox-Bow Incident vibe going for it, funnily enough with a bit of that other Bierce great, An Occurrence at Owl Creek Bridge, thrown in. These are well-written stories.

[Barry Martin Vass · Rating 5 out of 5]

To say that these fourteen stories of the Old West have an interesting provenance is putting it mildly. In the 1950's the fiction magazine business (the so-called "pulps") was dying out, being replaced by paperback books, television, and the newer "slick-magazine" market (i.e. The Saturday Evening Post). During these years, Louis L'Amour was still trying to sell his short stories in a dying market, and some of them evidently fell through the cracks: all of the stories in West of Dodge were found at the bottom of an abandoned box decades later by his son Beau, who was looking for material for his dad's biography. None of them have ever been published before now. L'Amour is writing about sodbusters and marshals, gunslingers and farmers, young men and women carefully and painstakingly making their way in the Old West, and it just works on all levels. Rather than dwell on the violence and depravation of the time, his work here is more thoughtful and character-driven, even nuanced. Here's an example of the writing: "Speke was not a big man but he was tough. The years and the desert had melted away any softness he might have had, and left behind a hard core of that rawhide resilience that the desert demands. Never a gunman, he had used weapons as a soldier in the Apache wars, as a buffalo hunter, and in his own private skirmishes with desert Mohaves or Pimas." If you're a fan of Louis L'Amour, this collection should be as welcome as sitting down to a home-cooked meal.

[Aubrey · Rating 4 out of 5]

**SPOILERS**
There are many different characters in this book dealing with different problems. Each chapter is a new short story based on that character. The cowboy likes to settle things with guns and fists. The farmer deals with problems with panic and luck. The sheriff is getting older, and then finds someone hanged. Then Louis L'amour is able to incorporate all of these problems into their own chapters.

The thing I really like about this authors books is that he can paint the picture in your head. Louis L'amour is a pretty descriptive writer in my opinion. To me, that is a big part in what makes me understand books. I also like the drama in this book, and some of his different books as well. The drama switches back and forth between characters, so that is a little confusing.

I kind of liked the book, but all of Louis L'amour's books have a similar plot/timeline. With this book, each chapter is a different story. He switches back and forth between characters, and their problems. To me, that is kind of confusing to keep up with. Because chapters can be quite a few pages long, and then you need to remember each story; and then the character who goes along with it.

[Megargee · Rating 3 out of 5]

This 1997 paperback collection consists of 14 previously unpublished Western short stories by the late Louis L'Amour (1908-1988) ranging from 5 to 20 pages in length, along with a foreword and afterword by Beau L'Amour, who found them among his father's papers. Beau does not know why they hadn't been published. Some might have been sketches of plots or character studies for the more than 100 Western genre novels Louis wrote. Perhaps they were penned after the market for Western pulp fiction had diminished. In any event, they represent an interesting sampling of Louis' Western writing.
In the Afterword, Beau lists the often colorful names of about five dozen friends, acquaintances, and others who may have crossed paths with Louis from the 1920 through the 1960s and asks them to contact him at the Louis L'Amour Biography project. However, I have not found a biography of Louis by son Beau, although Louis did publish an autobiography (Education of a Traveling Man) shortly before his death in 1988.

[Chuck · Rating 4 out of 5]

I don't review many of Louis L'Amour's books because many carry similar plot lines. I love his books because of his vivid descriptions of many places in the west that are special to me. Furthermore I read short story collections, but the genre is not my favorite. This group of stories is different, however. After Louis' death his son went through all of his decades of writing in order to write a biography of his father and in this effort He compiled many into this collection which I found to be special. So if you are on the edge of giving a shot at this author this may be a good place to start because if you don't enjoy the book you have only invested in one ten page short story. This is my seventieth L'Amour book and I only have fifty some to go.

[Joe Stack · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a nice collection of short stories. L’Amour’s write is easy going and engaging. While gunplay or its possibility will satisfy readers wanting action, these stories are character oriented and often involve the internal struggle over the use of violence. Honor and courage are at the heart of the stories.

The power of the gun, whether it’s used or just possessed, seems to be quite relevant to our contemporary struggle with guns.

I found the stories kept getting better as I progressed through the collection and the latter 6-8 stories bring the star rating to at least 3.5. This reader’s favorite is “Let the Cards Decide,” one of the stories not involving gunplay pleases with surprises.

[Jason Crow · Rating 5 out of 5]

I normally rate L'Amour's short stories as a solid 4 stars. They are good, solid adventure stories with lots of well-written action, historical detail, and stalwart heroes.
This collection, however, is a 5 star for me. The reason for this is that the heroes in several of these stories are not your highly capable gunfighters, trackers, and cowboys. Some of them are of average skill at firearms, some are a little dishonest. They are very real and believable and interesting. Worth the money for this book.

[Oleta Blaylock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This another book of short stories. This is the list of the titles.

Beyond the Chaparral; A Husband for Janey; West of Dodge; The Passing of Rope Nose; To Make a Stand; That Man from the Bitter Sands; Let the Cards Decide; Riches Beyond Dream; West of Dry Creek; Marshal of Canyon Gap; Home is the Hunter; Rain on the Halfmoon; Stage to Willowspring; To Hang Me High.

This a good selection of short stories and from the forward Beau wrote these have never been released before.

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

I'm not a particularly large fan of westerns but according to my daughter (who bought me this book as a gift) I need to read more widely outside of the fantasy and mystery genres and westerns really are the mythology of the States so I do read them occasionally.

This is your standard Kilkenney book with shootouts and bad guys and hot women - nothing approaching Lonesome Dove but it was still an entertaining (albeit short) read Happy I read it but it doesn't make me want to run out for more.

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories. Many are good and several are quite good. Remember L'Amour was a writer of stories for magazines early in his career. I especially liked the one set in the 50s where the woman's uncle had found silver, but told no one where, but left the property to her. There are a number of topics covered and action packed.

[Sean Cozart · Rating 5 out of 5]

I think it's hard to rate a set of short stories. Some were good, some were ok. It's hard to give a summary of what went down when there's twelve stories to summarize. I guess in a nutshell, it was good. In 15-20 pages, L'Amour was able to introduce and tell a nearly complete story. I would say these are books are best for campfires, where you can read a story to someone in the firelight.

[Carol Russell · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'm not much into westerns, but decided to read this while traveling west. Each chapter is a separate short story, so I was able to read the stories, one by one, and get the feel for the old wild west.

[Asha McDd · Rating 3 out of 5]

It was Louis L'Amour with a collection of short stories. It was explained in the introduction that these stories were probably written with a different audience in mind. It was a good read though, the stories were still entertaining.

[Delonna Oskouee · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great reads!

I'm enjoying the short stories now. When I had plenty of novels of Mr. L'Amour's I didn't like the short stories. Now that I have a hard time finding his novels, (I've read most of them), I just soak them up slowly.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

This posthumously published collection of previously unpublished stories is, to me, some of L'Amour's better tales. Interesting.

[Stephen Dearden · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun stories

I could read L’amour’s books everyday and never get sick of them. His style and stories hit a note that resonates with me.

[Massanutten Regional Library · Rating 5 out of 5]

Roger, Village patron, June 2018, 5 stars:

This book is a collection of short stories written by Louis L'amour. If you enjoy L'amour stories, this is an easy and fun read.

[Johnny Snow · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent book.Really enjoyed it.Would recommend.

[Kathy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Nice selection of stories; some better than others. Overall, a good read.

[Lorna · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 stars
These stories give a good flavor of the Old West. I especially enjoyed the dialogue between the characters.

[Rob · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fast Paced stories This was a Good Read.

[Sierra Elliott · Rating 3 out of 5]

The plots were interesting, but a lot of the characters melded together.

[Patrick Quigg]

Nice book of short stories.

[Terry Yaceyko · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good collection.

[Rod Reed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Having read all of L’Amour’s books many times, this is one of the best collections of his short stories. His books are often formulaic, but still engaging because of his storytelling ability.

[Joe · Rating 3 out of 5]

This collection captures the author's ability to portray human interaction through his interpretation of a historical context. Each story is different, yet the characters resonate across time.

[Rod Innis · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of short stories that were found by the authors daughter after his death.
They are typical Louis L'Amour - good stuff.

[Linda · Rating 4 out of 5]

A group of short stories from L'Amour. Good reading.