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The Californios
Captain Sean Mulkerin comes home from the sea to find his family home in jeopardy. After the death of his father, Sean’s determined mother, Eileen, took it upon herself to run the sprawling Rancho Malibu—until a fire destroyed her hard-earned profits. Now, on the edge of financial ruin, Eileen hopes Sean can help them find a way out. The rumor is that her late husband found gold in the wild and haunted California hills, but the only clue to its whereabouts lies with an ancient, enigmatic Indian.
When Sean and Eileen set forth to retrace his father’s footsteps, they know they are in search of a questionable treasure—with creditors, greedy neighbors, and ruthless gunmen watching every move they make. Before they reach their destination, mother and son will test both the limits of their faith and the laws of nature as they seek salvation in a landscape where reality can blur like sand and sky in a desert mirage.
When Sean and Eileen set forth to retrace his father’s footsteps, they know they are in search of a questionable treasure—with creditors, greedy neighbors, and ruthless gunmen watching every move they make. Before they reach their destination, mother and son will test both the limits of their faith and the laws of nature as they seek salvation in a landscape where reality can blur like sand and sky in a desert mirage.
240 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1974
236 people are currently reading
903 people want to read
About the author
Louis L'Amour
996 books3,477 followersLouis 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".
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 132 reviews
July 18, 2023
This unusual western is different as the eerie elements of it are more supernatural than an ordinary shoot 'em up. Sean Mulkerin a young sea captain the owner of a small two-masted schooner the Lucky Lady trading in goods he could acquire but California was a poor land with few having any valuables , in consequence the ship sailed up and down the coast from Alaska to Mexico and beyond where profit could be obtain no mater how tiny, from furs and hides not well received. A runaway girl Mariana the captain gave passage to in the then small village of Acapulco, her fiance, Andres Machado the wealthy vindictive man does not forgive the dishonor . 1844 would be tumultuous for the Mulkerin clan a mixed family of Irish and Mexican heritage, his widowed mother Eileen born in Ireland however their blood would be shed. She owned a Malibu ranch rich in land nevertheless lacking any money like other Californios, today movie stars and billionaires thrive there. In a short time this famous place will see three flags flying over the houses, a span of twenty-seven years , Spain , Mexico and the United States. To write the obvious notorious people covet the ranchero and her husband Jaime no longer around, the Senora as all call Eileen has two strong sons though Michael has become a priest. The zenith of the novel is the search for gold in the distant mountains to pay the debts accumulated by the Mulkerins. The slow ride in the unknown territory guided by the old one, Juan will make even the valiant shudder. The ancient one looks more like a spirit, less than human, his aura pervades the atmosphere causing the glum moods of the party, Sean, Senora and friends. The creepy dry terrain, the Sun's relentless rays hitting down on them, shadows on the slopes appear and disappear, thirst parched their tongues, weird haunting voices arriving from nowhere the horses are frightened, the outlaws greedy for the yellow mineral silently lurk nearby waiting for the opportunity to strike with their deadly bullets, trouble will begin soon still the gang feels very uneasy, the tension rises, so will the readers too. This is a combination of ghost story and the western genre brings new life to what would be another grand but tired trip, well written though, we ride again to the past.
April 10, 2019
Wow 😮 what a great book. More like historical fiction than a western. I really enjoyed this one by Louis L’Amour.
September 21, 2011
#41 THE CALIFORNIOS by Louis L'Amour: Durfee's top 50 novels countdown. Having read all of L'Amour's 120 some-odd novels THE CALIFORNIOS is my fav. A true western complete with cowboys, indians, gunfighters, mystical medicine-men, Mexican banditos, spanish gold and just a little bit of the supernatural. I also reccomend FLINT, HONDO, UTAH BLAINE, KID RODELO, OVER ON THE DRY SIDE.
March 15, 2024
Louis L’Amour is famous for his Westerns and for taking what had been an almost pulp genre and injecting well-researched history and a feel of the Southwest into his novels. But this book is a bit different than his standard fare, as it’s closer to historical fiction than pure Western. The story takes place in California when it was still governed by the Mexican government. The Gold Rush hasn’t happened yet and the vast rancheros are still mostly owned by the Californios, families of Spanish blood who have managed the land quietly until the disintegration of the colonial administrations led to the arrival of the gringos.
The family in the story have The Malibu, which is where the town of Malibu now resides. They are mixed blood, part Irish, part Mexican. Their home is a West Coast adobe, cozy but not too grand. After the father died while falling off a horse, his wife and sons have tried to hold on to the property against the greed of a local land baron. But they owe money, and no amount of work is going to change their dire straits. The father had once returned from a long trip with gold, which helped stave off the creditors, but he took his secret with him to the grave. Or did he?
Men do not learn from history. Each generation believes itself brighter than the last, each believes it can survive the mistakes of the older ones.
One son is a priest while the other is a swashbuckling ship captain who has returned from a long voyage to help his mother and brother in their struggle. Against them are hired gunfighters, greedy officials, and the main villain. There is no help to be had from Mexico as the officials in California have not been paid themselves and are very susceptible to bribery. In the midst of this all, there appears an ancient native Indian, the very man who had accompanied the father to the land of gold. His loyalty is to the family, and he decides to lead them to the gold, as he himself is dying.
The ancient one is so old that he remembers when there were other tribes other than the ones already in California. And here is where L’Amour gets a bit mystical and eerie. For there is a description of the legendary tribe, noting their use of sandals rather than moccasins. While it’s never stated, the reader gets the impression the ancient one is from the famous Aztecs of Mexico, who supposedly never entered California. This is a major plot point, for it will mean the life or death for some characters.
As usual with L’Amour, the reading captured me, as his description of the various locales was spot-on. In one chapter, there is a description of laughter and voices, possibly coming from far away yet sounding closer. Is it the wind? Is it the flora? Is it the ancient ones? I held my breath because I have heard the same while living in the desert, when winds can suddenly whip out of the blue and something similar to cries can be heard. Coyotes? Or Aztecs? There are gunfights and one very mysterious incident which had me reading under the covers at night, as though I was still a child. For someone who never grew up reading Westerns or even liked them, I sure do love L’Amour.
Book Season = Spring (movement in the wind)
The family in the story have The Malibu, which is where the town of Malibu now resides. They are mixed blood, part Irish, part Mexican. Their home is a West Coast adobe, cozy but not too grand. After the father died while falling off a horse, his wife and sons have tried to hold on to the property against the greed of a local land baron. But they owe money, and no amount of work is going to change their dire straits. The father had once returned from a long trip with gold, which helped stave off the creditors, but he took his secret with him to the grave. Or did he?
Men do not learn from history. Each generation believes itself brighter than the last, each believes it can survive the mistakes of the older ones.
One son is a priest while the other is a swashbuckling ship captain who has returned from a long voyage to help his mother and brother in their struggle. Against them are hired gunfighters, greedy officials, and the main villain. There is no help to be had from Mexico as the officials in California have not been paid themselves and are very susceptible to bribery. In the midst of this all, there appears an ancient native Indian, the very man who had accompanied the father to the land of gold. His loyalty is to the family, and he decides to lead them to the gold, as he himself is dying.
The ancient one is so old that he remembers when there were other tribes other than the ones already in California. And here is where L’Amour gets a bit mystical and eerie. For there is a description of the legendary tribe, noting their use of sandals rather than moccasins. While it’s never stated, the reader gets the impression the ancient one is from the famous Aztecs of Mexico, who supposedly never entered California. This is a major plot point, for it will mean the life or death for some characters.
As usual with L’Amour, the reading captured me, as his description of the various locales was spot-on. In one chapter, there is a description of laughter and voices, possibly coming from far away yet sounding closer. Is it the wind? Is it the flora? Is it the ancient ones? I held my breath because I have heard the same while living in the desert, when winds can suddenly whip out of the blue and something similar to cries can be heard. Coyotes? Or Aztecs? There are gunfights and one very mysterious incident which had me reading under the covers at night, as though I was still a child. For someone who never grew up reading Westerns or even liked them, I sure do love L’Amour.
Book Season = Spring (movement in the wind)
June 5, 2023
This is my first experience reading a Louis L'Amour novel so I don't know how much it might differ from the dozens of other western novels he wrote. It was nothing like what I expected.
The Californios waxes philosophical and mystical, combined with male egos and a few gun battles such as you'd expect to find in a western. The theme of a mysterious, unknown reality brought a spooky, unreal vibe to the story. Who would be favored by "The Old One" and where did that strange old man come from, anyhow?
"Fear was a thing of the mind and if one did not offer it a place, it had none." - Louis L'Amour
I read this novel as part of my "June on the Range" reading for 2023. Based on what I found in this novel I'd be willing to read another novel by Louis L'Amour. Maybe many more. I remember my grandmother reading these novels fifty years ago. She bought them at the supermarket. I remember she bought them new then ended up with a pile of paperbacks, already read, sitting on the desk in her hallway. I think if she loved westerns so much, maybe I should give them more of a try too. This is my first year to participate in "June on the Range" reading. (It is a Booktube thing.)
I love the philosophical moments L'Amour wrote into this novel and I suspect other novels he wrote could have similar elements though maybe they won't slide into the paranormal so much as this one did. I'll never know unless I read more of his writing and find out.
I listened to an audiobook narrated by Erik Singer. He did a good job! Checking Audible I see this reader has done a lot of work to produce audiobooks. He does have a pleasant voice plus he gives various characters their own personalities.
The novel is clean other than the expected gun violence of the wild, wild west.
The Californios waxes philosophical and mystical, combined with male egos and a few gun battles such as you'd expect to find in a western. The theme of a mysterious, unknown reality brought a spooky, unreal vibe to the story. Who would be favored by "The Old One" and where did that strange old man come from, anyhow?
"Fear was a thing of the mind and if one did not offer it a place, it had none." - Louis L'Amour
I read this novel as part of my "June on the Range" reading for 2023. Based on what I found in this novel I'd be willing to read another novel by Louis L'Amour. Maybe many more. I remember my grandmother reading these novels fifty years ago. She bought them at the supermarket. I remember she bought them new then ended up with a pile of paperbacks, already read, sitting on the desk in her hallway. I think if she loved westerns so much, maybe I should give them more of a try too. This is my first year to participate in "June on the Range" reading. (It is a Booktube thing.)
I love the philosophical moments L'Amour wrote into this novel and I suspect other novels he wrote could have similar elements though maybe they won't slide into the paranormal so much as this one did. I'll never know unless I read more of his writing and find out.
I listened to an audiobook narrated by Erik Singer. He did a good job! Checking Audible I see this reader has done a lot of work to produce audiobooks. He does have a pleasant voice plus he gives various characters their own personalities.
The novel is clean other than the expected gun violence of the wild, wild west.
December 2, 2024
This was a bizarre amalgamation of a standard L'Amour story and what can only be described as a precursor to the wonderful novel The Haunted Mesa. The two styles don't really mesh well, and they seemed to derail the other storyline more than enhance the overall story. This was a bit of a miss for me, an intriguing miss, but a miss nonetheless.
June 18, 2015
This is my second Louis L'Amour book that I've read. I didn't like it as much as the first book, but it was okay. I liked the main character and the story line was intriguing. My hesitation is with the other characters. I wish there had been more depth. It felt like they only had brief stage presence where they said their two lines and exited.
August 19, 2016
The historical epilogue was my favorite part. Even at two stars, Lamour is a fun read/listen.
April 16, 2023
Eileen Mulkerin tries to save her ranch, her sons, Sean - now a captain of a sailing vessel- and Michael - a priest - return to help. They go into the hills to find "the old one" to show them where the gold is. Very good - typical Louis L'Amour.
September 16, 2023
This is probably the most unique L'Amour book I've read. As always he writes realistic settings and happenings, only in this case he incorporates a fair measure of the supernatural.
June 21, 2025
They managed to save the ranch, what a surprise! But all jokes aside, loved the supernatural and mysterious aspects of this novel. Didn’t expect it from Louis. Keep em coming!
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
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April 7, 2013Some the good quotes from the book
1. "Wisdom must be shared, it must be given, or else it lies cold upon the rocks"
2. I do not think time passes, as you say. I think time is here, that it never began, can never be measured, and will always be.
3. To live a long time is nothing, to live a long time wisely is something
4. What is education but a conditioning of the mind to a society and a way of life? There are many kinds of education, and often education closes many doors as it disbelief. One accepts one kind of belief but closes the mind to all that is, or seems to be contradictory.
5. Some day when I find a woman who will walk beside me, not behind me
6. Fear was a thing of the mind, and it one did not offer it a place, it had none
1. "Wisdom must be shared, it must be given, or else it lies cold upon the rocks"
2. I do not think time passes, as you say. I think time is here, that it never began, can never be measured, and will always be.
3. To live a long time is nothing, to live a long time wisely is something
4. What is education but a conditioning of the mind to a society and a way of life? There are many kinds of education, and often education closes many doors as it disbelief. One accepts one kind of belief but closes the mind to all that is, or seems to be contradictory.
5. Some day when I find a woman who will walk beside me, not behind me
6. Fear was a thing of the mind, and it one did not offer it a place, it had none
July 12, 2016
L'Amour jumps the shark in this book when he brings a supernatural element into what otherwise would have been a classic western tale. I grabbed this book because the story plays out near where I live in southern California. It's always fun to find the real life locations L'Amour writes about, but as soon as the story took a turn toward the supernatural, I lost interest. In the end, the book was OK.
May 10, 2020
From a master of the Western genre, this novel the Mulkerin families attempt to forestall foreclosure of their Malibou ranch in the 1840s. Includes the mandatory damsel in distress and crooks trying to rob and murder the family. Also included is a rich ex-fiancee who wants revenge. Well written without the profanity and sex found in many more modern Westerns and other genres.
November 28, 2017
Another good Louis L'Amour. This one was a little different since it was set almost completely in California. I liked the superstition of it.
June 12, 2020
Siamo nella California del 1844, mancano ancora un paio d'anni alla guerra Messicana che finendo nel 1848 annesse agli States il territorio. A Malibù c'è un ranch, una vedova con due figli, un anziano soprastante e uomini e donne. C'è anche un vecchio, il Vecchio. Dicono che sia un indiano, ma è diverso dai Chumash e dagli altri indiani della zona. Si tratta di uno sciamano, l'ultimo della sua gente, erede di una tradizione magica. Ovviamente c'è la caccia all'oro, che forse il vecchio custodisce e forse no, ma in questa California di fandangos e di marinai e cowboy, in questa California che ricorda molto quella di Carl Barks di "Donald Duck in Old California" c'è una atmosfera stupenda che lascia tutto il resto in secondo piano.
Parte come un western, e sembra che le premesse per avere un ottimo western classico ci siano tutte, invece evolve in un weird western, e il modo in cui Luis L'Amour costruisce la storia e l'atmosfera portano, almeno parzialmente, a riconsiderare il tutto come "realismo magico".
Alla fine è certamente un western, ma le sparatorie sono giusto due, verso la fine del romanzo, e quasi uno è portato a pensare che, almeno la seconda, poteva anche non esserci e sarebbe stato perfetto ugualmente.
Lasciare queste atmosfere sognanti e crepuscolari di un mondo che si sa verso la fine è stata dura; finché rallentavo la lettura potevo continuare ad abitare anche io quel mondo svanito, ma alla fine, come tutti i sogni, anche a questo è seguito il risveglio.
"La mente è alimentata dall'immaginazione e l'immaginazione attinge alimento dall'intangibile. Gli uomini hanno visto e sentito cose e queste restano loro nella mente. Queste cose generano paura, preoccupazione e il desiderio di essere lontani, molto lontani."
Parte come un western, e sembra che le premesse per avere un ottimo western classico ci siano tutte, invece evolve in un weird western, e il modo in cui Luis L'Amour costruisce la storia e l'atmosfera portano, almeno parzialmente, a riconsiderare il tutto come "realismo magico".
Alla fine è certamente un western, ma le sparatorie sono giusto due, verso la fine del romanzo, e quasi uno è portato a pensare che, almeno la seconda, poteva anche non esserci e sarebbe stato perfetto ugualmente.
Lasciare queste atmosfere sognanti e crepuscolari di un mondo che si sa verso la fine è stata dura; finché rallentavo la lettura potevo continuare ad abitare anche io quel mondo svanito, ma alla fine, come tutti i sogni, anche a questo è seguito il risveglio.
"La mente è alimentata dall'immaginazione e l'immaginazione attinge alimento dall'intangibile. Gli uomini hanno visto e sentito cose e queste restano loro nella mente. Queste cose generano paura, preoccupazione e il desiderio di essere lontani, molto lontani."
October 2, 2022
A pleasant but below-par Western from the well-worn pen of Louis L'Amour. The plot of The Californios has promise – a search for gold is always fun – and its setting does too: California in 1844, when it was still under Mexican/hidalgo rule. However, it's all a bit routine; you know who to root for and who to despise, and the book whizzes through its plot points before you even have a chance to savour them. That's what you expect from Louis L'Amour; he churned out hundreds of books like this, and what he adds to the mixer to differentiate The Californios here is a vague dose of the supernatural. The Indian mysticism that begins to drift in to the second half of the book adds a welcome bit of spookiness and wonder to the story, but it's not enough to elevate it.
March 19, 2018
A mystical western that works only if you can forgive L'Amour for the supernatural elements. Plot concerns a land grab and how the owners fight the bad dudes. Recommended to L'Amour fans, but other western fans might not appreciate the twilight zone approach.
December 8, 2024
Classic LL tale of family, the hunt for gold and the hunt for men, but so far as I can tell one of the rare supernatural stories LL wrote.
June 4, 2024
I did not have fun reading this one :(
March 7, 2024
This is a great story. I read it many years ago, so long ago that I remember very little of it. I keep the book and perhaps after 10 or 15 more years, I will read it again.
November 2, 2017
Tried the story in ebook via O/D. Just too, too, too, tedious to keep up with; d/n/f, not even close. Not in my best mood for slow stories.
January 31, 2013
this book is about where in California nobody thought there was gold the Mulkerins needed a treasure to settle the debt on their Malibu ranch the Indian was willing to lead them one but riding hard on their trail was the greediest band of cutthroats north of the Baja killing was their business doing it for gold would only make it sweeter
May 6, 2017
The Californios Good book.
I chose the 4star rating, because I wanted to read the book, due to excitement for finding out what's going to happen next. Would have gave it 5stars if the book had more action.
I chose the 4star rating, because I wanted to read the book, due to excitement for finding out what's going to happen next. Would have gave it 5stars if the book had more action.
October 4, 2017
This is based on the early history of California before the gold rush. It is the best of Louis L'Amour's book I have read to date, and I will rate it as one of my favorites.
April 13, 2024
Good vacation read. Short, straightforward plot, simple characters, mostly unadorned prose. I've never read a western before (unless you count Blood Meridian), but I've watched a few on TCM while laid up as a child. For that reason, I can't comment on whether this book is actually weird for a western, but I do know it's one of only two L'Amour books with supernatural elements (the other being The Haunted Mesa). I could have sworn I read this on his SFE page, but I can't find any evidence that he ever had one. My own personal mystery.
The main character is a sea captain, he has a preternaturally youthful mother, there's an old man who appears to be centuries-old, . Two cowboys briefly discourse on the possibility of lost pre-ice age civilizations crushed under glacial ice and share an anecdote about an artifact of a six-fingered antediluvian civilization. Of course it's still mostly about wandering around unforgiving landscapes on horseback, fistfights, gunfights, guys who say "I reckon", etc. But the milieu feels like something out of Mignola comic.
The racial politics of the book seem equally unusual to me. Several characters are described as being generically "Indian", like Jesus Montero, however at another point a character points out there are many types and varieties of "Indian" cultures. The local Chumash respect "the Old One", Juan, but so too do the main characters, who attribute their respect for things they don't quite believe in or understand to their Celtic heritage (the main character's mother is Irish, his father Mexican), so it's not really a noble savage story. Juan's origin is never clearly explained, but he is stated to not be Chumash, it's implied he travelled to Tenochtitlan long after it was founded, while his own settled civilization fell centuries ago, which could imply Ancestral Puebloan, Cahokian, or Maya, at the very least. He is described as being paler than the Chumash, but not explicitly white. However, he tells the main character that the current replacement of Indian by European is just one in a long line of replacements of one civilization by another, and his own civilization was not the first. Certainly a convenient sentiment for a 20th century white writer, but I can't really say he's wrong. There's no stable eternal culture, and war, genocide and displacement have happened many times before and many times to come.
The depiction of pre-gold rush California pretty much matches the description given in Two Years Before the Mast, which it's reasonably probable was consulted, directly or via secondary sources. L'Amour poetically describes the Californios themselves as being a people soon to be displaced by an oncoming flood of immigrants, unready for the new way and pace of life that they will bring with them.
The main character is a sea captain, he has a preternaturally youthful mother, there's an old man who appears to be centuries-old, . Two cowboys briefly discourse on the possibility of lost pre-ice age civilizations crushed under glacial ice and share an anecdote about an artifact of a six-fingered antediluvian civilization. Of course it's still mostly about wandering around unforgiving landscapes on horseback, fistfights, gunfights, guys who say "I reckon", etc. But the milieu feels like something out of Mignola comic.
The racial politics of the book seem equally unusual to me. Several characters are described as being generically "Indian", like Jesus Montero, however at another point a character points out there are many types and varieties of "Indian" cultures. The local Chumash respect "the Old One", Juan, but so too do the main characters, who attribute their respect for things they don't quite believe in or understand to their Celtic heritage (the main character's mother is Irish, his father Mexican), so it's not really a noble savage story. Juan's origin is never clearly explained, but he is stated to not be Chumash, it's implied he travelled to Tenochtitlan long after it was founded, while his own settled civilization fell centuries ago, which could imply Ancestral Puebloan, Cahokian, or Maya, at the very least. He is described as being paler than the Chumash, but not explicitly white. However, he tells the main character that the current replacement of Indian by European is just one in a long line of replacements of one civilization by another, and his own civilization was not the first. Certainly a convenient sentiment for a 20th century white writer, but I can't really say he's wrong. There's no stable eternal culture, and war, genocide and displacement have happened many times before and many times to come.
The depiction of pre-gold rush California pretty much matches the description given in Two Years Before the Mast, which it's reasonably probable was consulted, directly or via secondary sources. L'Amour poetically describes the Californios themselves as being a people soon to be displaced by an oncoming flood of immigrants, unready for the new way and pace of life that they will bring with them.
January 2, 2025
5/10
The Californios is a Western novel written by Louis L'Amour, who is considered one of the most prolific writers in his genre. Unfortunately, this was not a novel that supported his status.
I read most of this book in 2024, but it's going to technically be my first read of 2025. Honestly, overall, this is a bad book. It is possible that I don't understand the Western genre, but I had no expectations going in other than very general ones. The plot feels all over the place, and the ending is incredibly rushed. It feels like so much of the book is spent walking and describing the same scenery repeatedly. I actually enjoyed the vivid descriptions, apart from being a little repetitive. However, for such a short book, it felt like a lot of time was wasted. The first two-thirds of the book was decent. I thought the characters were fairly interesting, and the plot seemed to be building to something more interesting. Then, it takes a very strange and random feeling turn that ends up being completely pointless. Then, it does that again, rushes into the ending, and unapologetically uses a deus ex machina to wrap it all up. I'm okay with slow burns and less action. However, for something so short to do that while being incredibly rushed toward the end feels amateur.
The frustrating part is that I enjoyed some aspects. Some interesting ideas were explored, and the mysterious elements were fun. Although they are kind of gimmicky feelings, there is some depth to the philosophical ideas mentioned. I thought the characters had the potential to be interesting despite ultimately falling flat. The writing is actually decent and fairly vivid. L'Amour clearly spent a lot of time writing when he read this book. I found the historical elements interesting. The scenery was nice as well.
The issue is that the plot is abysmal. I understand that Westerners tend to focus on slowly building tension with a big ending. The ending did not feel big. It felt abrupt and almost pointless. The shifts in narrative focus feel almost deranged. Maybe I just don't understand what the goal was.
I think if the book cut out the random shifts in narrative, making it more focused, and explored the characters and philosophical ideas more, it could have actually been a decent read. Still, maybe the premise just wasn't worth that in the first place. It's just a really bad mix of being a super short book that drags painfully throughout the last third and then rushes into a lazy ending.
This review is kind of just me rambling. I didn't like this book, but I think it had potential. I'm not going to completely write about L'Amour, as I can see him writing a very good novel if more effort is put into it. However, there are a lot of other Western novels I am far more interested in (Lonesome Dove, Blood Meridian, etc).
The Californios is a Western novel written by Louis L'Amour, who is considered one of the most prolific writers in his genre. Unfortunately, this was not a novel that supported his status.
I read most of this book in 2024, but it's going to technically be my first read of 2025. Honestly, overall, this is a bad book. It is possible that I don't understand the Western genre, but I had no expectations going in other than very general ones. The plot feels all over the place, and the ending is incredibly rushed. It feels like so much of the book is spent walking and describing the same scenery repeatedly. I actually enjoyed the vivid descriptions, apart from being a little repetitive. However, for such a short book, it felt like a lot of time was wasted. The first two-thirds of the book was decent. I thought the characters were fairly interesting, and the plot seemed to be building to something more interesting. Then, it takes a very strange and random feeling turn that ends up being completely pointless. Then, it does that again, rushes into the ending, and unapologetically uses a deus ex machina to wrap it all up. I'm okay with slow burns and less action. However, for something so short to do that while being incredibly rushed toward the end feels amateur.
The frustrating part is that I enjoyed some aspects. Some interesting ideas were explored, and the mysterious elements were fun. Although they are kind of gimmicky feelings, there is some depth to the philosophical ideas mentioned. I thought the characters had the potential to be interesting despite ultimately falling flat. The writing is actually decent and fairly vivid. L'Amour clearly spent a lot of time writing when he read this book. I found the historical elements interesting. The scenery was nice as well.
The issue is that the plot is abysmal. I understand that Westerners tend to focus on slowly building tension with a big ending. The ending did not feel big. It felt abrupt and almost pointless. The shifts in narrative focus feel almost deranged. Maybe I just don't understand what the goal was.
I think if the book cut out the random shifts in narrative, making it more focused, and explored the characters and philosophical ideas more, it could have actually been a decent read. Still, maybe the premise just wasn't worth that in the first place. It's just a really bad mix of being a super short book that drags painfully throughout the last third and then rushes into a lazy ending.
This review is kind of just me rambling. I didn't like this book, but I think it had potential. I'm not going to completely write about L'Amour, as I can see him writing a very good novel if more effort is put into it. However, there are a lot of other Western novels I am far more interested in (Lonesome Dove, Blood Meridian, etc).
February 28, 2023
Malibu, California, 1844. The Mulkerins own an indebted ranch. There is Eileen and her sons, Sean and Father Michael. Jaime died about a year ago. Jaime and Eileen had made many friends here before the boys were born. One was Juan, The Old One. He was not Chumash, but the last of an older tribe or people. Years ago, when struggling, Jaime had gone off into the mountains with Juan and returned with gold.
Sean is off in Acapulco selling hides and such. The evening before returning to California, a woman comes running down the beach, jumps into the water and swims to his boat. She is Mariana and is fleeing Machado who has won her hand from her uncle. Sean is forced to make sail. They race up the coast with Machado giving chase.
When they reach Malibu, they learn that Zeke Wooston and King Pin Russell have come for the family ranch. Sean and his mother decide that they must go in search of the source of gold that Jaime had found. They must find the Old One. They head out into the mountains.
Machado and now also Wooston and Russell give chase. Sean and Eileen find Juan who agrees to help them. Eileen and Juan go off alone to find the gold. Juan dies and Eileen returns to Sean, Mariana and Montero. They make it out of the mountains. Russell decides to leave the search and look instead for the gold. He finds the cave and Juan’s body. But then his vision blurs and he hears voices.
Eileen throws a fandango to delay the inevitable confrontation with Wooston. Things turn violent.
L’Amour and the multiverse. Mariana disappears for quite some time from the narrative, as do Del Campo and Polanco, men hired by Montero for protection. The narrative flips to Wooston and Russell several times. I don’t recall this in the other books I have read.
Sean is off in Acapulco selling hides and such. The evening before returning to California, a woman comes running down the beach, jumps into the water and swims to his boat. She is Mariana and is fleeing Machado who has won her hand from her uncle. Sean is forced to make sail. They race up the coast with Machado giving chase.
When they reach Malibu, they learn that Zeke Wooston and King Pin Russell have come for the family ranch. Sean and his mother decide that they must go in search of the source of gold that Jaime had found. They must find the Old One. They head out into the mountains.
Machado and now also Wooston and Russell give chase. Sean and Eileen find Juan who agrees to help them. Eileen and Juan go off alone to find the gold. Juan dies and Eileen returns to Sean, Mariana and Montero. They make it out of the mountains. Russell decides to leave the search and look instead for the gold. He finds the cave and Juan’s body. But then his vision blurs and he hears voices.
Eileen throws a fandango to delay the inevitable confrontation with Wooston. Things turn violent.
L’Amour and the multiverse. Mariana disappears for quite some time from the narrative, as do Del Campo and Polanco, men hired by Montero for protection. The narrative flips to Wooston and Russell several times. I don’t recall this in the other books I have read.
August 12, 2020
Another story that fails to disappoint. I get the impression this novel was precursor (since it was published earlier) to the bestseller "The Haunted Mesa" which is one my favorite L'Amour novels. Though it's one of his worst rated books because it's not the typical Western but we need to consider two things. One, what was the reason for L'Amour? Is he trying to teach us something? What's the theme of the book? Shouldn't we be opening our minds to the possibilities. And two, though L'Amour is a prolific Western author, why can he not do something else? I personally like this one more just because its supernatural.
This story is about the Irish family, the Mulkerins. They home is in jeopardy as the family is deep in debt. Sean returned him from sea and with his mother Eileen and a stowaway beauty, they retrace his father's footsteps with an enigmatic Indian to find gold.
This quote really stuck out to me and I thought I'd share it:
"What is an Indian? How does an Indian talk? An Indian is someone to whom the word seems to apply. It says no more than that, Senora. An Indian can be anything or anybody. You whites have just come, but what you call Indians came not long before you. Before them there were other peoples, and who knows who was the first? The land belongs to those who live upon it, Senora, and people come and go. We will not be the last, you and I, and these about us." -- Juan, the Old One
This story is about the Irish family, the Mulkerins. They home is in jeopardy as the family is deep in debt. Sean returned him from sea and with his mother Eileen and a stowaway beauty, they retrace his father's footsteps with an enigmatic Indian to find gold.
This quote really stuck out to me and I thought I'd share it:
"What is an Indian? How does an Indian talk? An Indian is someone to whom the word seems to apply. It says no more than that, Senora. An Indian can be anything or anybody. You whites have just come, but what you call Indians came not long before you. Before them there were other peoples, and who knows who was the first? The land belongs to those who live upon it, Senora, and people come and go. We will not be the last, you and I, and these about us." -- Juan, the Old One
May 29, 2018
This was my first Louis L'Amour book. My husband and I needed a book to listen to while traveling so I picked it up at the library. I thought it was pretty good. Had a lot of bad guys in it and lots of threatening situations. It was also mystical as there were un-explainable happenings. I kinda liked the mystical aspects but they didn't always happen like I expected them to.
The ending left some unanswered questions so we just assumed that everything worked out in the end for the good guys and left it at that.
I enjoyed the old man character. I liked that Sean wasn't blood thirsty while still defending their land and I liked that the women were strong and independent. For all the threats and bad guys the book wasn't nearly as violent as I thought it might be. But it wouldn't be a western without a gunfight or two right?
And while I don't usually read this genre I liked this book well enough that I would try another of his books sometime.
Sex: Some crass talk but not graphic
Language: a little
Violence: Gunfights
The ending left some unanswered questions so we just assumed that everything worked out in the end for the good guys and left it at that.
I enjoyed the old man character. I liked that Sean wasn't blood thirsty while still defending their land and I liked that the women were strong and independent. For all the threats and bad guys the book wasn't nearly as violent as I thought it might be. But it wouldn't be a western without a gunfight or two right?
And while I don't usually read this genre I liked this book well enough that I would try another of his books sometime.
Sex: Some crass talk but not graphic
Language: a little
Violence: Gunfights
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