The Daybreakers

The Sacketts #6

by Louis L'Amour

Orrin Sackett had to be pushed into a fight. But Tyrel Sackett was born to trouble. The night Tye stepped between his brother and a bullet changed them both forever. Now their trail pointed west, to a lawless frontier town called Sante Fe. Orrin took the job of marshal, while Tye commanded respect without a badge. When a loose end from their past turns up, one brother will be forced to revert to his old ways—if the other’s dreams are to be realized.…

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Historical, Audiobook, Classics

204 pages, Mass Market Paperback

First published February 1, 1960

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

[Dirk Grobbelaar · Rating 4 out of 5]

…pride and whiskey are a bad combination…

I’m intent on watching the mini-series / two part TV-movie (The Sacketts, 1979), so I’m reading the books on which it is based first. Namely: The Daybreakers & Sackett. They come conveniently collected in a Centennial Edition paperback.

So, let’s see.
What do we have here?

The gunfight(s). Check.

The moments seemed to plod, every detail stood out in sharp focus, clear and strong. Every sense, every emotion was caught and held, concentrated on that man coming up the street.

The close shave with the locals. Check.

They wanted me mighty bad, but that horse didn't like Utes any better than I did. He put his ears back and stretched out his tail and left there like a scared rabbit. My next shot was a miss. With [the] horse travelling like he'd forgot something in Santa Fe.

The thwarted ambush. Check.

A slow half hour passed before one of the men down below got ambitious. My rifle put a bullet so close it must have singed his whiskers and he hunkered down in the rocks.

And so on and so forth. I’ll stop now, before I end up quoting half the book.

The saga of the Sacketts is rather ambitious, and actually encompasses something like 19 novels and two short story collections. All of which deal with multiple generations of pioneers, town tamers, trappers, cowhands and gunslingers. Great fun all round.

The Daybreakers tells the story of Tyrel and Orrin Sackett who flee west after settling a family feud in the only way that makes sense (with a gun, of course). What follows is a yarn involving everything from cow herding to “town taming” and dealing with land grabbing politicians (and a whole lot in between). What’s truly remarkable is how L’amour manages to tell so much story in only 250-odd pages. Respect.

There is a wee bit of name dropping: Clay Allison, for one, makes a (very) brief appearance.

It reads quickly, contains some terrific gunfights, and it’s highly entertaining. Not much more I can ask for when it comes to this sort of thing. The only real complaint is that the story goes darn fast for the amount of ground it covers… if you don’t hold fast you’re bound to fall off.

”People have a greater tolerance for evil than for violence.”

[Katie Hanna · Rating 5 out of 5]

I am feeling . . . slighly broken.

In the best possible way.

This book is an intense, emotional ride--part wild roller-coaster of "where the heck are we" and part "RIGHT THIS WAY TO DOOM AND DESTRUCTION" and it really takes a lot out of a person, to go along. But I loved it.

Characters:
- Tyrel Sackett was . . . well, let's face it. He was wonderful. I don't have *quite* the same depth of feeling for him that I have for Rye Tyler of To Tame a Land, just 'cause I'll never feel about any other cowboy hero the way I feel about Rye--but still. Tyrel is a Man To Be Trusted. And if you know me, you know what a high compliment that is.
- What I liked most of all was how sure of himself he was--without ever getting 'cocky.' No false charm, no extraneous bragging, just quiet, steely confidence. That's my jam, and I'll take a double helping, please and thank you.
- Orrin Sackett was so sweet, although I DID sometimes think he was rather dumb; but, whatever. He has integrity and cares about helping people. That's what matters in the end. (And, he has Tye around to be all wary and cynical and to watch his back whenever he does dumb stuff, so yeah.)
- Tom Sunday. I didn't like the guy--at all. Make no mistake about that. BUT YEESH. That . . . um . . . that was quite something to witness. No spoilers. L'Amour made me Feel Things.
- (Seriously, though, I did not like Tom. He talks a big game but then doesn't do anything to back it up, and seems to expect riches and power to just fall into his lap. Not cool, bruh.)
- Drusilla!!! I wanted more of her; but what I got was lovely. She has such a calm elegance about her, and she's spirited and assertive, too. L'Amour usually doesn't spend any words on describing what his heroines actually LOOK LIKE (*glares pointedly*), but this time, he did, so I could picture Dru with no trouble at all. And that bit at the end, about the candlelight on her face and the thick adobe walls shutting out the sounds of the world all around? That was gold.
- (More of Tye and Dru actually together would've been nice though????)
- THE SACKETTS' MOM IS A LADY HERO AND I WANT TO MEET HER AND GET HER AUTOGRAPH. I'm not kidding. This book was 500% better than it already was, just because she was around. She clearly worked so very hard to raise those boys right; and in the end, all her hard work paid off, and I just . . . I need a moment . . . *sniffles* Plus, she smokes a corncob pipe like a boss. I approve.

Plot:
- First off, let me say this book deals seriously with Anglo-Americans' racism towards Mexicans, and their entitled/imperialist attitude toward Mexican land claims in the mid-1800s; and I was very, very happy with the result. This is important stuff to talk about, and L'Amour talked about it. Good on him.
- Second--the plot of this story was the perfect mix of twisty, surprising, confusing, plain-as-the-nose-on-your-face, and Tragically Inevitable. I always sort of knew what was going to happen, and yet I never quite knew what was going to happen. (And by the end, I was pretty much dazed.) I don't want to spoil anything so I won't tell you much about it. But it's the kind of plotting where you know you really just need to take notes for your own stories; it's THAT good.
- There's a ton of drama here. But it's never overplayed. It's all subtle stuff; and that's my favorite kind.

Content: Some violence (it's a Western, after all). Old-fashioned swearing, but not too much of it. VERY MILD romance.

Conclusion:

I think Tye Sackett needs a hug. Anybody on board???

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

I finished reading The Daybreakers. I have read this story a couple of times and enjoy Tyrel and Orrin’s adventures. It’s a shame Tom Sunday cannot control his jealousy. I liked the TV movie although they added Tell the story still works well. Perhaps because Louis helped in the script.

There is a lot of action, romance and betrayal in this story. Laura bewitches Orrin and for a supposedly politically astute man he is an idiot when it comes to the fairer sex unlike Tyrel who hits the jackpot with Dru.

Good western story with gunfights, cattle drives, political chicanery, wide open spaces and lots of discussions on the merits of horses.

[Eva-Joy · Rating 5 out of 5]

LOUIS L'AMOUR, WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME???

Answer: he's broken my heart with this STUPID AWESOME BOOK AND ITS STUPID AWESOME CHARACTERS AND ITS JUST PLAIN STUPID AND HORRIBLE ENDING. Uggggggggh.

*bawls*

TOMMMMMM.

[Jacob Proffitt · Rating 4 out of 5]

Deciding to read the Sackett novels in chronological order was bound to have some rough jumps as they were written throughout L'Amour's career—and completely out of order. This, the sixth chronologically, was the first he published. The fourth was the last (shortly after Ride the River, my favorite so far). So I've jumped back nearly 25 years in his career with this book. And you know that's going to show.

The contrast between the books is actually an interesting one. The style is a little rockier, but not glaringly so. You have the same scene-gazing and lyrical daydreaming about the land and the values needed to thrive in wild country. And you have a strongly action-driven story and the same manly virtues of competence in service to higher ideals of justice, loyalty, and doing what's right in the face of lethal opposition.

But at the same time, I thought Tyrel was much more . . . human? He was less certain of himself than any of the previous heroes. And the gifts of his heritage weren't quite so pronounced. Indeed, he starts the book functionally illiterate and that's a complete betrayal of how important reading has been to all the previous generations (where even Jubal the loner was a man fond of his books and praising the virtues of classical education). Tyrel's self-doubt was surprising, but also endearing, as it engaged me more deeply into his choices and decisions—not least because they felt more like actual choices and decisions rather than simple expressions of already-existing character and/or heritage.

Which would seem to indicate that I liked it more, but that's actually not the case. I liked Tyrel more, that's true, but the story itself was more surface and less heart. It wandered a bit (though each piece had purpose in light of the overall story arc), and the challenges felt almost rote at times (breaking up a gold miner ambush ring, rousting rowdies, getting the tin star, cattle rustling, etc.). So the characters were more complex, but the story much less so.

So it felt like his "loss" in characterization over time was almost exactly balanced by a "gain" in storytelling. Which gave the oddest impression that L'Amour stayed pretty much the same throughout his very prolific career.

Okay, enough naval-gazing. This is a decent story, with a wonderful lead character and a strong supporting cast. I can see why readers were drawn to the Sacketts from the start with this as the lead-in.

[Lisa Kay · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Wild Ones, by artist Andy Thomas
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http://www.andythomas.com

★★★★½ This is a review of the audiobook, with excellent narration by David Strathairn. It is from first person POV, and Mr. Strathairn is at his best as a young gunslinger that uses his wits and reason as well as his talent to talk more than one man out of drawing against him. Mr. Strathairn does NOT use a falsetto voice for the innocent young female voice, but a butter soft Spanish accent. Very nice!

Still, it is a Western in the truest sense of the word, so we get plenty of horses, cattle drives, Indian & bar fights, disagreements over found gold, and life-changing decisions as the two young Sackett brothers, Tyrel & Orrin, grow into men over the years. This is an old Western, written by the master, with a dash of “one foot on the floor” romance thrown in just to keep me happy.

[Bo Everett · Rating 5 out of 5]

He Was The Best.

[Stephanie Ricker · Rating 4 out of 5]

Solid, classic L'Amour, and better than average. If you can figure out the numbering system for the Sackett series, you're a smarter reader than I; my book (which looks just like this edition's cover) says it's #3 in the series, Goodreads says it's #6, and evidently this was the first one L'Amour actually wrote (??), so I have no idea. Fortunately, you can jump into the Sackett series at just about any point, so this doesn't hamper enjoyment of this action-packed story at all. Tyrel is better and more subtly developed than some of L'Amour's heroes, and while Orrin has the intellect of a sweet-natured brick, Cap Roundtree makes up for what he lacks in savvy.

[Aaron · Rating 4 out of 5]

The first in the long-running saga of the Sackett family, which is the sixth chronologically. Brothers Tyrel and Orrin Sackett head west and settle in Colorado, struggling against rough men and injustice as they gradually rise to the challenges of keeping their foothold in the frontier.

My first Louis L'Amour, recommended by Ben, was my first experience with a traditional Western. I'd found a gradual but significant respect for the genre in movies and TV thanks to The Dark Tower, and also noting that a lot of the themes and qualities I enjoyed about fantasy also were pretty common in westerns. There aren't elves and magic, but there is still that exploratory sense of the frontier and a lack of law enforcement that involves something other than a quick death. This was an excellent chronology told by Tye Sackett, a young gun with a solid sense of right and wrong, filled with tense situations and cinematic gunfights. The characters and their arcs are believable and tragic. My only real complaint was how Native Americans are portrayed as barbaric and almost alien, otherwise I appreciated the virtues and flaws of all of the memorable major characters. If all of L'Amour's books are as starkly poetic as this had the capacity to be, I'm going to be a fan. I'd instantly recommend this one for anyone seeking a good introduction to westerns, considering how many familiar tropes are used to great effect.

[K.M. Carroll · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my first L'Amour, and it was a really good read. I've been meaning to read some westerns, since it's a genre I don't know at all, and this book fascinated me. I love the way the west changes over time, and the way the characters evolve along with it. Also, this quote:

Right then I felt sorry for Martin Brady, although his kind would outlast my kind because people have a greater tolerance for evil than for violence. If crooked gambling, thieving, and robbing are covered over, folks will tolerate it longer than outright violence, even when the violence may be cleansing.

[Carol Jones-Campbell · Rating 5 out of 5]

I didn't start this series at the beginning, but it seemed to stand well alone. This is only the third of Louis L'Amour's that I have read. I thoroughly enjoyed it.

Tyrel Sackett (Tye) was born to trouble, but vowed to justice. After having to kill a man in Tennessee, he hit the trail west with his brother Orrin. Those were the years when decent men and women lived in fear of Indians, rustlers, and killers, but the Sackett brothers worked to make the West a place where people could raise their children in peace. Orrin brought law and order from Santa Fe to Montana, and his brother Tye backed him up every step of the way. Till the day the job was done, Tye Sackett was the fastest gun alive.

This is the first novel in which the main characters are L'Amour's iconic Sackett Family. Tyrel kills the last male member of the Higgins clan; with whom the Sacketts have been feuding for a generation or two. It was 'a good shooting' but Tyrel avoids being arrested or killing the lawman who'd come after him. He finds a cow camp in Arkansas and his older brother Orrin finds him and the two of them become the central characters in an original piece of Western fiction by the author. Perhaps that's the reason this is one of the books that stand out he authored. A good read or listen, especially if you like this type of writing. Written by Louis L'Amour and narrated by Louis Strathairn
Recommend.

[Allison Tebo · Rating 5 out of 5]

From my blog. http://allisonswell.website/2018/04/1...

This book hooked me on Louis L’Amour and made me anxious to try more! Louis La’mour’s sparse but colorful style perfectly suited the fast-paced passage of time portrayed in The Daybreakers and he captured the grim, hard, inevitability of this setting and this plot with a steely hand that did not make it in any way depressing. And as for the protagonist – WELL. Within a few pages, Tyrel Sackett had joined my hallowed halls of favorite characters of all time. Humorous, humble, quirky, dangerous, ignorant but anxious to learn, shy, mean, kind and hard – Tyrel is a one-in-a-million character. What a relief to read a book where REAL MEN are portrayed. I am sick to death of the Byronic, namby-pamby, *sensitive* males. Tyrel is a man that BUILDS his future and wastes no time in doing it. Tye is the fastest, meanest gunslinger around that can back up his tough reputation without the blink of an eye. In his spare time, he rounds up cattle, builds a house, saves and protects his new Mexican friends, becomes a sheriff, cleans up a town, outfoxes and outmaneuvers of a myriad of enemies. This guy is EPIC – and he is based off of real men that tamed our country.

[Elana · Rating 4 out of 5]

Favorite lines

"You stick your finger in the water and you pull it out, and that is how much of a whole you leave when you're gone."

"Violence is an evil thing, but when the guns are all in the hands of the men without respect for human rights then men are really in trouble."

"Folks who talk about no violence are always the ones who are first to call a policeman and usually they are sure there is one handy."

"People have a greater tolerance for evil than for violence. If crooked gamboling, thieving and robing are covered over folks will tolerate it longer than out right violence, even when the violence may be cleansing."

[Natasha · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5-4 stars

This was the first book by Louis L'Amour that I've read, and I enjoyed it! :) I wouldn't call it my favorite type of book... it took me a while to read the whole thing, but I liked it. :)

I liked Tye and Dru. <3 I also liked Orrin, though he is bad at picking a wife. ;P Seriously, that girl was terrible.

That ending... it was sad! :( Well, it was pretty much the ending. I would've liked to see some more scenes of Tyrel and Dru, like their wedding... But I guess this is a western, not a romance. :P

Anyhow, I'd recommend this to those who like Westerns! ;) There was swearing in the book, though, just so you know. Not really bad ones, but it's in there.

[Benjamin Thomas · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite Louis L'Amour western novel (out of over 75 read). It's probably because I like Tyrell Sackett so much as a POV character but I also love the Sacketts overall, especially the three brothers depicted here. Along with that, it is one of the first L'Amour books I had read back when I was in my 20s so I suppose some nostaligia effects my judgement. I've even watched "The Sacketts" movie a few times which depicts this story along with "Sackett" simultaneously.

[Rebekah Morris · Rating 4 out of 5]

That was fun. Having never read any Louis L'Amour books before, but having watched the movie based on this book, I was interested to see what I thought. I liked it. It took me a few pages to get used to the style of writing and it being in first person, but after that, I was hooked. The characters came alive and I felt as though I was listening to Tyrel Sackett telling his story. It was one of those books that you read and time disappears. I don't image this will be my last Louis L'Amour book.

[Pj · Rating 4 out of 5]

After reading many Louis L'Amour books, this one was rocky for me- the reason for not a full 5 stars. It didn't seem to be written in the same manner as his other books. Rushed at times, telling the story not showing it, different tenses, a plot that was a little disjointed BUT... it's a LL book...lots of action, pearls of wisdom, with wonderful places and characters! Lastly, I loved all the references to 'books' in this one--that's all I'm going to say about that! 🤠

[Morgan Giesbrecht · Rating 4 out of 5]

What a ride! I’m still new to Westerns and this author, but I enjoyed it far more than the first book of L’Amour’s I read.

I think the characters were my favourite part. While I have mixed feelings about Orrin and Tom, I love Tye and Dru. They are just adorable together, and I wished we had gotten to see more of them.

As for the ending…oh my! *sniffles*

Many thanks to Eva and Katie for the recommendation!

Content: language (hell, damned, son of a b****)

[Alan Tomkins · Rating 4 out of 5]

An exciting, action packed western that was a really fun read. The writing didn't flow quite as well as some of L'Amour's other books, with their evocative prose and beautiful descriptions of the West's natural and stark beauty, but it was great entertainment.

[Bookworm · Rating 5 out of 5]

My first Sackett book, and definitely not the last! Lamour's raw, firm style of riding is amazing!

[Olivia · Rating 4 out of 5]

Ahhh the book that started me on Louis L’Amour 🥰

It’s funny, I’d only picked it up as a result of my brother(who isn’t a reader) actually reading it so I had to see what was up.

I now have collected quite a few LL’s and keep going back to him! At the time of this review, I’ve probably read this book 3 times. I think that is definitely a recommendation in of itself to LL’s work that he’s more than worth rereading.

Not just for the story’s themselves, which I love, but seeing the lifestyle that defines his characters, the historical elements(most traipsing terrain the author himself was familiar with and true-to-life places). That he gives each of his characters something to stand on that guides them and we can all learn from(both good or bad), and they feel real; they’ve each got things they wrestle with about themselves or things that you might not like but they’re still ones you can relate to and might even like knowing in real life. I enjoy LL’s sense of humor and some of the situations he sets up as well as the turns of phrase make me grin.

I like Tyrell. His shyness with Dru is adorable! The wash house situation made me laugh almost as much as the rest of the town!

I like that Orrin has a “Welsh tongue” and LL makes story telling and singing a part of their lives(I just wish Orrin had been smarter with his choice of a woman. Made me irritated at him but then felt so sorry for him. At least he backs up his brother in the end though)

Tom Sunday… oh Tom. I appreciated the nod to true friendship versus pride and who you listen to, especially when you want to justify what you want to believe about someone

[Chris Gager · Rating 3 out of 5]

The master gets down to business right snappy as he has his narrator Ty Sackett kill a baddie and hustle up out of Tennessee in only a few paragraphs. Nothing remarkable about this, but the writing is good and the story less than 200 pages. It'll be over tonight! It's amazing how many authors chose the famous/infamous Llano Encantado as a setting. That's the "challenging" high plains environment of West Texas/SE Colorado/SW Kansas and NE New Mexico. Go west of Amarillo towards Albuquerque on I-40 ... nasty and mystical - a hard land to survive in.

- Some hints of Cormac McCarthy here: Cities on the Plain, All the Pretty Horses.

- One has mixed feelings about the killing of Indians(or, as my sister would insist, Native Americans) for pretty much any reason. Much is made of how the Old Don's family wrested, settled and "improved" his grant, but ... he did steal the land from the previous inhabitants didn't he???? The author seems pretty straightforward in his asides about the red men. Not a bigot in any marked way that I can see.

Finished last night and a bit baffled as to why one would give this 4*. I mean, it's OK, but nothing special, and even has one little issue that I detected. It seems that the author(or an editor) went out of his/her way to keep this book short. There are numerous confusing temporal and location leaps and one needs to pay close attention to where/when the story is at any given time. I liked that the author assures the readers after the ending that all of the locations are authentic, and that he has personally been to every one of them - cool!

- An easy 3* book.

[Fairview Library · Rating 2 out of 5]

Brandon's Review:

My grandfather was a MASSIVE fan of L’Amour. He had almost every one of his books, with many being special edition leather bound versions. He had read every one he owned at least three or four times. For some reason, I had a craving for a Western, a genre that has never struck my interest before. To be completely honest, the closest to a western that I had previously read was perhaps Hank the Cowdog. Clearly, I was very well prepared for the journey ahead.

Due to my grandpa’s obsession with the man, and my inadequate knowledge of the genre, L’Amour was the first name that came to mind. Daybreakers was one of good ol’ Louis’s most well known books, so it became an obvious choice.

Truthfully, I’ve never been into westerns, though I can see the allure. Bursts of excitement and overflowing machismo, gunpowder and alcohol, damsels and lots of cows. Despite all this, it is also a genre with a reputation of predictability and cheese. With Daybreakers, I feel that I got all of the above.

The real beef that I have with this book is that it feels very rushed. Truly, I feel that Louis L’Amour is not a bad author. Some of the scenes he sets and dilemmas presented are interesting and could be the start to a great storyline. However, these lines die within pages. Similarly, L’Amour will often introduce characters, giving them a name and description, only to have them shot within a few sentences. It just seems pointless, possibly an attempt to build a world that never really comes to fruition.

The famous western shootouts that I came in expecting were throughout the book and quite numerous. The buildup is often relatively short, and the shootout itself is not a great payoff. Think about it as a very short and disappointing rollercoaster. Some shootouts took place from start to finish within a couple sentences. Almost every time Tye or one of his comrades would use their superhuman agility, awareness, or strength to out-wit/intimidate/shoot their opponents before they even got a shot off.

Alongside these issues, there are numerous plot holes and lapses in the story. Often it feels like scenes were cut for time, with an editor or L’Amour trying to trim the fat as much as possible to put out a quick and easy book. Large swaths of travel and character development are skipped entirely, meaning that almost all of the characters remain flat and one dimensional. Characters often will randomly appear or will come to the scene right when they are needed for no reason whatsoever. Instead of developing the characters or giving motive, they just seem to fly in when needed as useful plot devices.

Many times while reading this book, these inconsistencies and oddities would begin to wear on me, and I wanted to add it to my DNF pile. But, there was something about the writing, and a certain charm that the book had, that made me continue reading. It is hard to explain, but I think the simplicity of it all allowed for me to turn my brain off and just read, despite having no real investment in the book. Perhaps the ghost of my grandfather was goading me on in hopes that the ending would change my mind. (It did not.)

In summation, this book was a bit of a mess. There was a western charm, but it was not strong enough to pull up the weak characters, plot holes, and predictability. Too much fat was trimmed from this book, leaving us with a flavorless and dry piece of beef, perfect for a cowboy to take on the trail.

[ValeReads Kyriosity · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is the first in the series that's really felt like a western. I could see it in my mind's eye like any western I've seen onscreen. One of the bad guys is named Fetterson. My mind's eye also chose to see a certain Pennsylvania senator cast in that role. If L'Amour mentioned the relationship between these Sacketts and his earlier ones, I missed it, so it felt a bit disjointed from the rest of the series. I think it was one of the earlier ones written.

There seems to be a discrepancy re where the series goes next. Goodreads and my library have one list. The Louis L'Amour site has another. Haven't decided yet which I'll follow and haven't found any arguments one way or t'other.

[Emma · Rating 4 out of 5]

Shout-out to my dad for picking this for our family book club - I never in my life would have read a western voluntarily but HOT DAMN this was a big ball of fun. I enjoyed every minute.

[Amanda Stevens · Rating 4 out of 5]

Do two years a tradition make? For the second consecutive year my first read has been a L'Amour, and I think I'll continue this. Reading reviews, I'm thinking I'd better get to this whole series and soon. I've only read Sackett's Land before this one, not realizing at the time that L'Amour didn't write them chronologically. I disliked it--or to be precise, I disliked extra-special-with-a-cherry-on-top Barnabas Sackett.

But this one, I loved. Tyrel is a great protagonist, tough and insecure and trustworthy, and now I want to meet Tell, and--whoa wait what, later books bring all the brothers together? Now that's exciting. Characters developed over multiple books. Brothers teaming up to take care of each other. These are a few of my favorite literary things.

[Elsie Stoltzfus · Rating 4 out of 5]

Great! Mama just finished reading it out loud to the family. Very enjoyable.

[Katy Kotlarczyk · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first Louis Lamour. I enjoyed it. Morality tale wrapped in Western scenes with some history lessons around the edges. I can see the appeal.

[Taylor Atkinson · Rating 2 out of 5]

It's... okay. It does have good moments. The scenes towards the end, when Tye, our protagonist, helps run the town, remind me of a less funny version of the film "Support Your Local Sheriff."

I enjoy a protagonist with a strong moral compass; I find it comforting to read characters who I can trust to do right. The entire Sackett series has that in spades.

I struggled with how the passing of time is conveyed. There were scenes of our main characters chatting while on cattle drives that are interrupted with something like "and two years passed of them doing this." The very next scene is of the same characters on another cattle drive, chatting again about similar topics! No real person changes 0% in two years. Doesn't happen. Moments like that left me feeling like the characters had been stripped of anything compelling and left as tropes.

Also, at the end, the character who has the most to lose is not Tye, the protagonist -- it's the brother. Tye is the driver of our action, but it came across to me from a writing point of view as, "Huh, Orrin had the most interesting story to tell by the end of this arc but I'm already 85% done with this novel and don't want to rewrite it to make him the protagonist instead of Tye."

Lastly, I'm not sure Tye actually wants anything. Other than to not have to draw his revolver, that is. Oh, and to set Ma up with her rocker on a new homestead out west. Beyond that, he felt devoid of motivation. The book progresses along the lines of: a scenario or dilemma presents itself to Tye, he's reluctant about everything but makes the moral choice, and then we move to the next scene and repeat. I guess he felt more like a puppet to be used as a plot device and less like an actor who drives plot or character growth.

I suspect I'm at the point where these are all Westerns now and will start to all feel the same.

Prize for the best horse name goes to Montana, with a close second going to Satan (Sate, for short).

[*Stani* · Rating 5 out of 5]

The story of two brother Sackett’s - Tyrell and Orrin as they make their way west.

They join cattle herders and become friends with two of them, Tom Sunday and Cap Tountree. They decide to make their own living by herding cattle down into Santa Fe and selling it for profit.

On the way Orrin and Ty learn how to read and write from Tom Sunday.

The issue arises when the group comes upon a burnt wagon train and they found a lot of money in one of them. Tom Sunday wants to keep the loot and split it, but Orrin wants to do the right thing and send the money to the right owner.

From that day there is a rift between Tom and Orrin.

When they arrive in a town of Mora, both Tom Sunday and Orrin run for the office of sheriff. With backing from a rich, but ruthless land developer, Jonathan Pritts, Orrin wins the office, further alienating Tom Sunday, who grows bitter, reckless and reclusive.

The story follows their adventures and misadventures, love interest of Tyrell, who falls for a granddaughter of a rich don who owns a huge piece of land and a cattle ranch. The ranch is in jeopardy as Jonathan Pritts and his cronies want to steal it for themselves as they don’t believe Mexicans have any rights to it.

A rift between Orrin and Tyrell arise as Orrin marries Pritt’s daughter.

Their trials and loyalties come head to head through the final showdown for the ranch and for the land they swore to protect.

It was really well written book of the Sackett saga. I like that this one was set down South and the issues of the time between United States and Mexico.