Kid Rodelo

by Louis L'Amour

Joe Harbin hadn't killed a man for a fortune in gold just to sit in prison and let Rodelo collect it. But when he and his men break out and head for the stash, they end up with a pair of unwelcome partners: Rodelo and a beautiful woman with a hidden past. To get fifty thousand dollars in gold across fifty miles of desert, the desperate band quickly learns how much they need each other---and how deep their greed and suspicion can run. At the end of the journey lie the waters of Baja and a new life in Mexico, but first they have to survive the savage heat, bounty-hunting Yaqui Indians, and the shifting, treacherous nature of both the desert sands and their own conflicting loyalties.

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

Audio CD

First published March 1, 1966

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

[Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

"To attempt to escape across the desert, dotted here and there by low-growing creosote or burro bush, was madness . . . Yet there was no time to stop." -- the omniscient narrator, on page 1

Kid Rodelo (although the title character is never referred to with said moniker, however the late film critic Roger Ebert opined in his original 1992 review of Unforgiven that "every western as 'a Kid'") seems like one of author L'Amour's B-grade and/or extended novella stories. The wrongly-jailed protagonist receives his release on the same day that two hardened outlaws and a village idiot-type make a daring impromptu escape from a remote Arizona territory prison. Wouldn't you know that they all are seeking the same hidden cache of pilfered gold coins? Said group uneasily throws in together - plus the addition of a fair maiden - and attempt to make their way on horseback across the scorching desert landscape (the author excels with the several details in driving home just how unbearably the humidity and lack of water can affect a person) to reach an arriving boat at the gulf. Oh, and they also have to avoid a mixed squad of Yaqui and Yuma natives who specialized in hunting down escapees and apprehending them in return for the almighty dollar . . . dead or alive. Not my favorite L'Amour book, but it was not bad for a disposable little suspense-adventure novel.

[W · Rating 2 out of 5]

It is the story of a bunch of desperate men,trying to get to fortune in gold.But before that,they have to cross the desert,contend with the heat,Indians and Kid Rodelo.And there is the obligatory beautiful woman accompanying him.

And then,there is their own greed and whether they can remain loyal to each other.

A pretty standard western. I was reminded of countless western movies with similar stories.
L'Amour's writing style grated a bit too,his prose isn't all that elegant.

The book began life as a short story rejected by several magazines,but ended up as a novel and a movie.

[Laur · Rating 3 out of 5]

Classic L’Amour. There's too many reviews and ratings to add my own 2 cents worth here - I think it boils down to just personal preference and the memories or feelings (in some cases) invoked by others, i.e. family, friends, teachers, etc.

It's a personal thing about this story that makes me give it the 3 rating. (A couple of things said in dialogue that I wish hadn't been said.) No matter - one needs to remember it's fiction and creativity in the mind of the author.

Amazing story? No. Amazing writing? No. But whispers to me for unknown reasons, unknown even to me.

[Joyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

Edoardo Ballerini is a great narrator for this classic L'Amour western. He gets the voice right for the character--more likely to use his brains than his fists, soft-spoken, laconic, honorable. After he's released from jail, having served a year for a crime he didn't commit, he picks up the gold and heads for the coast. And if he's so honorable, why did he take the stolen gold? Unfortunately, the murderer and his pals who actually stole the gold escape prison and track him down. So he's leading them and a woman with a secret past across 50 miles of desert, followed by the Indians who want the bounty on the escapees. Quintessential L'Amour western, with the landscape almost more dangerous than the outlaws and the Indians.

[Schmacko · Rating 3 out of 5]

I read this, because my dad used to love Louis L’Amour westerns. I never got to know my Dad well (nor he I for that matter). Well, in reading some of his favorites, I’ve come to realize my dad was geeky, with a taste for pulp. He also loved Raymond Chandler. So, I get it now; Dad had a bent for chewy, manly crap written with too much style and swagger. (Although I still love Chandler, I admit, for this very reason.)

A couple web sites said Kid Rodelo is one of L’Amour’s best. REALLY!?!? Bwahahaha!

People are going to hate me for disparaging this stuff without proof. So, I’ll give you the first paragraph of this book:

“The Yuma Desert, east of the Colorado River mouth, was like the floor of a furnace; but of the four riders, three were Yaqui Indians and accustomed to the heat, as were the buzzards swinging in lazy circles above them. The fourth rider did not mind the heat. He was dead.”

You can practically hear L’Amour drawling around the chaw in his mouth to spit out this ham-fisted stuff. YAY! Is it fun? Yep. Is it serious? God, no. It was purely escapist fluff varnished in Old West toughness. Everything here is heroic and manly in simplistic but gargantuan ways that I – intellectual, gay - could never measure up to for my Dad. (Nor do I really want to, seriously…yick…) Yessir, Pops loved L’Amour books for their machismo and fantasy. In fact, this book is probably only slightly more violent and less silly than the stuff my dad read when he was 12.

I kind of like the old man a bit more now.

[Liam Mulvaney · Rating 2 out of 5]

I think 'meh!' sounds about right. I couldn't care less for the characters. The story could have been done without the forced love story.

2/5

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Louis L'Amour is one of my father's favourites, and there were a lot of his novels around the house when I was growing up. I read a couple of them as a boy; they were fun but didn't make as much of an impact on me as other authors I discovered in my parents' collection: Tolkien, Asimov, Lovecraft, Wodehouse, even Agatha Christie. This year I finally got around to reading a L'Amour and it's pretty effective for what it aims at. There's no undying prose here, nor the literary apotheosis via pulp someone like Jim Thompson could have made of this basic scenario - an ill-assorted group of drifters and outlaws scurrying across an inhospitable desert to get away with ill-gotten gold.

L'Amous paints his characters with broad strokes; we get the picture, and that's about it. He puts a lot more detail into describing their desert surroundings, and even if his phrasing sometimes seems cribbed straight from a geography textbook, with a sprinkling of heavy-handed pulp stylistics added, he conjures up some pretty effective images.

At 150 pages, this boon never gets a chance to outstay its welcome. It won't change your life but it will do very well as something to while away a dull evening.

[Tony · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoy a good Western now and then for some good ol' escapism, and once again, Louis L'Amour came thru for me. Kid Rodelo was an fun, quick read and tells the story of Danny Rodelo, a man falsely convicted of a robbery(in the wrong place at the wrong time) and spends a year in prison. After he is released, a small group of convicts (one who he was accused of helping in the robbery) escape to find the hidden loot. Danny is followed by the escaped prisoners and a band of bounty-hunting Yaquis Indians all thru the treacherous landscape of southern Arizona.

The read took me far away from this crazy world, and I found myself fighting the heat of the desert background, along with our hero. The description of the trail thru the Arizona terrain was beautifully done and the cast of characters that led you on the journey were well written, even if at times they seemed 'cookie-cutter'. There is no doubt why Louis L'Amour is called America's Storyteller. A recommended easy read for some quick escapist western pulp. Just my two cents

[Gary Anderson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Kid Rodelo is Louis L’Amour’s 1965 novelization of a screenplay based on his unpublished short story originally written in the late 1940s. None of that matters if the story is no good, and this one is pretty decent as far as western novels go.

Kid Rodelo serves prison time for a crime he didn’t commit, and then ends up in the Yuma desert with some shady characters and a mysterious young lady. They are trying to survive crossing the scorching desert with several obstacles in their way: the heat, their distrust of each other, and a gang of “Injuns” content to follow them and collect their corpses for the reward money. Kid Rodelo shows L’Amour’s trademark authenticity in his writing about horses, guns, and geography. The plot is suspenseful, and the good guy is even more heroic than we are originally led to believe.

Louis L’Amour’s portrayal of indigenous Americans isn’t exactly enlightened, although it is also not the most egregiously noxious depiction I’ve seen from writers of the same period. (L’Amour became more sensitized to these issues in his later years.)

Kid Rodelo is part of the new “Louis L’Amour’s Lost Treasures” series. The new paperback edition of this title includes the novel, the original story on which it was based, and some explanatory notes by L’Amour’s son Beau. I received a copy of the book as a Goodreads Giveaway in exchange for this honest review.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

L'Amour's books were wildly popular, and they still have many fans. I enjoyed the story for the most part, despite it being predictable and much longer drawn out that I felt was warranted for this story, with things repeated way too many times. It could easily have been a novella of 100 or so pages. Some things missed the editor too, at least I thought so. I can't say I really liked Rodelo that much, his character just seemed dull, despite the attempts to make him seem particularly honorable and skilled.

[Josh Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Not the usual from L'amour. Some similarity. Always a damsel in distress.

[Martha Keder · Rating 4 out of 5]

Westerns aren't really my style, but this is well written and exciting

[Natalie Davis · Rating 3 out of 5]

Read this during my visit to California. The author is very descriptive and it’s interesting to read about an area of the west that I never thought about and the times that brought us out there

[hotsake (André Troesch) · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5
This started off slow and had a bit of an abrupt ending, but solid writing kept me entertained and reading.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

I enjoyed this read. It is short, somewhat formulaic and not keen on straying far from convenient character types and situations. But Louis L'Amour knew how to write, he understood his subject and he had a great knack for describing things with both brevity and clarity, leaving just enough room for the imagination. The result is work quite a bit better than what you'd expect.

Kid Rodelo has all of that on display, wrapped in a surprisingly lean and fast timeline. I can see why some argue this is one of L'Amour's best books (though I've not read enough of his work to confirm that). L'Amour deftly mixes clear Western stereotypes (a skilled yet mysterious underdog righting a wrong, a strong and powerful woman he inevitably is drawn to, a clear villain with only themselves on their mind, and a smattering of other characters divided along the lines of honour and courage) with a knack for vivid yet brief prose.

The characters are nothing new, nor all that interesting. But this appears intentional, because the main focus is the odyssey of their trek. The desert is the real star here. L'Amour really gets it right and takes you there, though at times I felt his pacing was a little too fast to take things in.

But that is a minor quibble. Kid Rodelo is a fun and fast read, from an author I'm beginning to think was far better than the literary snobs who looked down on him.

[Kit★ · Rating 3 out of 5]

Grandpa gave me another bag of L'Amours but said I can't keep these ones, so just making a note. This one is set as one of my books for the name challenge in the Bookworm Buddies group (I think).
3.5 Stars Misplaced it for a week or two, but found it again and finished. I liked it quite well, the desert setting was harsh and I could picture it all too well. I liked the short timeframe of the story, the way the characters were isolated and in danger. The action never got overly exciting, but the shootouts and stuff were still enough to keep me happy. I found their trek fascinating, the fight through the terrain, finding the natural water tanks and all that. I guess I never really thought about what it would be like to go through that country. I felt like I really didn't get to know Rodelo or Nora as well as I wanted to, so that detracts a little. However, I still liked both of them, and I liked the way it all played out. A good entertaining story to pass the time, and I'll be continuing with reading more of L'Amour's books in the future.

[Willow Anne · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good book by Louis L'Amour. I haven't read one in a while, and I've been thinking about them a lot lately, so I figured it was time to pick one up again. I always have a few sitting on my shelf for when I'm in the mood to read them, and today was that day.

I really like the ones that are about surviving in the desert, maybe because it hits close to home, so that made me like this one even more. There were just two interesting and potentially useful things I learned from this book, so here they are.

What I Learned:

◾If you're in the desert, don't ration out your water and only drink a little at a time, you'll just be constantly weak and won't make it far. You're better off drinking a lot of water all at once, as you'll last longer.
◾The howls of coyotes and wolves don't echo. Only the sound of humans trying to imitate their howls echo, so if you hear a howl and it echos, it's a person, not a coyote or wolf.

[Sandra · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have stayed away from Louis L'Amour my entire life. It was an unspoken rule to not read his books because they are so far from the classics, or contemporary, or fun reads.... I was wrong to stay away, but not for any of these reasons. I went to dessert and felt the heat, heard the water in a pool as the horses drank, felt the pain of cracked lips in the sun, and I learned a bunch of names of some desert plants that I love (cholla, seguaro, creosote, yucca). Despite the story line being somewhat predictable and a bit of pulp, I loved it. I loved the grouchy characters and I loved how this author shares a love and reverence for the desert. I would recommend this book and will consider other Louis L'Amour books for quick escapist reading.

[M.J. Groves · Rating 5 out of 5]

Well, dadgummit, I finally figured out why people read Louis L'Amour--the guy can tell a story! I've been casting aspersions (silently, silently) from my elitist reading perch at a man I knew only as a prolific author of westerns. Finding a leather- bound edition of Kid Rodelo in the cabin of the dude ranch we were at, and having nothing else to do by the firelight after the power went out (no snide remarks), I picked it up with a sigh...and couldn't put it down. Just today I bought 2 more. These are fun, fast reads, and I don't suppose I'll go through his whole 100 or more books, but call me an unabashed fan. Yee-hah!

[Michael · Rating 4 out of 5]

If you are a fan of Louis L'Amour, this is vintage L'Amour at his best: good guy gets into a bad situation, there is a struggle against a protagonist, the hero comes out in the end being underestimated and a heck of a shot, and the hero gets the girl. Along the way, L'Amour's description of the geography, scenery, etc. are second to none: when the main character is dying of thirst out in the hot desert, a part of you feels thirsty, too. While the story lines of most of L'Amour's books can be predicted, they are an enjoyable 1.5 to 2 hour diversion, and he makes you feel as if you are right in the middle of the action.

[Tyler · Rating 3 out of 5]

A bit difficult to rate this one. Did I have any glaring issues with it? No. Is it a book that will have a lasting impact on me? No. However what I wanted when I picked it up was a fun western adventure that didn’t take too much brain power and it was exactly that.

I did feel like the characters were pretty one-dimensional and lacked the emotional depth of a book like Hondo. It also lacked the super interesting Native American cultural elements that are present in much of L’amour’s work.

That said it was fun and a good escape! The male equivalent to a trashy romance novel. Sometimes that’s what you need.

[Charles Carter · Rating 2 out of 5]

Pocket paper-backs, pulp fiction Westerns. These were the modern substitutes for knights in shining armour. They were also adult-approved versions of a kids comic book. They are no longer very much in vogue, but growing up my Dad shared his library with me. He must have had hundreds of these, and I probably read just about all of them. Particularly enjoyable were the ones in the Sackett series. The stories have all blurred together with time, their plot always a step away from redundancy, but their feet was always planted firmly in good fun.

[Karen Hackett · Rating 5 out of 5]

KID RODELO by Louis L’Amour, one of 29 Louis L'Amour's Lost Treasures. Each book stands alone.

An odd assortment of people face fifty miles of brutal desert on the American Western frontier to stay ahead of a band of savage, bounty-hunting Yaquis. Only Rodelo could save them, but would he? KID RODELO takes you through the Yuma desert with all the twists and turns of a L'Amour western. The map inside the book and L’Amour details of the land spark an imaginary show in this reader’s mind.

[Randy Tramp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Great cast of characters: Dan Rodelo released from prison for a crime he didn't do. Gopher, Tom Badger, and Joe Harbin break out of prison.
All after stolen gold, each with a different motive, they meet. Together with Nora Paxton, they travel across the desert, seeking a get-a-way boat.

Nothing like the elements to show what a man or woman is made of. Each is tested, and not all pass the test.

Great read. Looking forward to more L'Amour novels.

[Conny · Rating 4 out of 5]

I was a First Read Winner of this book and I really enjoyed it. My Dad loved to read westerns that I used to pick out for him, and so this read had a real nostalgic feel for me. I am actually surprised I don't read more westerns since I do enjoy them, especially Louis L'Amour's, but I plan to rectify that in the future. I liked the storyline and characters it had plenty of suspense and action and a budding romance, plus for whatever reason it made me very thirsty. Very entertaining read.

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Rodelo is a man that served a year in Yuma Prison for a crime he did not commit. Joe Hardin had killed to get $50,000 in gold. When Joe is released, he must escape then he must escape to Mexico with his fortune. Much of this story takes place in the desert and Rodelo is waiting for an opportune time to get the gold and clear his name. It is a good fast paced story taking place in Arizona and Mexico.

[Honza Prchal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really enjoyed this. I've hiked a lot of the places L'Amour describes in his books, and this location is so far the one I'd be most careful in, Siberia included (that story involved a Sioux B-52 pilot being pursued by a Soviet Yakut, the two peoples are remarkably close kin, tracker). I still want to go ... with a sat phone and excellent maps.
I think Nora is actually the main character, as she's far more of a mystery than Rodelo, Link, Badger, Black Hat, or any of the rest.

[Jerimy Stoll · Rating 4 out of 5]

Unlikely companions on a dangerous journey through the scorching Yuma desert. A half breed, a young ex con wrongly accused, a desperate gunfighter, a coward, and a lady of sorts. These are the companions who travel together, don't trust one another, need each other, hate each other, and are pursued by a ruthless band of bounty hunting American Indians. I'd say, the story has its twists and turns.

[Daniel · Rating 4 out of 5]

I own every single Louis L'Amour book. I love them. But I have to laugh at his abrupt endings. Too funny. Almost every one of his novels have this sudden ending where everything is wrapped up in one page. Hee hee. But living in the southwest has given me a great love and appreciation for these stories. We owe so much to the pioneers. Thanks to them, we now live like kings.

[David Colwell · Rating 3 out of 5]

A nice easy read (even I finished it in one day). Takes place in the southern Arizona, into Mexico area. I didn't think the main character was as well developed as at times. Had Indians and gold and prison (which might be kind of unique for Louis L'amour as far as I can remember.) And of course he gets the girl in the end. Worth more than 3 stars, but not 4. Would likely read again.