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Way of the Lawless
This book was converted from its physical edition to the digital format by a community of volunteers. You may find it for free on the web. Purchase of the Kindle edition includes wireless delivery.
171 pages, Kindle Edition
First published January 1, 1919
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271 people want to read
About the author
Max Brand
1,827 books136 followersFrederick Schiller Faust (see also Frederick Faust), aka Frank Austin, George Owen Baxter, Walter C. Butler, George Challis, Evin Evan, Evan Evans, Frederick Faust, John Frederick, Frederick Frost, David Manning, Peter Henry Morland, Lee Bolt, Peter Dawson, Martin Dexter, Dennis Lawson, M.B., Hugh Owen, Nicholas Silver
Max Brand, one of America's most popular and prolific novelists and author of such enduring works as Destry Rides Again and the Doctor Kildare stories, died on the Italian front in 1944.
Max Brand, one of America's most popular and prolific novelists and author of such enduring works as Destry Rides Again and the Doctor Kildare stories, died on the Italian front in 1944.
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Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews
August 11, 2023
When I was a boy, this was the first western I ever read. From then on, I would stroll over to the adventure paperbacks at the library and look for Max Brand. Sure, I like Zane Grey and Louis Lamour, but Max Brand was my guy. Later, I found out that it was a pen name for Frederick Faust and I remember thinking Max Brand totally sounds cooler.
In any case, this book was published in 1919, which immediately should signal that there is a specific mindset prevalent throughout the book in particular, but Brand novels in general. The concept of masculinity was very significant to the western genre. Here Andrew Lanning's uncle doesn't think his nephew is masculine enough because he's never been in a fight. Never mind that uncle has taught him how to shoot. Never mind that he works in a blacksmith shop bending iron. . . Bending Iron. NOT masculine enough. Huh? Because he's never been in a fight?
So Andrew gets in a fight where he actually believes he killed the antagonist, who was only hurt, but because Andy runs away, he doesn't know that. He becomes an outlaw pursued by the law, but little by little Andy gets a darker reputation by the ridiculous exacerbation of the initial incident that could easily be avoided if cooler heads would have stopped to have a conversation. Damn! What a great read, however this book is not for everybody. And I communicate the antiquated concept of masculinity as a TRIGGER WARNING. This book is over 100 years old. If you're looking to get offended, stay away! I loved it when I was a kid. Still love it now.
In any case, this book was published in 1919, which immediately should signal that there is a specific mindset prevalent throughout the book in particular, but Brand novels in general. The concept of masculinity was very significant to the western genre. Here Andrew Lanning's uncle doesn't think his nephew is masculine enough because he's never been in a fight. Never mind that uncle has taught him how to shoot. Never mind that he works in a blacksmith shop bending iron. . . Bending Iron. NOT masculine enough. Huh? Because he's never been in a fight?
So Andrew gets in a fight where he actually believes he killed the antagonist, who was only hurt, but because Andy runs away, he doesn't know that. He becomes an outlaw pursued by the law, but little by little Andy gets a darker reputation by the ridiculous exacerbation of the initial incident that could easily be avoided if cooler heads would have stopped to have a conversation. Damn! What a great read, however this book is not for everybody. And I communicate the antiquated concept of masculinity as a TRIGGER WARNING. This book is over 100 years old. If you're looking to get offended, stay away! I loved it when I was a kid. Still love it now.
March 5, 2020
Published in 1919, this tells the story of Andrew/Andy, raised by his uncle to shoot and ride horses. Andrew is content with living a quiet life in a Western town, until a bully picks a fight. Andy knocks him out, and the guy hits his head on a rock. Andy goes on the run, thinking he's a murderer and subconsciously gravitating towards the lawless sector.
Good shooting and horse action, taking me back to the '70s when I first discovered Brand's and Louis L'Amour's books for the first time.
Good shooting and horse action, taking me back to the '70s when I first discovered Brand's and Louis L'Amour's books for the first time.
April 15, 2018
I’ve been hesitant to read this book. Recently I read my first western novel, Gunman's Reckoning by Max Brand. Honestly, I was very surprised at how much I enjoyed it. But of course, the question was whether or not that was a fluke. (See here for my review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...)
Andrew Lanning has been raised by his Uncle Jasper to know how to shoot just like the gunmen of the days when the West was a little younger and wilder. Unfortunately, Andrew is a bit too gentle and soft. But when he’s confronted, he takes an adversary down with one punch. Thinking he’s killed the man, he runs. But when he’s being hunted by a posse, and realizes they aren’t playing fair, he kills the leader, and thus begins his life as a desperado.
I was a little thrown off by the presence of an automobile and telephones in this book, but otherwise they’re living the life of the Old West on the cusp of the modern era. The action is a lot of fun, and Brand doesn’t let his characters off easy, continually throwing them back into impossible situations and I never thought the story was predictable. There’s a rather odd romance angle added to the mix here, and there’s plenty of melodrama, but you have to keep in mind this was written in a much earlier time when that was common. And overall it’s mostly a very satisfying story, even if the ending was... well, abrupt and unexpected. As for me, I think I’ll try another western novel sometime.
Andrew Lanning has been raised by his Uncle Jasper to know how to shoot just like the gunmen of the days when the West was a little younger and wilder. Unfortunately, Andrew is a bit too gentle and soft. But when he’s confronted, he takes an adversary down with one punch. Thinking he’s killed the man, he runs. But when he’s being hunted by a posse, and realizes they aren’t playing fair, he kills the leader, and thus begins his life as a desperado.
I was a little thrown off by the presence of an automobile and telephones in this book, but otherwise they’re living the life of the Old West on the cusp of the modern era. The action is a lot of fun, and Brand doesn’t let his characters off easy, continually throwing them back into impossible situations and I never thought the story was predictable. There’s a rather odd romance angle added to the mix here, and there’s plenty of melodrama, but you have to keep in mind this was written in a much earlier time when that was common. And overall it’s mostly a very satisfying story, even if the ending was... well, abrupt and unexpected. As for me, I think I’ll try another western novel sometime.
May 13, 2020
Enjoyed the audiobook recording by Roger Clarke, not so much the story.
January 6, 2023
Though I almost never read westerns, over the past half year I’ve indulged more of these books than ever thought I would. The colorful western slang that used in these books is indeed interesting. Many times, I wish I had a cowboy dictionary to cipher those words that I don't understand but once you read this cowboy slang you pick up on it real fast. Buck up, bushwhack, bad hoss, shoot in iron, shoot you full of lead, varmint is just a few of the many colorful western lingo you will encounter in this book.
Max Brand like Zane Grey is one of those early authors of western novels that employed those words into his novels that made you think you were moseying off into the sunset and riding high in the literary saddle. Max Brand is a master of crafting exciting pulp western stories and "Way of the Lawless" puts you right in the old west, which is a rough place to live in, a dog-eat-dog world of sorts and only the toughest survive.
A young man named Andrew Lanning was just trying to get by this harsh land when he made one crucial mistake. This is a mistake that will brand him as a criminal and capture the ire of the most feared lawman in the land, Hal Dozier. Hal Dozier will stop at nothing to bring the young Lanning to justice but is Andrew truly guilty or is he just a victim of circumstance? As the whole world turns its back against Andrew, a beautiful girl does not believe all the stories she hears about Lanning. Lanning runs into lot of action and the story never bogs down as the posse pursues him to bring him in for justice.
This was the first Max Brand book that I've read, and I enjoyed it. Max Brand is a capable writer who entertains and educates. This was a good tale with believable characters, good dialogue, and plenty of action. The ending is odd and comes as an amusing surprise but overall, a good story with all you want in a western horses, guns, outlaws, women, and howdy buckaroo lingo.
Max Brand like Zane Grey is one of those early authors of western novels that employed those words into his novels that made you think you were moseying off into the sunset and riding high in the literary saddle. Max Brand is a master of crafting exciting pulp western stories and "Way of the Lawless" puts you right in the old west, which is a rough place to live in, a dog-eat-dog world of sorts and only the toughest survive.
A young man named Andrew Lanning was just trying to get by this harsh land when he made one crucial mistake. This is a mistake that will brand him as a criminal and capture the ire of the most feared lawman in the land, Hal Dozier. Hal Dozier will stop at nothing to bring the young Lanning to justice but is Andrew truly guilty or is he just a victim of circumstance? As the whole world turns its back against Andrew, a beautiful girl does not believe all the stories she hears about Lanning. Lanning runs into lot of action and the story never bogs down as the posse pursues him to bring him in for justice.
This was the first Max Brand book that I've read, and I enjoyed it. Max Brand is a capable writer who entertains and educates. This was a good tale with believable characters, good dialogue, and plenty of action. The ending is odd and comes as an amusing surprise but overall, a good story with all you want in a western horses, guns, outlaws, women, and howdy buckaroo lingo.
January 26, 2019
listened to on youtube
July 9, 2025
Chose to listen to the audiobook because it was narrated by Roger Clark, the actor who portrayed Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption II. I had little interest in the story and really, for me, it ended up being a waste of time.
March 18, 2019
Andy just seemed kind of like a mild-mannered Clark Kent. His uncle, who raised him, was disappointed that he never really stood up for himself, even though the uncle put him through rigorous gun slinging exercises and good old fashioned cowboy training for years. Then all of the sudden, Andy finds out he can punch a big guy in the face hard enough to knock him out, and his whole persona changed as he high-tailed it out of town, thinking he had killed the guy. He then has many adventures as an outlaw who always gave the posse members more than a fair chance, could out-shoot anyone, and never wanted to hurt anyone. He fell in love at first glance with a young woman, had a couple of unique encounters with her, a friend he trusted with his life betrayed him for the reward money on his head, and a young boy, a real hero in the story, gave up two of his prize possessions to help Andy get away safely. Andy had a long term relationship with the decent sheriff who was always on his trail. He always managed to find a great hoss to ride.
May 3, 2011
A good yarn well told. Many Western stories have the good man forced into unfortunate circumstances and then branded as an outlaw. Yet this takes that story and does a lot with it offering plenty of tensions and suspense and an interesting hero. It also had one of most surprising endingst. One hat struck me as brilliant or dastardly - maybe a bit of both.
This book is available on Project Gutenberg. I listened to the Librivox version which had quite decent narration.
This book is available on Project Gutenberg. I listened to the Librivox version which had quite decent narration.
December 1, 2017
A classic western! You will not be disappointed!
June 19, 2020
I listened to this as an audiobook read by voice actor Roger Clark, the guy who voiced Arthur Morgan in the incredible game Red Dead Redemption 2. The cowboy fantasy was real y'all. Roger Clark delivers it perfectly. He naturally just has a voice like warm milk and whiskey and I could listen to him recite pi or read the dictionary and I would swoon. He does such an excellent job of giving different voices to all the characters even the females, which I really appreciate. But also after playing the game and becoming so attached to the character Arthur Morgan, this just felt like getting read a bed time story by my favourite cowpoke. I always wanted Roger Clark to do an audiobook of Arthur Morgan's diary so this is the next best thing I guess.
the story itself was a pretty basic Wild West tale, not overly remarkable in any way but definitely entertaining and especially with the performance Clark delivers.
I will say though I have a hard time focusing when I listen to audio books, and I had to get used to not being able to follow along in the text.
the story itself was a pretty basic Wild West tale, not overly remarkable in any way but definitely entertaining and especially with the performance Clark delivers.
I will say though I have a hard time focusing when I listen to audio books, and I had to get used to not being able to follow along in the text.
February 19, 2021
In classic Western tradition, Andy's life is changed when he's faced with the violence around him. The novel has a few really good moments (I found some sequences, like the one in which Andy meets Hal at a restaurant without a gun, to be kind of exciting) and a lot of boring ones (especially the ones with the girl, who, as Deconnick would say, is definitely more of a sexy lamp than a character). The ending caught me off guard and seemed really rushed, but it does make some sense: for Andy, conquering the love of his horse was way harder than seducing the girl, and maybe that is an explanation to why he prefers spending his life with Sally. It's also interesting to see how this orphan keeps getting new father figures (uncle Jasper, Hallister, the old guy who helps him, even Hal Dozier, if you ask me), but, in the end, still finds his own way of living. Nevertheless, the novel is really slow at times, and at the end leaves the reader feeling robbed of a real conclusion.
December 8, 2025
A solid little western with a quick, engaging pace. The ending lands abruptly though. It clearly wants to be open to interpretation, but it comes across as lacking any real sense of closure. My only real grimace was the dynamic between Andrew Lanning and Anne Withero. Their interactions felt off, almost as if the romance was shoved in to move the plot along rather than growing naturally. Anne’s reactions in particular often felt unnatural, but I chalked it up to fiction and pretended there was more between her and Andy than the book actually gave. It’s a minor gripe, and thankfully only a small subplot. The rest of the story was genuinely enjoyable.
January 1, 2024
The Way of the Lawless, Max Brand (western)
Jeff Book Review #232
"I'll tell you - I owe nothing to you, but a man owes a lot to himself, and I'm going to pay myself in full." - Andy Lansing
A 1919 short pocket western, "The Way of the Lawless" (free on the web) finds young Andrew Lansing, employed as a blacksmith working for his Uncle Jasper, suddenly on the run after a freak injury he dealt to a local man during a street fight puts a posse on his tail. Andrew's disillusionment at being hunted despite not doing anything wrong leads him to make some bad choices as he evades capture, riling up an influential man whose sweetheart takes a liking to the unintended outlaw, and sets the posse into a murderous mood.
You know how much I love chase narratives. Andy's legend grows and we can all see a looming final confrontation between the hunted Andrew and the hunting marshal Hal Dozier coming on the horizon.
Lansing is a fun western protagonist. The love interest angle is a bit odd as they both fall into it a little too easily... but whatever. Not nearly as easily as they do in the Zane Grey novels.
Verdict: A fun Brand adventure.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG
Jeff Book Review #232
"I'll tell you - I owe nothing to you, but a man owes a lot to himself, and I'm going to pay myself in full." - Andy Lansing
A 1919 short pocket western, "The Way of the Lawless" (free on the web) finds young Andrew Lansing, employed as a blacksmith working for his Uncle Jasper, suddenly on the run after a freak injury he dealt to a local man during a street fight puts a posse on his tail. Andrew's disillusionment at being hunted despite not doing anything wrong leads him to make some bad choices as he evades capture, riling up an influential man whose sweetheart takes a liking to the unintended outlaw, and sets the posse into a murderous mood.
You know how much I love chase narratives. Andy's legend grows and we can all see a looming final confrontation between the hunted Andrew and the hunting marshal Hal Dozier coming on the horizon.
Lansing is a fun western protagonist. The love interest angle is a bit odd as they both fall into it a little too easily... but whatever. Not nearly as easily as they do in the Zane Grey novels.
Verdict: A fun Brand adventure.
Jeff's Rating: 3 / 5 (Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG
August 9, 2021
Entertaining listening 🎧
Due to eye damage and issues from shingles Alexa reads to me.
Another will written western novel by Max Brand with interesting characters. The story line is about a young man growing up. I would recommend this novel to readers of westerns. Enjoy the adventure of reading 2021 🐎😎
Due to eye damage and issues from shingles Alexa reads to me.
Another will written western novel by Max Brand with interesting characters. The story line is about a young man growing up. I would recommend this novel to readers of westerns. Enjoy the adventure of reading 2021 🐎😎
January 15, 2023
A Real Western.
This is a well written western book. There is lots of action and a lot of different characters. All the characters are well developed, even the outlaws. The story line is good and follows a well developed line all the way to the end. The ending was very different from what I expected. Read and enjoy.
This is a well written western book. There is lots of action and a lot of different characters. All the characters are well developed, even the outlaws. The story line is good and follows a well developed line all the way to the end. The ending was very different from what I expected. Read and enjoy.
August 26, 2023
Really enjoyed almost the whole way. I enjoyed the main character and his adventures and the book gave some very memorable moments but the ending was rushed and really a little dumb to me. The story didn't need a super happy ending but this particular ending was just not good for what the story had done up to that point in my opinion.
January 13, 2020
What a brilliant read, right up to the ending. What is that about?!
The story is very well paced, well written, and a classic western read.
I enjoyed to book immensely, but the ending has done my head in.
The story is very well paced, well written, and a classic western read.
I enjoyed to book immensely, but the ending has done my head in.
June 21, 2020
Only after I became immersed in Red Dead Redemption II, and found this book to be read by the main protagonist of the game, did I fall in love with Andy Lanning, and the way of the lawless. Best read loud I’ve ever had the experience of listening too
October 30, 2017
Westernové paparbacky vydavateľstva Návrat :-) zo zlatých deväťdesiatych.
August 2, 2019
Hi yo Sally
A well written novel for the generation it was written for the plotline was well thought out and had a good twist at the endless
A well written novel for the generation it was written for the plotline was well thought out and had a good twist at the endless
July 15, 2020
An old favorite
I have always loved Max Brand and this one was new to me. The reference to an old favorite was the author. I will always jump for a chance to read a "new" Max Brand.
I have always loved Max Brand and this one was new to me. The reference to an old favorite was the author. I will always jump for a chance to read a "new" Max Brand.
September 19, 2020
Easy read of a young man coming of age and conflicts of good and evil.
Read
February 22, 2021Beautiful
Full of action
Full of action
October 29, 2023
Highly recommend the audio book read by Roger Clark (Arthur Morgan in Red Dead Redemption 2), especially for fans of Red Dead!
June 30, 2014
Good read but I hated the ending.
Brand has never been a romance writtern but he could've added ten more pages to give us a glimpse of the happy reunion. especially. to keep his lady readers happy, of which I am one. He is a very talented writer and I've always appreciated that.
Brand has never been a romance writtern but he could've added ten more pages to give us a glimpse of the happy reunion. especially. to keep his lady readers happy, of which I am one. He is a very talented writer and I've always appreciated that.
June 8, 2010
My first western and I LOVED it. Had a great little twist at the end. I will be reading more Max Brand.
January 10, 2014
I would read it again
it kept my interest I wanted to see what happens next the way it ended was a little surprising the end was to fast
it kept my interest I wanted to see what happens next the way it ended was a little surprising the end was to fast
February 16, 2014
good characters. good plot
February 22, 2015
The choice
The real title that Max Brand used is a term for the old west, but "The Choice" would make the reader drive to this conclusion! I did!
The real title that Max Brand used is a term for the old west, but "The Choice" would make the reader drive to this conclusion! I did!
Displaying 1 - 30 of 35 reviews