Louis L'Amour's Desert Tales: Desert Death Song and Law of the Desert

by Louis L'Amour

Law of the Desert Shad Marone is a lone gunman on the run from the law. He shot a man in a fair fight, but the sheriff is his bitter enemy and Shad knows he'll never get a fair trial. He is being tracked by a man named Lopez, and after three days in the desert it looks like they'll both die of thirst--unless, of course, some miracle happens. Desert Death Song Nat Bodine had a to die by hanging or take his chances in the desert. But when a good woman believes in a man, he finds the will to survive.

Genres: Westerns, Audiobook, Fiction, Short Stories

1 pages, Audio CD

First published October 1, 2007

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

[Jay French · Rating 3 out of 5]

I listened to this short audiobook of two L'Amour stories while driving on I-80 through the center of Illinois. These stories had in common that the hero in each story is being pursued into the desert by a group of men that are, shall we say unfriendly. One of the hallmarks of Westerns is the thorough description of the land, and with the desert here you feel the overwhelming vastness and emptiness and underlying danger. Kind of like I-80 during construction season. The heroes here are smart and resourceful, like most Western heroes I've read, and they face death and their pursuers and prevail in the end, in no small part because of their intelligence and knowledge of the land. A good set of stories. These were narrated, instead of having a full cast production, but as there were long stretches of story with only one character present, this worked fine. And I also noticed the excellent production of the audio, including music. Well done.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable read...very! Highly recommended.

[Brianna · Rating 1 out of 5]

I am beginning to think Western's are not my thing XD

[Joshua Rigsby · Rating 3 out of 5]

Louis L'amour's fiction is mostly all the same. Tough guys. Real men. "Country tamers." A few sleaze balls. Throw them into the old west with some crack shots, faithful horses, a quest for water/supplies, and some exposition about campfire etiquette, and you're good to go. You can see plot developments roll in over the horizon like thunderheads on the prairie. You know who wins and loses before the story begins.

But, it's still so much fun, in that guilty pleasure, yes-I-know-I'm-shot-gunning-ice-cream sort of way. Go get 'em Louis.

Http://joshuarigsby.com

[Daniel · Rating 3 out of 5]

1948 copyright, stylistically arid yet beautiful. Thematic. Particularly well set in the audio version.

A note on the developing system:
I set this as a 3, Losing one star for content. So it can make some sense with the others that make 4, and the very occasional 5 (something like life changing? Who knows across the years.). I’m just trying to cover too many different kinds of books here. Maybe instead it should be all books within a specific genre compared on the star system.

There is no way for example that the life changing and ponderous “Job” is a 4 if this is a 3. But it picked up that point for being a meditation on suffering. Right? And for being timeless.

Yet this was timeless too. A memento of our shared past, referencing Apache, Navajo, Irish. Posses and rustlers. And the things that make men respect each other despite a blood feud. And save each other’s lives.

The music was really something in the intro. I find it moving. This music that leant the atmosphere those men this writer born when the old west was still alive and maybe telling its tales thru a few witnesses. That made its way to him.

Oh for a keyboard, these thumb pecked reviews are such a mess . . . Or a 400 acre spread, and cattle. A good woman. And water. Hard work with your hands. Respect of one’s fellows. And a code to live by.

That’s what I sense in Louis L’Amour so far. That’s what my own grandmother born in the same vanishing epoch told me. Of a west like this. But better too. And I think of my Aunt, whose own grandmother there in the picture on the mantle was full blooded Assiniboine Indian. And of her childhood in that same West. With her barnstorming airplane pilot father.

What will my own nephews know of any of this?

[Nicholas Driscoll · Rating 3 out of 5]

My dad has been a big fan of Louis L'Amour for years, and I finally read (or rather listened to) a couple of his stories. This is pretty short, just over an hour, and has two short stories, each of which feature a wrongly-blamed guy fleeing in the desert from bad people. Each story is pretty straightforward, without much thematic depth I thought, but still entertaining and with interesting details about the desert and how to survive there. I liked how a dude in the first story takes home a toad as a pet after it plays a key role in saving his life.

The narration was good, but for some reason after the first story I had to listen to a bunch of Blackstone audio advertisement, then a really long silent pause before the second story started up.

All in all, not bad.

[Dave Glorioso · Rating 3 out of 5]

These are good westerns. Short, and both books quickly draw you into the story of a man on the run in the desert. Both men are in the wrong but are being given unfair biased justice. The first story was too descriptive of the desert itself. Despite the detail, I could still just envision sand and rock.
The second story had better pacing. Both stories had vivid characters and were exciting.
Death Desert Song 3/5
Law of the Desert 4/5

[Miss Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I have a few patrons wh enjoy westerns, so I decided to read these two short stories written by Louis Lamour. I am not a big fan to westerns, but I did enjoy the 2 short stories. I enjoyed Law of the Desert alittle better. Enjoyed the ending...that is all I am going to say.😉

[Kathy · Rating 4 out of 5]

I once heard it takes a true story teller to tell a really good short story. Louis L'Amour is one of the best.

[Lloyd Hinkle · Rating 4 out of 5]

good short stories by Louis

[Mike Russell · Rating 4 out of 5]

Enjoyable quick adventures of the desert, especially when read on a freezing morning in Illinois.

[Christopher Lutz · Rating 3 out of 5]

Two short, and I mean short, stories about men wrongfully pursued across the unforgiving desert. Nothing too special, but worth a listen if you’re a western fan.

[Randy Tramp · Rating 5 out of 5]

O love these stories. Tales me into the Old West.

[Dennis Brock · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.75/5

[Bill Monaco · Rating 3 out of 5]

Interesting introduction to L'Amour

[Kirk Westbeld]

i couldnt recall particularly humorous stories but this had some

[John · Rating 2 out of 5]

Autobook. short stories

[Jan Harriman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Two well written westerns…you’ll enjoy them!!!

[RJ · Rating 5 out of 5]

Death Song
Matt Bodine was being hunted for a stagecoach robbery. Pete Daily was the only witness and swore it was Bodine. Daily never did like Bodine since he won the hand of Mary Callahan whom Daily liked. The posse came to arrest Bodine but he shot the sheriff and now hid out in Desert the rough Powder Basin country. The desert to the west was the only path for escape. Would he make it across?

Law of the Desert
Chad Marone was on the losing side of a cattle war in the Black River country. They hunted him relentlessly, and Lopez the tracker, was a ferocious killer. Marone slipped on his moccasins and went to the desert to lose them. Marone remembered what the Navaho had told him. Lopez knew the same from his Apache mother.

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another volume of short fiction collected and released after the death of author Louis L'Amour.

Short Stories - Recorded - Law of the desert: Shad Marone is a lone gunman on the run from the law. Tracked by a man named Lopez, after three days in the desert it looks like they'll both die of thirst--unless some miracle happens. Desert death song: Accused by an enemy of robbing the stage and shooting the sheriff, Nat Bodine was a hunted man, with his only escape route being the desert.

[Cws]

ACD-L'Am

[Melody · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good stories!