Home in the Valley: A Western Sextet

by Louis L'Amour

A collection of some of the best short fiction writing from the most famous Western author of all time.

Louis L’Amour is indisputably the most famous and well-respected writer to ever work in the Western genre. His stories captured life on the frontier at its most captivating and exciting, and with well over two hundred million copies sold of his work, his characters and stories have left an indelible mark on popular culture.

Home in the Valley collects six of L’Amour’s short stories, written early in his career. In the title story, Steve Mehan had accomplished what man had believed to be impossible. He had taken cattle from the home range in Nevada to sell in California in the dead of winter. Now the money from the cattle is on deposit with Dake & Company, but while in Sacramento, California, he learns to his shock that the company has failed and his money is almost surely lost. There is one hope: that news of the closure hasn’t yet reached a branch in faraway Portland, Oregon. The only chance to get the money back will be to beat the steamer boat carrying the news to Portland. To do that, Steve will need a long relay of horses, and he will have to be almost continuously in the saddle.

L’Amour’s best work conjures up a romantic, strangely compelling vision of the American West. Find out for yourself why L’Amour continues to be a household name and, even decades after his death, the gold standard for authentic Western storytelling.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Audiobook

171 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2005

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

[Charles · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a collection of very early L'Amour stories published in the early 1950s, mostly under the name Jim Mayo. They're very pulpish and not as well plotted as some of his later books but they are enjoyable and worth the read. Lots of storytelling power exhibited even at this early stage. The book contains:
West of the Tularosa
Mistakes Can Kill You
The Man from Battle Flat
The Lion Hunter and the Lady
The One for the Mohave Kid
Home in the Valley.

My top favorites were West of the Tularosa, which features Ward McQueen, who I've read about before from L'Amour, and then Home in the Valley and The One for the Mojave Kid.

[Robert · Rating 4 out of 5]

This turned out to be a great book for me, I am from Oregon and this book has a race to Portland Oregon as part of it, I am partial to stories that make me look around my area to see what the author saw. This was a good read.

[Jesse Deleon · Rating 5 out of 5]

New for me to discover!

I love his stories! I started to read Louis L'Amour when I joined the U.S. Army back in 1978 in Korea and been reading him ever since. These are new stories to me and I hope for you too! A fan.

[Tim Littlejohn · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good book easy read

Short stories I think when you have to set so many words to submit a review it is time to stop giving reviews

[Peter Wev · Rating 3 out of 5]

Good light reading. That's all.

[Hobbes · Rating 5 out of 5]

The fact this man went through many trouble to help his friends and soon family so they wouldn’t be kicked out of their homes speaks volumes of his character.

[Marlene · Rating 5 out of 5]

Nothing can beat a good Louie L'Amour book. My husband is a big fan of his writing and excited when a new publication is found.

[Documentally · Rating 4 out of 5]

I prefer westerns as short stories and there is a great variety here. Lots of suspense and vivid visuals. Strong women really stand out when they appear but the writer is from a generation where the hero always seems to be a man and this simplicity can be jarring at times. Same goes for the often black and white portrayal of the Cowboys Vs Native Americans. An easy read if you can suppress thoughts of the genocide that was the unspoken backdrop to this era.

[Richard A. Neider · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good typical stories by Louis.

Typical good story lines by the master. Enjoyed all stories. Lots of action and suspense. And of course there are the romantic interests to peak the story lines in some of the stories.

[Trey Mcgehee]

4th

[Karenbike Patterson · Rating 3 out of 5]

Cowboys! Bandits! Pretty girls! Poachers! Storms! It's all here. Fun read if stereotypical. I think L'Amour set the standard.

[Jessica · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fun read of short stories that leave you wanting more...

[Gail Morris · Rating 5 out of 5]

Some of these stories are in other collections; but they were all good to read again.

[Lawrence Kopecky · Rating 5 out of 5]

Good read

The best western short stories. Sounds very authentic, and full of adventure. Very believable, and I could not put it down.

[clifford frodyma · Rating 3 out of 5]

Ok