What do you think?
Rate this book
The Burning Hills: A Novel
Wounded, dehydrated, and escaping a violent feud with the men of Bob Sutton’s ranch, Trace Jordan is near collapse when he descends from the heat of the desert into a cool, secluded canyon. He wakes to find a beautiful woman gently nursing him back to health. Strong and proud, Maria Cristina has also suffered at the hands of Sutton and his men. The experience has left her hostile and defiant. Trace, intrigued by Maria’s grit and determination, can’t help trying to peel back her layers—but his attraction makes her a target.
Sutton’s men are watching and waiting for Trace to show himself. If he escapes, Maria will have to face them alone. But if he convinces her to go with him, Trace and Maria will have to survive a heat-blasted, waterless desert. And if that doesn’t kill them, the Apaches will.
Sutton’s men are watching and waiting for Trace to show himself. If he escapes, Maria will have to face them alone. But if he convinces her to go with him, Trace and Maria will have to survive a heat-blasted, waterless desert. And if that doesn’t kill them, the Apaches will.
Audio CD
First published May 1, 1956
198 people are currently reading
728 people want to read
About the author
Louis L'Amour
995 books3,463 followersLouis 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".
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews
November 26, 2025
Trace Jordan is an easy going cowboy, a gentleman in a time of brutal violence and merciless killings in the old west, he has only killed six men in his entire life. As an able wrangler Trace rounds up wild horses these beautiful animals called Mustangs have no owners thus free, to make a few bucks a man has to eat. Coming back from grocery shopping, Jordan finds the horses and gear missing and by the way his partner is murdered. This annoys him a little, well to be honest a great deal of anger Mr. Jordan feels. After a long difficult rough ride, running away from the bad guys and shooting a few criminals a normal day here. Jordan with a hole in his side, is saved by a pretty young widow just like in countless B western films or books. Did anyone imagine the wounded cowboy would die, not I or any fans of this genre. She the angel of mercy found his secret hiding place in the middle of nowhere, how lucky can a man be to receive such help. This brings Maria Cristina the girl and Trace the man together, and are eventually properly introduced in the future. Both were immediately attractive to each other, the sparks flew . However good manners should always be properly observed by people. The couple try to escape their difficulties but this is not possible in any novel that wants to be profitable in the market. Will they make it to safety again a question easily answered...The author of numerous fine western books has once more produced a winner. A story that grips a reader's attention and transforms them into a place of primitive conditions and barbaric practices. Louis L' Amour who sold millions of copies, and still today is a very popular writer. His adventures thrill, entertain and take a person from the humdrum to the ecstatic.
January 3, 2018
This book was originally published in 1956. I first read it in 1976. I was looking for a western to read and decided to re-read Louis L’Amour. The book is more of a romance story than what L’Amour usually writes. Trace Jordan is on the trail of the men who killed his partner and stole his horses. He is wounded and now the hunter becomes the hunted. He finds a place to hide temporarily and is nursed by Maria Cristina. Now they both are on the run.
The book is well written. L’Amour is famous for placing his story in a real location. If the reader goes to the location they can follow the book description step by step. L’Amour is a master storyteller. His descriptive language flows smoothly. The great thing about his books is you can read them over and over with great enjoyment each and every time.
This time I read the book as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is four hours. Keith Szarabajka does a good job narrating the book. Szarabajka is a well-known actor and audiobook narrator.
The book is well written. L’Amour is famous for placing his story in a real location. If the reader goes to the location they can follow the book description step by step. L’Amour is a master storyteller. His descriptive language flows smoothly. The great thing about his books is you can read them over and over with great enjoyment each and every time.
This time I read the book as an audiobook downloaded from Audible. The book is four hours. Keith Szarabajka does a good job narrating the book. Szarabajka is a well-known actor and audiobook narrator.
October 8, 2017
If one wants a tough, gritty hero, sweeping description of settings, a plot full of desperation and tension against the backdrop of the Old West, look no further.
The book grabbed me from the beginning with a hero desperately fleeing for his life and a woman’s bravery to keep him alive against the odds. It was a shorter piece, but it was well developed and paced well. The setting was the Arizona- Mexico border so the characters and their situations of that region were represented accurately along with the historical context.
The hero, Trace Jordan, was not deeply developed, but enough so that I got a feel for him and what motivated him. The heroine, Maria Christina’s background, was more explained.
The action was parts gun battles and parts desert survival along with a mild, yet stormy romance. I was eager to follow along and discover how they were going to get out of the tight corners.
This was my first time with the narrator, Keith Szarabajka. He had a good voice to match the tone and type of the book. Maria Christina was his only female voice, but I loved the way he captured her personality and the emotion of the overall story.
It was an easy listen, exciting, and engaging novella-length story and I definitely recommend it for Western fiction fans.
My thanks to Penguin-Random House for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
The book grabbed me from the beginning with a hero desperately fleeing for his life and a woman’s bravery to keep him alive against the odds. It was a shorter piece, but it was well developed and paced well. The setting was the Arizona- Mexico border so the characters and their situations of that region were represented accurately along with the historical context.
The hero, Trace Jordan, was not deeply developed, but enough so that I got a feel for him and what motivated him. The heroine, Maria Christina’s background, was more explained.
The action was parts gun battles and parts desert survival along with a mild, yet stormy romance. I was eager to follow along and discover how they were going to get out of the tight corners.
This was my first time with the narrator, Keith Szarabajka. He had a good voice to match the tone and type of the book. Maria Christina was his only female voice, but I loved the way he captured her personality and the emotion of the overall story.
It was an easy listen, exciting, and engaging novella-length story and I definitely recommend it for Western fiction fans.
My thanks to Penguin-Random House for the opportunity to listen to this book in exchange for an honest review.
June 15, 2024
It’s another Louis L’Amour Western taking place in the parched and deadly confines of the American Southwest, where anyone can be your enemy and a wrong step can lead to a gully full of rattlers. Strap on your six-gun and make sure you have a good horse because even if the bad guys don’t get you, the elements might finish the job.
Trace Jordan is being chased by a posse of men, but it’s not lawmen. Jordan is a horse expert who has returned to his camp only to find his business partner murdered and his horses stolen. In response, he has gone into town to find the thieves riding one of the stolen horses. A gunfight ensues, the bad guy loses, and now Trace Jordan is a wanted man. As the book begins, he has been cornered and has been shot himself, but he manages to escape. Full of anger at the misjustice and refusing to give up, Trace keeps himself alive, but just barely, as his bullet wound seeks to destroy him.
By chance, a local woman named Maria, who runs an out-of-the-way sheep farm with her brother, discovers Trace and takes him back to a hideaway on a cliff where she does her best to give him a chance to recover and leave. But the posse has Jacob Lantz, a scout who doesn’t care what happens to Trace or Maria, but who is obsessed with finding the man he was paid to find. And Lantz always finds his man!
From there, it’s up to Trace and Maria to outrun the bad dudes, even if it means riding into Apache territory. There, more trouble ensues. It’s one nail-biting adventure after another. Will the tough Maria be able to save her land? Will Trace live and carry out the justice he desires? Will Maria’s soft-seeming brother develop some toughness when the posse go after him? It’s L’Amour, so don’t take your eyes off the page for too long.
As usual, I found it easy to read another L’Amour Western, although I wasn’t thrilled with any of the characters. Trace Jordan comes close to forcing himself on Maria and the posse is full of bad apples. However, once again L’Amour has written a role for a strong woman, who understands her situation while spitting fire whenever possible. I cheered for her and her family, if not for anyone else.
Book Season = Summer (circling buzzards)
Trace Jordan is being chased by a posse of men, but it’s not lawmen. Jordan is a horse expert who has returned to his camp only to find his business partner murdered and his horses stolen. In response, he has gone into town to find the thieves riding one of the stolen horses. A gunfight ensues, the bad guy loses, and now Trace Jordan is a wanted man. As the book begins, he has been cornered and has been shot himself, but he manages to escape. Full of anger at the misjustice and refusing to give up, Trace keeps himself alive, but just barely, as his bullet wound seeks to destroy him.
By chance, a local woman named Maria, who runs an out-of-the-way sheep farm with her brother, discovers Trace and takes him back to a hideaway on a cliff where she does her best to give him a chance to recover and leave. But the posse has Jacob Lantz, a scout who doesn’t care what happens to Trace or Maria, but who is obsessed with finding the man he was paid to find. And Lantz always finds his man!
From there, it’s up to Trace and Maria to outrun the bad dudes, even if it means riding into Apache territory. There, more trouble ensues. It’s one nail-biting adventure after another. Will the tough Maria be able to save her land? Will Trace live and carry out the justice he desires? Will Maria’s soft-seeming brother develop some toughness when the posse go after him? It’s L’Amour, so don’t take your eyes off the page for too long.
As usual, I found it easy to read another L’Amour Western, although I wasn’t thrilled with any of the characters. Trace Jordan comes close to forcing himself on Maria and the posse is full of bad apples. However, once again L’Amour has written a role for a strong woman, who understands her situation while spitting fire whenever possible. I cheered for her and her family, if not for anyone else.
Book Season = Summer (circling buzzards)
December 15, 2012
Oh Louis L'Amour... Who else can write what's basically a romance novel about a horse-wrangler bleeding his way through the Mexico/Arizona desert while bad dudes and Indians chase him?
Our hero sets off to kill the horse thieves who shot his bronco-busting partner, but they turn out to be part of the biggest ranch families in the area. So the tables quickly turn and our hero has a gut full of lead. He runs, passes out and wakes up being tended by a fiery-hot senorita. It isn't long before these two are vacillating between making moon-eyes and spitting fire at each other, fighting like angry wildcats.
"I KEEL YOU!" she screams.
"Aw, you just ain't been halter-broke yet!" he shouts back as they wrestle back and forth.
Somehow treating this angry woman like a wild horse that needs to be broken turns out to be just the right thing to do and they wind up together in the end, shooting a bunch of bad guys and Indians along the way.
Ridiculous fun.
Hmmmm.... I wonder if this approach to women still works? Maybe I'll try that with my wife some day, "Honey, you keep on frettin' around like that and yer gonna throw a shoe! What you need is a strong rope, tight reins and a firm hand! And I'm just the cow-poke to fill that role!"
Our hero sets off to kill the horse thieves who shot his bronco-busting partner, but they turn out to be part of the biggest ranch families in the area. So the tables quickly turn and our hero has a gut full of lead. He runs, passes out and wakes up being tended by a fiery-hot senorita. It isn't long before these two are vacillating between making moon-eyes and spitting fire at each other, fighting like angry wildcats.
"I KEEL YOU!" she screams.
"Aw, you just ain't been halter-broke yet!" he shouts back as they wrestle back and forth.
Somehow treating this angry woman like a wild horse that needs to be broken turns out to be just the right thing to do and they wind up together in the end, shooting a bunch of bad guys and Indians along the way.
Ridiculous fun.
Hmmmm.... I wonder if this approach to women still works? Maybe I'll try that with my wife some day, "Honey, you keep on frettin' around like that and yer gonna throw a shoe! What you need is a strong rope, tight reins and a firm hand! And I'm just the cow-poke to fill that role!"
August 11, 2015
I really disliked this book. I've read enough of L'Amour's novels to be used to his sexist characters and the role of women in his stories, and sometimes he writes some pretty decent ones. This novel, though, shows a non-white woman in the Mexican border region of California who is forced to accept an asshole hero gunfighter as her 'protector' and partner, after he rescues her from the bad guys. The hero seems to think that when the woman refuses him, she is simply untamed and needs to be trained, or broken, the way he breaks wild horses. He does 'get' the woman in the end, but not because he wins her over so that she chooses him. He simply forces himself on her and she reluctantly relents and accepts him. This novel does show how awful non-white women's circumstances may have been during the Wild West era, but I was really annoyed at the ending and was rooting for the bad guys or at least for the Apaches by the end. Surely the woman would have been better off if she had hooked up with one of the Indians rather than a white gunman she didn't love and who would never really respect her as a person.
June 10, 2025
First western I’ve ever read (unless East of Eden counts???), I think I’d like to read more!
I picked this up at the used book store for 2 bucks (hell yeah) and have kept it at my desk at work to pick up when I had time (and I have lots). I was surprised to find myself wishing I had brought it home over the weekend.
One thing I love about Western movies is the *style* and this book absolutely delivered. I got all the things I wanted: classic western storyline, cowboys, shimmering desert, vengeance.
I picked this up at the used book store for 2 bucks (hell yeah) and have kept it at my desk at work to pick up when I had time (and I have lots). I was surprised to find myself wishing I had brought it home over the weekend.
One thing I love about Western movies is the *style* and this book absolutely delivered. I got all the things I wanted: classic western storyline, cowboys, shimmering desert, vengeance.
May 29, 2017
My rating 3.5 stars.
December 16, 2024
Oof this book was creepy
June 10, 2018
An early L'Amour novel, a little leaner and grittier than his later books. An entertaining chase story from the master.
February 11, 2024
More of a novella, and definitely not one of his best, though there are some great descriptions of the desert. Otherwise I'd skip this one.
May 19, 2025
Raw and visceral. A tight ensemble kind of story with sweeping landscapes and up close characters. Started very slow then it took off with gusto!
February 7, 2017
Challenge #1: Jemand sucht ein Buch für dich aus, das du sonst nicht einmal anfassen würdest.
Louis L'Amour hat nicht nur ein fantastisches Pseudonym, sondern auch allerlei erzählerische Begabungen. Die Geschichte ist so packend wie ergreifend: Ein Typ erschiesst einen anderen Typen, wird daraufhin selbst angeschossen und flieht durch die Wüste. Er wird zwar verfolgt, findet aber zum Glück immer die besten Verstecke. Doch obwohl er so gut versteckt ist, dass ihn nicht einmal seine Verfolger aufspüren können, findet ihn rein zufällig eine heisse Mexikanerin, die sonst Schafe hütet. Die Mexikanerin ist seine grosse Liebe.
Nicht nur die Handlung dieses Romans ist fein ausgearbeitet; Louis L'Amour gelingen auch interessante Perspektivenwechsel in ein und demselben Satz - und dank zahlreicher Wiederholungen vergisst man nie, dass die Verfolger den Verfolgten wirklich weiterhin verfolgen.
Fazit: Wir sind uns sicher, dass Louis L'Amour eine Western-Maschine besass, die 300 Wörter beinhaltete und diese immer wieder zu neuen Romanen mischte. Nur so erklärt sich die hohe Veröffentlichungsfrequenz (es gibt über 100 Werke von ihm zu geniessen!) und die einzigartige Qualität.
Louis L'Amour hat nicht nur ein fantastisches Pseudonym, sondern auch allerlei erzählerische Begabungen. Die Geschichte ist so packend wie ergreifend: Ein Typ erschiesst einen anderen Typen, wird daraufhin selbst angeschossen und flieht durch die Wüste. Er wird zwar verfolgt, findet aber zum Glück immer die besten Verstecke. Doch obwohl er so gut versteckt ist, dass ihn nicht einmal seine Verfolger aufspüren können, findet ihn rein zufällig eine heisse Mexikanerin, die sonst Schafe hütet. Die Mexikanerin ist seine grosse Liebe.
Nicht nur die Handlung dieses Romans ist fein ausgearbeitet; Louis L'Amour gelingen auch interessante Perspektivenwechsel in ein und demselben Satz - und dank zahlreicher Wiederholungen vergisst man nie, dass die Verfolger den Verfolgten wirklich weiterhin verfolgen.
Fazit: Wir sind uns sicher, dass Louis L'Amour eine Western-Maschine besass, die 300 Wörter beinhaltete und diese immer wieder zu neuen Romanen mischte. Nur so erklärt sich die hohe Veröffentlichungsfrequenz (es gibt über 100 Werke von ihm zu geniessen!) und die einzigartige Qualität.
July 18, 2012
This is the 72nd Louis L'Amour book I've read. Wow, I can't believe I just typed that. I started when I was about 12 and have just kept on reading them. They serve as good fillers when you need a quick read between weightier efforts.
This one represents what L'Amour does best: a lone wounded man in deep trouble, shot and having to survive with his wounds, no water, bad guys hunting him, and the ever present threat of Indians. But this one was also a bit different from most L'Amour novels in that our hero actually spends a fair amount of time pursuing a woman. Usually women play minor roles or else are the main character. But the romance is usually left to the imagination after the novel ends.
I'd rank this one in the top 10% of the L'Amour novels I've read so far.
This one represents what L'Amour does best: a lone wounded man in deep trouble, shot and having to survive with his wounds, no water, bad guys hunting him, and the ever present threat of Indians. But this one was also a bit different from most L'Amour novels in that our hero actually spends a fair amount of time pursuing a woman. Usually women play minor roles or else are the main character. But the romance is usually left to the imagination after the novel ends.
I'd rank this one in the top 10% of the L'Amour novels I've read so far.
January 10, 2020
Narrated by Keith Szarabajka, noted movie and television actor (Sons of Anarchy), of a tense and gripping Louis L’Amour story of ruthless killers, rustlers and land grabbers. Trace Jordon is seeking justice for his murdered brother, hot on the trail of three desperadoes who ambushed his brother, shooting him in the back. Clues lead him to a verdant valley of green pastures, water as precious as gold and a ruthless cattle baron greedy for all the land, willing to kill off any he deems as squatters.
I’ve read the book, listened to the audio and, today, also watched the movie. Well crafted by Warner Brothers Studio, the movie stars Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood and masterfully recreated L’Amour’s story.
I’ve read the book, listened to the audio and, today, also watched the movie. Well crafted by Warner Brothers Studio, the movie stars Tab Hunter and Natalie Wood and masterfully recreated L’Amour’s story.
December 1, 2012
More wonderfully descriptive writing that made me want to watch westerns for the rest of the week. My only problem was with the female lead character. Sometimes she spoke with a stereotypical mexican accent: "I will keel you!" "You will be keel!" and sometimes she didn't: "They killed my father!"
It was distracting at times, but so what. I mean, I don't really care about anything.
I am a nihilist!
It was distracting at times, but so what. I mean, I don't really care about anything.
I am a nihilist!
November 16, 2020
Wounded in a feud with the Suttons, Trace Jordon flees into the desert where he collapses. He is found by the beautiful Maria and learns that her family has also suffered at the hands of the Suttons. As they try to escape through the desert they also have to contend with the Apache. A romantic western similar to the stylr of Zane Grey.
February 5, 2017
"A man can't make it alone. Needs him a woman. These here city women, they look mighty nice but a man out here needs a woman who can walk beside him, not behind him."
October 10, 2025
The Burning Hills aka How To Break A Woman Like A Horse.
Very little subtly to Trace Jordan. He dont hold back one whit when he sees Maria Christina, the strong indian woman who lives with her brothers and helped him survive his hunters.
Yes this is a being hunted and then hunting the hunters L'Amore.
Its going to be one of these plots or a combo of
1. Hunt a Killer
2. Find the Treasure
3. Escape A Posse
4. Avenge A Murder
5. The Hunted becomes The Hunter
6. Fight for the land/defend the homestead.
Sure its formulaic. But theres good writing, action. You know exactky whats going to happen, its telegraphed a mile away (as the crow flies)
A nice way to pass a train ride with the setting sun in my eyes kind of read.
Very little subtly to Trace Jordan. He dont hold back one whit when he sees Maria Christina, the strong indian woman who lives with her brothers and helped him survive his hunters.
Yes this is a being hunted and then hunting the hunters L'Amore.
Its going to be one of these plots or a combo of
1. Hunt a Killer
2. Find the Treasure
3. Escape A Posse
4. Avenge A Murder
5. The Hunted becomes The Hunter
6. Fight for the land/defend the homestead.
Sure its formulaic. But theres good writing, action. You know exactky whats going to happen, its telegraphed a mile away (as the crow flies)
A nice way to pass a train ride with the setting sun in my eyes kind of read.
This entire review has been hidden because of spoilers.
February 18, 2025
2.75✨’s
I liked how Trace Jordan’s circumstances lent to the plot, but the characterization of Maria Christina (the lone woman in the book), was problematic.
I have read several handfuls of Harlequin romance novels, and I would say this book has some similar qualities, only written from the male gaze.
That is not to say this story doesn’t have entertainment value, but the characterizations just didn’t work for me. I only have Hondo to compare this book to thus far, and it did a fantastic job at bringing Hondo and Angie out of the one dimensional realm that can lend to caricaturization.
I liked how Trace Jordan’s circumstances lent to the plot, but the characterization of Maria Christina (the lone woman in the book), was problematic.
I have read several handfuls of Harlequin romance novels, and I would say this book has some similar qualities, only written from the male gaze.
That is not to say this story doesn’t have entertainment value, but the characterizations just didn’t work for me. I only have Hondo to compare this book to thus far, and it did a fantastic job at bringing Hondo and Angie out of the one dimensional realm that can lend to caricaturization.
November 27, 2020
The story line itself is pretty good and the bad guy characters are well-developed. L'Amour ruins it with a silly faux-romance angle.
Read
May 29, 2025I read this on vacation at the Grand Canyon, North Rim, enjoying how the wilderness in the novel paralleled the rugged beauty of real life.
May 13, 2021
This is one of my favourite Louis L'Amour novels so far. Great story.
July 20, 2019
The typical love story in the West
But Louis L'amour always makes the West so much better.
If you had not read one of his books I urge you to.
But Louis L'amour always makes the West so much better.
If you had not read one of his books I urge you to.
January 16, 2019
Personal Response
I thought the book The Burning Hills was good. It had lots of action, and it had a good story. The book had lots of suspense, and wherever you stopped reading something else was going to happen. The author does a great job of making you wonder what is going to happen next. There is also a lot of action and fighting. If you are into romance the book has some between Trace Jordan and Maria Christiana. I liked the end of the book because it is something you never saw coming.
Plot Summary
The book starts off by Trace Jordan being chased but you do not know why he is being chased. You do not learn why he is being chased until further into the book, and that makes you want to keep reading. Then Jordan runs into the girl, and she helps him even though you do not know what really is going on. The book then leaves you with another cliff hanger by making you wonder if Maria will meet Trace after he runs away. They end up meeting each other but they go through a lot of action and fighting to get away. For example when Maria gets kidnapped Trace has to find the Apaches and rescue her. They then escape but the bad guys catch up to them and they have the last fight. Finally after the last fight they realize the reason why they are fighting is worthless. They then stop fighting and help each other.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to mostly boys in grades seven through ten. Girls who are into action might also enjoy this book, and they maybe would like the romance. The book does have some times where it gets a little bloody. If you are not a fan of gore there might be some spots in the book you do not like. If you are someone who does not like reading you would enjoy this because there is always some action going on.
I thought the book The Burning Hills was good. It had lots of action, and it had a good story. The book had lots of suspense, and wherever you stopped reading something else was going to happen. The author does a great job of making you wonder what is going to happen next. There is also a lot of action and fighting. If you are into romance the book has some between Trace Jordan and Maria Christiana. I liked the end of the book because it is something you never saw coming.
Plot Summary
The book starts off by Trace Jordan being chased but you do not know why he is being chased. You do not learn why he is being chased until further into the book, and that makes you want to keep reading. Then Jordan runs into the girl, and she helps him even though you do not know what really is going on. The book then leaves you with another cliff hanger by making you wonder if Maria will meet Trace after he runs away. They end up meeting each other but they go through a lot of action and fighting to get away. For example when Maria gets kidnapped Trace has to find the Apaches and rescue her. They then escape but the bad guys catch up to them and they have the last fight. Finally after the last fight they realize the reason why they are fighting is worthless. They then stop fighting and help each other.
Recommendation
I would recommend this book to mostly boys in grades seven through ten. Girls who are into action might also enjoy this book, and they maybe would like the romance. The book does have some times where it gets a little bloody. If you are not a fan of gore there might be some spots in the book you do not like. If you are someone who does not like reading you would enjoy this because there is always some action going on.
December 18, 2020
I've never read L'Amour and mostly snobbily dismissed him as a shitty mass-market writer of Westerns. I only picked up this book after reading that Rudy Wurlitzer wrote a piece in the 1970s about how Louis L'Amour's first two pages of a novel were a masterpiece. In his words, they were "almost always about a man riding through the vast phenomena of open Western space. A rider, riding, without intention, into emptiness, with no beginning, no end or assigned direction. Off the map. East equal to West or South or North, the rising sun usually behind, the setting sun in front, leaving civilization behind, riding always within the mysterious rhythms of unannounced form and emptiness. The open range, silent and spacious, the rider never having a particular name or identity or defined boundaries, inside or outside." This book is definitely an example of this. But after those two pages, it continues a long downhill turn in quality. There is a healthy dose of misogyny in this book, but not in the self-aware sort-of funny way you see in some pulp work. It's more Romantic and that somehow makes it worse. As if his shitty opinions and characterizations of women are somehow righteous or progressive. L'Amour definitely loves southern landscapes and does a wonderful job describing them, and has some good ideas about plotting and scenes. It's easy to see why he is a widely adapted author. I have a feeling that the things I liked about this novel are more because I have a fondness for Westerns than a fondness for the book. I'm glad this was a short one. If it was much longer, I probably wouldn't have liked it and my 2/5 stars would be much closer to a 1/5 stars. I will say though, it did make me want to adapt the story into a screenplay and correct all of the issues I had with it, so maybe there's something to be said about that.
-
-
tl;dr--A very average Western story with a few good scenes and some distracting romanticized misogyny. There's better Westerns out there, but if you've never read L'Amour and want to say you did, I'm sure this isn't a bad place to start. It's a quick read.
-
-
tl;dr--A very average Western story with a few good scenes and some distracting romanticized misogyny. There's better Westerns out there, but if you've never read L'Amour and want to say you did, I'm sure this isn't a bad place to start. It's a quick read.
September 7, 2019
I needed something light to read as a step away from fantasy for a bit and this happened to fall into my hands at the right time.
As a preface, I love Louis L'Amour. I think he is one of the most underrated authors of all time. When he puts care into his writing, his prose and the stories themselves are rich with poetry and depth. But he tends to be more well known for his dime novels, which are quite the opposite. This was one of those.
The Burning Hills had a nice opening paragraph but the story went downhill from there. We don't get much character development for any of the characters so we don't really care for any of them. Trace Jordan literally feels like he was built in a Louis L'Amour dime novel lab and his sudden love for Maria Cristina is ridiculously sudden and pointless. I admit there's a place for the wounded-man-waking-to-a-beautiful-woman-caring-for-him trope and sometimes the fantasy is nice, but here it's as laughable as Leia's force-pull survival in Episode VIII and so is the resulting love interest. On top of that, the way Trace courts Maria is pretty much sexual assault and would defs never fly today. I get that L'Amour wrote in the 50's and he was writing about men in the 1800's, but Trace's advances on Maria often made me uncomfortable even through that filter.
Also, can I vent a bit on how much I dislike third-person omniscient narratives? They're pretty bad. Almost as bad as first person present.
Anyway, I still love Louis L'Amour. He's one of my favorite authors and will be so forever. This just wasn't an example of his best work. It took me a couple hours to read, but it felt like it took him just as long to write, and then he never bothered with a second draft...or an editor. Which is actually kind-of crazy, because his prose for this book is still pretty decent, and every once in a while laced with brilliance. The end.
As a preface, I love Louis L'Amour. I think he is one of the most underrated authors of all time. When he puts care into his writing, his prose and the stories themselves are rich with poetry and depth. But he tends to be more well known for his dime novels, which are quite the opposite. This was one of those.
The Burning Hills had a nice opening paragraph but the story went downhill from there. We don't get much character development for any of the characters so we don't really care for any of them. Trace Jordan literally feels like he was built in a Louis L'Amour dime novel lab and his sudden love for Maria Cristina is ridiculously sudden and pointless. I admit there's a place for the wounded-man-waking-to-a-beautiful-woman-caring-for-him trope and sometimes the fantasy is nice, but here it's as laughable as Leia's force-pull survival in Episode VIII and so is the resulting love interest. On top of that, the way Trace courts Maria is pretty much sexual assault and would defs never fly today. I get that L'Amour wrote in the 50's and he was writing about men in the 1800's, but Trace's advances on Maria often made me uncomfortable even through that filter.
Also, can I vent a bit on how much I dislike third-person omniscient narratives? They're pretty bad. Almost as bad as first person present.
Anyway, I still love Louis L'Amour. He's one of my favorite authors and will be so forever. This just wasn't an example of his best work. It took me a couple hours to read, but it felt like it took him just as long to write, and then he never bothered with a second draft...or an editor. Which is actually kind-of crazy, because his prose for this book is still pretty decent, and every once in a while laced with brilliance. The end.
September 1, 2019
Formulaic and predictable, but oh, what fun! You know the hero is going to be lean and tough and fast on the trigger, and a loner, too. You know that a whole gang of outlaws will be going after him, besides a gang of Indians. (And no, these aren’t Native Americans. Louis L’Amour wasn’t the least bit politically correct.) The girl is going to be “a whole lot of woman,” and he’s going to have to break her, like a Mustang. In the end he’ll save her ranch, or her herd, or her schoolhouse. You can predict all that. You don’t read Louis L’Amour for suspense. You read it for mood and excitement and the sheer exuberance of its language. And when you’re done, you’ll want to light out for the Southwest on the next stagecoach leaving town.
June 4, 2014
As a kid I loved westerns. Somewhere along the line I completely lost touch with the genre while exploring sci-fi, fantasy, history, historical fiction......etc. One of my ex-bosses was a serious L'Amour fan so he was always in the back of my mind to check out. A promo on amazon kindle was the spark and I am so glad I did. It might not be high literature but it certainly took me back more than a few years in a short and captivating journey. I'm hooked
July 24, 2015
This was my first "western" and the story was more or less exactly what I would have expected. It is basically a novella where a posse of local guys are chasing after a guy who killed one of their friends. The guy being chased is the actual good guy who had only been trying to get his stolen horse back. Of course there is a beautiful woman involved, and it doesn't take a detective to figure out who gets the girl. A quick read.
Displaying 1 - 30 of 175 reviews