Llano River

by Elmer Kelton

Long a target of cow thieves who would steal his cattle and escape from the law, John Titus decides to take the law in his own hands by gathering an army of cowboys and guns.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction

256 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1982

About the author

Elmer Kelton (1926-2009) was award-winning author of more than forty novels, including The Time It Never Rained, Other Men’s Horses, Texas Standoff and Hard Trail to Follow. He grew up on a ranch near Crane, Texas, and earned a journalism degree from the University of Texas. His first novel, Hot Iron, was published in 1956. Among his awards have been seven Spurs from Western Writers of America and four Western Heritage awards from the National Cowboy Hall of Fame. His novel The Good Old Boys was made into a television film starring Tommy Lee Jones. In addition to his novels, Kelton worked as an agricultural journalist for 42 years. He served in the infantry in World War II. He died in 2009.

http://us.macmillan.com/author/elmerk...

Reviews

[Chrissie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a short novel. Having recently read and preferred Terry C. Johnston's Carry the Wind (4 stars), Borderlords (4 stars) and One-Eyed Dream (3 stars), I can’t help but compare the two authors and their books. I have reviews for all three.

Johnston’s books are longer, the characters are more fully developed and more nuanced. In addition, and most importantly from my point of view, they are chockfull of geographical, cultural and historical details. His books give you more than merely an exciting tale of adventure. Johnston’s novels teach. You learn as you read!

There is absolutely nothing wrong with Kelton’s book. It grabs your interest and gives you an exciting cowboy tale of suspense. A love thread is thrown in. It’s on the simple side though—everything ties up neatly. Too neatly? Yeah, I think so. You guess easily what is going to happen. The central character is a bit too good in my view. Life and people are more complicated than what is drawn here, perhaps because the book is quite simply too short to go into more depth.

Graham Winton narrates the audiobook. Every word is clear. He varies the intonations to fit the characters but not in an overdramatized fashion. The narration I have given four stars.

I must also mention Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry, a cowboy classic not to be missed, although I settled on three stars for my rating. As you all know, I am extremely stingy with my stars!

[Lesle · Rating 3 out of 5]

He has been called the Patron Saint of Cowboy Literature, born at a place called Horse Camp, our Author did not swing into the saddle from age 3. Instead he was devoted to books and when he wrote his own you know his stories have moral judgments of what is proper even in the cowboy world. Elmer Kelton's style is straight forward and a bit plain for a western story. The hero is "not seven feet tall and invincible" they are very human at "five-eight and nervous."

Dundee out to find the cattle thieves that are rebranding Titus cattle and he is hired to find the one person for all the ill that is happening to John, Blue Roan. He runs across the McCown family that are trying to deal with life. Warren trying to make it happen and have more than a dollar in his pocket. Uncle Ollie is very down to earth and wants a husband for his niece Millie, he is thinking Dundee will do. In the end there is a show down of sorts between Titus and Blue Roan in Runaway but the ending...you need to read it to discover the twist!

Teetering towards 4 Stars

Elmer Kelton is a seven time winner of the Spur Award. A prestigious award for distinguished writing about the American West.

[Rick Hollis · Rating 5 out of 5]

Elmer Kelton remains one of the grand masters of the western novel. This one is a departure from his ranger series. The protagonist is not a lawman, but more or less acts like one. There are two interesting twists at the end -- neither of which I saw coming until close to the end.

A fun, quick read.

[Miles Smith · Rating 4 out of 5]

Just a good solid western from absolute master of the genre. There’s no frills here but I think that’s what makes it so good.

[Theresa · Rating 5 out of 5]

If all Elmer Kelton books are like this, pass me the whole pile. I honestly could barely put it down.

Dundee stumbles upon Titusville and a heap of trouble. I'm sure more than once he wished his horse had taken him any other direction.

He makes a deal with John Titus to figure out who was taking his cattle. He finds a hell of a lot more than he bargained for.

I'm the first to tell you that I never see twists coming, but I was pretty shocked at how this all turned out.

Dundee has to be one of my all time favorite cowboys. He's so dry and to the point, but underneath that is a tender heart that he doesn't even want to reveal to himself.

[Jim Townsend · Rating 5 out of 5]

Excellent western classic from 1966 from a master of the genre. The drifter Dundee gets hired to catch a band of cattle rustlers in 1880s southwestern Texas, but gets more than he bargained for in a stark landscape where law and order is enforced more often with bullets than with handcuffs. I will read more from this writer.

[Jeff Dickison · Rating 4 out of 5]

This is a rarity for Kelton. A straight-out traditional shoot-em up western. Well written and well plotted as a cattle man takes on the job of identifying and bringing to justice a group of rustlers. Recommended to fans of westerns!

[Stan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another good read by Kelton.

[Dan Baxter · Rating 4 out of 5]

Refreshing and enjoyable read. Nothing amazing just a great and clean read

[Jeff Tankersley · Rating 4 out of 5]

An older Kelton western, "Llano River" (1966) has our protagonist, a drifting cowboy named Dundee making his way across 1880's Texas, hired by a cattleman named John Titus to investigate who is stealing his cows and where they are being sold. The rustling operation is likely being run by an old bandit named Blue Roan Hardesty, so Dundee wanders the area looking at brands and matching them up with local operations to find where Titus' stock is being moved.

Dundee is a smart western character, a middle-aged cowboy getting past the point where he should have a real money stake but has instead been living day-to-day his entire working life. While he realizes he might need to finally change his ways, his cantankerous stubborn nature and commitment to doing things his way make real self-reflection impossible. Other characters in "Llano River" are well-written and interesting: the nobly bad Blue Roan, the immature Son Titus, the independent rancher Warren McCown and his beautiful sister Miss Millie, the tough broad Katy Long, and the Karnes bullies.

Verdict: A short western adventure with a real twist and a great ending. When I read Kelton westerns (this is my 15th), they fall into two distinct groups: the bad ones are overwhelmingly predictable, stereotypical, and one-note while the good ones are more authentic, surprising, and fun. This is a good one.

Jeff's Rating: 4 / 5 (Very Good)
movie rating if made into a movie: PG-13

[M. O'Gannon · Rating 4 out of 5]

Llano River – Brush Country Novel – Published 1966 - **** - Dundee is hired by the large free range rancher, John Titus. Dundee is to find out who has been stealing the Titus cattle and where their headquarters are located. Dundee plays a lone hand going into rustler haven where he might be killed. Shootouts, hard cowboying, romance all mix in to bring the west alive in the way only Kelton can tell a tale. A good western never goes out of style.

[Phil Lyon · Rating 5 out of 5]

Couldn’t get more Texas. When you can taste dust & smell leather, you are there. I am a 4th generation Texan. Kelton is one of the best. He will bring Texas back by the roots.
Excellent as always.
Phil

[Ray · Rating 5 out of 5]

I picked up this book randomly, and I was not disappointed. The way the author describes the life of the west was very well done. The story kept me intrigued, and I just couldn’t put it down. I mostly felt connected to most of the character, and all in all a good, short read.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

very good little western

[Alyx · Rating 5 out of 5]

Honestly, I just wished it was longer.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

very informative interesting read. I trust this author to be accurate with historical facts

[Ed · Rating 4 out of 5]

1966 stand-alone Western.

[Backoff51 · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of Kelton's best tales. Includes a somewhat kind cattle rustler. Fun to read.

[K. · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was just a great story. I'm not at all familiar with the western genre, but I can't imagine a better introduction.

[Thomas Walker-Werth · Rating 4 out of 5]

Generally an intriguing Western with some great values expressed through the character of Dundee, although the way the story unfolds brings an element of moral ambiguity I found troubling.

[Jeff J. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Cattle rustlers.

[Don Follett · Rating 4 out of 5]

Good and quick read by an author I had never read. A man gets in the middle of a "war" between two old time cowboys, war companions and former friends. One raises cattle, the other one "borrows" cattle from their rightful owners. The main character is hired by the honest rancher, conducts a lengthy investigation then works hard to makes thing right. Along the way lots of action and gunplay ensues with an interesting cast of characters and a good plot. I'll have to admit, the ending surprised me. If you like westerns I think you will like this one. I certainly did.

[Jeff · Rating 3 out of 5]

Llano River (1966)

Elmer Kelton once again both following and challenging the conventions of the genre. Drifting cowboy Dundee goes to work as a range detective for aging cattle baron John Titus, who has a no-good son. Son Titus gets killed and complications ensue. There are some nice surprises here.