The Collected Bowdrie Dramatizations: Volume 1

by Louis L'Amour

Follow Chick Bowdrie's adventure in these classic westerns by America's favorite storyteller, Louis L'Amour.

Chick Bowdrie could have been an outlaw, but he rode a different trail. The Texas Rangers recruited Bowdrie to help pursue the most wanted men in the Southwest. And Bowdrie knew the terrain all too the dusty trails, bitter cattle feuds, the desperate killers, and the weather-beaten towns that could explode into chaos at the wrong word. The Rangers were called in to handle the tough cases, and Bowdrie was the toughest and smartest. He had vowed to seek out justice, but there were times when justice required fists and guns...

Genres: Westerns

6 pages, Audio CD

First published October 18, 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

[Sophia · Rating 5 out of 5]

One of my first delightful surprises about reading Louis L'Amour was that many of his books and stories might be classified as 'Westerns', but that is not all they were. As a mystery lover, I was thrilled to come across several Old West era mysteries with detectives among L'Amour's writing. In this case, Bowdrie is the law- a Texas Ranger and he solves everything from tracking thieves to murderers and even cold cases he stumbles upon.

I enjoyed how Chick Bowdrie and his feisty hammer-head roan were brought vividly to life with a good, solid backstory through the series of short stories he is featured in. This volume of the collection has six short stories and each presents a standalone case for Bowdrie to solve.

The Collected Bowdrie is an audio full cast dramatization including sound effects. The chosen narration team did great at their parts and wasn't I tickled when in the middle of the collection Louis L'Amour's writing notes and comments were read out as extras.

The stories themselves are each a standalone case Chick Bowdrie is assigned by Ranger Captain McNally and told mostly from his perspective. They are fleshed out with setting, characters, and situations, but move swiftly since they're short stories. I plan on listening in to the follow up volumes of the collection after really loving this one.

[Sandra · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read the books. I’ve listened to the stories on CD. Chick Bowdrie is my favorite character created by Louis l’Amour and I cannot get enough of the his adventures. For me they are pure escapism. I am not a lover of westerns, but Louis l’Amour is one of the best writers I’ve ever discovered. His plots are action packed. His , extensive knowledge of history and well developed characters make reading his books a pleasure. The man could write.

[Cindy B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

Clean, adventurous, and entertaining stories straight out of America’s earlier times. Well written and plotted and a warm, almost welcoming, narration. Multiple shorter storylines add to the characterization of the old West and make the price worthwhile.

[Audrey · Rating 5 out of 5]

I can't get enough of Chick! These dramatizations offer a wonderful escape with the rugged and heroic Texas Ranger. If you love L'Amour and audiobooks, you'll love these dramatizations.

[Neal · Rating 5 out of 5]

The dramatization was very good. Like an old radio show.
This also had a short segment of a L'Amour interview that was interesting.

[Read1000books · Rating 4 out of 5]

Fans of westerns will love these six Old West audio adventures with Texas Ranger Chick Bowdrie. Full cast and sound effects, much like the old-time radio shows. Does contain one or two words of light profanity per episode, as well as firearms action, but then, outlaws didn't usually go off to jail quietly...

[Chaundra · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of my guilty pleasures - I grew up with these books, and we would often listen to the dramatisations during long car trips, which was just about everywhere. Bowdrie was one of our particular favourite characters and we would often scour the audiobook section of whatever bookstore we could find on the off chance there might be one we hadn't heard yet. They're not horribly sophisticated stories, but good voices and familiar settings. Just the thing for a whole new kind of commute. A little bit of home in foreign surroundings.

[Kathleen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A great collection! This listens like a podcast, or an old-fashioned radio drama. Lots of gunslinging action and dramatic moments, with a full cast and sound effects! Each story is about an hour long. They get a little repetitive, but there's only so many ways to write about a ranger and his horse! The hero always wins, the day is saved, the endangered innocents are rescued, and the bad guys are either dead or brought to justice. Classic!

[Clark]

I have enjoyed he Bowdrie series of short stories for a long time. Quick introduction of characters. Simple, yet intriguing plots. Exciting climax and predictable epilogue. This is the formula for many of L'Amour's short stories...and it works every time for me!

[Royce Ratterman · Rating 5 out of 5]

Most books are rated related to their usefulness and contributions to my research.
Overall, a good book for the researcher and enthusiast.
Read for personal research
- found this book's contents helpful and inspiring - number rating relates to the book's contribution to my needs.