Chancy: A Novel

by Louis L'Amour

He was an orphan from the hills of Tennessee and he hadn’t eaten in three days. With the front of his stomach making friends with the back, he was in no position to let an opportunity slip by unnoticed. And when Chancy defended his new herd of cattle with a shotgun, he didn’t miss. The dead man left a pistol on the ground. Chancy needed a spare and, after stowing it in his bedroll, forgot about it. He had a cattle drive to finish and a profit to make.But the gun had a history. Another killing had taken place and Chancy would never know the truth until it was too late. Now, locked in a jail cell with an angry, drunken mob outside and time running out, he must somehow find a way to prove his innocence.

Genres: Westerns, Fiction, Historical Fiction, Adventure, Novels, Action, Classics

176 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 1968

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

[Louie the Mustache Matos · Rating 4 out of 5]

I had not read a Louis Lamour novel in such a long time that when I saw this book in the used bookstore, I knew I had to read it. I devoured Chancy in two days. There was a lot of action with many of the tropes that make westerns a tried-and-true genre. There were ample villains that begin their evil ways before the first page. Otis Chancy catches us up with a narrative that never lags or drags. The cinematic vistas are described with elegance and awe. The plot is strong, set perfectly with minimal foreshadowing.

Chancy is a driven young man that recognizes that as the son of a hanged drunk who committed a single crime, he must take advantage of the few opportunities that may present themselves. I really enjoyed this book and would recommend it. The only minor flaw would be the tropes that are so over-used that they have become cliché. This is not Lamour's fault, but I felt I needed to communicate that the story devices are not unique.

[Jeffrey Caston]

This was not only my first Louis L'Amour book, but my first western as well. I'm going to hold off a rating because I don't think it would mean much, given my lack of prior reading in this genre.

I can appreciate that the incomparable Mr. L'Amour captured the main character's voice. I believed Chancy was relating his tale the way he would relate it to a reader. However, the story was very "recitational." It didn't offer a lot of depth. I understood what was happening, but not as much why or what impact a lot of the action was having on the main character or how he was personally reacting/feeling. With most of my favorite writers, I get more emotional nuance and depth. I did not get that here. Whether that's typical of westerns or L'Amour, I can't say yet. I've got another L'Amour and I just picked up a Johnstone novel too. We shall see.

It was entertaining enough for a short read, but I'm still going to be more of a horror, sci-fi, and fantasy kind of reader.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

A great action filled Western. Otis Chancy is a great character, father hung as a horse thief, gets a cattle herd by courage and even has a girl in the wings. Lots of bad guys and a good ending with a bruising fist fight and then a gunfight showdown. Some nice descriptions of the scenery in Wyoming too.

[Christy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nobody does gunfighting like L’Amour. Or cattle driving, or flirting with pretty girls. Nobody describes western scenery better. This book is one of his best, except that there are maybe too many bad guys. (One of them is a lady!) They just keep coming. That brings on more brawling and shooting, of course, but we’re never in doubt that the hero will win, even though the betting odds in the saloon are a hundred to one against him. The good guy always wins, against a spectacular western sunset. Whenever I read a L’Amour novel, I want to go there and never come back.

[Katrina Swartzentruber · Rating 4 out of 5]

Might be my new favorite L’Amour. This one was one of the first L’Amours I wanted to read (because it had a cattle drive) but I am just now getting around to it, and it was worth it. I only wish it kept going, because there is so much story left to tell.

[Andréa Geleynse · Rating 5 out of 5]

5 stars for how much I enjoyed it, not necessarily for quality.

Chancy is another very exciting book by Louis L'Amour that contains all the essential elements for an excellent western: untamed country, untamed men, fistfights, gunfights, justice, and a pretty girl. Otis Tom Chancy is a 19-year-old nobody from the hills of Tennessee who sets out on a journey to make something of himself so he can marry his girl back home. He acquires some cattle and defends them tirelessly, but makes many enemies as he attempts to prove his manhood to the hardened cowboys and outlaws around him. In the end however, his friends outweigh his opponents and after a climactic gunfight in which he is victorious, he faces a bright future with his new wife, ranching in the wild expanse of Wyoming.

[Kathy · Rating 5 out of 5]

4.5 rounded up to 5
Every once in a while, I read a Western book (usually for a challenge) and no one does them better than Louis L'Amour. Excellent story and great characters.

[Benjamin · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chancy, by Louis L’amour is a fictional western Genre of book. The main character Otis Chancy, is a young strapping adventurous man in his early twenties. The book starts how he comes back home to a place that hates him because of his father, who was sentenced to death by hanging because of horse robbery. The whole town tells Otis he is a son of a thief, and nobody wants him around. So he leaves west, he joins an old group of cowpoke cattle herders, gets them out of a predicament and ends up with a few hundred head of cattle from this group of guys. Later on Otis gets a plan with a man and heads west to settle his own land with his own herd. I always like how Louis L’amour is so descriptive of all the different settings that are in his books. I really enjoyed how the book carries itself with the story, and keeps you thinking about what could happen next. My favorite part of the book was when Otis and 2 other people in his group rode into a camp and shot up a couple of cattle rustlers for stealing and killing. One thing I dislike about this book is there is a lot of short term charters and it is hard to keep their name’s straight and you’re not sure if you're reading about the right character, but it is still easy to follow the story line. If your one to like adventure, mixed with historical fiction, not only do I recommend just this book chancy, but I recommend Louis L’amour as an author.

[August Storkel · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chancy is a book about a young man named Otis Chancy from Tennessee that heads out west after his father is caught stealing a horse and the family name is ruined. On his journey he encounters some men driving some cattle and happens to find himself owning half of the cattle. Along the cattle drive he comes into contact with a cattle man who gives him a herd and some men and Otis Chancy sets out to find a ranch of his own. Chancy meets many friends and many enemies on his adventures driving cattle but there are also many gunfights to be had. when time comes to stand his ground and defends what is his, he does just that. I was a huge fan of the book as Louis L'Amour is my favorite author. The book told a very good story and was a great easy going read. I liked how all of the character mingled into the story and had their parts. Many of the characters also came in and out of play. When it comes to disliking the book I really cannot find anything I didn't like. As I said early he is my favorite author and I have yet to find one of his books that I did not enjoy. I would recommend this book to anyone looking for a fun easy ready and especially those that are into western novels. It is very well written and i could definitely see myself reading this one again.

[S.S. Genesee · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book was quite exciting and thrilling!! This is like, the exact sort of story you could think of when you imagine "cowboys": roaming the wild west, herding cattle, and GUNFIGHTING. It was action packed, with enemies left and right willing to cut down our hero Chancy.

There were a few times I felt a little confused as to what was happening, but I attribute that to me not having a vast knowledge on how the cattle trade worked back then and such (I still am unsure what the cattle brands even mean lol). But despite that, I still followed along fine and overall it was a fun and exciting read!

[Nahid Beg · Rating 4 out of 5]

A nice short story. Not sure if it’s because of me playing the role of Arthur in RDR2, but I’m really enjoying western novels. But about the writer Louis L’Amour, this is the first book by him that I read. I’m not sure what exactly caught my attention, was it the cover or the catchy book blurb. However, I’m glad that I picked it up. His dream was to be a storyteller and he’s a great one without any doubt.

[Jay Wright · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chancy is 19 and has been on his own for several years. He is good with a gun. He helps some old timers with a herd and ends up with some cows. He completes the drive makes some money and gets a partner. He hires some men and they establish a ranch in Wyoming near the Hole in the Wall. He wins friends, defeats his enemies and gets the girl.

[Noah · Rating 2 out of 5]

The first L’Amour book I have not enjoyed. Might have been the difference in writing style, might have been the characters feeling very bland but not truly sure why I didn’t enjoy this as I’ve enjoyed his other books. Sometimes you need a good cowboy book, unfortunately this was not it

[Brenden Quirk · Rating 3 out of 5]

A little too cookie cutter with too many Chekhov's guns left unfired

[Conan Tigard · Rating 4 out of 5]

Have you ever taken a vacation and realized that you forgot to bring your book? Well, that recently happened to me and that is how I ran across an copy of Chancy by Louis L'Amour. I bought the book for 50¢ in a thrift store in Solvang, CA. It has been about six years since I had the chance to read a western tale by Louis L'Amour, and boy am I ever glad I did.

Greed always seems to be the motivating factor of bad guys in many westerns. That is also true in this book, as Caxton and his crew are out to steal as many cattle as possible. As for Stud Pelly and the group from Tennessee, they are plain ol' mean people. They hung Chancy's dad and then for no good reason, seem to have it out for his boy. We never really find out what their reasons are, except that Chancy is the son of a horse thief. This seemed a little unreasonable to me.

The story itself is pretty interesting, but I wasn't sure about having a real person, Wild Bill Hickok, in the story. After all, I don't know if Hickok actually was the marshal in Fort Laramie, but I do know that he was a lawman in the Nebraska Territory, which covered what would someday become Wyoming.

Chancy is a different from a lot of the other Louis L'Amour books that I have read. I thought this was a good story that kept me entertained, but I never formed a tight bond with the main character, like I would have liked to do. Still, I generally love all of Louis L'Amour's western stories and always look forward to cracking open a book and returning to a time when the west was ruled by a six shooter.

Overall, Chancy is good story that kept me interested, but lacked a little something. Still, I enjoyed my time in the wild west and always enjoy the tales that Louis L'Amour tells in his stories.

I rated this book a 7½ out of 10.

[Fredrick Danysh · Rating 4 out of 5]

Chantry was nineteen when he bought some contested cattle and shot a fake sheriff in Indian Territory. He had left the mountains four years after his father was lynched. Now in the West he would run into the lynchers and a girl who had been kind to hime. But trouble seemed to follow himwest.

[kate · Rating 5 out of 5]

Another Best Western

I love the way Louis lamour serves up a slice of Americana. Sure his hero's all have a slight touch of superman but i don't mind suspending belief for a good cowboy yarn.

[Joseph Gamble · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was the third Louis L’amour novel I read, and it’s the one that solidified L’amour as my favorite author. I know that I will catch some flack from those readers predisposed towards literary fiction, but I don’t really care. His books are action-packed, fast-paced, geographically accurate, and chock-full of badass characters and interesting historical tidbits. This book is no exception.

Otis Tom Chancy is an honest, strong, and intelligent young man from the hills of Tennessee. He’s also the son of a drunk horse thief, and the whole “sins of the father” mindset has led him to being the village pariah. After leaving Tennessee so he could return later as a man who could be proud of, Chancy stumbles upon a cattle outfit in Texas whose cattle are being stolen by a fake sheriff. After shooting the crap out of the con-man sheriff with his shotgun and striking a rather shaky partnership with the cattlemen, Chancy is knocked unconscious by the niece of one of the cattlemen, and robbed of the cattle and his deed to them. It turns out that the niece, Queenie, is the gun moll of a legendary gunslick named Caxton Kelsey, who wants to sell Chancy’s cattle for a ton of money.

The book primarily focuses on the recovery efforts made by Chancy and his crew.

Otis Tom Chancy differs from many author L’amour protagonists in that he isn’t a professional gunfighter, and he’s only a fair draw with a pistol. To compensate for this, Chancy develops a new way of shooting with his rifle that enables him to draw it quicker than a pistolero could draw their six-shooter. Chancy, unlike many other Western men, uses the sling with his rifle, with the muzzle down and trigger to the fore. Chancy draws with the sling arm and brings his other hand up to pull the trigger. Super fast. Chancy has more experience with brawling from his time in Tennessee roughousin’ with the boys.

The side characters are some of the strongest L’amour has created. Handy Corbin is like gunslinger Sasuke Uchiha. Jim Bigbear is a real one.

The fist fight between Chancy and Stud Pelly is amazing. Chancy grabs Pelly by the belt like a kid and slams his head into an awning post. Chancy also breaks his jaw. Brutal fight.

My only real criticism is that Louis L’amour had the opportunity to add a tinge of tragedy to the end and decided not to. Throughout the novel, Chancy makes it clear that he doesn’t want a reputation as a gunfighter. He’d rather earn money as a businessman and cattleman. However, after beating the legendary Caxton Kelsey in a gunfight on the street and taking out a few other members of the Kelsey gang, word would undoubtedly spread about his competence with a rifle. Most gunfighters didn’t choose to be gunfighters, it kind of just happened due to an incident where they were forced to take a life. I find it difficult to believe that some young punk somewhere didn’t hear of the shootout and take it upon himself to hunt Chancy down to prove himself the best. I definitely would’ve liked to see a sequel, which I usually wouldn’t care for in the L’amour mythos.

[Steve Scott · Rating 3 out of 5]

L’Amour described himself as a troubadour, which probably was a fair self-assessment. What he was not was a good writer, entertaining as his books might be.

In this tale he has a hero go from a cattle drive in Kansas end up in Wyoming, being chased by rustlers/murderers of the worst kind. He fits the L’Amour stereotype of a strong and independent man of sound moral character. There is the obligatory fistfight, and gunfights galore.

But there are the needless and confusing expositions. One character (a good guy) explains to the hero that he’s out to revenge a slain brother who was killed by a cousin. Later we learned that it was his father that was killed. It’s as if L’Amour wrote so fast and carelessly that he forgot what he’d written earlier in the book. His other stories likewise have those awkward moments that betray sloppy writing.

The history buff in me checked on some of the details he provided. L’Amour wrote that the events in this story were taking place in 1871. However the rustlers drink beer from bottles (and leave them in an abandoned campsite), and the hero carries a Winchester lever action rifle. Neither item existed until 1873, making their appearances the same year. L’Amour wouldn’t have known about the beer bottles, but he surely would have known about the rifle.

I’ll continue to tackle his novels from time to time. I’ve read most of them, I think…but I’ve realized for some time that he’s responsible for fostering a romantic Western mythology that was born when he himself was a very young man.

[Kevin Findley · Rating 4 out of 5]

Otis Tom Chancy was forced to watch his father hang for a trumped up charge of horse theft. He quickly left Tennessee to grow and learn what he needed to return home for revenge. If that sounds like a thousand other books, it does. However, this is Louis L'Amour and nothing he writes is like anything else you've ever read.

We meet Chancy on the last leg of his journey, ready to move on from being a young man to simply being a man, one that others respect and are drawn to. That's where L'Amour differs from so many other writers. His men and women are just as heroic in their daily work as they are when the bullets start flying.

Unfortunately, this last leg also runs him across a group of rustlers headed by a pretend sheriff who causes Chancy trouble even after he's dead, months and miles later. By the end of the book, Chancy's past arrives in the middle of his fight with friends of the rustlers. It includes the young girl he knew as a boy who has waited for him, now a young woman ready to strike out on her own from her conniving family.

There's a final gun battle, of course, but I won't spoil how everything wraps up. Read and love it for yourself.

Find it! Buy it! READ IT!

[Jacob · Rating 5 out of 5]

“Chancy” by Louis L’Amour is a book that peaked my interest when I first saw the cover. Having read many of his books, i figured that it would be a good read. And boy was i right about that! It begins when Otis Tom Chancy, an orphan from the remote hills of tennessee, is hungry and stumbles upon a small group of riders herding cattle to market. He buys in on the deal and when his herd is put on the line, he defends it with a shotgun. The rider he killed dropped an pistol, and needing a spare he stowed it away. Little did he know, much trouble comes from a dead man’s gun. He know has to defend his herd from a group of angry rustlers looking to claim his herd for their own. “Chancy” is a very exciting read. The style that L’Amour uses to write is simply perfect for the stories he writes. This isn't just your everyday rough and tumble, shoot ‘em up cowboy story. No, this is a story of a young man trying to make a living and prove to the world he’s not just a horse thief's son. This story is one of adventure, gunfights, and thrilling rides across the open plains. I give this book 5 out of 5 stars. It's a great story with lots of exciting moments. I would recommend it to everyone that enjoys a good, quick read. If you are interested in westerns, and stories of adventure then this one is just for you.

[Blake B · Rating 3 out of 5]

Chancy by Louis L'amour is a great western story. Chancy is a young man in the story from Tennessee he left Tennessee after he was ran out of his home there for being a horse theifs son.The story is set in the 1870s or 1880s the setting covers much land from Tennessee to Wyoming territory. Chancy comes down from Tennessee to the Indian territory he finds a group moving a heard of cows he buys into there heard because there was a fake Marshall trying to cut some of there cattle out. Chancy kills the fake Marshall and they start to move the cattle up north out of Indian territory he decides not to sale his full heard of cows an to keep moving them north. But trouble is following his heard of cows there are greedy crooked men out to take the heard.

I found this book in the school's library. The author is definitely my favorite author. I rated this book 4 stars because it's a great book but it's just not my favorite story from the author.

[Ryan Mizzen · Rating 5 out of 5]

A classic page-turner from a master storyteller. Chancy is a man who has suffered many injustices in his life. Not that he would complain about them. Rather, he seeks to right the wrongs where possible.

Any outlaw going up against him best think twice. For Chancy isn't just an honest and just man seeking to make a life for himself, but he also has special lineage, being a distant Sackett relation. And anyone who's familiar with L'Amour's work knows that going up against a Sackett in a fist fight or a gun battle is more trouble than it's worth.

As is typical of a L'Amour novel, this book shares important values and life advice that men can learn from. It made me think of the fact that single mothers raising boys, would often write letters to Louis L'Amour and tell him how his books helped them raise their sons with the right values. Reading a book like Chancy it's possible to see why. So it goes without saying that I too recommend this great novel.

[Lemarie · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book has a main character that's easy to like, travelling through a desert with a bunch of guys, and violence in the form of a brawl and gunfights. It has all those elements of a western but I found it too simple. There wasn't much tension, maybe because I didn't feel the threat of the bad guys? Yeah, I guess I didn't find the bad guys too threatening because they just appeared now and then without much scheming or build-up, which made the climax a bit wanting. Also, a long exposition followed the climax which kind of dulled its effect. I found that kind of weird for the writer to put those paragraphs just after the climax.

The scenery was excellent but I guess the interrelationships between the characters was a bit bland. It felt like a coming-of-age book and that's not bad. I found this book okay.

[Oleta Blaylock · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book started a little slow. I was worried I wouldn't finish it. Things did pick and I finished it this morning. Chancy is related to the Sacketts and I thought for awhile some of them might show up. This a typical L'Amour book. There is lots of action and description of west and parts of the south. There is a gun fight at the end and the Hero gets the girl. There is a cattle drive, a small part about Abilene and Wild Bill Hickok. Also there is lots about the country that Chancy and crew see while moving toward Wyoming. There are Indians, horses, cattle, a mean spirited woman and tow men from Tennessee that killed Chancy's dad.

Not a bad book overall and one any L'Amour fan would love.

[Randy Tramp · Rating 5 out of 5]

Chancy, an orphan from the hills of Tennessee, gets locked up in a jail cell. He must find a way to prove his innocence.

1871, Abilene, Fort Laramie, and Wild Bill Hickok. A time when cattle were sixteen dollars a head.


Chancy is young, with the future in front of him. I loved the "feel" of youth and the strength of this character. Honor, courage, and grit, characteristics that cause me to return to L'Amour's books.


Favorite line on the range: "I like seeing the night pale and the stars wink out one by one, like candles snuffed by a quiet wind."

Reading, Chancy, I felt the wide-open range, stream-side, and the open skies.

[John · Rating 5 out of 5]

Otis Tom Chancy is young man from the hills of Tennessee who heads West to make his mark. He chances upon a cattle drive made up of older men. When outlaws, lead by a man posing as a sheriff, tries to take the herd Chancy kills him. With a share of the herd and a chance to fulfill his dream he starts to drive the herd to Wyoming. But another pack of outlaws lead by ruthless men and a woman follow their trail looking for any chance to ambush Chancy and his drovers. It is an exciting western tale and one of L'Amour's best.

[Daniel Moore · Rating 4 out of 5]

One of the best from the Master

Typical L'Amour. Excellent characters, a storyline that grabs hold and doesn't let go, and an overall tone that makes you feel like you lived it. The only reason I leave off a star is, like so many of his stories, it ends too abruptly: there's too much still left that would put the period to the sentence. Heck, you could get another whole book out of Chancy - he's got a lot of things left uneaten on his plate when this ends. Oh well. What we got was still terrific. Read it and escape back to a remarkable journey.

[Michael Wiggins · Rating 4 out of 5]

Excellent diversion from Election Day. I had a cousin recommend this one to me as a good example of Louis L'Amour's westerns, and I finished it in just a few days. Chancy is a young ambitious man with nothing, trying to make his fortune far from the Tennessee mountains in which he was raised. Chancy has a knack for making quick decisions that work out and the strength and skill to evade most scrapes, or a least emerge from them on the other side.

[Delonna Oskouee · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was a good read, and I enjoyed it thoroughly.

I wished that one of his distant Sackett cousins would have turned up to help him out with all his problems. But in the end, h toe did what had to be done and got the killers and cattle rustlers. I once knew a woman I called a 2-headed viper, seems to me that Queenie was another one. She was a real piece of work to describe her nicely.