bwickens
Member
Anyone else read this? It was L'Amour's last novel and the closest he ever came to sci-fi. Of interest to us gunny types, the main character carries a .357 and, as a backup, an H&K P7.
Louis L'Amour's "Haunted Mesa"
- Thread starter bwickens
- Start date
Sure did! And everything else he put out except for the poetry.
An interesting read, TACC1.
An interesting read, TACC1.
I've got probably one to two hundred of his books from when I was a kid ( had a couple of older people pass them on to me, multiple copies of some) and that's one I never got around to. Last of the Breed was as modern as I got.
His stories are filled with the typical western cliches, but I still like 'em.
His stories are filled with the typical western cliches, but I still like 'em.
truckemup97
Member
Great book, but then again, I haven't read anything of his that I didn't like. Lots of people don't know that he wrote something besides westerns. 
novalty
Member
"Last of the Breed" was one of my favorites. I think my step-father has all of the books he wrote, some multiple copies, hardcover and soft.
I have a couple autographed hard copies I picked up over the years when he did book signings. As a young, arrogant kid I would write Mr. L'Amour and point out discrepancies in the descriptions of firearms themselves or of their handling characteristics. He must have found my letters amusing because he usually wrote back. His first book that I read was The Ferguson Rifle, which caught my eye because in 1973 or so when the book was published I considered myself one of the few people to have handled an original. Like I said, I was young and arrogant.
novalty
Member
Great story walnutred. Can't imagine Louis L'amour thoughts when he opened your letters. Ha Suprised he even opened it, and more suprised he wrote back. Hope you still have the letters. Side note on authographs. My step-father used to run a breakfast restaurant in Lovell, ME where Stephen King has a home (or 2) and he would come in and get breakfast from time-to-time, and even gave a few signed copies of books. Strangely enough my step-father is part of the reason Stephen King is still alive today, cause he was right there when the crazy person hit him with a car back, in '99 I believe, and helped take care of him until the ambulance arrived.
It's not like we had an ongoing correspondence, we're talking two letters. I'm sure I have the letters filed away somewhere but with 30 years of hindsight I wish I'd saved copies of my letters to him as well. It was probably the childish, handwritten form of the letters that he found humorous.
My kids read Last of the Breed in High School American Lit. He probably would have fallen down laughing to think he had reached American Classic Literature status, for a non-western.
My kids read Last of the Breed in High School American Lit. He probably would have fallen down laughing to think he had reached American Classic Literature status, for a non-western.
datsun40146
Member
Read it, loved it. Try "last of the breed" its even better!
7003006
Member
Haunted Mesa is the one book he wrote that I just couldn't get into.EVERYTHING else I've read is great.
AZretired
Member
Being from New Mexico and having made many trips to the area Haunted Mesa has been one my favorites of his. read it several times.
ArcticFox
US Veteran
I discovered L'Amour with "Last of the Breed" then rapidly went through about a dozen more until I came to "Haunted Mesa", which I didn't care for. I did read his bio..."Education of a Wandering Man" and it was very good. He was a high school drop-out who found and followed his passion.
R-Tex
Member
I recall reading someone's interview with LL. His response to the interviewer's question regarding the source of Louis L'Amours ideas for stories was something along the lines of, "All my stories have four things in common: The good guy, the bad guy, the girl, and the deed to the ranch." 
Alpo
Member
I read an interview with him, in Grit, back in the mid 70s. The interviewer asked why he never had sex in his books. He said it wasn't necessary to his stories. "But sex is part of life."
"So is going to the toilet, but I don't put that in my stories either."
"So is going to the toilet, but I don't put that in my stories either."
BKDinTexas
Member
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It was a hard read for me. I was disappointed in it.
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