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3.84 AVERAGE
3.84 AVERAGE
The story structure is a roller coaster - after Mathurin Kerbouchard's mother is killed, he begins the quest to find his father who is rumored to have been captured or killed in battle. Sounds easy but it ain't - his inquisitiveness sets him up against multiple foes that enable him to rescue several pretty ladies, all of whom help him reach his goal of finding out what happened to his dad.
The writing style is reminiscent of the 60s and 70s (lack of punctuation, missing the word that, etc), with a strong masculine flavor.
Historical information packs this novel but the story doesn't always seam up with it well; the information sometimes feels out of place and, at times, lengthy (though L'Amour fails to challenge Tolkien's lengthy descriptions). Would have been interesting to see L'Amour tackle this time period in a nonfiction piece.
The writing style is reminiscent of the 60s and 70s (lack of punctuation, missing the word that, etc), with a strong masculine flavor.
Historical information packs this novel but the story doesn't always seam up with it well; the information sometimes feels out of place and, at times, lengthy (though L'Amour fails to challenge Tolkien's lengthy descriptions). Would have been interesting to see L'Amour tackle this time period in a nonfiction piece.
L'Amour creates a hero who is not only renowned as a scholar - as a seemingly very young man - but also knows the ways of the corsairs, can fight successfully against pre-Mongol warriors whose lives ARE killing, knows more of alchemy and science than almost anyone in his world, can read and translate books in three or four languages, and knows the Druidic ways enough to sometimes foretell the future with accuracy. Oh, yeah, and every woman he comes across in his adventures happens to be exquisitely gorgeous and also falls under his spell. Kerbouchard falls in love with five women in this book. Please excuse me, Kerbouchard, if it takes me a little while to believe that the last woman you meet is ACTUALLY your lifelong love...you only knew her for about two days, right?
Now for the things I liked about this book: Proficient writing, page-turning action all the way through, occasional thought-provoking declarations, and a historical background that seems accurate enough to be interesting. What I really liked was L'Amour's brief discussion and glossary of the historical terms, concepts, and people at the back. He obviously did quite a bit of research for this book, and the time and the people he writes about is fascinating, especially considering he focuses on the Middle East and East rather than Europe, which is deep in its Dark Age at this point.
I just wish the protagonist was as believable as the historical setting.
Now for the things I liked about this book: Proficient writing, page-turning action all the way through, occasional thought-provoking declarations, and a historical background that seems accurate enough to be interesting. What I really liked was L'Amour's brief discussion and glossary of the historical terms, concepts, and people at the back. He obviously did quite a bit of research for this book, and the time and the people he writes about is fascinating, especially considering he focuses on the Middle East and East rather than Europe, which is deep in its Dark Age at this point.
I just wish the protagonist was as believable as the historical setting.
Probably one of my top 5 favorite books of all time! Sweeping, majestic narrative, fascinating characters, clear storyline, and fascinatingly informative - the best thing Louis L'Amour has ever written, in my opinion. I'll continue to re-read this book for the rest of my life.
adventurous
emotional
hopeful
medium-paced
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
A great read and a wonderful adventure in the old world.
And speaking of Mr. L'Amour, although most of his catalogue is set in the American West, he wrote other historical fiction as well. His long saga of the Sackett family starts in 17th century England, for example. His 1984 novel The Walking Drum relates the story of Mathurin Kerbouchard, a Celt from the Brittany coast in the 12th century, who seeks revenge against the man who destroyed his home and killed his mother, and also travels to learn about the fate of his father, said to have been killed or captured while at sea.
Much of Drum is travelogue, as Mat moves from his homeland to Moorish Spain, and then eastward into modern-day Ukraine and Turkey. His keen eye and quest for knowledge find a home in Cordoba, but troubles there with one of the nobles -- a lady is involved -- push him away and put him back on his quest. L'Amour researched the era and offers plenty of detail about the cultures and societies through which Mat travels.
One of the things which prompted L'Amour to write the book, he says in an afterward, is that few North Americans know much of the history of the world outside of their own continent and Europe, and that historical fiction is one of the best teachers. He's right on both counts -- whether all of the information they pick up is accurate or not, there are a lot of people who know more about feudal Japan thanks to James Clavell's ShÅgun or Victorian-era India because of M.M. Kaye's The Far Pavilions. And even if what they learn doesn't prompt them to find better and more in-depth research, they still know more than the people who pick up neither novel nor textbook.
But a lot of factors keep Drum from being that kind of novel for the 12th century. For one, it's too long and repetitious -- Mat gets in trouble, fights his way out, gets in more trouble, fights his way out, lucks into one quest resolution, etc., etc. For another, Mat himself is something of a jerk. He's casual and dismissive in his relationships with women, seeing them as pretty much fancies of the moment who are worth his time when he's around but not worth any kind of commitment. L'Amour lets one of the interchangeable series -- the Comtesse Suzanne -- get in her own verbal shots in the sparring, but in the end she's not even the last "love" Mat will have in the story. And finally, L'Amour drenches his narrative with the research he's done like a student writing a report who crams everything in to say, "See what I learned?" L'Amour said he enjoyed the 12th century and Mat so much that he planned to write two or three more novels about him, but never got the chance before his death in 1988. The end of L'Amour's story was a major loss for modern genre fiction, but the end of Mathurin Kerbouchard's was nowhere near as unwelcome.
Original available here.
Much of Drum is travelogue, as Mat moves from his homeland to Moorish Spain, and then eastward into modern-day Ukraine and Turkey. His keen eye and quest for knowledge find a home in Cordoba, but troubles there with one of the nobles -- a lady is involved -- push him away and put him back on his quest. L'Amour researched the era and offers plenty of detail about the cultures and societies through which Mat travels.
One of the things which prompted L'Amour to write the book, he says in an afterward, is that few North Americans know much of the history of the world outside of their own continent and Europe, and that historical fiction is one of the best teachers. He's right on both counts -- whether all of the information they pick up is accurate or not, there are a lot of people who know more about feudal Japan thanks to James Clavell's ShÅgun or Victorian-era India because of M.M. Kaye's The Far Pavilions. And even if what they learn doesn't prompt them to find better and more in-depth research, they still know more than the people who pick up neither novel nor textbook.
But a lot of factors keep Drum from being that kind of novel for the 12th century. For one, it's too long and repetitious -- Mat gets in trouble, fights his way out, gets in more trouble, fights his way out, lucks into one quest resolution, etc., etc. For another, Mat himself is something of a jerk. He's casual and dismissive in his relationships with women, seeing them as pretty much fancies of the moment who are worth his time when he's around but not worth any kind of commitment. L'Amour lets one of the interchangeable series -- the Comtesse Suzanne -- get in her own verbal shots in the sparring, but in the end she's not even the last "love" Mat will have in the story. And finally, L'Amour drenches his narrative with the research he's done like a student writing a report who crams everything in to say, "See what I learned?" L'Amour said he enjoyed the 12th century and Mat so much that he planned to write two or three more novels about him, but never got the chance before his death in 1988. The end of L'Amour's story was a major loss for modern genre fiction, but the end of Mathurin Kerbouchard's was nowhere near as unwelcome.
Original available here.
This is the only Louis L'Amour book I've ever enjoyed--maybe because it isn't a Western. It takes place in the 11th century. The main character's mother dies and he goes on a search to find his father. He becomes enslaved, escapes, falls in love, and finally finds the super secret hide out his father is supposedly being held captive at. It ends on something of a cliffhanger, but it's such a great adventure story!
A wonderful, sometimes incredible swashbuckling tale. As a story of adventure and travel and revenge, I now think The Count of Monte Cristo is likely better, but as a historical novel to introduce my teenage self to Muslim 12th Century Europe it is breathtaking, history and a love of learning, reading, and an openness of religious and economic thought are woven through the swordfights and damsels in distress.
An excellent picaresque historical fiction, well-researched, with an enormously magnetic protagonist.