Callaghen
by Louis L'Amour
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Callaghen's business is soldiering. For twenty years he'd fought all over the world, from China to the deserts of California; now he's a private in the U.S. Cavalry, poorly paid, his enlistment about to run out. He's ready to move on...until he comes across a startling discovery: a treasure map belonging to a dead lieutenant who may not have been all that he seemed. The map points the way to an underground river of gold...or does it? To find out, Callaghen will have to fight the toughest war show more of his life: against a fierce Indian warrior, a vindictive commanding officer, and a ruthless gang of outlaws who'll turn what may be a river of gold into a river of blood.From the Paperback edition.
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Member Reviews
Poor Sergeant Callaghen just can't win. At 34 he's got hardly any money to his name and is stuck in the army, stationed in the California desert to protect travelers from Indians, apparently before the Gold Rush really got started, and when he gets his discharge papers he has no idea what he'll do next. Rather than be allowed to mosey on into military retirement, he finds himself stuck in a mess that involves a racist direct supervisor who hates him, a bunch of thug gold prospectors, and Malinda, the young woman who is part of why the captain hates him so much.
I liked that the women in this book can shoot and are not easily daunted by deserts and rugged traveling conditions, and that while a few of the men are interested in the women, show more the women are not looking for partners, and there is no romance, even between Malinda and Sergeant Callaghen. This is just a solid western, predictable, but with a pretty good story and solid, readable writing and not too much tedious play-by-play fighting. show less
I liked that the women in this book can shoot and are not easily daunted by deserts and rugged traveling conditions, and that while a few of the men are interested in the women, show more the women are not looking for partners, and there is no romance, even between Malinda and Sergeant Callaghen. This is just a solid western, predictable, but with a pretty good story and solid, readable writing and not too much tedious play-by-play fighting. show less
A story of cavalry and Indians, a professional soldier, his nemesis, and a lady who is admired by both men.
The author has done this type of story before, but much better. There were several subplots that disappeared, and the ending was rushed and disappointing. Not L'Amour's best, barely gets that third star.
The author has done this type of story before, but much better. There were several subplots that disappeared, and the ending was rushed and disappointing. Not L'Amour's best, barely gets that third star.
Since Callaghen fled Ireland as a youth, he has traveled the world fighting in various armies. With experiences in Afghanistan, China and India, he is an excellent soldier. Now he finds himself in the US Cavalry stationed in a small post in the Mojave Desert.trying to keep the Government Road free from Indian attacks. As he waits for his discharge papers to arrive, he is sent on a patrol to find Indian numbers in the area. When the patrol is attacked, Callaghen becomes separated from his unit and ends up fighting his way out alone.
He discovers the Indians plan to attack a stage coach on which the woman he loves is riding. He prevents the Indian attack but he in turn is attacked by several shady men who are searching for gold in the show more area. Dodging Indians while trying to rescue his girl from the gold seekers makes for an exciting ending to this fast moving novel.
Much is made of the poor treatment of Irish immigrants to America in the 19th Century in this novel. show less
He discovers the Indians plan to attack a stage coach on which the woman he loves is riding. He prevents the Indian attack but he in turn is attacked by several shady men who are searching for gold in the show more area. Dodging Indians while trying to rescue his girl from the gold seekers makes for an exciting ending to this fast moving novel.
Much is made of the poor treatment of Irish immigrants to America in the 19th Century in this novel. show less
Like many of my review, another quality western from the greatest American storyteller.
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Author Information
870+ Works 99,561 Members
Born in Jamestown, North Dakota on March 22, 1908, Louis L'Amour's adventurous life could have been the subject of one of his novels. Striking out on his own in 1923, at age 15, L'Amour began a peripatetic existence, taking whatever jobs were available, from skinning dead cattle to being a sailor. L'Amour knew early in life that he wanted to be a show more writer, and the experiences of those years serve as background for some of his later fiction. During the 1930s he published short stories and poetry; his career was interrupted by army service in World War II. After the war, L'Amour began writing for western pulp magazines and wrote several books in the Hopalong Cassidy series using the pseudonym Tex Burns. His first novel, Westward the Tide (1950), serves as an example of L'Amour's frontier fiction, for it is an action-packed adventure story containing the themes and motifs that he uses throughout his career. His fascination with history and his belief in the inevitability of manifest destiny are clear. Also present and typical of L'Amour's work are the strong, capable, beautiful heroine who is immediately attracted to the equally capable hero; a clear moral split between good and evil; reflections on the Native Americans, whose land and ways of life are being disrupted; and a happy ending. Although his work is somewhat less violent than that of other western writers, L'Amour's novels all contain their fair share of action, usually in the form of gunfights or fistfights. L'Amour's major contribution to the western genre is his attempt to create, in 40 or more books, the stories of three families whose histories intertwine as the generations advance across the American frontier. The novels of the Irish Chantry, English Sackett, and French Talon families are L'Amour's most ambitious project, and sadly were left unfinished at his death. Although L'Amour did not complete all of the novels, enough of the series exists to demonstrate his vision. L'Amour's strongest attribute is his ability to tell a compelling story; readers do not mind if the story is similar to one they have read before, for in the telling, L'Amour adds enough small twists of plot and detail to make it worth the reader's while. L'Amour fans also enjoy the bits of information he includes about everything from wilderness survival skills to finding the right person to marry. These lessons give readers the sense that they are getting their money's worth, that there is more to a L'Amour novel than sheer escapism. With over 200 million copies of his books in print worldwide, L'Amour must be counted as one of the most influential writers of westerns in this century. He died from lung cancer on June 10, 1988. (Bowker Author Biography) Louis L'Amour, truly America's favorite storyteller, was the first fiction writer ever to receive the Congressional Gold Medal from the United States Congress in honor of his life's work, & was also awarded the Medal of Freedom. There are over 260 million copies of his books in print worldwide. (Publisher Provided) show less
Common Knowledge
- Original publication date
- 1972-02
- People/Characters
- Ephraim Sykes; Morty Callaghen; Malinda Colton; Lieutenant Allison; Private Beamis; Peg-Leg Smith (show all 15); Jim Beckwourth; Madge McDonald; John McDonald; Kurt Wylie; Lieutenant Sprague; Johnny Ridge; The Stick Walker; Champion; Sergeant MacBrody
- Important places
- California Mohave Desert; Camp Cady, Mohave Desert, California, USA; Marl Springs, Mohave Desert, California, USA; Table Mountain, Mohave Desert, California, USA
- Important events
- The long walk back to Camp.; The stage heads for Nevada.; The stage is empty.; The fight at Table Mountain.
- Epigraph
- [None]
- Dedication
- To all who travel the desert road, wherever the desert, whatever the time.
- First words
- Behind the rocks the Mohaves lay waiting-and in the sky, the buzzards. Each was sure of their prey.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"I hope nobody ever finds it," Malinda said. "It should always be there, just to be looked for."
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 639
- Popularity
- 45,341
- Reviews
- 5
- Rating
- (3.63)
- Languages
- English, German, Norwegian (Bokmål)
- Media
- Paper, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 20
- ASINs
- 16
