Comstock Lode

Not sure I'd consider this a "lost treasure", but it was an enjoyable read with a bit more depth than many of L'Amour's westerns.

The underlying plot thread of "You killed my family and I'm going to hunt you down and take revenge" has accounted for barrels of ink and forests of pulp paper, particularly in the Western genre. L'Amour softens it a bit here by having the protagonist realize, after 20 years or so, that the crusade had lost much of its urgency and that basically all he wanted was to be left alone. The appearance of a young woman from his past, and circumstances beyond his control, heated up the quest once again.

This is all set against the background of the gold and silver boom in what became Virginia City, Nevada, as the Civil show more War broke out. There are politics involved here, interesting insights into hardrock mineral mining of the day, sneaky villains, plucky young women, and boom-or-bust mentality.

The subplot also pads out the length quite a bit, but overall the story maintains a good pace and holds the reader's interest. There's a low-key romance and considerable derring-do as it all wraps itself up. show less

It was just a godforsaken mountainside, but no place on earth was richer in silver. For a bustling, enterprising America, this was the great bonanza. The dreamers, the restless, the builders, the vultures—they were lured by the glittering promise of instant riches and survived the brutal hardships of a mining camp to raise a legendary boom town. But some sought more than wealth.

A great over arching story and historical fiction. I started this one on the airplane to NY and finished it in Central Park where I gave it to the guy sitting next to me on the bench. One his better ones.

One of Louis' sprawling epics - this one of the Nevada gold rush. A story that begins with murder and rape, includes revenge, boom towns, betrayal, love, traveling actors, and a mine cave-in. I love it!

Really good reading. L'Amour puts a good and accurate sketch history of the Comstock together with the mystery and gunfights.

Vey grim opening but gets better once the hero is an adult I Nevada instead of an unhappy child in Cornwall.

I enjoyed this book but the Kindle version is poorly formatted. Chapter links into the book all go to chapter 5. Chapter title formatting is off on every chapter.