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Fiction. Western. Thriller. Historical Fiction. His dream was to build magnificent steamboats to ply the rivers of the American frontier. But when Jean Talon began his journey westward, he stumbled upon a deadly conspiracy involving a young woman’s search to find her missing brother, and a ruthless band of renegades. Led by the brazen Baron Torville, this makeshift army of opportunists is plotting a violent takeover of the Louisiana Territory. Jean swears to find a way to stop this daring show more plan. If he doesn’t, it will not only put an end to all his dreams; it will change the course of history—and destroy the promise of the American frontier. show lessTags
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Member Reviews
Absolutely loved it. Modest heroes, spunky ladies, honesty, treachery, and action galore. Plus tidbits of history like anti-Catholic laws in Massachusetts in the 1820's. This seems to be a fictionalized takeoff on the alleged Aaron Burr attempt to seize the Louisiana Purchase and to set up a separate county, foiled by patriotic citizens, noble gentlemen, and sassy ladies. Ended too abruptly, but what a great show!
We meet the second Talon in this story. Jean Daniel is a shipwright, headed from Quebec for Pittsburgh with plans to build steamboats. He pulls a dying man from the depth of a swamp, and soon finds himself involved in a search for the missing brother of a very pretty and capable young lady.
The farther I read, the more I enjoyed this one, a good yarn.
The farther I read, the more I enjoyed this one, a good yarn.
I have found that I enjoy Louis L'Amour's western novels. He is a good, descriptive writer, and captures the settings and the emotions of his characters very well. His plots are interesting, and keep me turning the pages to see how they will end.
Rivers West was no exception. Rather than a typical "western," this one dealt with the early days of the United States of America, soon after the Louisiana Purchase during Thomas Jefferson's administration.
Jean Talon, a French Canadian boat builder, was exploring the wild country of the new nation, with the plan of traveling to Pittsburgh to build river boats needed by the explorers and settlers of the new American West. He accidentally stumbled upon a recent murder, one so recent that the show more victim had not yet perished, and was able to give Jean some information about his attacker.
As he traveled, he met up with Jambe-De-Bois ("Peg Leg"), a former pirate who became his traveling companion and confidante, a beautiful young lady in search of her brother, some inn-keepers, and a couple of shady characters. He also learned of a nefarious plot to seize the Louisiana Territory and make it a kingdom in opposition to the U.S.A. show less
Rivers West was no exception. Rather than a typical "western," this one dealt with the early days of the United States of America, soon after the Louisiana Purchase during Thomas Jefferson's administration.
Jean Talon, a French Canadian boat builder, was exploring the wild country of the new nation, with the plan of traveling to Pittsburgh to build river boats needed by the explorers and settlers of the new American West. He accidentally stumbled upon a recent murder, one so recent that the show more victim had not yet perished, and was able to give Jean some information about his attacker.
As he traveled, he met up with Jambe-De-Bois ("Peg Leg"), a former pirate who became his traveling companion and confidante, a beautiful young lady in search of her brother, some inn-keepers, and a couple of shady characters. He also learned of a nefarious plot to seize the Louisiana Territory and make it a kingdom in opposition to the U.S.A. show less
This book was surprisingly entertaining, a lot like the first part of the Wheel of Time series, minus the magic bits and set in the early days of the United States.
Jean Talon is a shipwright in 1821 America. Originally from Nova Scotia and Quebec, he plans to move to Pittsburgh to take up his career. He learns about a plan by Baron Torville, a megalomaniac, to stage a rebellion in the new territory created by the Louisiana Purchase and build an empire. Talon joins with a ragtag group of misfits to disrupt the plans of the Baron.
His travels are by horse, canoe and keel boat with lengthy explanations on how such a vessel moves up stream against the natural flow of the river. As usual, L'Amour works a lot of history into the narrative including European history to explain where some of the characters came from and why.
His travels are by horse, canoe and keel boat with lengthy explanations on how such a vessel moves up stream against the natural flow of the river. As usual, L'Amour works a lot of history into the narrative including European history to explain where some of the characters came from and why.
Some good bits, but too many expository lumps, and at least two continuity problems. Not one of his best, but good enough for a lazy evening.
Product Description
His dream was to build magnificent steamboats to ply the rivers of the American frontier. But when Jean Talon began his journey westward, he stumbled upon a deadly conspiracy involving a young woman’s search to find her missing brother, and a ruthless band of renegades. Led by the brazen Baron Torville, this makeshift army of opportunists is plotting a violent takeover of the Louisiana Territory. Jean swears to find a way to stop this daring plan. If he doesn’t, it will not only put an end to all his dreams; it will change the course of history—and destroy the promise of the American frontier.
From the Inside Flap
"He killed me," the dying man had said."He stabbed me."Those words stayed with young Jean Talon show more as he journeyed westward, finally reaching the Missouri in search of a simple and honest life building river boats.But the stranger died.And that meant unraveling a deadly knot that tied together a vicious renegade's army, the Louisiana Purchase, and the missing brother of a beautiful, headstrong woman.Too near the truth to break away, Jean Talon turns in the tools of his trade for a far more dangerous kind of work--the kind that either gets men killed or earns them a new home in a violent, untamed land. show less
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870+ Works 99,523 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
Series
Common Knowledge
- Canonical title
- Rivers West
- Original title
- Rivers West
- Original publication date
- 1975
- People/Characters
- Jean Daniel Talon; Jambe-de-bois
- First words
- A ghost trail, a dark trail, a trail endlessly winding.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)"Yes," she said, "I've never built a boat."
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- Members
- 623
- Popularity
- 46,618
- Reviews
- 8
- Rating
- (3.68)
- Languages
- English, Norwegian (Bokmål)
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 21
- UPCs
- 1
- ASINs
- 14
