The Californios
by Louis L'Amour
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Fiction. Western. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:Captain Sean Mulkerin comes home from the sea to find his family home in jeopardy. After the death of his father, Sean’s determined mother, Eileen, took it upon herself to run the sprawling Rancho Malibu—until a fire destroyed her hard-earned profits. Now, on the edge of financial ruin, Eileen hopes Sean can help them find a way out. The rumor is that her late husband found gold in the wild and haunted California hills, but the only show more clue to its whereabouts lies with an ancient, enigmatic Indian.When Sean and Eileen set forth to retrace his father’s footsteps, they know they are in search of a questionable treasure—with creditors, greedy neighbors, and ruthless gunmen watching every move they make. Before they reach their destination, mother and son will test both the limits of their faith and the laws of nature as they seek salvation in a landscape where reality can blur like sand and sky in a desert mirage. show less
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Member Reviews
A pleasant but below-par Western from the well-worn pen of Louis L'Amour. The plot of The Californios has promise – a search for gold is always fun – and its setting does too: California in 1844, when it was still under Mexican/hidalgo rule. However, it's all a bit routine; you know who to root for and who to despise, and the book whizzes through its plot points before you even have a chance to savour them. That's what you expect from Louis L'Amour; he churned out hundreds of books like this, and what he adds to the mixer to differentiate The Californios here is a vague dose of the supernatural. The Indian mysticism that begins to drift in to the second half of the book adds a welcome bit of spookiness and wonder to the story, but show more it's not enough to elevate it. show less
For my reading without walls challenge, I picked a Western, a type of book I had never even really thought of reading. It was interesting but I don't think I'll become a devoted Westerns fan. The good guys were good and the bad guys numerous and quite bad and there was lots of wandering in the mountains on horses and people getting shot and mystical Indians. It all felt rather stereotypical but not unenjoyably so.
A western fiction set in southern California before it became a part of the United States. The "Good Guys" of the story are the Mulkerin family. The family has come under hard times because of unscrupulous business dealings of the families enemies who want to take over their ranch. As the since deceased father of the family used to go away for a few days with a native and come back with gold, the family decides to try this to resolve their money issues. The mother and eldest son make the trek with two natives to guide them and a pack of outlaws trailing them.
I enjoyed the book. It is an average L'Amour book. I do find the mysticism an interesting angle.
I enjoyed the book. It is an average L'Amour book. I do find the mysticism an interesting angle.
My Grandfather had L'Amour paperbacks around the house when I was a kid...now I see why...a fun, realistic feeling read...
An interesting western, with a touch of the supernatural.
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Author Information
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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
- 1974-04
- People/Characters
- Eileen Mulkerin (The Senora); Brother Michael Mulkerin; Sean Mulkerin; Zeke Wooston; Marianna de la Cruz; Andres Machado (show all 17); Silva; Walter Pendleton Russell aka King-Pin Russell; Jorge Fernandez; Jesus Montero; Tomas Alexander; Juan, the Old One; Them, the Other Peoples; Ruiz Beltran; Velasco; Tia Angelena; Johnny Mims
- Important places
- Malibu, California, USA; Acapulco, Mexico; "The Other Side"
- Important events
- Marianna swims to the Lady Luck.; Fandango; Walter returns from The Other Side.; Arrival of the pot of gold.
- Epigraph
- [None]
- Dedication
- To my very good friend, Mauri Grashin
- First words
- The ranch house on Malibu was a low-roofed adobe with a porch across the front from corner to corner.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Only do not look for the cave. You might find it.
Classifications
Statistics
- Members
- 774
- Popularity
- 36,031
- Reviews
- 8
- Rating
- (3.57)
- Languages
- Old English, English, Norwegian (Bokmål)
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 25
- ASINs
- 12
