The Shadow Riders: A Novel
by Louis L'Amour
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Fiction. Western. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:Dal and Mac Traven left Texas young and idealistic. They came back from opposite sides of a living hell, a war that had torn the nation in two. They wanted only to reclaim their old lives—but one man held their futures hostage.Colonel Henry T. Ashford had gathered an army of criminals and renegade soldiers, leading them on a path of destruction and kidnapping through Texas to the Gulf. Among Ashford’s captives were the Travens’ show more sister and Dal’s tough-minded fiancée, Kate.
Now Mac and Dal must take up arms once again and ride together against Ashford’s army—ready to fight another war, if that’s what it takes to win the freedom of the women they love. show less
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Member Reviews
A good post-Civil War "Louie." A TV movie has been made from this one, which wasn't bad, although, as usual I like the book better.
Some people don't want to admit the Civil War is over. Del and Mac Traven come home from the war to find that all the stock for miles around has been stolen, along with a great many women including their sisters and Del's sweetheart. Colonel Ashford plans to sell the stock and the women to finance a Confederate attack out of Mexico. The Traven brothers and their crazy Uncle Jack set out to get them back, helped in no small measure by the brains and inventiveness of the women themselves.
Some people don't want to admit the Civil War is over. Del and Mac Traven come home from the war to find that all the stock for miles around has been stolen, along with a great many women including their sisters and Del's sweetheart. Colonel Ashford plans to sell the stock and the women to finance a Confederate attack out of Mexico. The Traven brothers and their crazy Uncle Jack set out to get them back, helped in no small measure by the brains and inventiveness of the women themselves.
At the end of the civil war two brothers return home to find some of the local women have been kidnapped by renegades. The chase the renegades to the coast, picking up an uncle to help on the way. They find a way to rescue the women and escort them safely home.
A fun read.
A fun read.
It was solidly OK. Don't know if I will read more of his, Don't know that I won't.
I was pleasantly surprised. Just a good old western.
What can ya say? It's Louie!!!
What can ya say? It's Louie!!!
Product Description
Dal and Mac Traven left Texas young and idealistic. They came back from opposite sides of a living hell, a war that had torn the nation in two. They wanted only to reclaim their old lives…but one man held their future hostage.
Colonel Henry T. Ashford had gathered an army of criminals and renegade soldiers, leading them on a path of destruction and kidnapping through Texas to the Gulf. Among Ashford’s captives were the Travens’ sister and Dal’s tough-minded fiancée, Kate.
Now Mac and Dal must take up arms once again and ride together against Ashford’s army—ready to fight another war, if that’s what it takes to win the freedom of the women they love.
From the Publisher
Dal and Mac Traven fought show more on opposite sides of the Civil War but rode home together to start rebuilding the family ranch. Instead, they discovered the chilling aftermath of a guerrilla rampage of terror. It was said no force in Texas could stop these raiders one their bloody path to Mexico. But now the raiders had the Travens' sister and Dal's girlfriend, Kate Connery, held captive. Now they had the Travens on their trail and even though it would be just me Mac and Dal and their brother Jesse and Uncle Jack against thirty killers, the Travens would keep on coming. For as Kate Connery kept telling the other women hostages, "The Travens will never stop until we are free or they are dead." show less
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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
- 1982
- People/Characters
- Del Traven; Mac Traven; Kate Connery; Happy Jack Traven; Colonel Henry T. Ashford; Captain Martin Connery (show all 7); Cordelia Atherton
- Important places
- Texas, USA
- Related movies
- The Shadow Riders (1982 | IMDb)
- Epigraph
- [None]
- Dedication
- To the cast and crew of The Shadow Riders
- First words
- Hunching his shoulders against the cold, pelting rain, Major Mac Traven slipped a hand under his caped coat to assure himself his spare pistol remained in position.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Mac went back inside, glanced at the torn curtain, then looked over at Mrs. Atherton. "Thanks, ma'am," he said softly.
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Statistics
- Members
- 800
- Popularity
- 34,460
- Reviews
- 8
- Rating
- (3.75)
- Languages
- Czech, English, Russian
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 15
- ASINs
- 7
