From the Listening Hills
by Louis L'Amour
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Classic tales that capture the heroic and indomitable spirit of our great landThe twelve stories in this collection run the spectrum of human emotions as they transport us from the fading majesty of the Old West to a small-town football field to the lonely canyons of one man’s mind. These classic tales of adventure, mystery, mysticism, and suspense epitomize the uniquely American yearning for connection and roots, justice and love, as only L’Amour can. Here is a diverse group of heroes show more and traitors, outlaws and lawmen—the innocent, the guilty, and those who operate in the shadowy territory outside the reach of justice.
The wastelands of Death Valley form the backdrop for the tale of a desperate man who leads his pursuers into a desert trap—where heat and thirst are his only weapons. A rodeo rider framed for a crime he didn’t commit takes a wild ride on a legendary bronco that may help him catch the real killers. An American pilot flies Russian and British agents into the labyrinthine forests of Asiatic Russia—only to discover that one of them is a traitor. A hit man discovers the fatal limits of friendship; and a quest for revenge becomes a frantic race to find a cache of gold hidden in the drifting sands of the Southwest. And in a powerful and moving parable, an Indian boy must lead his family across a drought-ravaged land with nothing to guide him but his faith.
The gripping title story counts down the final hours of a wounded man struggling to fend off his enemies and certain death. Before time runs out, he must finish the most important task of his life: a letter to his unborn son that will vindicate the family name. Filled with a special brand of passion and drama, From the Listening Hills is an exemplary collection that showcases the enduring talents of one of America’s most beloved authors. Historical Fiction. Thriller. Fiction. Western. show less
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This mixed collection is better than some of L'Amour's short stories. In general, I prefer his Western stories to his adventure or sports tales, and like his novels more than his shorts. The title story (From the Listening Hills) was the best in this book. There's a couple of other Westerns, a Turk Madden story, a couple of football stories, and one or two others.
A collection of stories he never published in his life time. Includes westerns and stories set on modern times.
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870+ Works 99,526 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
- 2003
- First words
- Before he became fully conscious he heard the woman's voice and some sixth sense of warning held him motionless.
- Last words
- (Click to show. Warning: May contain spoilers.)Gravel rattled, and the horse felt good between Brad's legs, and he liked the heavy feeling of the gold.
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- Members
- 324
- Popularity
- 97,904
- Reviews
- 3
- Rating
- (3.53)
- Languages
- English
- Media
- Paper, Audiobook, Ebook
- ISBNs
- 8
- ASINs
- 4
