Customer Reviews

May There Be a Road

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In spite of some powerful western novels written during the nineties, Louis L'Amour, who died in 1988, remains the king of the genre. "May There Be a Road" showcases Mr. L'Amour's incredible skill as an author, but not in the genre that has made him a household name. Instead this ten-story collection spans the globe and the genres. From the Himalayas to Alaska to Brazil, the stories take readers on a global tour. From a hard-boiled detective story to a war between Tibetan peasants and Chinese soldiers to a boxer seeking a second chance, etc., the tales encompass literature as a whole. This is my first look at a Mr. L'Amour story outside the West and I found each tale well-written, exciting, and keeping with his famous theme of people in conflict trying to overcome the odds. This is an excellent collection that fans of the awe-inspiring writer will want to read as well anyone who enjoys a variety anthology.

Harriet Klausner

Louis L'Amour is never going to be considered one of the great literary geniuses of our time, but the man does know how to tell a story and pull a reader into a story.

So you don't need to stretch your mental powers or keep a thesaurus handy to enjoy his work. Consider the stories from this collection as the Hardy Boys on an adult level. This is thin writing but fun nevertheless.

There are ten stories in this book, and the quality varies. It gets off to a weak start with "A Friend of a Hero", a yarn about a detective who investigates the murder of a buddy from the Korean War. It picks up with some good tales about boxers on the fix - "Fighter's Fiasco and "The Ghost Fighter" - if you can believe in the latter case that one boxer so closely resembles the other that he can take his place in the ring. The best piece is "Wings Over Brazil" in which soldier of fortune Ponga Jim Mayo discovers some nasty Nazis have stolen his cargo ship and plan to overthrow the government of Brazil.

In all cases, however, the stories entertain. If you have a need to think, read Steinbeck or Hemingway. If you have a need to take a mental vacation, you'll love L'Amour.

I have long been a fan of the western adventure stories of Louis L'Amour, especially the series chronicling the Sackett family, so I picked up this collection of short stories in eager anticipation. While this collection includes only three stories set in the old west, I was certainly not in any way disappointed. These ten stories include, as Beau L'Amour points out, some of the author's earliest writings. "Ghost Fighter" and "Fighter's Fiasco" were the second and third short stories that Louis L'Amour ever sold, while "Wings Over Brazil" was one of the last two short stories in the Ponga Jim Mayo Series. The characters and locales are a varied lot which range from groom-to-be Tohkta in the Kunlum Mountains of northern Tibet to the hulking brawling boxer Bambo Bamoulian in New York City. Regardless of location, what these stories have in common is L'Amour's consummate story telling skills. That alone should suffice as an incentive to give the book a try. It is a collection full of action, adventure, unexpected twists and turns, and characters rising to meet challenges and overcome great odds. It's just what the doctor ordered (pardon the cliche')for some great summertime reading.

Sadly the legacy of the great Louis L'Amour is being tarnished by members of his family who have dug up stories that, in some cases, were never published, and released them under the title May There Be A Road. It becomes rapidly apparent as to why they were never published. My hope as I waded through this dreary offering was "may there be an ending!" May There Be A Road is an unfortunate effort to posthumously profit from the L'Amour name while offering nothing to the reader. L'Amour's masterpieces are readily available in paperback and continue to offer the best in western story telling. Don't waste time on May There Be A Road when you can enjoy The Shadow Riders, Crossfire Trail, The Last of the Breed or Haunted Mesa.

If the name Louis L'Amore was not on this book it would not sell one copy in my view. The writing is merely adequate. The tone is out of date. Instead of being satisfied with the honors and the fortune generated by the late Louis L'Amour, the publisher and the author's family continue to publish old stories from the author's youth, milking the name for every cent it can generate. I am a died-in-the-wool L'Amour fan and have purchased just about every book he has written. But watching these poor early efforts being published with his name is agonizng. Let the man rest in peace; God knows he wrote some wonderful stories. But the ones in this collection are not worth purchasing or reading unless you are a L'Amour biographer or critic.

This is my first Louis L'Amour book and certainly not my last. I prefer short stories because I can read each quickly and not be caught up for too many hours, trying to find out what happened. All ten short stories captured my interest and each was very different from the other, altogther a thoroughly enjoyable read.

The main appeal of this compilation for me is the wide range of stories that occur within unique settings: Hawaii, Tibet, Brazil, Mexico, and the Southwest, USA. There are several stories about boxing/prize fighting, which amazingly, I enjoyed. The key to this author's writing is how he builds suspense, gradually reveals his characters, and keeps the reader hooked, wanting to know more, as the story unfolds in unexpected ways. The author has a keen grasp of human nature. He knows the human condition which he reveals in its myriad of aspects in each story.

One of my favorite stories is "May There Be a Road" which is about the courage shown by Tohkta, a young Tibetan, when he is planning to capture his future wife, but ends up unexpectedly fighting the Communists, and doing a very daring deed to save his village. Serendipty strikes, as I read the words, "Yol Bolsun", an old Tibetan greeting, meant for those who took the old mountain trails. It means, "May there be a road" and is the title of a recent CD by Sevarah Nazarkhan (Uzbekhistan) which I bought [and reviewed]. The other favorite is "The Cactus Kid". Reading this story is like watching an old TV Western from the 1950s. It is just as satisfying. Nesselrode Clay, aka, "The Cactus Kid", inadvertently stumbles upon a dastardly plot by the Uncle of a beautiful senorita. He plans to swindle her out of very expensive land. Of course, "The Cactus Kid" saves her from this awful fate. My highest recommendations. Erika Borsos (erikab93)

This was a gift but my son loves the westerns by Louie L'Amour, and whatever it takes to get men to read, IT's GREAT!!!

Everything you would expect from Louis and more! I wish his son & daughter would write.

Everything you would expect from Louis and more! I wish his son & daughter would write.