Customer Reviews

West from Singapore

5 star:		(3)
4 star:		(3)
3 star:		(0)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

Written in the period of time BEFORE the US entered WWII. A most refreshing change of pace. I originally checked this book out at the library and once I read it I had to buy it.

The writing is everything you expect from Louis L'Amour except that it takes place on the seas and islands of singapore circa 1935 - 1941, instead of the American west of 1865 - 1895.

You can tell (if you did not already know) that Mr. L'Amour had spent time as a Merchant Marine in this area at that time, from the references he makes to the ships and general area in which the action takes place. Both of which changed dramatically after WWII.

This book, like almost all of his books, will hold your interest and be hard to put down.

It is hard to find in the system but well worth the looking.

Fantastic, simply fantastic. This modern day adventure is so great that once you start, you'd never be able to put down. Ponga Jim Mayo is one of L'amour's greatest creation and inspiration. An earlier version of Indiana Jones but deeper and more likable.

I'd been looking for some more sea stories after reading a Hammond Innes book which got me interested in that genre, and I'd also been re-visiting some L'Amour westerns which I enjoy when I stumbled onto L'Amour's "West From Singapore" - I had no idea that L'Amour had written any sea stories! I found this book interesting, and good enough reading, if you don't mind all the long drawn-out detailed-descriptions of fist-fight scenes (maybe it's a "girl-thing", but I sometimes just skipped the blow-by-blow fistfight descriptions, especially the fights that go on for numerous paragraphs/pages, and jump ahead to who won - although I did find it interesting that the hero uses some martial arts stuff, kicks etc, rather than just relying on brute force or whatever). This book probably also more characters (bad-guys) that get done in (the star seems to prefer shooting them in the stomach, but as bad-guys they probably deserve it), than in most L'Amour books - and people used to complain that TV shows had too many killings! Probably realistic though...? Anyway, this book continues with one of the really NICE things that I like about L'Amour's writing, which is his smoothly-written descriptions of stuff - makes you feel like you're actually there. I also appreciate the fact the L'Amour doesn't rely solely on dialogue to tell his stories.

I've read every western novel L'Amour wrote, and finally got around to reading his "Ponga Jim" stories. They're more action-oriented, the background details are as vividly created, and the main hero is more vividly presented than in his westerns. The stories take place in the late 1930's or early 1940's, and the plots may seem quaint to modern readers who know how WWII "came out." If you remember that, just prior to and at the beginning of the war, people didn't know how it would come out, but only knew that the fate of their world might hinge on their actions, no matter how small they seemed at the moment. But Ponga Jim knew -- of course! These stories are a pleasure to read for the plots, the heroics, the information about a vanished time, and the ambiance of a simpler time on the edge of much greater complexity.

Having read most of Louis LaMour's novels, I've not found one that was not a exciting read.

Ponga Jim Mayo is a great discovery. Here we have the global realism and wartime intrigue of Doc Savage wrapped in the gritty, dark thrill of Robert E. Howard. These are delightful tales and it is nice that they build a cohesive universe and follow each other chronologically around the world, though all are separate adventures. I found myself tracing the journey of his ship the Semiramis in my atlas.

These stories are tight, fast, and well done, with great attention to detail. L'Amour also proves he knows how to deliver a punch, with knockout endings. I did find myself wishing there were many more Ponga Jim stories or perhaps some novel-length adventures. But that's a compliment to L'Amour, not a complaint.