Status
Available
Collection
Publication
Bantam (2005), 160 pages
Description
Fiction. Western. Thriller. Historical Fiction. Rye Tyler was twelve when his father was killed in an Indian raid. Taken in by a mysterious stranger with a taste for books and an instinct for survival, Rye is schooled in the hard lessons of life in the West. But after killing a man, he is forced to leave his new home. He rides lonely mountain passes and works on dusty cattle drives until he finds a job breaking horses. Then he meets Liza Hetrick, and in her eyes he sees his future. After establishing himself as marshal of Alta, he returns, only to discover that Liza has been kidnapped. Tracking her to Robbers�?? Roost, Rye is forced to face the man who taught him all he knows about books, guns, and friendship. Two old friends�??one woman: Who will walk… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member gregdehler
Kinda corny with the reluctant gun slinger theme. And a little Horatio Alger thrown in for good measure . And I saw the ending coming a mile away. Yet, some parts were very exciting and pulled me in. It was originally written in 1955 and you get a good sense of why the western as a genre was so
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popular in the 1950s. Show Less
LibraryThing member MerryMary
A teenaged boy is left an orphan while on his way west. He learns to fend for himself, and finds a friend and mentor in Logan Pollard. As he matures he tries hard not to let his natural ability with a gun lead him into killing.
LibraryThing member JBarringer
A fun Western about a young man, orphaned at 14 while traveling by wagon to California, who becomes a successful gunman.
LibraryThing member TheTreeReader
I’m not 100% sure but I think I am the biggest reader in my family. I know there are others that read, but I’m not sure anyone reads as much as I do. I’m also a book hoarder collector so when someone in my family was moving, they gave me a bunch of books they didn’t want anymore. This
This is only my second or third western and it was my first Louis L’Amour novel and I was excited to get into it. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about To Tame A Land. Part of me really liked it, but I just couldn’t rate it high. I feel like this could have been an amazing book if it had just been longer. It’s 154 pages and when the story starts Rye is twelve years old, but by the end he’s a lot older (I can’t remember his exact age). I don’t know if this is a common thing for westerns, Louis L’Amour, or just this book, but I didn’t like that he aged a year basically every ten pages.
I am slightly disappointed and I’m not sure if it’s because I had higher expectations for this book than I thought I would, or because it could have been a great book if it was a couple hundred pages longer and more flushed out.
At the end of the day, I liked the characters, I liked the plot and the writing was great, but I just can’t give it more than two stars. It just seemed too rushed. Hopefully this isn’t a common thing with L’Amours books because I have a stack of them and they are all pretty short.
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person reads mostly westerns (especially Louis L’Amour) which was something I hadn’t really read but had been meaning to get into.This is only my second or third western and it was my first Louis L’Amour novel and I was excited to get into it. I’m not exactly sure how I feel about To Tame A Land. Part of me really liked it, but I just couldn’t rate it high. I feel like this could have been an amazing book if it had just been longer. It’s 154 pages and when the story starts Rye is twelve years old, but by the end he’s a lot older (I can’t remember his exact age). I don’t know if this is a common thing for westerns, Louis L’Amour, or just this book, but I didn’t like that he aged a year basically every ten pages.
I am slightly disappointed and I’m not sure if it’s because I had higher expectations for this book than I thought I would, or because it could have been a great book if it was a couple hundred pages longer and more flushed out.
At the end of the day, I liked the characters, I liked the plot and the writing was great, but I just can’t give it more than two stars. It just seemed too rushed. Hopefully this isn’t a common thing with L’Amours books because I have a stack of them and they are all pretty short.
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LibraryThing member SarahGraceGrzy
All I can say is wow! This was my first dive into the world of Louis L'Amour books, and I was quite impressed and definitely look forward to reading more! It's clear why L'Amour is the leading author of Western fiction.
While it took me a bit to get into the story, once I did, I couldn't put it
All in all, I greatly enjoyed To Tame a Land and look forward to reading more L'Amour novels in the future!
CONTENT NOTE: Recommended for ages 16 for violence.As expected from a Western, there is lots of gun-slinging, bad guys, etc, and multiple shootings and deaths. None described overly graphically.
While it took me a bit to get into the story, once I did, I couldn't put it
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down. This short-ish volume packs a lot in! Rye was a very interesting and engaging character and I enjoyed following his story and "seeing the world through his eyes", so to speak. The authentic Old-West setting, marauding bad guys and gun-slinging action that you expect from a Western was all there, in spades. I particularly liked the light touch of romance that further developed Rye's character without going overboard. All in all, I greatly enjoyed To Tame a Land and look forward to reading more L'Amour novels in the future!
CONTENT NOTE: Recommended for ages 16 for violence.
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LibraryThing member DrT
3/2/23. Book title and author: To Tame a Land by Louis L’Amour
Why I picked this book up: As a kid, my neighbor Steve, had a leather bound set and I read a couple that I loved. I picked this up to see if L’Amour was consistent.
Thoughts: “To Tame A Land is a fast paced story about a boy named
The writing style is full of old west slang and the descriptions of the environments are brief and near perfect. It pulls you into the story. The pivotal scenes of this book are well written and the scenes that link them are brief to keep up the pace. Although this book is 154 pages, it's got a bit of everything: friendship, wisdom, action, one liners, and love. It's a great read for anyone who wants a taste of action in the old west.” from Poisoned Blade on Amazon reviewer see below:
Poisoned Blade
Why I finished this read: To tie up the story which ended well.
Stars rating: 5 out I’d 5. He is a great writer, western writer that describes things well, has morals, good characters and fun to read. He was as expected for me.
Why I picked this book up: As a kid, my neighbor Steve, had a leather bound set and I read a couple that I loved. I picked this up to see if L’Amour was consistent.
Thoughts: “To Tame A Land is a fast paced story about a boy named
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Rye who is forced to grow up after he is orphaned in Indian Territory. He learns to live off the land, hunt, break horses, run cattle, earn respect, and kill when necessary. Problem is, if you're too good with a gun, killers looking to make a name for themselves come for you.The writing style is full of old west slang and the descriptions of the environments are brief and near perfect. It pulls you into the story. The pivotal scenes of this book are well written and the scenes that link them are brief to keep up the pace. Although this book is 154 pages, it's got a bit of everything: friendship, wisdom, action, one liners, and love. It's a great read for anyone who wants a taste of action in the old west.” from Poisoned Blade on Amazon reviewer see below:
Poisoned Blade
Why I finished this read: To tie up the story which ended well.
Stars rating: 5 out I’d 5. He is a great writer, western writer that describes things well, has morals, good characters and fun to read. He was as expected for me.
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LibraryThing member fuzzi
A youth is orphaned after he and his father are abandoned by a wagon train, but is befriended by a gunman. He learns to survive and eventually becomes a gunman himself. Can he escape his reputation and find the girl he loves?
This was actually a pretty good story, worth the reread. I'm rehoming it
This was actually a pretty good story, worth the reread. I'm rehoming it
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but would pick it up again in the future. Show Less
Subjects
Original publication date
1955
Physical description
160 p.