The Sackett

by Louis L'Amour

1988

Status

Checked out

Publication

Bantam Books (1988), Edition: 36 printings through august, 151 pages

Description

Fiction. Western. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:William Tell Sackett had followed a different path from his younger brothers, but his name, like theirs, was spoken with respect and just a little fear. Where Orrin had brought law and order from New Mexico to the plains of Montana, backed up by the gunfighting talents of his brother Tye, Tell Sackett's destiny drew him to Texas after he had to kill a man. There, in the high, lonesome country, he came upon a vein of pure gold. All he'd wanted was enough to buy a ranch, but he soon learned that gold had ways of its own with men.

User reviews

LibraryThing member jmourgos

I must admit I’m not a big Western reader. I think the American West is an amazing chapter in our history: unique in the world, fascinating in its tough ideals, and interesting in the squabbles between the American Indian and the white American cowboy.

The last Louis L ’Amour book I read was

“Haunted Mesa” which I enjoyed because of its science fiction elements. But I digress!

I’ve heard of the Sackett novels of course but never read them. Picked this copy up at a half-price store and was certainly taken in by William Tell Sackett.

I loved how the author puts in the concepts of honor, the importance of literacy and the power of gold. Tell had killed a man and that man’s family is out to get him. Tell also gets himself in trouble in Vegas, with more greedy men on his trail.

Despite all this, Tell rises above the craven need for attention and for money. He discovers his gold mine, dating from the Spanish conquest, and falls in love with a woman survivor up near the mine, whose family owned the map!

The author paints a picture of a rough, American West, how nature abides man to a point, and how love conquers all. Yes, there are parts of the tale that are a bit cheesy and melodramatic, but I enjoyed it regardless.

Highly recommended tale of the Old West. Gotta pick me up some more Sacketts!

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LibraryThing member avilas

I read this book for a senior seminar on Western Literature. It was good to read the stereotypes and mythology of the West, but my goodness, this was terrible. Poorly written, ideologically offensive, misogynistic, anachronistic historical fiction. I'm desperately hoping the West has something else

to show for itself.

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LibraryThing member laytonwoman3rd

A relatively short novel about William Tell Sackett, older brother of Orrin and Tyrel from The Daybreakers. Tell is bigger-than-life, and twice as sturdy. On his way to New Mexico to find his brothers, after a cattle drive in Montana, he happens on a starving young woman in a cave that also happens

to hold a hella stash of easy-to-get-at goooooold that she and her grandfather were looking for with the help of a very old Spanish map. So Tell rescues her, dispatching some bad dudes who have been hunting for him for a while, and sets out to get as much gold out of the mountain as possible before winter makes it impossible to get there or----wait for it----get OUT again. Tell wants to settle down, and hopes maybe this girl is for him, but even after he's played the hero card, she won't be easy to convince. I enjoyed this slightly outlandish tale of adventure in the High Lonesome, and I sincerely hope Tell gets what he wants. He earned it.

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LibraryThing member fuzzi

In this book we meet William Tell Sackett, older brother to Ty and Orrin who we first met in The Daybreakers. Tell has been drifting since the War, and decides it's time to do something with his life. He stumbles upon gold, and a girl, and trouble, as usual.

I love Tell and his laid back attitude.

He's prefers to use humor to confuse and confound those who are spoiling for a fight, and I found myself laughing at times as I reread Sackett. This story remains a favorite of mine.

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LibraryThing member Beukeboom

I've been a fan of the Sackett series of novels by Louis L'Amour when I first read them as a teen. This particular book in the series centers mostly around Tell Sackett, gold, a newly established town, his bride-to-be Ange and an assortment of bad guys after Tell and his gold. It's a pretty

straightforward western told in the typical L'Amour style but that is what I like about his novels.

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LibraryThing member yogiclarebear

I really liked William Tell Sackett. Takes me a bit to get a hang of how L'Amour writes his character's thoughts and speech. This book was much better than Daybreakers. Stayed on a specific story and character, and I found that to be much more enjoyable and easier to read.

LibraryThing member edspicer

There’s lots of action and adventure like mining for gold, and gun duals. I read this book because I really like westerns.

LibraryThing member SunnySD

Older brother to Orrin and Tyrel Sackett, Tell's beginning to think he may never measure up to his younger brothers. Discovering gold and starting a town seems like a good start - but gold comes with a heap of trouble all its own...

Short on pages and long on description, but as readable as any of

L'Amour's Sackett novels.

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LibraryThing member scoutmomskf

Another excellent story by L'Amour about the type of men who settled the west. After the Civil War he drifted west working anything from cattle drives to riverboats. After killing a man who tried to kill him he decided it was time to try to improve his life. On his way down to New Mexico to visit

his brothers (see Daybreakers) he stumbles on a rich vein of gold. After talking to his brothers he and Cap Rountree get the supplies together to mine that gold. With gold being one of those things that tends to draw unwanted attention they ran into trouble almost from the beginning. Also in the valley where he found the gold he found a young woman whose grandfather had found the gold first. He rescued her and faced the trouble that found them. Tell is another one of L'Amour's quiet heroes. He doesn't go looking for trouble but he doesn't run from it either. He has a strict code of honor and believes in the difference between right and wrong. One of the things he was determined to do was to improve his reading which he did by reading a book about law which gave him a lot to think about. I also liked the way that he tried to resolve issues without shooting if it was possible. Besides the intense drama of some of the events, there were also some funny times. I really enjoyed the shaving scene at the beginning and also his dealing with the interlopers of the town near the end.

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LibraryThing member jrthebutler

South of the Tetons, William Tell Sackett discovers a forgotten valley that holds a fortune in gold, but gold comes with a heap of trouble all its own...

LibraryThing member Jean_Sexton

I really enjoyed this book. It is far more complex than the movie would suggest. Tell Sackett is a thoughtful man who considers honor and duty. He also has thoughts about the effects of literacy. It is this that makes it a classic Western and raises it well above the average.

If you want to

introduce someone to the Western genre, this would be a good entry point.

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LibraryThing member Whiskey3pa

A terrific Sacket story that introduces William Tell Sacket. The story is relatively simple but the character is a classic.

LibraryThing member DeltaQueen50

Sackett by Louis L’Amour is part of the series of books about the Sackett family. In this book the main character is William Tell Sackett. Like many of the Sacketts he is tall , lean and well muscled. Although he prefers a peaceful life, he seems to attract trouble. Luckily he is very good with

guns, knives and his fists. He stumbles upon a rich gold mine high up in the mountains, and when he goes to stake his claim, the word gets out and he attracts a lot of unwanted attention. He also finds a young woman stranded in the wilderness, a woman that he rescues and wants to claim as his own.

Dogged by greedy interlopers, Tell tries to disguise the location of the gold mine but the story becomes one of survival and adventure as he is followed by murderous claim jumpers who had also kidnapped his lady-love.

Sackett was an old-fashioned western with the hero being a principled man who never gives up. He overcomes the weather and the bad guys and still manages to win the girl and pocket the gold. A fun read.

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LibraryThing member lamour

William Tell Sackett heads west after his service in the Union Army during Civil War to find away to raise funds to start a ranch. He accidentally stumbles on an abandon gold mine in a hidden valley which also is the trap for an attractive young woman named Ange. Once he brings out some of the

gold, the usual bad types follow him back to steal his find. They force Ange to lead them into the hidden valley but they do not prepare for the early winter weather. Tell's struggle to bring Ange and a wounded man out of the valley during a severe winter storm while holding off a group of five gunmen is a suitable L'Amour ending to this quick, fast moving read.

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