Last of the Breed

by Louis L'Amour

Hardcover, 1986

Call number

FIC LAM

Collection

Publication

Bantam Books (1986), 374 pages

Description

Fiction. Western. Thriller. Historical Fiction. HTML:ā??For sheer adventure Lā??Amour is in top form.ā?ā??Kirkus Reviews   Here is the kind of authentically detailed epic novel that has become Louis Lā??Amourā??s hallmark. It is the compelling story of U.S. Air Force Major Joe Mack, a man born out of time. When his experimental aircraft is forced down in Russia and he escapes a Soviet prison camp, he must call upon the ancient skills of his Indian forebears to survive the vast Siberian wilderness. Only one route lies open to Mack: the path of his ancestors, overland to the Bering Strait and across the sea to America. But in pursuit is a legendary tracker, the Yakut native Alekhin, who knows every square foot of the icy frontierā??and who knows that to trap his quarry he mus… (more)

User reviews

LibraryThing member fuzzi
Set during the Cold War era, Last of the Breed is the story of a US Air Force pilot who is captured by Soviet agents and imprisoned in Siberia. The authorities intend to extract information from Lt. Joseph Makatozi regarding technical secrets using any method available, including torture. However,
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ā€œMackā€ does not cooperate, but escapes into the wilds of Siberia as winter approaches. He uses his survival skills to not only stay alive, but keep a jump ahead of the best Russian trackers available. As the weeks and months pass, Mack finds himself reverting to become a warrior, with a mindset much like one of his Sioux and Cheyenne ancestors.

Hard to put down, this one will remain on my shelves for a future reread.
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LibraryThing member 391
The pacing and plot were excellent - in fact, I read the book in middle school, and it's stuck with me so long that I had to get another copy for re-read to see if it was as good as I remembered. However, the broadly generalized stereotyping made me uncomfortable at moments - between the "I'm a
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stoic indian, like my ancestors" and "I am a good Russian comrade, though I secretly root for the US to win the Cold War" it just felt so dated and icky to my admittedly modernized, PC sensibilities.
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LibraryThing member beslagsmed
This was fantastic reading. I related to this book as I grew up in Southern Idaho where the main character came from. I was so taken with the book, I almost read it non-stop to complete the book. Mr. L'Amour was a fantastic author and I really missed him at his passing.
LibraryThing member Pferdina
It seems to be set in the 1980s. Joe Mack, an officer of Sioux descent, is captured by the Soviets and held in a prison in Siberia. But, he escapes the prison and sets off to walk back to the United States while the Soviet army searches for him. It's a good adventure story, some parts implausible.
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I found myself wondering how he always had fire available. One time he uses a bow drill to make fire, and iron pyrite pieces are also mentioned in another place. Still later, he has matches. There are a few things like that which are not clearly explained, but they don't really distract from the exciting story.
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LibraryThing member codyparker
This book is about a guy who is stuck in the winter and has no where to go. His name is Bob Miller and he is stuck in the winter and has no place to go and the snow keeps going on forever. Bob Miller is now trying to find a place to sleep and eat food at in the winter. He finds a place to sleep and
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rest for the night. When he wakes up there is a polar bear right next to him and he is runs and scares him off. Later Bob Miller finds land so he picks up all his stuff and hunts the bear and brings his fear with him. He makes it to the place and eats and rests there and waits for his next time in the winter. After Bob Miller rests he gets up and flys to a colder place for next year.
What I liked about the book was that it was funny. The book was not good because I thought it was going to have more adventure in it. I liked how the author put his words in the book it was good. The book cover was good but I think it should be snowier in it. The book was good and bad because it was weird when a bear was there in his face when he woke up. I liked the words in the book they all made sense at the end. Bob Miller was a cool key person in the book and he was funny in it too. Clearly you can see why I like this book and what it is about.
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LibraryThing member toddspop
One of the last L'Amour books that would have been a great movie, mini-series,etc. Really captured the outdoor spirit with this.
LibraryThing member MerryMary
A rare modern-day L'Amour novel. An American pilot is forced down in Siberia, escapes from a Soviet prison camp, and shows his mettle in an cross-country escape from a Yakut tracker. Joe relies on the instincts and ancient skills of his Native American ancestors to survive this epic adventure.
LibraryThing member cstumbo
The writing's not that great, but the story is!
LibraryThing member DanielMH
A pretty good book about one single man escaping from a Russian prison in the after World War II time.
The book is excellent, if you like reading about a self-made guy who tries to get through all his problems mainly by himself. It shows how he thinks, reacts and got educated to be one of the
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best.
On the other hand, it is sometimes a little bit unrealistic and tends to transmits the wrong message through Joe Mack: Hope and strategic thinking is always good, but you can't get anywhere only on your own. This is the really hard way that nearly nobody can make. You have to talk to people. You have to communicate. Exchange some ideas, say what you honestly think, ask for help when you need it. This is how you can get somewhere without having a hard life. Why is it always so hard to talk and honestly discuss things? Why do so many people prefer doing things on their own and isolate themselves? An example for somebody who has some problems moving on on its own would be the old Russia (Soviet Union) in this book.
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LibraryThing member Bruce_Deming
It has been a while since I read this. I did like it. See others for story summary. It's worth your while.
LibraryThing member Helm
Last of the Breed is the story of Joe Mack, an American pilot whose experimental aircraft is forced down in the 1980's Soviet Union. Escaping from a Siberian prison camp, he seeks to return home by following the path of his ancestors across the bearing sea to Alaska. The story is told well, with a
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surprisingly well-developed and balanced villain in Zamatev, a Soviet officer determined to recapture the protagonist. The book is a wonderful diversion that exemplifies the straight-forward writing style of Louis L'Amour. Reading this in the dead of winter allows the reader to more fully enjoy the well-crafted setting of the Siberian wilderness. It is a wonderful story that is well-told.
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LibraryThing member readafew
For me this is one that lost luster as I aged. I originally read this when I was in high school and loved every minute of it. Just got done listening to it and I have to say the main character was a bit pretentious. Still a pretty good story but not nearly as good as I remembered it. had to drop
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off a star from my original rating.

Major Joe Mac, of the US Air Force is a pilot and a Sioux Indian. While test flying an experimental aircraft over the Baring Straight, he is forced to crash in the drink and is captured by the Soviets. He escapes only to be trapped in Siberia. The rest of the book is the Soviets trying to recapture him and constantly failing.
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LibraryThing member KirkLowery
Among his very best work.
LibraryThing member mikedraper
In this 1986 novel, USAF Major Joseph "Joe Mack" Makatozi's plane is forced down over the Bering Sea.

The Russians have forced his plane down. They capture him and take him to a secret prison in Siberia. He is taken before Col. Zamatev, a hard line GRU officer who plans to force information from Joe
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Mack.

The Russians realize that Joe Mack has valuable information about modern jet planes. The prison is in a little known area of Siberia and Zamatev tells Joe Mack that no one knows where he is so there won't be an effort to search for him.

Joe Mack is part Sioux, part Cheyenne. He is also a decathlon athlete of near Olympic caliber. He's also a proud man and resolved not to give in. He is able to find an object that permits him to pole vault over the prison fence. Then he begins on an heroic effort to cross Russia and escape.

He has no weapons or food or winter clothing so the odds are against him. In addition, Zamatev assigns Alekhin, a Yakut Siberian to trail Joe. The Yakut, as he is called, is an enforcer at the prison and a good tracker who has taken Joe Mack's escape personally.

I had read this story in the past and enjoyed it again. Reading about Joe Mack's survival in the freezing cold mountainous region reminded me somewhat of Jack London. Joe Mack is able to make a bow and arrow and he survives on his innate skills. When the Russians send a helicopter after him, that segment of the story reminded me of the movie, Rambo.

Overall, the nonstop action was entertaining and his relationship to the people he meets during his escape was interesting to follow. The writing is realistic, so much so that when I read about the Russian winter setting in, I made sure the windows of my house were closed tightly and the heat was turned up.
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LibraryThing member Kristelh
A story about a Native American man who escapes from Russia using his Native American skills.
LibraryThing member NightHawk
I agree with "cstumbo". Not the best written book by Louis L'Amour but an excellent story.
LibraryThing member DrT
Book title and author: Last of the Breed by Louis L'Amour 3/8/23.

Why I picked this book up: I read this as a youth, heā€™s one of my favorite authors and I wanted to reread it.

Thoughts: I loved his description of land, Native American used his skills, being the tracked by Soviets. The survival and
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history was a great read.

Why I finished this read: Interesting and too good to end early. I did not remember how it ended and finished the reread.

Stars rating: 4.5 of 5 stars.
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Pages

374

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