Memory Monday: Last of the Breed, by Louis L'Amour

As a teenager I almost wouldn't read anything but classics. Yes, I mean big thick doorstops like Oliver Twist, Les Mis, Anna Karenina, Count of Monte Cristo...I was, of course, not stupid enough to tell friends at school that's all that I read. I remember running out of books to read, and perusing my parent's bookshelves for something - anything - to read before bed. My dad had a stack of Louis L'Amours and I grabbed one. And then proceeded to read the rest of them as fast as possible. While westerns are just action/adventure books, with the plot remaining roughly the same, there was something inherently romantic about a cowboy's tale to a 14 year old.
For years, Louis L'Amour has regaled us with tales of the Old West of America. Cowboys, gunslingers, ranch hands, treasure hunting, Indians, wars, you name it, if it was there, it got talked about. These stories sum up to about 89 books, not counting poems, non-fiction, plays...



My favorite, however, is a bit of a departure for L'Amour. Last of the Breed is the more modern tale of Joe Mack, a U.S. Air Force Major whose aircraft is forced down in Russia. When he escapes a Soviet prison camp, he is forced to trek across the bitterly cold Russian land during winter, with only his Sioux instincts for a guide. Meanwhile, a Yakut native, Alekhin is tracking him to his death.

Ok, ok, it's a bit manly sounding. But the plot is intense enough to keep your focus and there is a bit of a romance. (I know, of all the places, the bitter snow-buried backwoods of Russia?!) Think the Bourne Identity without the gadgets.
Graded a B.

Not interested in westerns? Even this post couldn't get you hyped up? Then let me point you towards a few that might change your mind: (All by the same Louis L'Amour)
Passin' Through
Hondo
Son of a Wanted Man
Mustang Man
The Iron Marshall
Jubal Sackett