ISBN from 1980 https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...Reviewed before https://www.goodreads.com/review/show... Grieving his wife, Falcon "Three heavy sacks of gold he passed over to Caffrey .. Care for him well, and every third coin is your own" p 270. But "too much for his principles to bear" p 271. Greedy wife whispers to kill narrator Orlando 11, who punches out their bullying son Duncan, and runs home at 12. Lando lives five years on own, till arrival of roaming gypsy Tinker, famed for steel knives, coincides with "one-eyed spavined mare" p 274, get of famed racer, in heat. He sneaks the mare in to mate with Caffrey's fast stallion, and leaves pregnant mare with Mexican Manuel. Alongside tradition "no Sackett ever turned a man from his fire", he can yarn "started .. west .. preacher .. talked so much about sin that I got right interested" p 283. Generosity is rewarded. Outlaw Cullen Baker gives him fine 1859 "Walch Navy .. twelve-shots .. two triggers" p 284. Lando later scares threats by this advice and coffee compliment implying close bond with terror. Snippy Marsha Deckrow 14 snubs the dusty pair. Uncle Jonas Locklear invites them to dine, recognizes Tinker as Cosmo Lengro. Finally, Lando learns how the three met in 1868, found 1816 from pirate Jean Lafitte, "not a million dollars - a million" gold Spanish coins, worth much more p 295, and Captain Elam Kurbishaw finds out. Three Kurbishaw brothers try to stop their sister from marrying Falcon, before names connect. Lando falls for Jonas's sister Virginia "might have been twenty-four, and had the kind of figure that no dress can conceal, and well she knew it" p 291. Marsha's father, Jonas's brother-in-law Franklyn, has tried to take over the estate by devious paperwork. (view spoiler)[Falcon escaped Mexican prison after eight years, rescued by Lando where they find gold in Florida. Franklyn betrays them, kills Jonas, and gets Lando jailed in Mexico for "six years hard labor" p 348. By then, Gin has married Falcon. He wins bets on mule from spavined mare and own prowess against Dun Caffrey, childhood bully. (hide spoiler)]
In true Louis L'Amour fashion, this volume of the Sackett series moves quick, contains plenty of rich detail, and paints a colorful picture of an adventurous time period in American history. Orlando Sackett is a foster son whose father disappeared years ago. Now that he's twenty, Lando sets off with the local tinker to settle elsewhere. Along the way he makes friends and enemies, then winds up in a Mexican prison for six years (a time period covered in a matter of sentences.) Then things get really interesting.Because the story is so short, I won't spoil it with extra details. If you need anything else to hook you beyond that, well, pirate gold.Give it a look.
What do You think about Lando (1984)?
In this book of the wild west, Louis L'Amour writes about yet another member of the Sackett family. Orlando Sackett, known as Lando, lives in the mountains of Texas, alone since he was twelve, as his mother died at a young age and his father left him with another family. Said family, the Caffreys, took the money left to care for Lando and alienated him so far that he ran away into the mountains. Lando eventually leaves to seek his fortune, and ends up hunting a massive gold treasure left from the pirate Jean LaFitte. Lando has to deal with the elements, bandits, crooked mexican police forces, clashes of interests and three old family members with a grudge and intent to kill as he braves the new world outside his mountain range.Lando is a suspenseful, fast-paced, action packed book meant for people who want to read on the edge of their seats.I thought this was a very good book, and recommend it to anyone who will read it.
—Mackenzie Bakker
Really enjoyed Louie L'Amour's newest character, Orlando. I was a little skeptical about how he would develop. Thought he was a little one-dimensional at first. But L'Amour developed him into a believable and likeable character. There's a sympathy and nobility he creates within Orlando. Taking him from the mountainous shack of Tennessee out into the wilds of Texas with only a Tinker for a friend and pregnant mare, L'Amour leads his character on the path to riches, and maybe a reunion with his long, lost father. The tale is beautiful, and includes the rich history of the west. There's a strength in each of L'Amour's characters, and Orlando is no exception. The fondness I found for Orlando mirrors what I had for Barnabas and Tyrel. Looking forward to continuing with the Sackett series.
—Jim Peoples
Lando is one of Louis L’Amour’s 17-book Sacketts Series. Orlando Sackett sets out from his Hillbilly Log Cabin in the Blue Ridge to head West in part to escape a blood feud and to escape the family who swindled him out of his Father’s Spanish Gold. We learn about life in the hills, the brigands who haunt the Post Civil War back-country, and the perils of travel along the Mississippi. Distinguishing friend from foes is not always an obvious choice and being an obvious mark is dangerous. Code of the West:If you wear a gun folks will expect you to use it and you better be ready to.You won’t be keeping what you can’t defend.
—Garth Mailman
