Bendigo Shafter: A Novel

If Louis L'Amour had stuck with just writing "westerns" and not gone into writing "sagas" I believe he would have gotten even larger in the publishing business. These "sagas" expound too largely and blatantly his personal opinions on subjects which, if he had more subtle writing about, definitely would have made him more easier to read and accept. Bendigo Shafter is bigger than life, and one might have suspected how this book would be written by reading L'Amour's preface and dedication: "To the hard-shelled men who built with nerve and hand that which the soft-bellied latecomers call the 'western myth'. If you really want "true" westerns then you need to read Luke Short or William MacLeod Raine or for romances of the west, Zane Grey. Louis L'Amour may have covered every bit of ground on which he sat his novels, but his opinions too often got in the way of good prose and good story telling.

I have read this book 10 times since I found it. Fact is I have been in the country that is took place and "Louie Lamour" did not miss a trick.

This is LL's answer to revisionist historians. He makes that clear from the dedication page: "To the hard-shelled men who built with nerve and hand that which the soft-bellied latecomers call the 'western myth.'" In the story he shows us the hardships those 'hard-shelled men' faced and the grit and character they displayed. Unlike typical westerns this not about a single wandering loner-- Bendigo Shafter is a builder in a community of builders. In this the book is closer to the true history of the west than is the typical Hollywood movie.There is plenty of action. L'Amour knows how to make a story MOVE. Shafter has to contend with rustlers, outlaws, Indians, blizzards and politics. All in all, this western fan was well-pleased.

While no author of the western spins a yarn with as much accuracy as L'Amour, I consider this piece the finest ever penned about the frontier and the men who shaped this country thereby shaping themselves. The growth of Bendigo Shafter parallels that of America and as he learns, we see how the country learned. As he hurts, sweats, loses, gains, wishes, etc. so does this great land. Bendigo is a sentimental character with respect and appreciation for every moment of significance in his life. The God that watches over our country would see the pioneering spirit as the trusting, abiding, loving one of his own and L'Amour allows Shafter to show that heart. My sons will read this book many times as will theirs.