Lando: The Sacketts: A Novel

I ordered a book that was missing in my Sackett saga by Louis L'Amour. It came as promised and when it was promised. Very pleased. Thank you.

Orlando "Lando" Sackett is a new and different hero from L'Amour's most famous clan. The son of Falcon Sackett, Lando is short and has no talent for the fast draw or gunplay. His mother is dead and he's been separated from his father since he was a child, and we see how much that has cost him. When the itinerant gypsy known as the Tinker warns Lando that his own uncles are coming to kill him for his father's gold, Lando goes in search of the gold, in search of his father, and, most importantly, in search of the Sackett within himself. Lando is not the best of L'Amour's Sackett novels; Sackett, Jubal Sackett, and The Daybreakers are better. But Lando may well be the novel that succeeds best AS a Sackett story. In Sackett, Jubal Sackett, and The Daybreakers, L'Amour could have plunked a leading man who had nothing to do with the Sackett family into the leading role, and each book would have been just as good. Not so in Lando. Orlando's palpable need to reconnect with his father and his clan is central to the whole story; he depends from start to finish on the friends the Sackett family has made over the years, and while the gods have stinted him the height, the fast gun hand, and the wit that they so generously doled out to other Sacketts, they gave him a double helping of another famous Sackett trait: toughness. Stylistically, this is one of L'Amour's best written novels; the scenes of the Natchez Trace, Texas, and Mexico are beautifully rendered. The Tinker, mentioned in passing in many of L'Amours Sackett novels, gets center stage here and shines. L'Amour sometimes had difficulty coming up with villains to match his heroes, but here he has produced a whole slew of juicy baddies, including a female one. When a pretty girl in a L'Amour novel has a fixation on her father, look out: the dame's up to no good. L'Amour also tries his hand at rendering an eerie atmosphere, and succeeds rousingly. Unfortunately, Josh Hamilton's narration, while good enough for most of the scenes, does not give these spine-tingling passages the hushed tone they need; thus, I would recommend reading the hardcopy instead of listening to Hamilton. What's not to love about Lando? Two things. One, when John Miller wrote that too many of L'Amour's plots rely on coincidence, he was probably thinking of Lando first. The Texas Rangers, Cullen Baker, and other useful folks show up with suspiciously perfect timing throughout the book. Two, the conclusion is a bit of a letdown, as happens all too often in L'Amour's stories. L'Amour tries hard to give us a rousing finish, but the villains' behavior at the end is simultaneously so brazen and so ineffective that it's more laughable than thrilling. It is regrettable that the cover matter gives away key plot points, but that's not L'Amour's fault. If by any chance you read this review before reading the novel, I urge you not to read anything on the book's back cover. Lando is probably the touchstone of where you are

This is a story of gold, prison, boxing, and a racing mule. Young Lando, a Clinch Mountain Sackett, sets out from Tennessee to find his father who went looking for hidden gold in Mexico and has been missing for years. Along the way, he meets up with a gypsy "tinker" and the two head for Texas and adventures follow. He is betrayed and ends up in a brutal Mexican prison, but escapes to get revenge. This is a good story that will keep you turning the pages (and you will find out where the racing mule comes into the story).

I was reading over some of these reviews and saw that some readers had given Lando a luke warm rating. Had to put in my own two cents. I thought Lando was flat out terrific! This character is a bit different than many of Louis L'Amour's main men, and I liked the differences. Lando is full of action and the fist fighting scenes are top notch.... the best. I've read perhaps a hundred of L'Amour's books; have enjoyed all of them, some more so than others, but Lando is a winner. Darn good read.

Lando the 5th. book of the Sackett series was fun to read. Lando Sackett is a tough guy and has been in a Mexican prison for many years. During this time in prison his muscles became stronger his resolve greater and his desire to succeed a must. The gold would be his and he would make the people who deserted him pay.